Empires Assignment

Assignment Overview – Story World Development

For this exercise, we will focus on story.

Story can take many forms — from a brief history or backstory of a character, item, or place, to a full-scale narrative following a character’s journey through the classic Hero’s Journey structure.

Our goal for this team-building assignment is to work collaboratively across three distinct disciplines — Art, Design, and Programming — to create a small but compelling story world.

This story world should be rich enough to serve as the foundation for a potential game environment, providing a narrative framework that could support characters, gameplay mechanics, and environmental design.

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Assignment – Building a Story World from the Great Empires of History

For this team-building exercise, we will create small but compelling story worlds inspired by the top 10 empires in history.

Each team will work collaboratively across Art, Design, and Programming to research, imagine, and present a unique world based on their assigned empire.

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Empires to be Assigned

(See End Of Post For Detailed Description)

1. Akkadian Empire

2. Egyptian New Kingdom

3. Achaemenid (Persian) Empire

4. Macedonian Empire (Alexander the Great)

5. Roman Empire

6. Gupta Empire

7. Islamic Caliphate (Umayyad & Abbasid)

8. Mongol Empire

9. Spanish Empire

10. British Empire

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Team Structure

Each team will be made up of three disciplines:

Art – Visual language of the empire

• Colors, patterns, and symbolic imagery

• Clothing styles, armor, weapons, and vehicles

• Architecture, monuments, and decorative motifs

Design – Social structure and worldbuilding

• Government and leadership systems

• Laws, customs, and social order

• Manufacturing hierarchy and economy

Programming – Technology and innovation

• Tools, machines, and infrastructure

• Military technologies and communication methods

• Unique technological advantages over other empires

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Creative Freedom & Historical Accuracy

Your team may embellish and reimagine historical details to make your story world more exciting, fantastical, or game-like.

However, there is a clear limit:
If the alterations make the empire no longer recognizable — removing its core identity, culture, or defining traits — you have gone too far.

The goal is to create a stylized evolution of your empire, not to erase its essence.

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Collaboration Requirements

While each discipline will have a focused research area, all disciplines must collaborate to ensure visuals, narrative, and concepts are unified.

The final product will be a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation delivered to the entire cohort.

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Professional Presentation Standard

This is not just a class project — treat it as if you are pitching your concept to company executives for potential greenlight approval.

Your slides, visuals, and speaking style should be professional, cohesive, and persuasive.

Think of this as a healthy competition between creative departments in a larger corporation, each vying for approval of their concept.

The clarity, polish, and professionalism of your pitch will directly influence how it is received.

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Presentation & Visual Requirements

Slide Composition

• No large blocks of text without supporting imagery

• Every slide must be a compelling piece of visual storytelling

• Found imagery is required; AI-generated imagery must also be incorporated into all slides

• Collaging is encouraged — you may mix AI-generated imagery, found references, and your own painted-over elements

• You must incorporate sound into your presentation:

  • A themed soundtrack should play in the background (adjust volume so the speaker is audible)

  • A few impactful sound effects should be added to grab attention

Font Usage

• Title Screen: A decorative font that represents your empire

• Headers: A semi-decorative font that complements the title font

• Body Text: A clean, readable font for descriptions

Mood & Style

• All visual elements should reflect the time period, culture, and tone of your assigned empire

• Art must support the concepts discussed by other disciplines in your team

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Deliverables

By the presentation day, each team must have:

• 5-minute PowerPoint with a unified visual style

• Slides that visually and thematically support all spoken content

• AI + Found Image Collages on every slide, with optional painted-over elements

• Clear representation of the empire’s art, society, and technology

• Recognizable connection to the original historical empire, even with creative embellishments

This project is not just about history — it’s about transforming historical facts into an immersive story world that could serve as the framework for a game environment.

Research thoroughly, think creatively, and collaborate effectively so that your empire’s world comes alive.

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Grading & Peer Evaluation

All students will watch every presentation.

