Film Noir

What is Noir?










Noir is usually rather depressing and dark, set in the classic 1940s-60s. Noir is often greyscale (black and white) rather than colour, it doesn't HAVE to be greyscale but it fits the theme better.

A great example of a greyscale game would be Limbo, although it is not exactly seen as a noir themed game, it is a good example for how it takes advantage of its lack of colours:













Games that fit into Noir:

LA Noire:

L.A. Noire is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. Set in 1947 Los Angeles, the game follows detective Cole Phelps's rise among the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department as he solves a range of cases across various bureaus.



Grim Fandango:

The story follows travel agent Manuel "Manny" Calavera as he attempts to save new arrival Mercedes "Meche" Colomar, a virtuous soul, on her journey. The game combines elements of the Aztec afterlife with film noir style, with influences including The Maltese Falcon, On the Waterfront and Casablanca.




Max Payne: 

Max Payne is about a fugitive DEA agent and former NYPD detective whose wife Michelle and newborn daughter were killed in connection with the Valkyr drug case. Max then goes undercover in the mob and eventually becomes a one-man-army vigilante, waging a personal war on crime.







What made it so popular? Researching on Google it states:

"Max Payne received positive reviews from critics, who praised its exciting gunplay and use of noir storytelling devices, while some criticized its linear level design and short length. The game sold 4 million units. It is considered one of the greatest games ever made."

Movies that tie into Noir:

John Wick Franchise: 

The John Wick Movies tie into "Neo Noir". As researched on Google it states:

"The John Wick franchise includes American neo-noir action thriller multimedia installments, created by Derek Kolstad and centered around the titular character, a former hitman who is drawn back into the criminal underworld he had previously abandoned."





What made it so popular?

"One of the main reasons the franchise has become so popular among fans is the intense and well-choreographed fight scenes. The action is both visually stunning and highly visceral, with Keanu Reeves' character, John Wick, using a mix of martial arts and gunplay to take down his opponents."

*I have not watched any film noir movies but since John Wick ties into the neo noir genre I prefer to research it because I know more about it and am a big fan of it.*

Max Payne and John Wick both have a similar story - both losing someone/something they loved due to cold hearted criminals and getting revenge on them.

Group Project:

I am working in a group with Fuse and Robert.

This is me beginning my first model. Were are all working on separate models and parts of the project. 

I am currently working on a Saloon. I will be using this image for reference:

Here is my model after the first hour lesson:


Here is my finished model the next day. I created this model fully out of squares/rectangles.



Here is my finished textured model:

Now that I look back at it, I should have modeled doors on the building but I can fix that in the near future.

Here is the model in the game:

I am now working on a the Sheriff's Office model, here is my reference image:


Here is what I got done in the first hour: 




Here is the full model, I also fully made this model out of squares/rectangles.

Here is the fully completed textured model, I modeled doors for this model this time and looks a lot better than my previous. 

Here is the model in the game:

This is a Barrel model that I made in my level 2 course last year and can be used as an asset in our game. It can fit very well into the theme of our game. 



I now want to work on a Western style Carriage, here are some reference images I have grabbed from Google:




The only game I can think of that has a carriage is Elden Ring, although it may be quite dramatic and over sized compared to others it still has a similar design: 



Here is what I got done in 1 hour, I now just need to add some more details and a roof:



Here is the model with bigger back wheels and the roof:

And this is my full model with all of its other details and features:


I am going to work on another model now, I am going to make a wooden cart:



I could use the same wheel asset that I used on my Carriage model if wanted.



Here is my full model, this only took me 20 minutes to make:





I exported the wheels I made for my Carriage model and imported them into my new model to use. I think that they match perfectly.

Posting our game on Itch.io:






Game Documentation:


Trello:


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Post Mortem:

What is a  Post Mortem?

A Post Mortem is an overall reflection on how the project developed and what the finished product was like. It gives you a chance to look back and identify how you can improve for your next project.

My Post Mortem:

I believe that our project went very well. Our production was very smooth due to thoroughly planning it out before begging to produce anything. I was able to create a lot of good models and am proud of what I have produced.

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