I can’t remember where I first found these images but I remember being amazed and thinking this would make a cool level!
It is some kind of water control system for floods or tsunamis etc.
It seem that there are guided tours available and if I ever visit Tokyo then this will be on the top of my list of places to visit!
For this theme to work I think it would need to a suspense-type level, with perhaps an element of a chase with a time limit, meaning you had to creep around but also not go too slow.
A one-on-one battle in the main hall with all those columns could be really good fun.
Resources:
- Wikipedia Entry
- Joe Nishizawa’s Gallery (Professional Photographer)
- Somebody’s photos of their guided tour!
I only just took a really good look at these. WOW, that main hall has such an insane scale it looks unreal, and the other areas are very cool; based on these shots this is pretty much the epitome of locations that could make excellent game levels.
Correction
I had this listed as the Tokyo Geo Site Project but when updating the images I found I had made a mistake with the name.
Picture 17 looks like the inspiration for a Left 4 Dead sewer.
The massive stormdrains in Mirror’s Edge were definitely influenced by this.
Was just about to say that too.
Its almost like one of those things that if you made a map of most people would say the scales way off.
Also thanks Phillip for these pic may just make a level out of some of them.
That’s a funny thing about this kind of photoreference. Some things, you’ll try to pull off on a level, and people will say “That’s impossible, nothing like that exists in real life!” 🙂
Is it Episode 3 screenshots yet? 🙂
There’s a great deal of things in these images that would require a “not yet seen” game engine in order to look that good and retain some of the qualities that make them special.
At the top of the list, I’d say we really need a material system (not image based textures!) that provides the option of making big surfaces be as detailed and unique in their own apparent simplicity as some of them in the images are.
Unique stains, oil streaks etc are some of the defining elements in the pictures that can’t be replicated easily.
I wonder when we’ll get that type of material system 3D software like Bryce and 3DStudio have had for more than a decade…
Wow, such an inspiring location. Looking at the images, I can’t help but visualise some of the awesome gameplay that could take place there.
These all by themselves could be sold as prints at any scifi convention…They are unusual and unique to say little. Have you found out who the artist is?
I’d wager that they would fetch a very good price… at one of those conventions.