Mikomi Sue: 2/15/13

The scheduled release plan of all the stories and tasks required for Pendulum Ascension which we established at the beginning of the semester has proven extremely efficient for our progress. With the aid of the schedule, each member of the team gains deadlines to finish specific tasks each week and prevents us from wasting too much time. As a result, the project's development gained momentum, especially in the creation of art assets. Continuing off of the previous weeks, I have personally taken charge of creating the art requirements of the fireplace puzzle as that is the first puzzle scheduled for completion. I divided up all the necessary assets on a room by room basis or other grouping when they did not fit in a room category. The set of bathroom assets, which I mention in the last blog post, is an example of this categorization and requirement of the fireplace puzzle. The other categories included the study, where the fireplace is located, the hidden room behind it, and a set of additional items based of the revisions of the puzzle. The first piece I created for the study was the fireplace itself, as the whole puzzle centers around it. Since it is intended to act as a secret passage, I needed to create a version of the fireplace that was lit, and one that revealed the path. In keeping with the clockwork themed mansion, I utilized gears as the fire guard and a door behind the fire, which also served to hide the path when lit. I briefly looked into animating the fire, and gears to move out of the way, but decided to put that off to a later story if we had time for it. I also produced front and side views of a couch and end table, as well as create a desk lab.

After the study, I naturally moved on to the room hidden behind the fireplace. The number of assets required for this was less that the study, with an antique desk as the only piece of furniture. To supplement this room, I created two books meant to serve as clues and narrative to the game. I also created a sheet of paper that I actually put text on, though small enough to be illegible, but it added the look as if there was something written on the pages. Since there were fewer assets needed for this room, I also worked on creating items based on the revisions to the puzzle. This included a key, screwdriver, and wrench all meant mainly for the inventory screen and proved to be the most difficult simply due to scale. I also created a toolbox that is located in the bathroom, and like all the assets, I attempted to give an antique appearance.