BTEC Level 3 Game
Design
Unit 78: Digital
Graphics for Computer Games
Start Date: Group A
& B: 10/10/2017
Deadline: Group A &
B: 23/10/2017
Scott Chamberlain
Introduction –
I will be comparing the contrast of Digital Graphics in two
games these games are Modern Warfare 2 which is a 3D game and Terraria which is
a 2D game. The Digital Graphics I will be using to compare the two games are
Artistic Styles, Computer Game Graphics, Pixel, Types of Digital Graphics, File
Extensions, Compression, Image Capture, Optimising and Storage of Image Assets.
I will show a complete understanding of the comparison of
Digital Graphics that both these games have. Some of the comparisons are very
easy to point out and can be very visible but some can be more in depth and are
harder to notice unless you look hard for them.
2D and 3D –
To start I am going to point out that both of these games
are completely different, Terraria is a 2D based game this means that
everything that the player can see is flat and is looked at from a set point of
view. Here is the complete definition of a 2D game “2D video games refer
to action happening on a 2D plane and typically are either
side-scrolling or vertically-scrolling. What's more, the characters and
environments are usually rendered in 2D.” 2D is completely different to 3D
that is why I am comparing the two games. Here is a example of what Terraria
looks like and you can clearly see that it is 2D:
This image shows how Terraia is a 2D based game you can only
see it from a side view meaning you do not see the game from your characters
eyes instead you see them in a side view. Some people really enjoy playing 2D
based games and think it is quite indie however I don’t think a 2D game creates
a mood like a 3D game does. 3D games are a lot more immersive then a 2D game
and it can get people more interested in it if they can relate the game to real
life and a 3D game supplies that.
Modern Warfare 2 is a 3D based game and it is very different
to Terraria. 3D means you look at the game in a realistic view and mostly from
your characters eyes, everything has shape to it and it makes things looks more
realistic because they have shape to them. Here is the definition of a 3D game
“3D gaming is interactive computer entertainment that is graphically
presented in the three dimensions of height, width and depth; the addition of
depth to 2D gaming enabled the exploration of virtual worlds with more
realistic representation.” 3D is very different to 2D and it can be a lot more
immersive then a 2D game. Here is a image of what Modern Warfare 2 looks like:
As you can see this image is completely different to the
Terraria photo, you can see a lot more detail and the shape of each thing in
the photo instead of it all being flat and not having any shape. This type of
game is a game that draws a lot of people to play because 3D games can be a lot
more immersive then a 2D game.
Here are two videos of each games and you can see the huge difference
between how you see the game in the dimensions.
Modern Warfare 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=429l13dS6kQ
Artistic Styles –
The artistic styles in both of these games are also very
different the two games have different genres of Artistic Styles Modern Warfare
2 is a photorealistic game when Terraria is exaggerated.
Modern Warfare 2 is a photorealistic game this means it is
meant to look as real as possible and the graphics are trying to look like real
life. A photorealistic game is very immersive and is easy for the player to
feel immersive in the game. Here is a example of what a photorealistic image
looks like:
As you can see the image here is trying to look as realistic
as possible so that it draws the players in more, Modern Warfare 2 is like this
but the graphics are not as good because the game was made in 2009 when most
games today are better graphics and made with more advanced software’s. Modern
Warfare 2 has a very different Artistic Style to Terraria. Terraria is an
exaggerated game this means everything is over the top such as the colours
actions setting and things like the grass. This sort of Artistic Style is very
different to Modern Warfare 2’s some people like the look of a this Artistic
Style because it keeps the fact to the player that the game is not real and
they are playing it. Exaggeration can be a lot more appealing and eye catching
then a photorealistic game however a photorealistic game does have a lot of
detail to it. Here is a example of exaggeration in Terraria.
As you can see from this image everything is exaggerated and
very vibrant this is so that it catches the players eyes if you notice as well
there are lots of explosions going off around the screen which realistically
does not look very realistic, also there is a pumpkin flying around that is
very bright which is very exaggerated and it is different to Modern Warfare 2
because it is not very realistic.
