Side Scroller: Assets and Engine

Once the level's overall design had been decided and we had a basic layout for items in the level it was time to start producing assets. Many things like rocks and foliage could be built using the style matrix talked about in my style guide entry, as variations on a theme they could be used so long as they stayed consistent in terms of textures and form language ( A lot of thought was put into the way that snow interacted with the assets as a diagonal running perpendicular to the line of the rock)

the shape language of the level; intersecting diagonals were prevalent and this basis was used when modelling much of the scenery.

Other assets required more attention however. Hero assets like the statue and the prayer wheels as well as smaller more complex items like the lanterns and the bell had to be concepted. I also helped create the checkpoints (an asset I would later model for the game) 

The first concept of the checkpoint and my model in engine

Some assets were concepted whilst the style guide was being created, and some differences can be seen before and after the art nouveau influences were added but largely speaking the concepting followed the usual process I stick to; silhouettes and sketches before moving on to more detailed variations and final designs.

It was interesting to concept whilst others were modelling the assets, usually when I'm working on a project by myself the concepting stage is mostly over once the modelling starts however working as the concept artist meant there was always an interesting back and forth between me and the environment artists. I found myself working more flexibly and moving between items as they were needed to be modeled as well as being in constant contact with the other concept artist about consistency across the levels.

It was an enjoyable way to work and I found myself more motivated to work because of the constant input from others. Seeing my concepts immediately taken and modeled, then sent back to me to tweak again was a new and interesting way of working where I got to see results much faster than normal and found myself more invested in the work I was doing.

Statue silhouettes

statue variations

the statue's final design

Visual  notes for statue materials

A big thing I learnt was how to make my drawings as clear as possible; whilst making an item by myself I could take liberties with orthographic views and designs as I didn't have to explain to myself what I'd been intending when I drew a line or made a mark in a particular place. Concepting for other artists to model from was a very different matter however; if a drawing is unclear they could interpret it in a completely different way than I had meant when I drew it so working in a clear way became essential to progress and I quickly got into the habit of making notes or visual notes (like side sketches or example photos) in the corners of the concept art. I got used to working fast and efficiently in a way that others could understand without explanation.

Bell designs

Prayer wheels; the bottom right image would be the one used in the game.