Context of Practice 3: Peer Feedback

I really wanted to get some feedback on the nearly finished environment and sent it to the ICT and computing departments and York College to receive some peer feedback from the students and tutors there and I got some really positive reviews. Below are the questions that I asked, along with the images presented and their responses, which are a really good mixture of good points and critique of areas that need improving, which will be done in this final week.

1. How do you think the lighting benefits the scene? (Based on the two images with and without lighting)

• It provides more depth to the image.
• The introduction of lighting to the extent shown does not benefit the environment. It reduces the illusion of perspective and adds sharpness to environment objects making them appear unnatural. Dependent upon the atmospheric intent, introduction of a soft reflective light would benefit the scene.
• The lighting looks very realistic and it does benefit the scene.
• The lighting is clearer on the first image because you can see it better than the other one.
• On the image you use the sign post and there’s no shadow from where the light coming from.
• The darker picture sets the mood a lot because of the atmosphere which calms you whilst walking around with the physics of the snowflakes around you. The light version brightens up the area and you can see more, but even on the dark atmosphere you can still see, but the light sometimes can ruin the mood you are trying to show.
• The first image looks to bright and not realistic where as the second image is darker and seems more realistic for some reason.
•  In the first image, it makes the night unrealistic with the snow acting as the source of light. The only benefit is that it makes the environment clear and viewable. In the second one, the night is realistic but the signpost lacks a shadow. A source of shadow needs to be coded into the signpost. Besides, the realism makes it hard to navigate on the terrain.

2. What emotions does the colour scheme evoke?

• Calm but slightly apprehensive.
• The colour scheme shown would suggest that the atmosphere was intending to appear eerie and evoke suspense, though in contrast the use of colours for the sky promotes a sense of awe.
• The emotions show a calm winter night.
• I think there green is too dark in the middle, the sign is dark and can’t see what it is on it so maybe light up a bit to see what’s on it and it makes me feel like I’m all alone with nothing around.
• With the feeling I am getting, it made me feel anxious, but if it was a scary game, you don’t know what’s around the corner which can excite you but can leave you Goosebumps as well.
• Blue is traditionally a calming colour but maybe it's me but I don’t feel any emotions in either image – they conjure up images of cold winter nights in Lapland but these aren’t emotions.
• Violent = Weary, Blue= Calm, Green = Anxious

3. Does the weather system look realistic? If yes, why? If no, how could it be improved?

• The snow dropping does look realistic but when snow is falling distant objects would be more hazy. At the moment it only looks as if the snow is falling immediately in front.
• The weather system appears to be realistic with the inclusion of directional change and Perspective, though could be improved by increasing the density and the amount of reflection.
• Yes, the weather looks realistic. To improve on the weather when the snow falls in could land on the signs to show effects of the snow.
• Yes because it looks real and the snow is falling onto you.
• No as well you might want to put lumps of snow as on.
• I think you have done quite a good job so far with the textures and detail you have put into the environment and models.
• I feel the weather system is realistic and am assuming the light circle is form a torch? The sky and moon are great and the snow falling is good.
• No, the snow does not stockpile on the ground and the skybox is the sky at daylight and the image’s opacity is set at a low percentage. The only things that you can improve this nearly completed “weather system”, would be to: replace the skybox with a nocturnal one.

4. Does the final environment reflect the real world location that it is based on? See real images below.

• It’s a good representation but if you could create more depth I think it would really bring it to life.
• The rendered scenes appear to draw inspiration from the above locations
• On the top picture on the walk way there’s light at the top and on the video there’s nothing there as it looks like just a plan door, on the second picture during the day you might want to put a bit of red on the wall and put some building in your game with snow on the side that’s been building up , cars that work in the snow if you think of doing buildings and on the last picture on the light that you did in the shy is lots more then what's in the picture and lots darker at the same time
• The image that reflects the video the most for me is the final one of the mountains and northern lights as they are what is shown in the video. And therefore relate to that more. I can image further on the path in the video we will see the hut of village.
• Your recreation of the location is abstract. It only included the entrance or door to the tunnel (also abstract.). The settlement of wooden houses is not on the map. It is a somewhat good attempt at recreating it. I deem this as a work in progress.