Artist Study: Yoji Shinkawa & Ashley Wood

Metal Gear Solid's always been my favorite series through all these years (with the exception of Rising/ Revengeance/ whatever which I absolutely disappointed in, but technically its NOT A TRUE MGS so that's okay). Most MGS offers interesting story-lines and with that comes the interesting characters too - not only visually but also with their greatness, flaws, vulnerability and drive.

Its always easiest to learn from a particular artist by recreating their drawings, and thats just what I did today and the character I picked was the spunky ever-so sexy Sniper Wolf from MGS1. Sure she's not the most realistically believable character; with that outfit in such a cold weather condition she was stationed at - but that's just why we love her to bits!

(Left) Reference, Ashley Wood, MGS1 Graphic Novel

(Right) My re-creation, wolf will be added some time.

(Left) Yoji Shinkawa, Art of MGS1, absolutely in love with this piece!

(Right) my re-creation.

The Gazebo (Log 4: Updates)

Design for the Gazebo (detailed sketch & model TBU)

How The Gazebo Illuminates to function (more TBU)

BLOOMTOWN

(FINALIZED MAP)

Illuna Cliff

Illuna Cluster (B&W)

Illuna Cluster (Final)

 Resolution Corridor

(to be resolved)

Mansion-Pier

(Top; Starting area, Bottom; Overview)

Field Gazebo

The main challenge in this is to create the spiral-maze on a vast field. The spiralling perspective was tricky to work out for the overview, but I think the mood is pretty much how I intended it to be. More details to be added in soon.

Absence Of Time

I really want to try out a little more platforming exploration on this design inspired by Dali. The objective of this level is to retrieve all the 'Lost Times' (scattered all around the level) back into the giant clock.

Hourglass
Extension of the 'Absence Of Time' level.

Broken Path

The idea for this one is to have a small portion of an urban neighbourhood - blow it apart in a surreal space and form it into a tunnel.

As for now I've only worked out the prespective and place-holders for this piece.

 Cubist Town

This piece is one of the most challenging thing I've constructed and also the most fun, but its still nowhere close to the proper cubist look I intended. The idea is to have a maze-like town in cubist style.

Termite Fortress (On The Run)

This one was inspired by a Minecraft Mod in which in it the environment gets constantly distorted while everything else functions as normal. In this scene Tryp is supposed to be running away from those spiderlike creatures (details will be updated soon).

Inverted Bridge

This is a concept for the final area of the game; the bridge to the final gazebo/ freedom/ end-game.

Tryp will encounter his reflection (Cubist Tryp) in the lake. This is the only level where Tryp gets to do a double dive ('realmception'??) from Bloomtown> Gazebo> Inverted World.

Loch, Pipes & Houses

Not sure I'm keeping this one, looks too random and unplanned, so I'm just leaving this be for now.

*Updates 24th April*

Smokers Cavern

This cavern features smoke shafts in a form of stone-heads.

Logic-Dissonance

A labyrinth of geometrical architectures.

Bubble-realm

This level requires the player to move safely and swiftly between giant bubbles. The 2nd part of the level are surrounded by liquid environment that requires the player to move more carefully between bubbles.

Cosmic Couch (Log 5: Programmers!)

Lunavark Studio (based in Norwich, UK) is still looking for a last member to join us for Dare To Be Digital competition. So do contact me at lim.elbert@gmail.com if anyone's interested

We need a Programming Warrior that knows how to build 2D based games efficiently using softwares compatible with IOS & Android, for eg. Game Salad, Corona, etc

If you're any of those things above and also loves Aardvark

then

WE

WANT

YOU

(UPDATE 24th March)
The coder position has been filled & Lunavark Studio is now finally in business!

Cosmic Couch (Log 4: OST)

Here's some demos of the songs I'd work on for Cosmic Couch. All of them are in upbeat tempos to keep the flow of the game going and lots of walking basses maneuver, which is awesome coz I get to try my hands on lots of swing and jazz. The main influences are actually from Stereomood's random electro-swing playlist, Django Reinhardt and also bands like caravan palace.

Track 1. Cosmic-Swing

Track 2. Cosmic-Gypsy

Track 3. Fastwalkinsuit

Cosmic Couch (Log 3: We have a Team name!)

We called ourselves Aartvark studios initially and that seems like the perfect front for our team that loves the creature so much, we even incorporated it into the game itself. Unfortunately after being so emotionally attached to it, we had to let it go because another company in the game industry posses similar name.....worst part is that their logo is pretty terrible. And in fact if anyone look up 'aardvark logo' on google - tons of them exists and they're all shit which made me pretty mad. except for one, there was 1 cool one - but I can't find it again...anyway, so begun the brainstorm session.

During the brainstorm countless epic names came up like Astro-Hobos, Digital Joint, Naughty Walrus, Delicate Banana, Blazed Alpha Century & lots of other food-star-pot related names but none of them came close to our initial one. Until  we somehow came up with a 2-words in one kind of name like Aerosmith or Die Hard, and so we came up with Lunavark. And it just stuck. couldn't be happier.

Lunavark Studio was unofficially formed in 25th February 2013.

Here's some ideas I did for the logo; still working on it

Cosmic Couch (Log 2: developments!)

More updates on cosmic couch

Now there's a very distinct artsy look to the game which is rather exciting, everything is falling into place and all we have to do at this point is get our last member, sort out a team name and logo and do a showreel pitch for Dare. 

Cosmic Couch (Log 1: Ideas, ideas and moar ideasss!?)

Cosmic Couch was originally intended to be published independently as an IOS and Android title, the only problem was I needed a programming warrior that could actually make things happen.

Some of the drawings, ideas and documentation below are mostly from a document I made during Xmas 2012; I even considered just to release one as a free 2D Flash game. My intention is solely just to get a game out regardless of the marketing standpoint, because 3 years in a game university and having done zero (o) proper psychically playable game made me quite desperate, more so than that I am just itching; its time to get down to business and create something that I can be proud of.

However, things changed.

In January I learnt that there is a yearly game competition called Dare To Be Digital, whereby the chosen 15 teams will be sent to Scotland for a 9 weeks intensive game creation - which will then be showcased in a proto-play & potentially win and even get a BAFTA awards. (Swallowtail's Tick Tock Toys was from 2011's Dare and they won BAFTA, and they're from NUA!)

Skeptical at first, because Cosmic Couch was meant to be a really simple, no messing about, artsy and much drug-referenced kind of game, its an extension of my indulgence so to speak - in that way its hard for me to let it be nurtured further to enter a competition which usually thrives on popularity rather than substance, and also the proto-play are mostly of really young audience and that contradict my aim of reaching this game to my age group audiences. Most of all its going to be a lot of opinions and taste which many misinterpret as 'constructive-feedbacks' which will most likely get in the way and tire me out.

But with a little helps from my friends; the multitalented hobos that is Harry, Dom & Dan, I managed to convince myself to be more flexible & that this might after all be a really perfect chance for this game to ever see the light of day. With our share of fetish in the Aardvark and after 2-3weeks of intense brainstorming, fist-fighting & law-breaking activities, we finally came up with a definitely more solid version of my idea. Things are also looking up after much discussions with the tutors, developments are underway and I will be posting them from time to time simply to keep myself in check with whats happened (however I can't disclose any details and proper game-plays due to the un-copyrighted nature of the current development.)

and if all else fails with Dare, we're still going to publish it independently as I initially intended. FInger's crossed.