Tigers Nest Monastry - Environment

aro Taktsang (spa phro stag tshang / spa gro stag tshang), is the popular name of Taktsang Palphug Monastery (also known as The Tiger's Nest), a prominent Himalayan Buddhistsacred site and temple complex, located in the cliffside of the upper Paro valley, Bhutan. A temple complex was first built in 1692, around the Taktsang Senge Samdup (stag tshang seng ge bsam grub) cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours in the 8th century. Padmasambhava is credited with introducing Buddhism to Bhutan and is the tutelary deity of the country. Today, Paro Taktsang is the best known of the thirteen taktsang or "tiger lair" caves in which he meditated.

The Guru mTshan-brgyad Lhakhang, the temple devoted to Padmasambhava (also known as Gu-ru mTshan-brgyad Lhakhang, "The Temple of the Guru with Eight Names") is an elegant structure built around the cave in 1692 by Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye; and has become the cultural icon of Bhutan. A popular festival, known as the Tsechu, held in honour of Padmasambhava, is celebrated in the Paro valley sometime during March or April.

Nepal in Images

Nepal - Environment

Sandwiched between two Asian giants--China and India--Nepal traditionally has been characterized as "a yam caught between two rocks." Noted for its majestic Himalayas, which in Sanskrit means the abode of snow, Nepal is very mountainous and hilly. Its shape is roughly rectangular, about 650 kilometers long and about 200 kilometers wide, and comprises a total of 147,181 square kilometers of land. It is slightly larger than Bangladesh or the state of Arkansas. Nepal is a landlocked country, surrounded by India on three sides and by China's Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibet) to the north. It is separated from Bangladesh by an approximately fifteenkilometer -wide strip of India's state of West Bengal, and from Bhutan by the eighty-eight-kilometer-wide Sikkim, also an Indian state. Such a confined geographical position is hardly enviable. Nepal is almost totally dependent on India for transit facilities and access to the sea--that is, the Bay of Bengal--even for most of the goods coming from China.

For a small country, Nepal has great physical diversity, ranging from the Tarai Plain--the northern rim of the Gangetic Plain situated at about 300 meters above sea level in the south--to the almost 8,800-meter-high Mount Everest, locally known as Sagarmatha (its Nepali name), in the north. From the lowland Tarai belt, landforms rise in successive hill and mountain ranges, including the stupendous rampart of the towering Himalayas, ultimately reaching the Tibetan Plateau beyond the Inner Himalayas. This rise in elevation is punctuated by valleys situated between mountain ranges. Within this maze of mountains, hills, ridges, and low valleys, elevational (altitudinal) changes rersulted in ecological variations.
Nepal commonly is divided into three broad physiographic areas: the Mountain Region, the Hill Region, and the Tarai Region. All three parallel each other, from east to west, as continuous ecological belts, occasionally bisected by the country's river systems. These ecological regions were divided by the government into development sectors within the framework of regional development planning.
The rhythm of life in Nepal, as in most other parts of monsoonal Asia, is intricately yet intrinsically intertwined with its physical environment. As scholar Barry Bishop learned from his field research in the Karnali region in the northwest, the livelihood patterns of Nepal are inseparable from the environment.

http://countrystudies.us/nepal/21.htm

The Himalayas - Environment

The Himalayas stretches over a distance of about 2500 kms from west to east. It average width along the entire longitudinal extension ranges from 100 - 400 km. The vast area covered by the mountain range along with some fantastic altitude gradients result in the tremendous biodiversity of the Himalayan region. Vegetation and wildlife, both change according to the varying altitude and the resulting differences in climatic conditions.

Thousands of species of flora and fauna thrive in the region, each adapting to its climatic conditions, predators and other challenges unique to one's habitat. However, as in other regions, man's entry and exploitation into the region has meant that many species have become extinct or are threatened and on the verge of extinction. 

Flora

Himalayan vegetation varies according to both altitude and climatic conditions. They range from the tropical deciduous forests in the foothills, to temperate forests in the middle altitudes. Higher up, coniferous, sub-alpine, and alpine forests spring up. These finally give way to alpine grasslands and high altitude meadows. They are followed by scrublands which lead up to the permanent snowline.

