Cold Race. 

Project for Historically Accurate Game Jam 3.

Illustration by Aranzua
Animation by IronPrime99
Musicalization by AmeGK
Programming by Angbury

Illustration

My contribution was in the graphics, from the characters to the settings, as well as the possible endings.

In art design it is done in pixel art.

As our video game is divided into two sides that are the countries of Russia against the United States, it was decided that they would be represented by a significant animal from each country.

For Russia the design was chosen for the brown bear, with great significance to the country.

In the case of the United States, it was the bald eagle symbol that perfectly represents its country.

Russian Characters (Roles):

• Scientist and collector scientist. His clothing was based on the time of 1957, with a robe and the hat that was used. For the collecting scientist, it is characterized by the added design of a backpack, where he keeps the resources. 
• Builder. In those times the Russians who were in mechanical work wore a one-piece uniform, that is why their costume is simple.
• Designer. For this character, the suit was more formal, adding a tie and sober colors.
• E spia . For the spy it was thought that he should wear a clothing that has more access to everything, so he decided on the scientist's uniform, it is distinguished by the flag that he carries on his arm.
• Astrona u ta and astronaut without spacesuit. The astrouna for his training is put on a comfortable white clothing, simple for an optimal training. The spacesuit was based on astronaut Yuri Alekséyevich Gagarin .

American Characters (Roles):

 

• Scientist and collector scientist.  For the year 1958 the clothing of a scientist was similar, so it was only a gown and for the collector, a backpack was also placed with the colors that represent the flag of our nation. 
• Builder. For the American, the design was freer, with clothes in a striking color that would differ from the Russian .
• Designer. The suit was similar to the Russians, with the difference of the blue color that is more representative and formal .
• Spy. For the spy it was thought in the same way, with the role of Russian scientist together with the flag of the country in which the spy is infiltrating.
• Astronaut and spaceman without spacesuit. As in the designs for the Russians , he decided on the dress of comfortable white clothing and for the astronaut suit, he was based on Neil Armstrong .

For both scenarios, they were divided into four sections, arranged differently in each. In its design it was made in such a way that it adapted to the times of the cold war, avoiding that they looked as less modern as possible.

In the plans placed on the tables and walls , they were based on the investments that each country contributed. In Russia you can see the creations such as: The MiG-15 fighter plane , Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2. In the United States scenario the inventions are: Vanguard 1, rocket engine and Apollo 11.

For the pictures in the hallway, their color was black and white, also representing that they were important figures.

For the end of both sides, the moon and space were set in the background, the two characters are in the middle waving along with their flag.

The design of the flag was as faithful as possible to the original design, the changes are the shields. When making the designs of the shields, we looked for something that represented the animals, such as the honeycomb that refers to bears, a nest for the allusion to eagles.

Music Construction

Communist Red Bears

Space March

This was thought to be the main theme of the Communist Red Bears (CRB). The intention of the song was for it to be able to transmit the feeling of Russia during the Cold War, a society in full development, but living in constant fear caused by nuclear threat and a race against the world for the conquest of Space.

So, to achieve this, we though that the main melody ought to be composed using only the notes of the chord F major but just as a kind of mask, actually the song is on minor chords. We also added  a little military drum to indicate that, even if there weren’t active weapons, it was still a war.

As the melody is in F major, it sounds amiable, we could even dare say a happy tune. What we do next is “corrupt” it. While the melody represents the progress of society and suggest a content life, adding the minor chords A and F to the background we obtain a feeling of uncertainty to it, which captures the essence of the Cold War.

The second part is the special race. We wanted it to represent the constant “up and down” through the journey to conquer the moon. Sometimes CRB is on top of the race, sometimes is in the last place. So, the melody travels ascending and descending the scale of G minor, which we choose so it could be epic/enigmatic.

To link the two parts, we put a little figure in hopes it became easy to identify, as it is present most of the time in the song through the harmonics and it would grow in importance in the next songs.

The Dark Side of the Moon

It is supposed to an obscure and simplified version of the main theme, representing the established power of CRB.  For a start, it is constructed on two peculiar chords, a G# major augmented and a D minor dismissed. This with the purpose to cause a sense of disturbance, but to add a glorious piece to it. The figure introduced in the main theme shows itself in key points of the song, and the arpeggio is the same we heard in Space March too, just in the correspondent chords.

Moonlight

In contrast to The Dark Side of the Moon, this is the defeated version of the main theme. It is composed on the key of C minor. It starts with the representative figure of CRB, but there is a catch on the second time it sounds, into the background there is another figure trying to emerge, which is the representative figure of the Capitalist Blue Eagles (CBE). The melody of the song is the same as it was in the second part of Space March, but it lacks certain parts and its chords are different, the sequence is becoming more and more like the CBE one, we even hear another figure of CBE at the middle of the melody, a figure that is ascending while that of CRB is descending. The race is now over, we hear the representative figure of CBE takes over the CRB.

 

Capitalist Blue Eagles

Rise of the Eagle

This is meant to be the main theme of the Capitalist Blue Eagles (CBE) and as such, we wanted it to represent the “American Dream” and their determination to win the Space Race, their desire to be on the top.

So, we start with the first representative figure of (CBE), a raising sequence, a stair going up, like an eagle flying high to trap its prey. It also has a military march, to show us the war but also the discipline their goal needed. It’s a Dorian scale, so it could sound epic and dreamy but also a bit mysterious. The other representative figure starts with the main melody, it’s the complement of the first one. While the first is the eagle rising, the later is the eagle maintain the peace and then descending to catch the prey.

The chords march complementing the melody, raising with it and maintaining the peace, it has almost an heroic sound, a desire to raise in power but with the charge of the fate of an entire country.

 Taking Flight

The victory song of the CBE. It’s full of hope and cause of celebration for them. It’s made alike the main theme, but where on the other was a F minor, now stand a proud F major. This makes the song a cry of victory, makes it sound happier than heroic, precisely because the uncertainty of war has been removed. But at we approach the end, the F minor returns one last time, to remind us that the war, even if it didn’t have active weapons involved, still affected million of people, no matter if they won.

Broken Wing

The defeated song of CBE

It starts with the second figure, the eagle trying to catch it prey, but the tune is a sad one, and when later we heard the first figure trying to raise once again, it is cut before it could reach the next note, it never takes flight again and remains incomplete. In addition to it, the song is marching on the two chords of the CRB song, and as the theme progress, we even start hearing the CRB sounds more and more. We end the song with the figure of CBE descending to a flat F, in which the representative figure of CRB is constructed in dominance.

 

Credit song

Approaching the Unknown

It needed to represent that one of the sides finally won, so it is an ascendant scale that starts in C, the base of the most common scale. The respective chords that accompany it are C minor, F minor, G minor and a Ab major. When it reaches the top, it repeats again, but this time stronger cause it has the complete chords as base.

In the beginning we just hear a single instrument doing the arpeggio, whoever won, got into the space, unsure of what it would face. But then, the ascending scale repeats, this time it has “backups”, because one thing is certain, the space is the future, and they reached it first. So, in the second part of the song we now have a melody, although the arpeggio of the chords is still played by other instruments. The melody is a legacy, it’s the journey they did that brought them to the moon and back to earth.

Controls: 

• Right-click to select a character.
• Escape key to deselect a character.