Contrast Puzzle Analysis

Backstory: In the game "Contrast" you are the imaginary friend of a little girl, Didi, shielding herself from the realities of her world. Interestingly, you are only able to see yourself and Didi, everyone else can only be seen by their shadow and heard by their disembodied voice.

Core Mechanic: As the imaginary friend, though, you're able to shift in and out of shadows. You can use them as platforms to walk on, bridges, etc. As the game progresses, puzzles are integrated with the shadow interaction. There is no combat, you simply experience the story, and help Didi on her path to reuniting her parents.

I chose to look at the first part of this pirate ship ride which you have to fix so that Didi can ride it. The pirate ship ride is part of a larger carnival where you have to fix other rides through puzzles.
What I think is nice about this first puzzle in the ship is the fact that it builds progressively, and does so at a good pace--not too fast, not too slow.

The puzzle also re-uses numerous mechanics to fill itself out: pulling yourself onto ledges, turning on switches, moving in and out of rooms with shadows, picking up objects, having a time limit...the list goes on and on. But all of these combine seamlessly. As a player, you don't feel like you're being overwhelmed with a plethora of mechanics, instead it feels like you're just getting a good variety. After all, when mechanics are overused they can become incredibly boring and monotonous.

The puzzles are also somewhat directed, the designers do a lot to indicate that something is important. For example, they switch camera angles to show you the door opening when you put pressure on the pads. There are also glowing and sparkly particles around things that you can interact with. The rest is left up to your own logic, and it's not too difficult to come to a natural conclusion. This gives the player the feeling that they've done most of the heavy lifting, mentally speaking, in the puzzle. The parts that the game helped you with weren't holding your hand through the puzzle.

Here's a video I put together which highlights some general points about the puzzle!:

Hard Surface Practice

Here's some hard surface modeling practice in progress.

Final Isometric Game Mechanics

Hi again. Today I've got some finished isometric sketches of a few game mechanics I created alongside my hero prop, my robot's gardening shears. The drawing features PHYL himself, a quick character design. I'll soon be designing the shears out to make them way more awesome than a lame pair of modern day shears!

Mod Kit Update

I've made more progress on my mod kit recently, and a light has finally found its way into it. It took some time to refine, and I'm sure it will continue to change, but I think maglev laser lights will look really cool in the setting of an abbey.
Right now I'm working on a piece of vaulted roof webbing, as well as props and tiling texture sculpts.  A nice rose window is next up. Busy busy!

Finished Character Designs

Here are the results of my rendering! I'm pleased with the results. I'm partial to the lion and space gardener myself. Areas I'd like to improve:
-Continue to push local tone
-More refined lighting
-Better anatomy/posing

Mod Kit Progress

I'm currently working on a mod kit for a French Gothic style Abbey. I've already set up a level that has been play tested and is working well, so now it's time for some refined art. Currently the kit contains:
Light Fixture
Basic wall
Arch wall
Roof wall
Column (with end caps for finishing off roof segments against walls)
Windowed wall
Door wall

These pieces are almost ready to go in for baking and potentially a zbrush pass, though nothing significant. The main portion of my details in texturing will come through a set of a trim normals I'll sculpt in zbrush. I would prefer a majority of my general texturing (base color, metallic, etc) to be defined by tiling textures, and use normals, vertex painting, and deferred decals to do the dirty lifting and create variation.

Isometric Mechanic Sketches

Since the last update I've refined some of my hero props' mechanics. 

First up is our lovable gardening robot. He's got a big garden to work with, so he's going to have to work hard to keep up with the ever-growing plants. He can shape topiaries, trim back bushes, prune petunias, and more. Eventually he'll have to return to his shed to sharpen his shears again, but he may encounter more narrow passages where the bushes grow back almost immediately. Yikes. 

Second is a bit of a goofy one, I imagine it to be a sarcastic point and click like Grim Fandango. You've just moved to a new planet, but at least you've still got your trusty magnifying glass. Use it to translate signs, help locals solve mysteries, and look at dirt! Dirt has a lot to say.

Finally is our little buddy with, no, not a jet pack, but a personal hot air balloon! He can use it to jump ravines, find new islands, and skip over dangerous bits. He's going to have to be careful of where he goes, though, because only some islands have more gas for his jet pack.