MFA Illustration as Visual Essay

Thesis by K Downs

Table of Contents:

• Synopsis

• What is a Point-and-Click Game?

• How Are You Making This?

• Main Characters

• The Story:

  • Stage 0: Introduction

  • Stage 1: The Line to Get In

  • Stage 2: The Bar

  • Stage 3: VIP Area

  • Stage 4: Underground Rave

  • Stage 5: Blood Rave

  • Stage 6: Medieval Club

  • Stage 7: Existential Crisis

  • Stage 8: The End(s)

• Thank You

One Night Only Synopsis:

Have you ever had a crush?

Isn't it awful?

One Night Only is a point-and-click adventure game where you play Max, an aimless buzzkill who gets invited to the club by their crush, Eden.

The player will solve puzzles and make their way through the club to meet up with Eden, including: Helping a DJ get stragglers out of a bathroom, cleaning clogged spigots so the blood rave can continue, and asking club goers to teach you to dance.

To win, you need to learn to be less of a buzzkill. Will you let go and have fun with your crush or will you go home alone?

What is a

point-and-click game?

It's a genre of video game characterized by interactive storytelling where you play the game by pointing and clicking objects for puzzle solving gameplay to advance the narrative.

Here are examples of a few titles:

How are you making this?

Game Programming:

I'm using Adventure Game Studio to make the game. It's open source and pretty easy to use for beginners.
My thesis advisor is Eric Knittel, a game programmer with 10+ years experience. 

Below is a screen recording of my engine tests. Max is seen walking around the bar, plus some color changes to test the lighting capabilities of the engine. I was mainly testing for the speed of the character’s walk and checking out the scrolling capabilities on longer backgrounds.

2D Animation:

My undergrad is in 2D Animation, and despite being in an Illustration MFA program, I keep coming back again and again to the medium. It's my absolute favorite. The animation for this game will be hand-drawn, 2D animation using Toon Boom. The video below is a test to see how the dialogue system would work. 

Analog Backgrounds:

I love making analog work, and I want to incorporate it into this game. I would like to make analog backgrounds with digital compositing. As the game's story gets more abstracted, as do the backgrounds. 

Style Frame:

A style frame combining all of these elements together. Background was made by cutting out paper, gluing them together, then assembling and coloring it digitally. Plus a mock up of the menu along with dialogue system windows. 

Main CHaracters:

Max:

Max is our player character. They're an aimless, late-20-something who can find the flaws in anything faster than a bat out of hell.
Can Max learn to have fun before meeting up with Eden?

Eden:

Eden is the apple of Max's eye. She's a fun-loving club goer that's always looking for a good time. 
Can Eden help Max learn to let go and have fun?

Stage 0 - Introduction

The Opening of the game shows a table littered with junk and the flyer of the club. You have three options: New, Continue, and Options. Continue will fade into where you last left off. Options will give you sound/viewing options for the game. But New will do the following:

When you click New, your phone will get a text notification. A hand comes in, searching for the phone before taking it off screen. 

We cut to Max lounging on the couch in their drab apartment. We get some narration text that introduces our Player Character. Max then panics when they realize who's texting them: Eden, asking if Max is free to go clubbing.

You have a brief text exchange, choosing options that either send you to the Chiller ending or the Bummer ending.

Once the text exchange is over, Max realizes they need to get dressed.

You can now move Max around, clicking on items around their apartment for descriptions. You walk into their bedroom.

In the middle image, starting from left to right: 1 is the outfit you're currently wearing, 2 is your errands fit, 3 is some weird thing your old roommate left behind, 4 is trying-too-hard raver fit, and 5 is the outfit you pick. 

Once your outfit is selected, the screen fades to black. You hear the door closing, the subway rushing, then the ambient sounds of a city at night. 

Stage 1 - The Line to get in

You get out of the subway. You start walking down the street and notice an extremely long line to get into the club.

This stage is your tutorial stage: How to pick up items, how to use items in your inventory, and how to talk to people. 

There are two ways to get in: You find a flyer on the ground and can recite a person playing that night. Or, you can use some glasses you find on the ground, look into a security mirror, and read a name off the guest list. You use this name to get in. 

