PROJECT MANAGEMENT 🍃
Innovative advancements that have the potential to significantly change the way we live and work.
Assignment Brief
'You have just received word from your contractor Creative Assembly, that you and your team are going to be working on a new project. You have been given creative freedom to create a short Animation, VFX Project or level that must include aspects of nautical theme and elements of Sci-fi horror.'
TASK: Act as a lead project designer, managing the pre-production and postproduction of this project, developing a project idea that fits the brief. Scheduling, researching and producing documentation to show that the assignment was understood.
The Creative Assembly Limited is a British video game developer company based in Horsham & founded in 1987 by Tim Ansell. In their early era, the company worked on porting games to MS-DOS from Amiga and ZX Spectrum platforms, working with Electronic Arts (EA) later on to produce a large variety of games under the EA Sports brand. Their first independent game was released in 1999; Shogun: Total War, after the company had sufficient enough resources to attempt an original project. The game turned out to be a critical and commercial success, and is often regarded as a baseline for strategy games as a whole. Further Total War games were developed afterwards, further increasing the company's success.
In March 2005, Sega acquired Creative Assembly, becoming a part of Sega Europe. Under Sega, further Total War titles developed, with Creative Assembly entering the console market with action-adventure games such as Alien: Isolation, Viking: Battle for Asgard and Spartan: Total Warrior.
Alien: Isolation is a 2014 first person survival horror game for the Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Windows, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Based on the Alien film series, the game is set 15 years after the original 1979 film, and follows Amanda Ripley, aboard the space station Sevastopol, investigating the disappearance of her mother. The station is in dissaray due to years of corporate negligence and the threat of a rampant alien, leading to the player needing to sneak, outsmart and fight enemies with tools ands weapons.
The game received positive reviews and sold over two million copies by May 2015. Its retro-futuristic art direction, sound design and artificial intelligence were praised extensively. The alien in the game uses AI to track the player and act in a realistic way, providing an uniquely immersive experience.
In February 2017, the studio released Halo Wars 2, which received positive reviews. In March of the same year, Creative Assembly opened its first studio abroad, Creative Assembly Sofia. However, it was subsequently shut down the following year in December 2016.
Creative Assembly continues to develop and publish games to this day. Some of their upcoming games include; Alien: Isolation 2, which has been announced to be playable on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S. Other games such as Total War: Medieval III, and Total War: Warhammer 40,000 have limited information released, their platforms being unknown as of September 2026.
CREATIVE ASSEMBLY
Shogun: Total War
Alien: Isolation
Initial Ideas
Week 1 Brainstorm
Idea 1: Game with 2D animated cutscenes
Setting: Deep marine research facility, nearby Marianas Trench
Narrative: A biological disaster leading to an unknown virus breaks out at the facility, quickly leading to a severed connection between the surface. The company behind the establishment decides to take advantage of the grim catastrophe, and, wanting to find out exactly what happened, sends down a research android to gather and record as much information as it can. As it searches the perimeter following orders, encountering the remnants of the catastrophe such as corpses, unknown vegetation, broken equipment and…something stalking the facility from the outside. It also finds a sole survivor- a scientist who faces an inevitable demise with no way back up. The researcher will play a crucial role in how the android proceeds, potentially leading it to becoming something more akin to a human.
Gameplay: Playing as the android, you will have to explore the research facility, logging any information you find on the virus, while simultaneously finding out about the truth of what happened. You will be able to make certain decisions based on your own judgement, shaping the way the story and gameplay plays out in various ways.
Reason for chosen medium: For this idea, I decided that a game would do it most justice. Playing in a first person setting would work significantly well for the horror aspect, creating a natural feeling of tension as the player explores on their own volition. As a game, you’re able to set your own pace, and due to certain gameplay features such as interactive ability and making your own decisions that affect the story, this premise simply wouldn’t work nearly as well in other mediums. However, wanting to emphasise certain interactions or scenes, I will add 2D animated cutscenes to amplify immersion, character(s) and emphasize artstyle. Even for the 3D environment, I plan on creating and applying 2D textures so that there is a sense of consistency.
Idea 2: 2D animation with incorpirated 3D models
Setting: Military submarine
Narrative: As a US military submarine is routed to investigate an area of interest in the North Pacific Ocean, strange things begin to happen around and on the ship. As the story progresses, crew on-board begin to either disappear or end up dead, including the captain. With no one left to steer the sub, the remaining survivors are left to fend for themselves, learning of the aquatic monsters that terrorize the submersible.
