Bioshock is renowned for its use of strong shapes in the art Deco aesthetic and even in the first scene/level you are able to tell. The use of negative space with the flames as well as the primary colour of the scene, reveals the gleaming silhouette of the plane parts that lead you to the lighthouse. This sets you up for the rest of the game as the use flashing neon lights in the gloomy dark setting of rapture. Grey is one of the main colours to represent the environmental pieces that are non interactable, but gives a great contrast for important landmarks. Different kinds of lights indicate specific types of items you will encounter, such as the blue lights will indicate that you are close to plasmid resources. First door puzzle uses your newly gained lighting power to activate the broken door panel that is clearly sparking. From this point on you are associating the blue light the the lightning plasmid ability. The props that the game uses for dispensing buyable items, comes in the form of a vending machines, which is very recognisable by the sound that they play and the lights that contrasts on the wall behind them. Flickering lights are also a great eye catcher for encounters, or an important cutscene. This technique was implemented very early in the game as the lights leading to the stairs on the lighthouse lead you to progression. Not only does this effect give a sense of dread within that area or scene but encourages you to break from original routes. The use of light in this game is not only main use of navigation, the game utilises sharp shapes such as isosceles triangles and even statues of people pointing in certain directions. The natural shapes of the art Deco architecture give leading lines to the objective or passageway you may have to go to. With this sort of high detail art work, means that they have to be carefully place their props so they don’t make the area feel cluttered and unappealing to look at. Fire is used as a redirecting tool to block off certain areas that the player may be lead down. This gives the illusion of endless hallways to discover but contextually, fire moves you away from these areas and leads you through a very linear route. Enemies are an interesting part of the game as there are encounters, where they give you a wall where you are able to see the shadows of a menacing character to make them seem bigger and scarier than they actually are. Also some breadcrumbs around the environment where there could be an ambush, is that there is water/puddles where you are able to use your lightning plasmid ability to shock multiple enemies.
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World design theory (WDT)DevelopersThe goal of this blog is to relate current and past attempts at world design to further improve our understanding. Archives
October 2017
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