Christopher Ruiz - Week 15 (Final)

Christopher Ruiz - Week 14 HW

Christopher Ruiz - Week 13 HW

(boards under cut)

Christopher Ruiz - Week 12 HW

Christopher Ruiz - Week 11 HW

Christopher Ruiz - Week 10 HW

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Christopher Ruiz - Week 9 HW

“Dream Job”

Honestly, at the moment, I’m not yet certain of the direction I want to pursue in Game Art. I’m split between 2D concept and 3D, and even within those I’m not certain if I’d want to focus on character, props or environments. At the moment, I’d really be happy with any, so I’m trying to develop all of the relevant skills necessary. An ideal scenario would be for me to be able to work alongside a team who makes games I love. I don’t want to lead a company or even be an art director necessarily, I find leadership roles stressful most of the time. I really just want to contribute concept art and/or assets. One ideal situation would be to work with the YachtClubGames team on a future Shovel Knight title, as that’s one of the games I’ve most enjoyed in recent years by a western developer—it’s probably the western game I’ve enjoyed most since Portal. The overall goal is to get a job in the industry where I can produce work that in enjoyable and meaningful to me, while still being able to support myself and hopefully pay off my student debt in a reasonable amount of time. One more personal goal is to start a personal project in my free time like a webcomic, a youtube channel or a simple game, something that could eventually gain a small, intimate following.

Christopher Ruiz - Week 8 HW (Midterm)

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Christopher Ruiz - Week 6 HW

The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was Intro

The camera pans from late afternoon sky down to the top of a large, old brick wall. The boy climbs over from the other side. A couple kids run up to the wall, relieved and surprised that he came back; they were all very scared for him. They say that they can’t believe he actually did the dare. The kid’s father runs up, yells at the kid to come back down, and he climbs down the giant wall with impressive ease. The father reprimands the kid for climbing the wall; he’s told the kid countless times that it’s dangerous outside the walls, and he’s forbidden to leave them. The father tells the boy that he must stop taking these risks and learn to careful with his life. The father calms down after a bit, and mentions that he wishes the boy would fear danger, for his own sake. The boy sadly mutters that he wished he’d feel any fear at all before heading back to his house. The father begins to follow the boy, and attempt to comfort him, but holds back. He thinks for a moment, and instead heads into town. The father enters a potion shop, and decides to spend a considerable amount of money on a single potion, against his better judgment. The viewer cannot yet tell what the potion is for. The father returns home in the evening, looks towards his son’s room, where he has already gone to bed, sighs, and goes to bed himself.

[EXT- THE WALL]

-Camera pans from late afternoon sky down to the top of a large, old brick wall.
-A hand emerges from over the other side of the wall, and another. The top of a boy’s head comes into view.
-A couple kids run up to the wall (they are relieved and surprised that he came back)
-Kid A yells while running up ‘Mett’s coming back!’ Kid B yells ‘That’s gotta be him!”
-Focus back on Metuo, gets over the top and sits calmly
-Kid A: ‘I can’t believe you actually did it Mett, we weren’t serious!’
-The Metuo’s father runs up, yelling ‘Metuo! What the hell are you doing?! Come down from there right now!’
-Metuo gets up calmly and climbs down the massive wall with impressive ease and speed.
-The father reprimands the kid ‘How many times now have I told you Metuo?! It’s dangerous outside the walls, you are absolutely forbidden to leave them. You could have died out there so easily!
-The friends awkwardly leave without saying anything.
-The father tells the boy ‘Please, you have to stop taking these pointless risks, treat your life with some value. You’re not invincible.’
-The father calms down after a bit, and mentions ‘I wish you would fear danger, for your own sake.’
Metuo seems hurt. He turns and heads back home, and quietly mutters ‘Me too’.
- The father begins to follow the boy, and attempt to comfort him, but holds back. He thinks for a moment, and instead heads into town.