After all teams have presented, each student will rank the teams from 1 (best) to 10 (least effective) based on:

• Professionalism of the pitch

• Creativity and originality of the story world

• Accuracy and recognizability of the historical influence

• Visual quality and cohesion of the presentation

Rankings & Points:

• 1st Place: 100 points

• 2nd Place: 98 points

• 3rd Place: 96 points

• 4th Place: 94 points

• 5th Place: 92 points

• 6th Place: 90 points

• 7th Place: 88 points

• 8th Place: 86 points

• 9th Place: 84 points

• 10th Place: 80 points

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EMPIRES

1. Akkadian Empire

• Time period: c. 2334–2154 BCE

• Region: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Syria)

• Description: First known empire in history, founded by Sargon of Akkad, uniting city-states under a central ruler

• Technologies: Bronze tools/weapons, cuneiform writing, irrigation systems, standardized weights and measures

• Goods produced: Grain, textiles (wool), beer, pottery

• Art: Cylinder seals, monumental stone stelae, realistic bronze and stone sculpture

2. Egyptian New Kingdom

• Time period: c. 1550–1070 BCE

• Region: Nile River Valley, Egypt

• Description: Egypt’s imperial peak, with powerful pharaohs like Ramses II; dominated Nubia and Levant

• Technologies: Advanced stone masonry, chariots, composite bows, papyrus-based record keeping

• Goods produced: Gold, papyrus scrolls, linen textiles, glass

• Art: Monumental temples, detailed wall paintings, elaborate tomb art (hieroglyphics + symbolism)

3. Achaemenid (Persian) Empire

• Time period: c. 550–330 BCE

• Region: From Anatolia to Indus Valley

• Description: Largest empire of its time; tolerant governance; advanced administration

• Technologies: Qanat irrigation, Royal Road postal system, standardized coinage

• Goods produced: Spices, fine textiles, silver/gold crafts, agricultural products

• Art: Relief carvings (Persepolis), intricate metalwork, monumental architecture

4. Macedonian Empire (Alexander the Great)

• Time period: 336–323 BCE

• Region: Greece to Egypt to India

• Description: Spread of Hellenistic culture; short-lived but transformative

• Technologies: Advanced siege warfare, phalanx military formation, Greek engineering

• Goods produced: Olive oil, wine, marble sculptures, luxury goods traded across regions

• Art: Hellenistic sculpture (emphasis on realism and motion), mosaics

5. Roman Empire

• Time period: 27 BCE–476 CE (West), to 1453 CE (East/Byzantine)

• Region: Mediterranean, Western Europe, Middle East, North Africa

• Description: Unparalleled in infrastructure and law; influenced modern governance

• Technologies: Concrete, aqueducts, advanced roads, domed architecture, bound codices

• Goods produced: Wine, olive oil, glassware, ceramics, metal tools

• Art: Mosaics, realistic portraiture, monumental buildings like the Colosseum and Pantheon

6. Gupta Empire

• Time period: c. 320–550 CE

• Region: Northern India

• Description: Golden Age of India; advances in math, astronomy, and literature

• Technologies: Decimal system, early metallurgy (iron pillars), surgical tools

• Goods produced: Spices, silk, cotton textiles, carved ivory

• Art: Buddhist and Hindu temple sculpture, Ajanta cave paintings

7. Islamic Caliphate (Umayyad & Abbasid)

• Time period: 661–1258 CE (with later successor states)

• Region: Middle East, North Africa, Spain, Central Asia

• Description: Major center of science, trade, and culture; preserved Greek knowledge

• Technologies: Astrolabe, algebra, advanced optics, windmills, paper manufacturing

• Goods produced: Textiles, glass, ceramics, sugar, perfumes

• Art: Geometric tilework, Arabic calligraphy, intricate metal inlay

8. Mongol Empire

• Time period: 1206–1368 CE

• Region: From China to Eastern Europe

• Description: Largest contiguous land empire in history; promoted trade via Silk Road

• Technologies: Composite bows, stirrups, courier relay system, siege engines

• Goods produced: Silk, porcelain, horses, furs

• Art: Silk embroidery, Persian-Mongol illustrated manuscripts, decorative weaponry

9. Spanish Empire

• Time period: 1492–1898 CE

• Region: Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific

• Description: First truly global empire; fueled by New World silver and gold

• Technologies: Galleons, advanced cartography, printing press in colonies

• Goods produced: Silver, sugar, tobacco, cacao, wool

• Art: Baroque religious painting, colonial architecture blending European and indigenous styles

10. British Empire

• Time period: 1583–1997 CE (height in 19th–early 20th century)

• Region: Worldwide (largest empire in history by area)

• Description: Economic and naval dominance; spread English language and institutions

• Technologies: Steamships, railways, telegraph, industrial manufacturing

• Goods produced: Manufactured goods, coal, textiles, tea, machinery

• Art: Victorian architecture, Romantic literature, landscape painting