[img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34659267/98f7badf1eb1ad12df9469ff4a34dbcbfc4ee19e.jpg[/img] Hello! [url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/780310/partnerevents/view/2978502800509000401]Earlier this week we discussed our logo and main art in detail.[/url] We explained all the little things and their importance in discovering the game from the perspective of a new user. However, that is not the only job of the logo and key art. In fact, these two assets set the tone for the visual style of the entire game. Today, we would like to tell you how they influence our creative process of creating models, textures and special effects. We have discussed our building design a couple of times before. You could also see them in our gameplay videos and streams (every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 PM!). Here’s a recap of what we said up until now: our building design is quite futuristic, but also easily recognizable. By looking at the shape, effects, and animations you should be able to guess the purpose of the structure. We don’t want our design to lead players into making mistakes. Having this ruleset in mind we can get down to business - modeling the buildings themselves. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34659267/5c92f3090f6ddbcb2c052d283ae48703da410eef.jpg[/img] [b][i]The first and second design phases for the Animal Biomass Power Plant.[/i][/b] Every asset in our game starts as a blockout. It is a simplified model of the building the artist is working on. We make these in order to make decisions about the general silhouette and the characteristic points of a building. After the discussion, the artist introduces adjustments according to feedback, bearing in mind the overall aesthetic of the game. The building must be based on metal and/or artificial materials. No wood or stone - the Riftbreaker technology is far too advanced for those. We also avoid 90-degree angles, as they leave very little room for our dynamic lighting to do some cool work. [img]https://i.imgur.com/nV3uWDu.gif[/img] [b][i]The finished product.[/i][/b] The building has to signal that it’s powered up and working - all the effects and animations come into play here. Every building has a unique way of indicating that it is operational. Some - like the Armory, for example - do it by the means of moving parts. You can see that something is being produced and moved to the storage via conveyor belt. Structures that don’t produce such tangible goods signal the player with lights and particle effects - that is the case for the Communications Hub. Either way, they have to look high-tech and clearly make use of energy that the player is gathering. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34659267/a34d6bd9e64a474273a131d07e4f4ea21b46b913.jpg[/img] [b][i]Here's a blockout of a building that's not released yet. What do you think it is?[/i][/b] ‘How does it all relate to the logo?’, you may ask. Well, if we take another look at it it will become clear. Metallic/energy materials? Check. Futuristic, but familiar design? Check. As few 90-degree angles as possible? We got that as well. The color scheme is also consistent with everything you will see in-game. By sticking to our rules we can make sure that nothing looks out of place, and if we want something to look alien and strange, we have an easy way to do so. [img]https://i.imgur.com/B9iPEDR.png[/img] [b][i]The logo, one more time, for reference purposes.[/i][/b] Here comes the classic question: what came first - the egg (the logo) or the hen (visual design). The answer, in our case, is the hen (fish, amphibians, and reptiles used eggs long before birds). We prototyped the first buildings and kept working on them until they felt right. It was a long process but resulted in an unwritten set of guidelines we tend to stick by to this day. After that, we were able to create the logo and the main art in such a way that it is representative of the overall style of The Riftbreaker. TL;DR - pay attention to details, because we like to hide things in plain sight ;) See you next time! Other social media: www.discord.gg/exorstudios www.facebook.com/exorstudios www.twitter.com/exorstudios www.mixer.com/exor_studios www.twitch.tv/exorstudios www.youtube.com/exorstudios