However, the floral wealth of the Himalayas have also been affected by man. Over the centuries, man has always been dependent on his forests for a number of his needs. But earlier, these needs were few, the forests were able to replenish the resources, and the delicate natural balance was maintained. But over the years, the human population increased dramatically, and with it the number of industries that depended on forests. Extraordinary demands were made on the forests. Forests were cut down for firewood and to feed the growing number of forest-based industries. They were also cleared to accommodate the growing population. As a result, many species of trees that were very common even 50 years ago, are now rare or have completely disappeared from certain areas.

Tropical forests

There are mainly two types of tropical forests that are found in the Himalayas - the tropical rainforests, and the tropical deciduous forests. The tropical rainforests are dense, evergreen, gloomy and similar to the forests of the Amazon basin and other equatorial areas. They occur mainly in the eastern Himalayas which receives very heavy rainfall.

Tropical deciduous forests are found in regions of slightly lower rainfall. They are common in the lower slopes of the Himalayas. These forests shed their leaves in certain seasons. Also the forests tend to be less dense than the rainforests. Forests of teak and sal are common in areas of deciduous vegetation.

http://library.thinkquest.org/10131/ff.html

Facial Hair Inspiration

All of my main characters will have facial hair of some kind, and I would like to use it as a way of showing their character. By looking at winners of the world Beard and Mustache championship I hope to inspire my own design for my characters.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Described by the developers as a modern version of Gauntlet, The Return of the King is a hack and slash action game. The game is very similar to its predecessor. The levels are twice the size of the largest level from The Two Towers and less linear. A major change from The Two Towers is the interactive nature of the game environments. The player can operate machinery, for example bridges and catapults, to complete objectives, and use environment objects as weapons, such as spears and cauldrons, to kill enemies.

Each character has their own set of combos and attributes. After the end of each level the player can upgrade their characters' abilities and combos using experience points earned in the game. The number of experience points available to the player depends on the efficiency of their kills in the game. Interviews with the film's cast and similar DVD-style extras are unlocked as the player progresses through the game.

The game's combat was praised by most critics. Crispin Boyer of 1UP.com described the game as "a thrill ride... And not just 'cause Return of the King unleashes larger hordes of foes than last year's equally slick Two Towers prequel. Many of Return of the King's levels actually force you to multitask while you hack and slash." Tony Ellis of PC Gamer UK commended the combat: "Combat in RotK is superbly satisfying. Your blows connect with a solid, visceral thud you can almost feel." Ellis also noted the variation between levels.

The combat system in Lord of the Rings, Return of the King really appeals to me as an example of how  I would like the battle system to work in my own game. The battle system allows for multiple players to have unique battle styles, abilities and kill moves. Allowing each player to see how they are affecting the group dynamic, and therefore helps to create a team atmosphere and cooperation. 

Japanese Armor

In the 16th century Japanese body armour made a gradual transition, starting from kozane (many small scales laced tightly together), evolving to larger plates still laced together (lamellar armour), and finally to few large plates riveted together, or even solid breastplates.

Cheaper armours of tatami or kikko design continued in use throughout this period, sometimes even for high nobles. Mail was in common use as a component of other armour (armpit protection, for example), but not for body armour or full suits.

Throughout this period shino (splint) armour was the most common protection for vambraces and greaves. Cheap shino gave minimal protection. Regular shino filled the spaces between splints with mail. In extreme cases the splints might overlap, giving excellent protection equivalent to plate armour.

Lamellar armour was in common use even after plate breastplates came into favour in the later 16th century. Sode (pauldrons) and Kasazuri (tassets) were almost invariably of lamellar construction.

http://surbrook.devermore.net/herosource/ninja_hero/japanarmor.html

Mengu

Mengu, or items of facial armour, are know to have been used as far back as the early samurai warriors of the Heian period. Yet such pieces, which were unique in their design were the exception and it was not until several centuries later, during the later part of the Muromachi period, that the universal wearing of the more commonly recognizable forms of mengu that are popular with collectors today actually came into use.  