From Left to Right: Door Person 1, Door Person 2, First person you talk to in line.

stage 2 - the bar

Once you get in, you see the coat check, bar, a dance floor, the bathrooms then entryway to get to Stage 3. Eden texts you that she's on the next floor!

You can interact with the bartender to get drinks and other items.

In order to move forward, you need to get on the VIP list. You do so by helping DJ Baby Angel. He's due to play in 10 minutes and these people are taking forever in the bathroom!! Once you get them out, he puts you on the guest list for the VIP area.

STAGE 3 - vip area

You walk into Stage 3 right onto the dance floor on the left. You get a text from Eden that she's left that area and has moved onto the next. After a minute you'll see DJ Baby Angel in the window above. This floor also includes a lounge, the entryway to Stage 4, and a doorway onto the smoker's area.

In order to move onto Stage 4, you need to impress the Dance Diva with some moves. In exchange for running favors for people, they'll teach you how to dance. Dance Diva still doesn't find your moves that impressive, but she takes pity on you for at least making an effort to contribute to the vibe. 

STAGE 4 - UNDERGROUND RAVE

The first thing you see in Stage 4 is a small, empty room with couches and people chatting. Once again, Eden texts you that she left the area and is in Stage 5. A stairway leads into what looks like an office space. Cubicles, a kitchenette, a paper copier, the works! But people are dancing, the lights are going crazy, and the DJ is cooking tunes in the kitchen. 

You go downstairs to see an industrial warehouse. There are 3 people blocking your way upwards to the Stage 5 door (upper right). Once you do them favors (getting water, getting poppers, and then listening to someone's trauma dump), you move onto Stage 5. 

STAGE 5 - BLOOD RAVE

Stage 5 opens with you walking down a dark, brick laden hallway. Your phone is the best source of light: texts from Eden that she left this floor because the vibes were off. The sconces on the wall make for little light. The red lighting of this part of the club doesn't help you much either.

You finally find an open room that looks like a place where a vampire would mug you: brick alleyways, industrial piping, industrial, heavy music. But everyone looks pissed. A big, angry goth is in the way of you moving past them to Stage 6! You learn that the sprinklers of this area are blocked up, and the blood rave has been cancelled.

In order to move onto Stage 6, you need to clean the sprinklers so the blood rave can continue. 

STAGE 6 - MEDIEVAL CHURCH

Stage 6 is a vibe you didn't expect: You somehow find yourself inside a medieval church. The partygoers are dressed like they're ready for a Renfaire, the music is a strange mix of electronic and Gregorian chants, and you stick out like a sore thumb in your modern day clothing. Eden texts you letting you know that she didn't fit the vibe much and moved on. 

You can't move forward until you find a medieval outfit of your own! A Jester blocks the way, insisting that you need to contribute to the vibe. You search for items throughout the club until you come up with an outfit: finding an abandoned harness, a beer soaked cloak and an old boot turns you into a medieval steed! 

STAGE 7 - EXISTENTIAL CRISIS

Very quickly you realize Stage 7 is different.

You fall into a void, smashing into the ground. The club is warped, weird, and hard to navigate.

Why are you here? Is this even fun? Are you even fun? You like to think you are. Why is Eden not waiting for you? Does she think you're boring? How do people have fun at these things? Are you able to let go? Are you able to maybe, look a little stupid, all so you can actually have fun? Are those people actually looking at you, or are you in your head?

Stage 7 is a series of existential questions you ask yourself and answer, helping you come to the conclusion:

STAGE 8 - THE END(S)

The Good Ending:

Throughout your journey, you’ve chosen to be normal. You stayed chill. You went with the flow. Because of this, you make it to Eden. You dance. Maybe you go to a diner at 5 in the morning when you’re too tired to go on.

The Bad Ending:

You totally beefed it. You couldn’t keep your cool!! Here you are, at the final door, the very last one that you need to walk through to meet Eden, but you just can’t do it. You go home.

THANK YOU

Thanks for playing (;

My name's K Downs, a queer animator and MFA Illustration as Visual Essay thesis student. I'm hoping this grant will help me pay musicians and assistants for this project.

For additional info, please email: kdowns@sva.edu
For further updates, my monthly updated blog is the place to be!
My website: https://itskdowns.com
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