[Character Model] BIG Billie Reworks! Part 1 - History of Billie's Design (Patreon)

Billie was our first model/character for Billie Bust Up. When we started the game it was a simple game jam, intended to be completed in 3 days, but with a growing audience, we decided to expand and expand...and expand until we were seeing a full-length game in the making.

Billies design has taken quite a few changes over the course of 2 years, her first design was basic and rushed for the game jam, opting for 2D faces as they were easier to use and I was a novice at character modeling, she still had her signature eye patch and bell!

After deciding to keep the project going we knew we'd have to do a better job than that, and since there was no time limit from the game jam, why not try using a 3D face instead?

Uh oh, and now you know why Billie Bust Up has 2D faces! 

The general consensus was that

1. Billie is now extremely creepy

2. Where have her long ears gone??

3. Go back to the 2D faces 

So back to the drawing board we go, this time we did concept art to get feedback quickly without wasting time 3D modeling her

And eventually, she entered the 3D world! 

(We tried cell shading for a while to try and fit in with the Wind Waker art style, but decided we preferred the style we have now)

And she stuck around! Becoming the Billie we all know and love today!

But here's the problem, Ashlee joined the team as our new character design, concept artist, and storyboarder, and her version of Billie was better, with thicker ankles and a shorter torso

But unfortunately, it can be hard replacing a character like Billie, it requires a new rig, and brand new animation work (along with some adjustments to the code) HOWEVER, our animator was finding it difficult to work with Billie's outdated rig, compared to Fantoccio and Elaine, it became frustrating. Luke and I had both improved drastically in our skills, so we made the choice, Billie needed a rework, but without comprising the design everyone had come to love. With a better rig, we could guarantee faster, better animation and a happier animator!

Read part 2 here, the creation of a new Billie body