Though designed to protect the face, mengu also added a powerful physiological aspect to the appearance of the warrior, often skilfully forged to depict fierce and some sometime even grotesque and intimidating expressions. On a practical level, mengu also provided a base for securing the cords of the heavy kabuto helmets around, which due to their top heavy nature had to be tightly tied in place to stabilize them during rigours movement, which as such, could cut uncomfortably into the skin of an uncovered face. Mengu were thus generally fitted with protruding lugs and hooks for this purpose, styles and designs of which were as varied as the multitude of unique and brilliantly crafted items of facial armour that developed over the centuries.

http://toraba.thirdsectd-1.titaninternet.co.uk/mengu-samurai-armour.asp

Japanes Armor

Although the full suit of armour (gusoku) consists of 23 or more elements, starting with the tie (fundoshi) and finishing with the pike mainstay (yari-ate), the basic elements (rokugu) are only six in number. These are the cuirass (do), the helmet (kabuto), the face mask (men yoroi or menpo), the armoured sleeves (kote), the greaves (suneate) and the cuisses (haidate). The seventh very important element, which was not part of the rokugu, but was a part of the cuirass, were the shoulder guards (sode).

Fig. 1—Parts of the armour (shown on a maru-do yoroi)

The cuirass (do) featured different construction—scales, lamellae or full-plate—during different periods of Japanese history. It is the largest part of any armour and its type⁴ gives an armour its name. For example, aka-ito-odoshi-no do-maru gusoku means "armour of scale construction with cuirass, which wraps around the body and red-colored lacing," and kiritsuke-kozane ni-mai do gusoku means "two-section clamshell cuirass armour, made of lamellae, imitating classical kozane"⁵. The protection for the thighs (kusazuri—literally "grass scrapers"), is attached to the bottom part of the cuirass with suspending cords. The shoulder guards (sode) protect the shoulders and the arms from the elbows to the shoulders. Sodeconstruction varied from period to period, and in some types of armours are merely vestigial. Despite all the transformations, they were always in use, giving the armour its distinctive appearance.

The helmet (kabuto) and cuirass (do) are the oldest parts of the Japanese armour. Usually the kabuto is made of several plates, but during Heian period (794-1185) and after introduction of full-plate armours, Japanese armourers produced some excellent examples of single-plate helmets. Thekabuto consists of two integral parts—the bowl (hachi) and the neck-guard (shikoro). Another element, the date, is attached to the hachi and has different functions—mythological, status symbol, decorative and even something like the warrior's "signature" or "ID card". The most widespread type of date was the horn or antler-like kuwagata.

The face mask (men yoroi), which literally means "face armour," was very popular but few samurai used it on the battlefield because they wanted their face to be visible to the enemy. Under the men yoroi a neck and throat armour (similar in functions to the European gorgets) was worn. It could have different construction and names (nodawa, eriwa and guruwa are three different types), and could be either separate from the men yoroi or be made as one element of the full suit (gusoku).


http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_jpn_armour.html

Lorica Segmentata

The lorica is built in four sections: right and left collar sections (with shoulder guards), and right and left girdle sections.  On each collar section the breastplate is hinged to the mid-collar plate, which in turn is hinged to the top back plate, and below that the middle and bottom back plates hang on internal leathers.  Attached to these plates by three more leathers are the upper shoulder guard (front, rear, and center plates hinged together), and four lesser or outer shoulder guards.  The girdle sections are laced together at front and back, and are suspended from the collar sections by means of straps and buckles--4 at the inside back (2 each side), and 2 at the front on the outside.  (On the type B cuirass hooks and eyes are used instead.)  The collar sections connect to each other with a horizontal strap and buckle at front and back.  The lorica is best put on like a jacket, with all the back closures tied and buckled, then the front fastened.  It helps to have someone hold the cuirass for you while putting it on!

http://www.larp.com/legioxx/lorica.html

Lorica Segmentata

There were three basic types (Kalkriese, Corbridge, and Newstead) and one related form (Alba Iulia). Each cuirass was made up of four sections: two for the shoulders and two for either side of the torso.

