Continue from the previous log
Applicable
To sum up the previous improvement points:
[Improvements]
- Use a variety of silhouettes/outlines.
- Highlight its profession or characteristics.
- Apply characteristics to attacks.
Then we applied it as follows:
Changes in the silhouette/outline
Have you ever wondered how you would name an unfamiliar object or animal? Would you choose a word that best describes its characteristics? When designing a character, you can actually think in reverse – you can design corresponding characteristics for the name that comes to mind.
The three wolves riding this mechanical device have very distinctive features. We have given each wolf, which is made up of a right hand, a left hand and a torso, their own unique characteristics.
The interesting point is that they do not appear in the form of bipeds. So far we have seen too many bipeds. The entire production process becomes simple and lacks variety without a specific concept map, which leads to designs that are too similar and lack innovation. But focusing on the silhouette/outlines design of the characters seems to have solved part of the problem.
Initially, we were going to design them like this. To be honest, the design is not bad, but when you look at it, the exaggerated parts are a bit inferior, and it looks more like a wolf riding a robot. If that's the case, the names of these enemies might be ‘Mechanical Wolf’ or ‘Riding Wolf’. What if they drive other robots?
You can't name it ‘Mechanical Wolf 2’, right? That would mean there is something wrong with the design itself.
Therefore, I designed the two arms separately and increased their size, making them look like ‘right hand’ and ‘left hand’, which I also hope will become the nickname of the twins.
After I posted this design on Discord, someone made a very interesting comment: ‘Will they become stronger when they merge together while entering the second phase?’
Although there is no plan to make them merge, this idea is really interesting. The fact that there are opinions that they will merge shows that they are not ‘complete’. This is exactly the feeling I want to convey.
It should feel like this if we let them merge, right?
Over time, we gradually established a system for these changes in Stage 2. Therefore, from Stage 3 onwards, we will systematically produce these contents.
As a result, there are now many wolves with exaggerated appearances: wolves with particularly large upper limbs, wolves with a head and body connected like a fish, and so on. And there is a specific plot behind all these designs! More details will be revealed in the game (hopefully these details will come together to form a complete world view!).
Characteristics Display
We started to add more features to the otherwise boring design, and to classify and organise them:- Normal
- Cyberpunk
- Robot
- Worker
- Monster
- Other
The worker wolves are carrying something on the construction site, and they are all wearing safety helmets.
The characteristic of the worker wolf is naturally ‘worker’.
So how can this be better shown?
I decided to create Signature move for the Worker Wolf.
Worker Wolves have their own ‘work’ movements that set them apart from other wolves. Before the player enters the Worker's territory, they are all focused on the task at hand: swinging a hammer or inspecting something.
Although they are no different from ordinary wolves in battle, I hope to add a little something new to the game through these details.
In the future, I also want to convey to everyone through these various stories such as ‘what are they working for’ and ‘what does the place mean’.
Application
If you encountered a bear on a hike and it attacked with its tail, what would you think? Probably that it is not threatening and even a little bit speechless. Humans are born with highly developed senses that can quickly identify danger. I also think it is very important to make good use of this, and I seem to have overlooked such obvious points before. If there is a negative example, it might be Bomb Wolf.
It's hard to immediately tell which one is the attack move. It looks like it's throwing something, but it also looks like it's just waving its arms. Although its throwing attack can explode can be considered a characteristic... But the design is underwhelming to be honest. If I were to redesign it now, I would probably cover it in bombs to give it the look of a ‘Bomb terrorist Wolf’.
Unlike earlier assets, recent designs have taken these situations into account and have been adjusted and optimised accordingly.
In Stage 2, there are Guard Wolves holding shields. The Guard Wolves have a defensive mode that visually appears very sturdy and gives a sense of oppression. In just one frame of this pose, we know that the enemy can withstand our attacks, thus making the player think about combat strategy.
After realising this, I began to incorporate a clear strategic element into the design of the means of attack.
These wolves will appear in Stage 3. In order to allow players to clearly identify the weapons and attack points used by enemies, we have reduced unnecessary designs and focused on highlighting these features to create more recognisable characters.
This is how the big-mouthed wolf monster attacks. Although features like ‘no arms’ and ‘a mechanical device in its head’ already give a hint, seeing the attack in action makes the wolf's characteristics come to life.
By using these distinguishing features in the attack, we can create a sense of differentiation within the same wolf species.
After giving it some thought, these designs are very common in the games I usually play, so common that I even take them for granted. But when I stand from a development perspective, repeatedly scrutinising the rationality of the plot and concept setting, and rethinking and rebuilding my ideas countless times, I realise that the difficulty of making games is far beyond expectations. But the only thing we can do is keep trying.
Solution
Anyway, I hope to bring players a new experience while maintaining the unified identity of the ‘wolf’.
In addition to art design, we have also optimised animations and AI to suit these brand new types of wolf. Some wolves have unique mechanics that we are working hard to polish, and we hope to bring you new challenges and fun during combat.
Although I feel a little sorry for the earlier designs, it was unavoidable.…(I'd completely redo them if I had the chance.)
Recently, my favorite piece is probably this wolf. This wolf exudes a strong religious aura, even though it doesn't have any religious decorations. I hope to see more wolves with this kind of atmosphere in the future.
Finally, let me check once again:"
[Checklist]
- Is the design consistent?
- Within the consistency, is there differentiation?
Results
Eventually, the later-created wolves gained more distinct features and diverse silhouettes, making them no longer appear too similar.
For some of the existing wolves, I also hope to make more intuitive and clear design adjustments based on these standards. However, focusing solely on revisions might impact the pace of content updates. Therefore, we will prioritize optimizations step by step.
We occasionally upload some incomplete assets to Discord channel to observe everyone's reactions, and then make adjustments based on feedback before applying them to the game. This process brings us a lot of joy.
Due to the ongoing development of new levels, the progress of community updates has been delayed. Although we have continuously made adjustments and modifications based on everyone’s feedback, the long period without updates in the community might understandably give the impression that the project has been put on hold...(but rest assured, these updates will be released together with the new content)."
We had hoped to have the opportunity to share the details of our plan changes with everyone, but we've been extremely busy lately. We’ll do our best to keep you updated with the relevant information in future updates!
Thank you all for your patience and support!