[EXT- TOWN]

The father enters a potion shop, and decides to spend a considerable amount of money on a single potion, against his better judgment. The viewer cannot yet tell what the potion is for.

[INT- HOME]

The father returns home in the evening, looks towards his son’s room, where he has already gone to bed, sighs, and goes to bed himself.

 (rest under cut)

Christopher Ruiz - Week 5 HW

The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was Intro

The camera pans from late afternoon sky down to the top of a large, old brick wall. The boy climbs over from the other side. A couple kids run up to the wall, relieved and surprised that he came back; they were all very scared for him. They say that they can’t believe he actually did the dare. The kid’s father runs up, yells at the kid to come back down, and he climbs down the giant wall with impressive ease. The father reprimands the kid for climbing the wall; he’s told the kid countless times that it’s dangerous outside the walls, and he’s forbidden to leave them. The father tells the boy that he must stop taking these risks and learn to careful with his life. The father calms down after a bit, and mentions that he wishes the boy would fear danger, for his own sake. The boy sadly mutters that he wished he’d feel any fear at all before heading back to his house. The father begins to follow the boy, and attempt to comfort him, but holds back. He thinks for a moment, and instead heads into town. The father enters a potion shop, and decides to spend a considerable amount of money on a single potion, against his better judgment. The viewer cannot yet tell what the potion is for. The father returns home in the evening, looks towards his son’s room, where he has already gone to bed, sighs, and goes to bed.

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VISUAL STORYTELLING STORY BEATS

-Youth is introduced: Boy lives with his father and brother, he lived a normal life, but he does not feel fear, and it occasionally gets him into trouble. He wants to know fear.

-Boy accidentally kills his father, who was trying to scare him in a fake attack. He is immediately exiled from the village.

-Boy explores the wilds for two years, learning to fend for himself. He grows lonely and sad. He feels guilt for killing his father. He does not feel fear.

-Boy tries to befriend animals but they do not trust his fearlessness. He decides he must find fear no matter what.

-Boy returns to the village and is met by the elder. He wants to return but the elder will not allow him to until he has found fear. The elder tells the boy of his mother and his birth, and directs him to the ancient dungeon near the village.

-Boy sets out to the dungeon, finds it, and enters it. He faces several trials and many creatures through the dungeon, it hasn’t been entered by humans in a hundred years.

-Boy reaches the end of the dungeon. At the end is a large empty room with a chest in the center. Upon opening it, a dark gaseous form erupts from the box and takes on a loose silhouette resembling the boy himself (Fear).

-Boy fights Fear and overpowers him, upon defeat Fear is absorbed into the boy; he has overcome his

fear and accepted it.

-Boy returns to the village with the box and is accepted in.

Christopher Ruiz - Week 4 HW

The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was Intro

The camera pans from late afternoon sky down to the top of a large, old brick wall. The boy climbs over from the other side. A couple kids run up to the wall, relieved and surprised that he came back; they were all very scared for him. They say that they can’t believe he actually did the dare. The kid’s father runs up, yells at the kid to come back down, and he climbs down the giant wall with impressive ease. The father reprimands the kid for climbing the wall; he’s told the kid countless times that it’s dangerous outside the walls, and he’s forbidden to leave them. The father tells the boy that he must stop taking these risks and learn to careful with his life. The father calms down after a bit, and mentions that he wishes the boy would fear danger, for his own sake. The boy sadly mutters that he wished he’d feel any fear at all before heading back to his house. The father begins to follow the boy, and attempt to comfort him, but holds back. He thinks for a moment, and instead heads into town. The father enters a potion shop, and decides to spend a considerable amount of money on a single potion, against his better judgment. The viewer cannot yet tell what the potion is for. The father returns home in the evening, looks towards his son’s room, where he has already gone to bed, sighs, and goes to bed himself.