It was first used at the end of the 1st century BC, and continued in service with the Roman army until the middle of the 3rd century AD. It is probably best known from the spiral reliefs on Trajan's Column in Rome (ITA) and it was sculptures of this type that first led scholars to study it... and in order to do so, they had to think of a name for it. Since most scholars at that time wrote in Latin, they coined the phrase lorica segmentata ('armour in pieces'). It is still known by that term, but you will also find it described as segmental, articulated, or plate armour, or even Schienenpanzer.

http://www.loricasegmentata.org/

The Art of the Hobbit Book

I found this book in a random independent book store, when walking by during the course of the project. The book contains over 100 different illustrations of characters, places, maps and buildings that are all hand drawn by Tolkien. The whole book acts as a source of inspiration, as well as highlights the creative process that Tolkien went through, which relates directly to the process I have been through on the course of BA7.

Tower of London

The tower is home to a vast armory, that ranges through the ages. I thought it was particluarly important for me to go to the Tower to get research photos of how the many different types of armor worked and fitted together, in the hope of producing a more realistic armor set for my characters, and therefore improving the final concept art.

Story development

The Apprentice

Urli soon began to grow old rapidly, a biproduct of the moondust and began to look for a final student to be his apprentice and take on his title of Moonbeard. Urli looked through all the children in the clan for a flare of inspiration but none intrigued him more than King Onyxhearts own son, Prince Bar. Moonbeard suggested the idea to the king and the boy was soon enrolled as Moonbeard’s apprentice. The boy lived with Moonbeard for the rest of Moonbeards life by which time he was already King of the Onyxheart clan. King Moonbeard majorly increased the war effort in all clans. However it has now been a long time since the goblins took Az’malk and they have now become bolder than ever, sending packs of goblins out into the plains and mountains. It has now come to the point that Mani’s children must react to the threat of face losing their home planet.

Story Development

The First Moonbeard

Many centuries have passed since then, and the lives of the four sons have come and gone. The clans still bear their names but the strong family bond that once existed has all but diminished.

After expanding so quickly Alba and Mani’s work soon came to the attention of the other Gods, they too wanted sons and daughters. Mimir in particular wanted children, but for an altogether different reason. He wanted them as puppets, to do his bidding. He rushed to Alba where he snuck into Mani’s forge and crafted his own children from pure moon dust. His work was rushed and hastily thrown into the world. The next day Mimir looked at his work in the fresh light of day. His panicked and rushed work had created a slow and feeble race of children. Ashamed of what he had done he left them in the forest and returned to his exploration of the universe.

Many years passed and the children were not seen of or heard of. Left unknown in the darkness of the stone forest. Mani’s children continued to grow and expand, with a fifth clan being formed. This new clan was formed by settlers from all four of the other clans, and was given the name Stronglegs, as many of the new settlers had walked for months.  They began to construct their own great keep in the middle of the forest. An impressive stone city, Az’Malk is built into the heart of the stone forest, a feet of engineering. For many years the clan lived here increasing the size of the clan and improving the keep.

Then the day cam when Mimir’s children returned, now a deformed race of ghoulish goblins, they had raised an army and ambushed the Stronglegs at Az’malk. Evil had not been seen in Alba before, and Mani’s children had no weapons or armour to defend themselves. Before long the bright stone walls of the keep got washed red and was over run by the goblins. Anyone who managed to escape rushed to Mor’Lode for safety.

Upon seeing this, Mani knew he had to do something; he went back into his forge and began work on helping his defenceless children. Throughout the night Mani worked in his forge lighting the nights sky.

Urli Strongleg had been one of the few to survive the siege at Az’malk and escape to Mor’Lode. Mani appeared to Urli in a dream that soon became legend. In the dream he was told to leave Mor’Lode and go to the home of the Onyxheart clan, O’girn. There in the mountains he would find Zuntar Kodor (anvil of dawn) and Nil Tath (hammer of dusk). Mani told Urli that upon his arrival he would appear to him again and teach him the magic needed to work such artefacts. Urli was explained that through these magical artefacts he would be able to raise an army to defeat the goblins at Az’malk.

