Retheming, Architecture, Asset Pipeline

Last week I said that I would try to put together a prototype for an idea called 'Haven'. If it failed, I would pursue my other idea, 'In This Garden'. Though I got to create a fun 6DOF movement system, the other game / physics systems are simply beyond my scope - it would leave no time for art or production. Though I still think that Haven would be a great idea, it will have to wait. For now, I'm going to transform the project from Colorstream to In This Garden. All this means is that I'll have a different direction moving forwards. This direction will inform the art and narrative, which will in turn inform gameplay, such as abilities if I add them. As it is, the majority of all my work so far has been raw C++, and that will all transfer completely.

Now, I'd like to talk a bit about the new art direction. Because of the importance of level design for this project, the architecture will be the foundation of the artistic style of each area. There will be at least three distinct architectural styles in the game. First, there's mid-century modernism. This style will have 'warm' and 'cold' variations. The 'warm' will use orange hues, waxy materials, gold accents, and more pronounced curves. Some sources of inspiration for the warm style are Deathloop and We Happy Few. The 'cold' will use blue and gray hues, rough materials, few accents, and less pronounced curves. A major source of inspiration for the cold style is Playdead's Inside. The majority of the game will use this style with either of the variations. Second, there's a brutalist style. This style will be present during anomalies as well as some select areas of the game. Control, the graphical masterpiece from Remedy, is one of my inspirations for this style. Finally, there will be a neo-classical style that appears a few times throughout the game, sometimes in conjunction with the brutalism, and also near the end. 

Finally, I'm starting to put an asset pipeline into place. It's somewhat basic, but a great learning experience for me. I will try to create most assets procedurally. The procedural pipeline will start out with just Houdini and Substance Designer. The modeling pipeline will be Maya, Substance Designer (if applicable), and Substance Painter. I'll be using Python for automation and tools, if necessary. This week I've been working on the foundational digital assets for the modernist style. Because of the procedural nature of Houdini and digital assets, many of the assets may be shared between the warm and cold variations, despite the difference in form. My next steps are to flesh out the style and narrative a bit more, to continue working on the assets, and to start making some blockouts and implementing some of the puzzles I've designed.