Design Blog 3, Penthouse

One of my biggest goals in life is to one day live in a penthouse.  I love the idea of having an infinite view of the sky and the city.  I feel like it would be the most amazing feeling in the world if I could wake up and look out the window and see the whole world.  Or if I was eating diner it would be a an unreal feeling looking at the sights.

Obviously any old penthouse would not do, it would have to be designed well and include certain features I consider key for every penthouse.  It would definitely need to catch my eye and be sight worthy like this:

I like the use of windows, which gives it a wide open look.  From a design standpoint everything is neat and straight which gives it an air of tranquility.  My penthouse also would need a patio no matter what.  There would be no point to living on the roof, unless I get to actually experience the feeling of being that high off the ground:

Notice the use of windows again, and how lines are used throughout the entire picture.  There is so much to look at, its hard to decide where to start.  But the blatantly obvious aspect is the amount of comfort the designers show.  They set up this scene to make it look homely but elegant, also it looks like a great place to relax.

Another aspect of a penthouse that I require is a rooftop pool.  As long as it is well crafted and designed there is limitless potential to making one.  Here is an ideal pool:

Not only do the designers make great use out of the space, since they are on the roof they were able to add to the actual building to fit in a bigger pool.  By putting glass at the end they make it seem like the water is suspended in mid air.  Also I love the use of the archway right before the pool ends.  Its a great indication of the pool ending.  If I were the concept designers I would combine the patio from above with this pool to create the ultimate rooftop penthouse experience. 

And last but not least, the very most important part of a well designed penthouse is the view it gives:

Imagine living in a home where looking out the window is more mesmerizing then watching whatever is on television.  When designing a penthouse nothing is more important then making sure the view is not interrupted or obstructed. 



To reiterate, a well designed penthouse requires an amazing pool that adds to the overall quality of the home.  It needs a spacious living room that will not hinder the overall experience of owing a penthouse.  It needs a patio which in itself can be considered a separate entity that requires its own design style and focus.  Then finally a view that is breathtaking. 

Design Blog 2, Level Design

There are two main categories that go into designing a video game.  First you need a detailed, but exciting and remember able gaming level.  Then secondly you need well crafted and an easy on the eyes protagonists.  Most designers spend a huge chunk of time creating the perfect character that everyone can relate to, or will at least admire.  Someone that's likable or even lovable.

Instead of spending needless amounts of time doing such a thing, there are games that try to implement you as the protagonist, sometimes you are given the freedom of creating your own creator.  Here are some examples of games that gave you this freedom.

First, here is World of Warcraft, where a huge chunk of the world is effected by:

Or a more detailed game is Elder Scrolls Oblivion:

The reason that this is a brilliant design decision is because it gives free reign over the story, we are not following the actions of a single person and how they feel about the situation they are in, this puts us the user into the game, like how Mass Effect gives you choice not only in look, but in opinions and choices in making game changing decisions, what you say or do, or how you act towards people can seriously effect the overall design of your character and his world.

  

Character creation is a genius idea because of how deep the system goes.  Most games let you govern over a basic skill set, but games like Mass Effect and Oblivion let you completely restructure your characters face.  You determine the shape, width, height shade, or length of every attribute on the body. 

Even though character creation is very important to the overall design of the game, nothing is as important as the layout, the level selection, or the overview of the game.

This is a map of Zelda, A Link to the Past:

Now if you look closely you can tell where thee game is divided into sections, this game's level design is so highly regarded, some deem is the pinnacle of video game design.  It is a completely open world game, meaning every inch of this map is explorable to some extent, and there is something to do anywhere you go.  If you look at the overview you can see how they implemented lines and shading, everything from the forest to the mountain top is distinguishable, and playable.  This is just the tip of surface for video game design.

Another highly regarded level design is the one found in Castlevania:

The best part of the Castlevania design is that it takes the basic concepts found in the original Mario or Donkey Kong games where the levels are designed to be linear, or just trying to get from A to B without dying.  But Castlevania adds the twist of letting you explore regions that don't necessarily pertain to the story.  You can explore any number of rooms in the castle, and you can go back and forth as you please.  Back in the old days old days of gaming you would have Mario climbing a ladder to save the princess from a giant monkey.  While this showed a good use of lines, from a design stand point it was too linear.  Now days designers need to focus on making the game complex, people want unique experiences.  

Today designers have a lot more work cut out for them.  The old system doesn't work any more, people don't like to play the same game with a different skin.  They want new environments, they want new hero's.  Designing a video game level or protagonist involves many hours of work and effort.  While it is a very difficult job, i believe it is one of the most rewarding when the finished product brings countless hours of joy to various people.