WIP #3: Level design (Patreon)

Hi All!

Attention all game development enthusiasts! Are you ready to ring in the new year with a bang? Well, buckle up because we've got some seriously thrilling insights to share with you.

But first, let's give a quick shout-out to all the hardworking developers out there who have managed to make it to the end of this chaotic year. 🎉 You deserve a round of applause (and maybe a few celebratory drinks🍾👏). 

Without further ado, let's dive into the juicy details of our latest game development project!

Today, we're going to spill all the juicy details on our game architecture concept, visual style, and development plans.

It all started with the game user interface, and the idea that it would be rad to tie it into the in-game aesthetic and architectural style. But wait, hold up - we didn't have an architectural style yet! Cue the research montage.

We spent some quality time googling "game art style" and let me tell you, there is some seriously cool stuff out there. But here's the thing - there are so many different styles of game art, it can be confusing for a new team that's still figuring things out. Trust us, we know from experience. Each style has its own set of rules and conventions, and it can be a lot to take in.

But fear not! We quickly settled on the building location, function, and climate setup. We knew we wanted a house on an island in a warm climate, so we launched into the concepting phase. And let me tell you, it's been an absolute blast.

As we began our game development journey, we hit a bit of a rough patch. Sometimes, when you're trying to come up with ideas, it can be tempting to jump straight into sketching out concepts. While this can be a useful starting point, it doesn't always lead to a clear vision of what you want.

In our case, we had already determined the function and location for our game's setting. But when we revisited those ideas, we realized that the place we had in mind seemed too large to be a house. It looked more like a monument or temple! 🙈

We didn't have any major breakthroughs during our first brainstorming session, so we decided to go back to the drawing board and re-examine the function and location. As soon as we started thinking about it in terms of a castle or manor, things started to fall into place. We were able to refine our vision for the game world and came up with a theme and gameplay ideas.

With renewed enthusiasm, we ran a second round of sketches, taking into account the downsizing of the location 🔽

That was a better shot, but it looked too modern for what we were aiming for, and we clearly lacked a bold direction, so we came back to brainstorming. Where is the place? What is the weather like? What is this place's purpose? Who lives in the house? What is the historical timeline reference? Who built it, and what for? And how does it all make sense? Why so many questions? We decided to split forces by answering each of them individually.

The next step was to gather as many references as possible and try to see as many villa houses as we could. This would allow us to answer questions like “What kind of atmosphere do we want this place to have?” and “What sort of purpose does it have, and what sort of people live there?”

Then, we turned our attention to figuring out the place and the time of our house. We examined a bunch of old buildings and structures. We also looked at fashion trends, shoes, hairstyles, wall colors and colors in general. Eventually, we found something that resonated with all of us, which we could call a mix of eclectic Ancient Greece and art deco 👀

Our palette of inspirations and references for our third shot 🔼

The real work began once we had that down. We started by drawing out our game locations—we had one room that we focused on at first, and then drew the rest of the house around it later. The way we did this allowed us to give each element in the space its own character, while keeping the overall feel consistent.

In addition to finding reference material, we also spent some time learning about each artist’s process. These were very interesting because they offered insight into what makes each artist tick and how they approach their work differently from others.

We also tried to make a bit of sense of the interiors and rooms setup, to make sure we cover all playable areas. Slowly but surely, we were making progress! 🔽

We discussed each possible solution, decided which element stays and which goes and we were trying and trying over and over again:

🔼"What do you think about having the garden partially open? So that there is a nice perspective of the sea and rest of the mountains behind the trees? Confining it behind thick walls feels a bit imprisoning. An alternative could be if the wall is broken down by the trees and abundant greenery flowing out of it."

We also placed the house on the island, what gave us a great perspective 🔽

“I am contemplating the idea of making these mountains you see behind Farah, a structure from the surrounding mountains of the Palace” 🔽

We made some serious renovations on the concepts 🔽

And then since we didn’t like them, of course we came back to the previous idea, upgrading it just a little bit 🔽

And keeping in mind the visual language we want to keep 🔽

At this point we were at the seventh or eight version of the house. And we were feeling pretty confident that we were ✨finally✨ heading in the direction we wanted for our game. As much as we love a good, immersive storyline, it's also important to make sure the game has the right atmosphere and visual style to fit its purpose. This means taking the time to carefully develop and refine the world that you, our beloved player, will be immersed in.

Narrowing down ideas and deciding on a clear path for your concept can be tough, but it's worth it in the end. We spent a couple of days sketching, drawing, erasing, writing, and re-writing, until we finally came up with what we believe is a solid direction for our art direction. It was a lot of hard work, but we're excited to see where it takes us.

When we first saw the concept art, we were struck by the unique and eye-catching design of the rooftops. They had a pointy and concave look that gave off a Disneyland-like vibe. However, we felt that the design would be even better if the rooftops were less inclined.

There was also something puzzling going on with the river in the bottom right part of the picture. It seemed to be behaving in an unusual way, and since the location is an island, it's possible that the water is actually the sea. Or, there could be something flowing from the castle's underground. The idea simply wasn't flowing (See what I did there? :D)

We also had a great idea for the garden - we thought it would be lovely if it transitioned into a beach with stones and other natural elements.

Finally, with some final changes, we got to where we are today:

🔼"That red figure infestation looks serious, though, I will try to weave it into the story somehow" -our writer Thorvald.

   We can finally admit, we feel very proud and happy to share the progress on the architectural style for Soulgasm:

Right now, we're in the midst of testing out the locations for all of the planned events in the game. We've also sliced the palace into layers like a pie and we are double-checking how everything looks in the UI. We're refining the architectural bits even further to make sure everything is just right.

This exercise has really helped us get a feel for the look and feel of the game, and it's allowed us to make great progress on the technical side of things. We got the layers and events set up in Unity, which enables us to start working on the game interface. There will definitely be updates to the structure in the future, but for now, we're excited about how it's shaping up and we felt we wanted to share this little adventure with you 💜

Wow, what a journey it's been so far! We've had so much fun exploring different architectural styles and refining our ideas for the game. We can't wait to see where this direction takes us, and we're excited to continue sharing updates with you as we bring our dream game to life.

As the 2022 comes to a close, we want to wish you an absolutely amazing end of the year! 🎉 Whether you're celebrating with loved ones or enjoying some peaceful solitude, we hope you have an incredible one!! Thank you so much for following along with us on this journey, and we can't wait to see what the next one brings.

Here's to an amazing end of the year and a fantastic start to the next one! 🥂

Yours,
Polly ❤