That day Urli packed up his few belongings and set his course for O’girn. Urli walked for months, fighting through the snowstorms that ravaged the Blue Mountains that surrounded O’girn. After much hardship Urli eventually came across a clearing in the storm, from the centre he could see two shards of pure white light beaming out. As he rushed towards them it became clear that he had found what he was looking for. Urli was there for a decade, being taught the skills of moonsmithing, in which he was taught how to use moon dust to imbue magical powers into weapons and armour. However at this same time the goblins became well situated within Alba and had made Az’malk their goblin capital.

When Urli had learned all he could from Mani he returned to the world in Ol’girn, his beard now glowed pure white, dyed by the moon dust he had been learning with. He headed to the clans leader telling him of his travels and showing him the artefact’s he had made. The King believed in the plan Mani had created for them, and had Zuntar Kodor and Nil Tath brought to the keep from the mountains. Urli was given a workshop and students to learn the new skill of moonsmithing.

Years passed and eventually Urli’s students began to develop their skills and become accomplished moonsmiths. King Oynxheart sent the moonsmiths to the other clans in an effort to build an army. Urli continued to teach students in Ol’girn and became a respected friend to the King and an important member of the clan community. He was eventually given a seat at the top of the clan elders and referred to as Moonbeard. Moonbeard was a title that stuck and in later years was given to the best moonsmith, who was easily recognisable as he is the only one of Mani’s many children to have a pure white beard.

Story Development

Creation

The God Mani crafted Alba the future home planet of the dwarves. For too long he had lived alone on his moon, floating throughout the universe. He longed for a son, someone to pass his knowledge and wisdom onto, someone to protect, someone to love. He began to prepare his moon, making it comfortable and enjoyable for his sons. He built open seas and fresh flowing rivers for them to swim in, he crafted mountain ranges for them to climb and great open plains for them to run in. The world was vibrant, alive and beautiful. Mani then populated the world with living creatures, filling the sky with birds and the sound of their song and the sea with fish and crashing waves. His moon had blossomed into a planet. Finally, Mani put a moon in the sky, “This I will take for myself” he bellowed “ This I will call home”.

Mani continued to travel the universe with his new planet, looking for a wife to bear his sons. For centuries he continued to search but to no avail, he and the other gods were all male and had no way to sire offspring.

Mani could wait no longer; he went to his forge on the  new moon of Alba and began to make himself four sons. Picking stars from the sky and combining them with dust from the moon he crafted himself four sons.

           

He placed his sons on Alba giving each a name as he did, “Gravelhelm, you will be the strongest of my four sons. Stonebeard, you will be the smartest, Grayfist you will be the wisest, and Onyxheart, you will be the glue. You will hold your brothers together through anything to come.”

With that Mani left his children on Alba to grow and learn about the planet. They built homes and began to live off the land. Many years passed and soon Mani’s sons began to wish for the same thing their father had. Mani crafted four wives for his sons and set them down on Alba. Before long the sons families started to grow and expand, eventually splitting off into their own clans and populating the far corners of the world. The new clans began to thrive in their new homes, with each clan comprising of hundreds of families. Mani had all the children he could ever want.

Characterization

The character design of Super Mario marks the success of the entire Super Mario franchise; he is an iconic figure in our society and is easily recognizable as Disney’s Mickey Mouse.  Creator Minorou Arakawa and graphic artist Shigeru Miyamato designed Super Mario, Arakawa’s original intentions of the naming Super Mario “The Jumpman”, however Arakawa felt the name would not appeal to the North American market.  The break through came when Arakawa’s landlord, Mario Segali burst into his board meeting demanding his overdue rent.  As an effect the overall graphic design was based around the characterization of Arakawa’s Italian-American landlord Mario Segali. This consequently gave graphic artist Shigneru Miyamatao a platform to design Mario as a character; Mario is introduced to game-players as a pudgy Italian plumber with overalls, thick mustache, hat and a bulbous nose.  In addition, Mario is accented with a simple but bold primary color palette of red, yellow and blue, allowing good contrast and emphasis to Mario in any game environment he enters. In conjunction to the use of color, the chracter of Super Mario also changes color when he is about to die (primary colors, to black and white) and when he gains points by catching a star (primary colors to yellow and white) Nonetheless the primary color palette, and distinct features such as his nose, thick mustache and hat offers a very friendly appeal, thus making his character quite memorable to game-players.