Christopher Ruiz - Week 3 HW

-Youth is introduced: Boy lives with his father and brother, he lived a normal life, but he does not feel fear, and it occasionally gets him into trouble. He wants to know fear.
-Boy accidentally kills his father, who was trying to scare him in a fake attack. He is immediately exiled from the village.
-Boy explores the wilds for two years, learning to fend for himself. He grows lonely and sad. He feels guilt for killing his father. He does not feel fear.
-Boy tries to befriend animals but they do not trust his fearlessness. He decides he must find fear no matter what.
-Boy returns to the village and is met by the elder. He wants to return but the elder will not allow him to until he has found fear. The elder tells the boy of his mother and his birth, and directs him to the ancient dungeon near the village.
-Boy sets out to the dungeon, finds it, and enters it. He faces several trials and many creatures through the dungeon, it hasn’t been entered by humans in a hundred years.
-Boy reaches the end of the dungeon. At the end is a large empty room with a chest in the center. Upon opening it, a dark gaseous form erupts from the box and takes on a loose silhouette resembling the boy himself(Fear).
-Boy fights Fear and overpowers him, upon defeat Fear is absorbed into the boy; he has overcome his fear and accepted it.
-Boy returns to the village with the box and is accepted in.

Christopher Ruiz - Week 2 HW

The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was 

-The boy lived the life of an ordinary youth with his father and brother, though he had a reputation for being reckless, as he lived without fear of consequence. The village he lived in was fairly rural and modest; a small community walled off from the wilds and the dangerous creatures that inhabit it. The boy’s family were fishermen, and the boy had a hobby of crafting. [The village is inspired by -The boy wished to learn fear, so that he may support himself better. Some time later, the father tried to help his son experience fear by saving up to buy a potion. With this potion, he temporarily became a beast in appearance. He took the potion out of sight, and launched towards his unsuspecting son with a fake attack. The boy was unphased, however, and retaliated without hesitation, unintentionally killing the father. The boy was immediately exiled not only by his brother, but the entire village. He felt sadness, guilt, and loneliness, but he did not fear. -The boy has wandered the wilds for two years now, he has made peace with the wilds and learned it. He has fought off the creatures and lived off them. He’s even tried to befriend some of the creatures he’s encountered, but none are trusting of him—they can sense his lack of fear. Eventually, in aimless wandering, he comes upon a different village, also walled off to the wilds. [The village is Asian- inspired] He tries to enter, but the village is strict; they can only support so many people. The village leaders ask the boy to prove himself by recovering something from an old haunted structure, deep in the wilds. The boy agrees without hesitation. -The structure is an old temple, and in it the boy is haunted by spirit-like creatures unlike any others he has seen. They are strange to him, but they do not scare him. He encounters room after room, each containing a unique creature with a unique task. Some fight with the boy, and others seem to be friendly. Some present puzzle-like scenarios and riddles.

Chris Ruiz- Week 1 HW

My favorite games are primarily pretty simple both story-wise and visually. Things like Pokemon, where the story is simplistic and generally the same at its core, appeals to me through the world it presents the player. I love the feeling of walking around in a Pokemon game and talking to the NPCs; besides the nostalgic feeling it’s also just refreshing to be able to get lost in such a cute, happy world. I feel similarly about Megaman games, another of my favorite series. I also loved games like Portal 2, which was visually stunning and have a very interesting story that always kept me on my toes. A game I can legitimately talk about the story of, and one that has doubtlessly affected my artwork, is Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. It isn’t my favorite game visually, nor story-wise, but I believe it is the game that most affected my art throughout the years. The paper diorama-esque look was the first time I ever saw an experimental art style in a game, and it stands out as one of my favorites to this day. The game is over 11 years old, but I feel it still holds up well visually. The story is intentionally simple, as the focus lies on the charm and humor of the individual characters. I deeply appreciate any game that can make me laugh consistently at the dialogue, even today. Admittedly, I realize nostalgia plays a big part here, but I’ve replayed the game recently and I feel it still holds up in gameplay, visuals and writing.