I’ll start off by saying I don’t have much in terms of things I can show, but I can at least explain the changes I’ve made conceptually. My idea was originally to make a sort of animated intro for my DnD group as if our campaign were a show or movie or something like that. While I really did like the idea, I realized it probably wouldn’t work out for a couple of reasons. First, our group has 5 characters in the party, meaning I would have to model, rig, and animate 5 different characters, including one more for the enemies they’d be fighting. That would definitely stretch me a bit thin, especially for modeling and rigging as I am not as experienced in those areas as I am in animation. Second, my ideas for the animation would require me to know things about the other characters that I don’t currently know, and I don’t want to spoil it for myself.
Luckily, my second idea is a bit smaller in scale while still being something I’m excited to work on. I’m going with the same intro type of animation in the style of Kingdom Hearts. Basically, I’ve had this idea for a story I want to tell for a really long time now, so I figure I can use this opportunity to share a bit of that now. The intro is meant more to introduce people to the general aesthetic of the story, without necessarily giving away too many plot details if any.
The intro would involve 2 characters with potentially a third model being made for an enemy they’d fight during it, cutting the amount of work I have to do on that front by half. The story itself is meant to be a blend of fantasy tropes and ideas with modern comic book and superhero imagery, the latter being heavily inspired by Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse. Because of this, the two main characters are going to have designs that have a comic book hero aspect to the. While I do not have the designs yet, I am making Pinterest boards for the characters to help narrow down what design I want. This is what I currently have for one of the characters, Victor. I will definitely be sharing the character designs once I have those.
Evan! While you’re being far more nondescript about your second idea, I’m already intrigued by the conceptual details you’ve provided! The juxtaposition between modern comic book imagery and kingdom hearts-esque fantasy tropes sounds like it’s going to be really interesting and fun for you, especially. I think that considering multiple options with regards to the scope of your project is a really intelligent way to go about your thesis progression–I’m having the same issue on my end, as well.
P.S. I just took a glance at your pinterest board for Victor and I’m already hyped to see him punch someone!
Evan. I really like your concept of an animated intro of Dungeons and Dragons. I think it will turn out amazing. I think that you know a lot more and are more passionate about DnD rather than Kingdom Hearts. You should stick with your first idea. The first choice is always the best choice.