http://blog.ocad.ca/wordpress/vism2b15-fw2011-01/2011/10/super-mario-character-and-environment-design-how-effective-are-they-a-closed-reading/

Characterization

Nicknamed "The Cole Train", Cole is a former professional "Thrashball" defensive lineman that wore number 83 and played for the Cougars, by Dom's recollection. During Act 1 of Gears of War Cole joins Delta Squad after the members of his original squad, Alpha Squad, are killed by the Locust. He is known for his aggressive and sometimes outlandish behaviour shown through various taunts and cutscenes. This is backed up by his high moral and toughness to get the job done by any means. Cole writes letters to his mother even though she has passed away. He says, "Just 'cos she's gone, don't mean I can't say 'em. And they're better out than in."

The character was heavily influenced by Cole's real life counterpart, Lester Speight, who portrayed Terry Tate in a short series of advertisements for Reebok. The Cole Train's character was much like the character of Terry Tate, to the point of his arms being triple the size of any other character in the game, not using arm protection and Terry's iconic "Woo!" commonly throughout the campaign and online multiplayer. It should also be noted that Cole is a 'Thrashball' player, a very similar title and presumably role to Lester Speight's role as 'Office linebacker.' Cole makes his return in Gears of War 2. Cole single-handedly saves Marcus, Dom and Benjamin Carmine from a Locust ambush, and from that point onward he stays with them.   
 
Cole returns as a playable character in Gears of War 3. This marks the first time the series has used anyone but Marcus Fenix in the single player campaign.

http://www.giantbomb.com/augustus-cole/94-687/

Coherent World: Pokemon

Pokemon is an obvious example of a coherent world, as it looks very much the same as what you would expect our own world to look like if it where in 2D pixel art. People playing pokemon understand that they can go and do what they want with whatever pokemon they want. However they also understand that walking in long grass or caves will cause wild pokemon to attack and that loosing will mean having to go back to a pokecentre. This constant loop of feedback helps the player to understand and learn about the world through play in the playspace.

Coherent worlds

It is very common for game franchises to involve more types of media for their games to expand the worlds they have created. This has become even more popular over the last few years with franchises like Halo, Gears of War, Metal gear solid, Dead space, Resident evil, Final fantasy and other huge games over the last 10 years.

 This is an excellent way for game companies to expand their market to those who may not be able to enjoy the games, but experience some of the world that they have created and also letting the fans of the series enjoy new story plots and information that was not included in the game.
The Resident Evil franchise is a good example of this because since the original game in 1996 the game franchise is still ongoing today, but also currently in the making of its fifth live-action film, and produced a full CG film which just shows how popular Transmedia can be.Transmedia seems to be an incredibly important element in making games, movies, etc today.
This is also very important in terms of storytelling because now if a developer or producer thinks of a fantastic new coherent world they need to think how they can adapt that to a Transmedia basis.
This is described very effectively in this quote: “Stories and characters exist in a universe that lives and breathes regardless of whether it is being watched. What were characters doing before we started watching them? What will they do afterward? And what is going on in a different part of the same universe at the same time?” This is a perfect way of describing how Transmedia can affect a story plot to potentially maximise and expand on a coherent world, potentially creating a much bigger franchise and a more enjoyable experience for fans.

This was also seen in the Final Fantasy franchise with them producing more than 20 games, a Japanese animated series and also full CG films (final fantasy: spirits within, final fantasy Advent children). Most game franchises expand their world through comic books and novels because generally people who like computer games for the fantasy element enjoy to see these worlds created in comic books similar to the way they are depicted in Marvel and DC comics.