Reason for chosen medium: Considering the complexity of shapes such as a submarine and its interior, combining 3D models surrounded by 2D animation will be the key to ensure the animation overall stays consistent. Aspects such as the physics would make adding ‘flowy’ movement essential.
Idea 3: 2D animation
Setting: Oil Rig
Narrative: With the rig being in the middle nowhere, the protagonist, as the newest employee who’s only been working there for around 3 months, starts noticing strange anomalies; objects not being where they usually are, some worker’s personalities changed for no apparent reason, and a general oddness to the air. At first, the protagonist shrugs it off, thinking it’s just a series of coincidences. However, this changes when accidents start to pile up more and more frequently with employees going missing. These disturbances do not seem to bother the rest of the workers, who act either apathetically, or unnaturally cheerful in response. That’s when the protag decides to do some investigating, and finds out that the rig has been almost entirely overrun by parasitic-like monsters, who deteriorate the brain of their victims over time before consuming them.
Reason for chosen medium: More explicit and violent scenes for this story wouldn’t work as effectively in other mediums, other than VFX. However, because animation allows you to explore abstract compositions and ideas more freely, alleviating a level of necessary realism.
Week 1
Upon being given the brief, I brainstormed ideas and thought about which medium to choose for the project. I initially considered 2D-style animation o showcase my artistic abilities, but scrapped it due to how time consuming it would be with the ideas I had and how difficult it would make the horror genre to implement. This landed me on wanting to create a game, but this time going with the idea of a 3D first-person blended with 2D cutscenes.
After drafting my initial ideas, I decided to go with my first concept, due to the creative leniency it allowed. An android would provide unique and interesting scenarios and perspectives, and, using some of my favourite games as inspiration, I could work on my own unique project that holds familiar elements with my own original ideas.
Other Inspos
OMORI (2020)- Dark section with a corridor chase sequence, leaving the player with no where to go.
The Abyss (1989)- The large structures deep underwater inspire my setting.
The Last of Us Part II (2020)- Infected design that inspires the threat in my own story.
Avatar (2009)- The bioluminescent environment is something I want to incorporate but to a much lesser degree.
Minecraft (2011)- Using shader mods, underwater areas can appear extremely gloomy and vast.
Detroit: Become Human (2018)- Chapter Jericho uses horror elements such as jumpscares, tension, and limited visibility within an abandoned ship to build tension and unease.
Nine Sols (2025)- Using a blend of cyberpunk, Eastern mythology and Taoist philosophy to create unique environments, the earlier areas in particular give me ideas of how I want the facility inside my game to look like, particularly the colour palette.
Sci-fi research
Science fiction is a genre that imagines advanced and futuristic changes in technology, scientific knowledge, or biological systems. Most common in this genre are elements of space exploration, time travel, robotics, biological manipulations and more.
Following the theme, I was inspired by multiple sci-fi related movies or games rather than a single piece. For my android protagonist, I was inspired by multiple of my favourite characters or games, especially NieR: Automata, which explores android existentialism, grief, love and revenge.
My idea was an android being stuck in an isolated facility, tasked with recording and transmitting information back to the surface, where it learns it'll never return to, triggering a wild descent into having it's own thoughts and emotions.
Nine Sols also became an inspiration, the game using a blend of cyberpunk, Eastern mythology and Taoist philosophy. The earlier areas in particular gave me ideas of how I wanted the facility inside my game to look like, particularly the colour palette.
Detroit: Become Human (2018)
NieR: Automata (2017)
Nautical Research
Referring to a design or aesthetic inspired by the sea, maritime activities, and naval culture. Common elements include ships, nautical instruments, marine life, coastal landscapes and more.
Since my game will be set in the abyssal zone of the ocean, I want to emphasize the thalassophobia and claustrophobia elements, both of which will heavily play into the horror aspect. The only sources of light will be whatever power remains in the research facility, and, whichever equipment the android has been equipped with. Otherwise, it would be completely dark. Similarly, the only sound in the game will be from whatever the player interacts with outside of general environmental ambiance, so hearing any other noise will be used as a clear sign of something amiss.
Subnautica is an open world survival game, where the player takes on the role of the sole survivor of the spaceship- the Aurora- crash-landing on an uncharted, oceanic planet, and exploring dangerous waters by travelling in futuristic submersibles. Leaning into the isolation aspect, whenever the player looks outside a window, I want them to see nothing but black void. I used the ecological dead zones from Subnautica as inspiration for the sensation.