Computer Game Graphics –
HUD stands for Heads Up Display and this is the thing that
shows things like health, items, armour and crafting. The HUD for Terraria is
completely different in comparison to Modern Warfare 2. Terraria’s HUD displays
Mana, Life, Inventory, crafting and Equip this is the sort of HUD a survival
game would have however Modern Warfare 2 is a FPS (First Person Shooter) and
not a survival game so the hood is going to be different to Terraria’s because
Terraria is a survival base game.
Modern Warfare 2’s HUD is completely different and displays
Time, Score, Ammo and Grenades. As you can see they are both completely
different and have different HUD’s. A HUD is essential in a game as it helps
the player understand things that he has obtained or that have happened in the
game.
MW2:
Terraria:
Pixel Art is a type of Digital Graphic that is like 2D or 3D
sprites. Modern Warfare 2 is a 64 BIT game. Bit’s are “The number
of bits in a processor refers to the size of the data types that it
handles and the size of its registry. A 64-bit processor is capable
of storing more computational values, including memory addresses,
which means it's able to access over four billion times as much
physical memory than a 32-bitprocessor.” And Terraria is a 16 BIT game,
Terraria is less has a lot less pixels then Modern Warfare 2 and you can
clearly see this from these images:
From this image you can see each pixel presented in the image
when the Modern Warfare 2 characters are made up of a lot more pixels that are
harder to see:
As you can see this image is made up of more pixels and is
more detailed then Terraria. This gives the mood to the player that MW2 looks
more realistic then Terraria which could
potentially bring in more players because it looks realistic but it is mainly
up to the players opinion on what they prefer.
Files –
File Extensions
File Extensions are the things after a file that allows your
computer to understand what software was used for that file. “File extensions
are a way of letting the user and their computer knows what type of program
created any given file.
Computer files have specific characteristics which depend on
the software that created them. If you try to open a file using the wrong
program, it will fail to open or sometimes even crash the program. The last
part of the file name is used to indicate the type of file so the computer can
open the correct program when you want to use the file.” There is not really a
comparison between the two games when it comes to File Extensions because both
games have multiple File Extensions in their files but it is possible that MW2
has a lot more file extensions then Terraria due to the game being more
realistic and it has more pixels so it will need more files size then Terraria.
Compression
Compression means the files are being shrunk to allow more
disk space. Some games use file Compression to make their games not be so big
of a download it will also mean the game does not take up loads of space on
their computer so they compress the game down so the download and files are not
so big. File Compression is vital in games because the game needs to have the
least amount of space that it needs to take up otherwise people will not want
to download it. MW2 definitely has a much larger file size then Terraria so
they would have had to compress their files down a lot to make people be able
to have room to download the game. Terraria has a fairly small file size
because it is a lot less pixels and does not have much depth to the game as it
is only a survival game when Modern Warfare 2 has Multiplayer, Story mode and
Spec Ops. This is a lot more modes that require more storage then Terraria.
Optimising
Optimisation is also a very big thing in games, if a game is
not well optimised then not many people will be able to play it due to their
computers/consoles not being able to run the game in a good FPS so that it is
playable. Optimisation is not really one I can compare between Modern Warfare 2
and Terraria because both of these games are really well optimised and can be
played on normal PC’s that are not too expensive. Here is the definition of
Optimisation:
“The act of rendering optimal; "the simultaneous optimization of growth and profitability"; "in anoptimization problem we seek values of the variables that lead to an optimal value of the function that is to beoptimized"; "to promote the optimization and diversification of agricultural products".
Storage of Image Assets –
This is basically a easy way to store stuff in a game, both MW2 and
Terraria are easy to store because it is 1 simple download.
This image explains how Image Assets work. If a game did not
have a good Storage of Image Assets then the stage of downloading the things
for the game would take a lot longer and would most likely be in parts.
References:
By Scott Chamberlain.
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