In a recent lecture Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, explained that an important part of creating a coherent world within games or movies or products is the opportunity for Transmedia within it. http://lukeavitch-creatingcoherentworlds.blogspot.co.uk/

coherent world: The Legend of Zelda

Nintendo responded that "there isn't a true frame of reference of timeline possible for the series" based on the fact that "each new game represents a new Link" main character. 

The interesting thing about the Legend of Zelda games has never really been the meta-story. If you look at most of the games it is always the same quest of a young hero who must fulfill his destiny in order to save a girl (or young woman).

However, the environment and steps involved in the story are always unique enough to keep players coming back. This is really no different from any other formulaic video game (or movie, or book) story that is reused with a slight twist. But if that was really true what has millions of gamers coming back each time?

I think this is one of the rare times that players enjoy a divergence from what they know. It is fun to play the most recent Legend of Zelda game because you know it will be very well crafted from a gameplay point of view, but also to see how the Legend itself will be retold this time. It is like hearing a ghost story at summer camp and then coming back the next year ans seeing how the counselors changed it since last time. The beauty is that the meta-story remains the same, but how it is told is new, fresh and unique.

Coherent World: GTA

The Grand Theft Auto World is a fictional world containing the settings or otherwise-mentioned locations of all the GTA games (for example, Liberty City, Vice City, Carcer City, and the State of San Andreas). It is assumed that the rest of the real world exists within the fictional world, although possibly without some of the major cities to which the GTA locations are analogous (Liberty City/state of Liberty may replace New York City/state of New York, for example). Continuity is generally retained throughout the games pertaining to the specific "era" that the game is a part of, creating a coherent fictional universe.

A map selection screen in the first Grand Theft Auto game reveals that the contemporary renditions of Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City are located in or near New York, California, and Florida respectively. It is unclear whether these locations are canon with the rest of the series, however it is known that Vice City is located in the state of Florida.

Furthermore, during one mission in GTA San Andreas, the player could fly a plane eastwards and arrive, after a cutscene, in Liberty City. This relationship is similar to the real-world geographical placing of the states of Californiaand Nevada (upon which San Andreas is based) to New York (upon which Liberty City is based). This does involve crossing a vast body of water, but bodies of water are used to isolate game-worlds in the GTA series, and do not necessarily indicate that these game-worlds are truly islands.

In between game "eras", the recurring locations of GTA are represented very differently. Liberty City appeared inGrand Theft Auto 1 and GTA III with almost no similarities other than that they were both broadly based on New York City. Liberty City retained continuity throughout the GTA III Era (compare GTA III's rendition to that of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto Advance), however Grand Theft Auto IV marked the beginning of a new "era", and started a new continuity while introducing a new Liberty City created from scratch.

http://gta.wikia.com/Grand_Theft_Auto_World

Creating a coherent world

Creating a coherent world is incredibly important in the design process of a video game. A coherent world allows the player to become immersed in the story, characters, style and setting of the game, by setting restrictions and limitations on the play space. This means that the player understands what and how they can interact with people and objects in the game, it also means that the player fully understands the limitations and restrictions i.e if the player jumps off a cliff they will die or loose health. By creating a coherent world and immersing the player, the game designer is able to show the player the meaning of his story through play.

The Players Realm: studies on the culture of video games and gaming edited by J. Patrick Williams and Jonas Heide Smith

Continued

• Games are immersive, which means they are capable of transporting users into compelling virtual environments. They are intensely engaging, provoking states of intense concentration that can last for hours on end. They foster intense identification between players and game characters, and they are interactive media that dynamically modify content in response to user actions.

• All four of these characteristics are central to the gaming experience. In studies scattered across disciplines, each dimension has been independently linked to attitude change. The combined persuasive strength of these characteristics is potentially multiplied as players compulsively revisit their favourite video games.

Immersion

• One can watch television or listen to the radio in a distracted state, but most video games demand and receive rapt audience attention. This domination of player senses is referred to as immersion.

• we experience the sensation of being surrounded by a completely other reality, as different as water is from air, that takes over all of our attention, our whole perceptual apparatus. -Janet Murray

• The sensory domination experienced from video games is particularly profound. While film and television content enter via two perceptual channels, video games make it possible for communicators to influence sight, sound, touch and even proprioception ( the perception of bodily movement). 

