For this first project, the identity that I have decided to build upon is one that is peaceful, serene, and mysterious.
I decided on this identity as I was looking at different video games for inspiration on the type of alternate reality I would like to create. After much browsing, I came upon The Long Dark and was instantly drawn by the game’s vast, snowy landscapes. As I was looking through various screenshots of the game, I realized I wanted to capture the tranquility and peacefulness it portrayed so beautifully.
The Long Dark – Inspiration Images
After deciding on the peaceful identity, I delved into having a stronger sense of what I actually wanted to portray (would it be a snowy forest? a frozen lake? an abandoned campsite?). This was the first moodboard I created:
After doing this initial moodboard, I realized that I wanted to create a landscape that had more personality, and that was not just a forest, or a lake, or an open area. I eventually came up with the idea of creating an ice cavern, where the user would be situated inside and could see inside the cavern, or even look at the scenery from outside the cave’s mouth. This was the new moodboard I created:
Based on this moodboard, I developed the following sketches and storyboard:
Essentially, this cavern would contain glowing crystals and mushrooms, along with various rocks and potentially a stream of water. On one side of the cave the user will be able to see the cave’s mouth and have a glimpse of what lies outside the cave. On the opposite end, rocks leading to a large accumulation of glowing crystals would be placed. Surrounding the user at various points would be glowing mushrooms and rocks as well. If we are able to add sound, I would love to have sounds of water drops, water flowing, and some white noise (which could potentially be wind).
February 12
Today I started obtaining free assets from the Unity store and (attempting) to build the basic landscape/cave formations for my ice cavern. I got 3 different low-poly packages for different types of rock formations, including crystals, stalagmites (rock formations that rise from the ground), various terrains, and rocks with crystals attached. These are the outcomes of my explorations so far:
February 15
Today I made further progress in the cave. I created wall/cubes that would give me a sense of space, and which I started adding rocks to so they could make up the walls and roof. I also found a really good terrain that had a small water surface, which looked quite good, so I added some rocks on top and decided that the user/camera would be “standing” on top of the main rock, in the middle of the cave.
February 16
Today I added more rock formations in the cave in an attempt to give it more ‘personality’. I started adding stalagmites on the mouth of the cave, which I think work well with the scene I envision in my head. I also started experimenting with crystals and with different emissions/lights.
