PMA Compound (And The West Gate)

 This week I've been diving into some environment design for my Last of Us style survivor settlement, the P.M.A Compound. As I mentioned in my previous posts, first spending some time designing its inhabitants helped me in developing a strong sense of the camp, so I jumped straight in after that. First, I collected reference images together to create myself a mood board.

Unsurprisingly, about half of these images are concept art from The Last of Us series, but I've also pulled images from other similarly apocalyptic worlds to broaden my range of inspiration. A few of the pieces are concepts from Days Gone, an open-world, zombie apocalypse game that came out a couple years ago. I also included some images from the Rage franchise as well as Mad Max, mainly for their mechanical monstrosities and structures. These two worlds have a significantly less grounded take on the apocalypse than that of TLOU, but I thought it would be interesting to maybe explore aspects of their 'dieselpunk' aesthetic and see how it could fit in. Lastly, I included a shot of the hunters' truck (bottom right) from the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. The novel has often been cited by the creators of TLOU as a primary inspiration, and I also recently read it for the first time, so it's still fresh in my mind. I included this shot specifically because I remember finding the scene of the truck slowly chugging along before coughing to a halt just metres from the protagonists extremely tense, and I want my concepts of the PMA and their compound to convey a similar sense of dread and looming threat.

My first exploration was to create a set of six thumbnails (above), each providing a very basic, early concept of a different part of the PMA compound, so that I could begin to build up an idea of how the settlement operates. I'd say most of these work as an initial concept, but definitely need further exploration. For instance, speaking with my course runner, he found that the Canopy looked too well constructed for the setting in this initial depiction, and I definitely agree in hindsight. I still really like the canopy idea though, and imagine it being the most immediately noticeable feature of the compound from a distance, so I want to pursue it further. In response to the feedback, I've decided that this is where I'll be experimenting with some of the dieselpunk aesthetic that I talked about above, to create a sense that the towering structure, while imposing in its stature, was cobbled together using whatever was available in the surrounding environment. Even as I'm writing this, I'm realising that incorporating a dieselpunk influence should actually draw even more attention to this structure as a primary feature, by having it contrast with the typically overgrown, natural look of TLOU's apocalypse. 

Aside from the six images, I also noted down other elements of the compound that I hadn't yet created thumbnails for, so that I could place them when it came to establishing a layout of the space, which is the next thing I did.

I used Google Maps to establish the shape of the compound, the perimeter of which encircles the Adelphi Square and the adjacent car park. I always knew I wanted the main, curved building to be the HQ of the settlement, as that was the very first idea I had before I even started this project and had any idea of its inhabitants, so I then filled out the rest of the elements of the compound, trying to think about their placement logically. I wanted to keep the central courtyard as clear as possible, imaging that it would be used as a gathering space and for speeches, giving the space a somewhat Imperial feel. I decided the best placement for the Armoury would be a conversion of the Adelphi Pub, as this would display the priorities of the faction, given that they converted a social, leisurely space into one of militaristic practicality. It's also right next to the HQ where the sleeping quarters would be, allowing for fast access in a pinch. I then placed the canteen across the courtyard from there, for efficiency in the routine of getting up, equipped and fed before patrol. It seemed obvious to keep the car park the same, as I imagine the PMA to be in possession of some vehicles, including armoured trucks and vans from the initial outbreak and resistance. From here it seemed logical that the closest building within the compound would be converted into a garage, as mechanical problems would become frequent, if not constant, with almost three decades of post-apocalypse. The South and East gates where positioned to optimise use of the road that runs through the compound, as was the lay-by, which I imagine was established by the PMA as an area to wait for collection when going out on vehicle assisted patrols.  The processing tent, which is where the unfortunate captives brought back as booty from patrol would be taken to be processed (stripped of their possessions and dispatched, if they weren't already), was placed where it is for two reasons. Firstly, it needed to be away from the canteen and general living quarters, largely because of the presumably awful smell of corpses heaped and waiting to be dumped far outside the compound. Second, its placement right next to the road makes for the most efficient processing of captives on arrival possible. Aside from the two road-based gates, which are large enough for vehicles to pass through, there is a third gate (West) that is intended for patrols to exit and enter on foot, to avoid having to open the larger gates unnecessarily, as well as general congestion. Its placement also means that officers assigned to patrols on foot for the day don't have to waste any time going down to the southern half of the zone. As is probably clear by now, efficiency was a key aspect of the layout design, as I see it playing an overbearing role in Puma society. The last feature I added was the Canopy, which connects the sentry positions atop the two primary gates, and provides visibility over both the whole compound due to its central position, and the surrounding area. Given that it overlooks the courtyard, I can also see high ranking officers giving speeches from above in Imperialistic fashion. As part of the weekly patrol rotation, one of the assigned group positions would be canopy patrol/gate sentry, so that the compound and its perimeter are surveyed at all times. 

The first thumbnail I chose to develop was the West Gate, as this is the angle from which I always view the Adelphi Square on my way to the studio,  making it the visualisation that came most naturally to me. I wanted to capture the intimidation factor of the compound perimeter, using largely blocky shapes, as well as razor wire coils, and fire barrels for low level lighting. I included a playable-character silhouette (bottom left) to imply the perspective from which a player would view this environment, looking up at the gate sentries from behind a concrete roadblock. While looking threatening, I also wanted to imply that the perimeter infrastructure is somewhat improvised, and would not withstand heavy punishment (particularly the mesh fence), but that this ultimately doesn't matter because there are no rival factions threatening enough to do anything about it. I think in that respect, this perimeter is more about deterring thieves and generally warning anyone in the vicinity to steer clear, than it is withstanding siege. 

While the perimeter is the focal point of this concept, I'd also like to cover some of the other elements. The large building to the left is the HQ, and it features some considerable overgrowth, indicating the priorities of its inhabitants. The banners are also pretty worn, indicating that the PMA have been here for quite some time, and that the banners have probably served their purpose at this point, such that replacement isn't a priority. The converted armoury is also visible further back, next to the main building. An element that I'm really happy with is the inclusion of wind turbines atop the roof of the HQ, which explains how the PMA have managed to get power running in their camp, and also suggests that the group probably includes some engineering minds. As a side note, if I have time I'd really like to do more of a close up on the wind turbines at some point to explore some storytelling aspects such as their construction, and their protection, which is indicative of their value within this setting. I kept the background of the piece very low on detail as its primary function was to imply an overall mood for the piece, as well as to of course contextualise the compound within its city setting. Through the leaning, crumbling buildings in the distance and the turbulent sky above, I hope to have conveyed an uneasy and perhaps twisted atmosphere.

That's all I've got for now, but next I'll probably be expanding on my Armoury concept, which I'll cover in my next post. 

Thanks for reading!