• The individual identifies himself so thoroughly with the plot or looses himself so much in the picture that he is carried away from the usual trend of conduct. His mind becomes fixed on certain imagery, and impulses usually latent or kept under restraint  gain expression.

Intense Engagement

• Focused gamers display many characteristics of a 'flow state'. This state is characterized by focused concentration, time distortion, a sense of control over ones actions and satisfaction derived from factors intrinsic to the activity being practiced. Video games are uniquely well suited to introduce a 'flow state' because they offer clear objectives, precise feedback, immersive material and content that is dynamically adapted to reflect user choices.

• This has important implications for persuasion, because the motivation for an extended engagement is crucial to mastering complex bodies of knowledge. Students learn in a flow state where they are not just passive recipients of knowledge, but active learners who are in control of the learning activity and are challenged to reach certain goals. Motivated learners more readily choose to engage in target activities, they pursue those activities more vigorously, and they persist longer at those activities than do less motivated learners.

Identification

• We identify ourselves bodily with our character in the game world, and psychologically with the broader narrative arc defined by our characters choices.

• Three types of identity are at work when gaming: virtual identity, real world identity and a projective identity that synthesizes both. Unlike the identification experienced with film and literature, video games identification is active (making choices that develop the character) and reactive (responding to conditions that stem from these choices). Players learn, through their projective identities, new identities, new values and new ways of being in the world based on powerful juxtaposition of their real world identities and the virtual identity at stake in the learning.

• The power of video games resides in the ways in which they meld learning and identity.

Interactivity

• Interactivity refers to interaction with virtual objects (what players can do to those objects, the ways those objects can respond and the ability of those objects to act upon avatars without prompting) and with the games underlying narrative. In all of these contexts, there is a cybernetic feedback loop between the user and the machine. Its is the ongoing interaction between these representations and the embodied behavior of the user that makes such images more than images.

• Judgment-behavior-feedback loops are crucial to recognizing any instructional benefits from games. The game cycle focuses attention to a critical chain of dependencies: (a) to elicit desirable behaviors from learners, (b) they first need to experience desirable emotional or cognitive reactions, (c) which result from interaction with and feedback generated from play.

• This loop underpins all video games, from Pac Man to Counter Strike. Players are rewarded for engaging in certain behaviors (eating dots, shooting opponents), and they experience positive feelings when such rewards are given. When players make choices discouraged by the game designers (walking off a cliff or shooting civilians), they are punished.

This part of the book really helped me gain understanding of how a persuasive game works, how each of the four I's works to together with the coherent world to create a play space that allows the player to learn in the way that the game creator directs.

The Players Realm: studies on the culture of video games and gaming edited by J. Patrick Williams and Jonas Heide Smith

Continued

• Propaganda refers to the deliberate and systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist. This tool of ideological, physical or economic conflict is typically aimed at more than one person wielded by an organized group. - Garth Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell (1986)

• Propaganda is closely related to ideology, but the terms have distinct meanings. Ideology refers to shared values and beliefs often experienced as natural, that shape individuals understandings of institutions and social relationships (Sturken and Cartwright 2001). Churches, schools, family and the media are some of the institutions responsible for the transmission of ideology. (Althusser 1996)

• In contrast Propaganda is developed by an organized group and systematically disseminated with the intent of prompting certain attitudes and behaviors.

The book gives a quick but informative description of what the basics of propaganda are and how this is reflected in society and games design in particular. However it also raised an interesting point that I would like to take further:

• Education is a process that systematically influences perceptions, cognitions and behavior. Teachers and propagandists both seek to transform audience attitudes and behavior, and the underlying persuasive processes are closely related. 

I found this point really interesting as it raises some interesting questions. If children were allowed to learn at their own pace and in their own way through play in video game playspaces it would allow the child to form his own views and ideas without the pressure of conforming to societies rituals. On the other hand this could also be incredibly dangerous as the game would have to be produced by someone. I think eduction would be a good area to do more research into for my dissertation. From this point I would like to continue to look at games as a persuasive medium, still focusing on the same book.