The abyssal zone, (abyssopelagic) makes up around 80% of the total ocean area, and 60% of the Earth's surface. Most creatures that reside here depend on marine snow- dead organic material and debris that drifts down from the upper sunlit layers of the ocean. In some areas, underwater springs heated by magma form hydrothermal vents that support unique bacteria. Additionally, animals here often use bioluminescence to find However, I think adding some element of bioluminescence in certain areas, whether to guide the player or provide a false sense of security and beauty, would be fun to work on and add an interesting contrast. Movies such as James Cameron's Avatar series with many spectacular creatures, and the episode Fish Night from Love Death + Robots were inspirations here.
Subnautica (2018)
Fish Night, Love Death + Robots: Season 1, Episode 12 (2019)
Horror Research
Horror is a category of literature, film, or art designed to elicit fear, dread, shock or disgust. Designed to create a sense of physical or psychological discomfort, unease, and tension, the genre often utilizes suspense, dark settings, eerie sounds and visual horror to achieve it's intended effect. Common subgenres include psychological, supernatural and body horror. These are elements I definitely want to lean into.
In my game, the main source of the disaster will be a virus of unknown origin. Spreading through contaminated surfaces and direct contact, it leaves physical traces in the form of vine-like plants that spread across the facility much akin to roots. Upon contact with organic victims, the individual will begin to experience minor skin irritation, which turns increasingly intense within 48 hours. At this point, severe wounds and rashes from repeatedly scratching oneself will have appeared. Around 12 hours after the irritation initially becomes almost unbearable, the areas most injured from this process, typically the arms, torso and face, will begin to exhibit sharp bumps that protrude the body. At this stage, the victim is likely to have passed out from pain already, or is only able to perform extremely limited movement. Another 12 hours later, the virus has a 100% mortality rate, leaving the victim with coral-like growth throughout their body which starts to spread from the corpse, existing to continue the cycle.
Since the setting of my game is near the Marianas Trench, I concluded that the facility should be located in the abyssal zone, right above it. This is a pitch-black, freezing layer in the ocean that lies between 4000 and 6000 meters below the surface. Iron Lung is a sci-fi horror game that takes place on a one-man submarine, needing to blindly navigate an ocean of blood and take photographs of key locations, while hoping that whatever is around doesn't find you. I was inspired by Iron Lung's feelings of overwhelming isolation and claustrophobia, being trapped at the bottom of an ocean is something very distinct, and harbours an unnatural, uncertain feeling due to inexplicable occurrences and unexplainable threats. I want to capture a similar feeling within the setting of my game.
FAITH: The Unholy Trinity is a horror game revolving around a former Catholic priest, John Ward, as he embarks on a journey to complete a a botched exorcism, reliving his traumatic past. The game uses a a mix of 2D retro-like gameplay and 2D animated cutscenes. What stands out to me is that the 2D animations are all rotoscoped, resulting in a very unique-looking art style that's uncanny to look at. This works extremely well in the game's favour, as the realistic movements provide a stark contrast to the gameplay, resulting in heavy tension due to the inherit jumpscare potential. I want to incorporate this technique, or at least something very similiar, in my own 2D cutscenes, as 3D games using rotoscope specifically are very rare, so bringing such a unique idea to the market could make it stand out more.
Iron Lung (2022)
FAITH: The Unholy Trinity (2022)
The Creative Assembly Limited is a British video game developer company founded in 1987 by Tim Ansell. Their first independent game was released in 1999; Shogun: Total War. In March 2005, Sega acquired Creative Assembly, becoming a part of Sega Europe. Under Sega, further Total War titles developed, with Creative Assembly entering the console market with action-adventure games such as Alien: Isolation, Viking: Battle for Asgard and Spartan: Total Warrior.
Alien: Isolation is a 2014 survival horror game for the Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Windows, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Based on the Alien film series, the game is set 15 years after the original 1979 film, and follows Amanda Ripley, aboard the space station Sevastopol, investigating the disappearance of her mother. The station is in dissaray due to years of corporate negligence and the threat of a rampant alien, leading to the player needing to sneak, outsmart and fight enemies with tools ands weapons.
The game recieved positive reviews and sold over two million copies by May 2015. Its retro-futuristic art direction, sound design and artificial intelligence were praised extensively. The alien in the game uses AI to track the player and act in a realistic way, providing an extremely immersive experience.
CREATIVE ASSEMBLY
