Hello Friends! 👋
Welcome to our journey of discovering Dragon Lands!
Today, I’d love to continue our discussion on the origins of Dragon Lands by diving into the art style and prototype phase.
ART STYLE
This was the most challenging part for me. As a software engineer without an artistic background, finding the right style took a lot of time.
At first, I searched for an art style that I personally liked. My main inspirations were Zelda and Forager, but I struggled to achieve a similar look.
After weeks of research and experimentation, I finally found the perfect fit: cute pixel art!
Here’s an early art prototype made in Unreal Engine 5! I experimented with shadows, brightness, color palettes, outline colors, and pixel sizes to achieve the look I envisioned
After many iterations, and even an engine switch, this is what we achieved. The technique used renders the game in low-resolution texture, then upscales it without anti-aliasing, using an orthographic camera.
GAME DESIGN
I built several prototypes to test mechanics, replayability, and overall fun. At this stage, visuals weren’t the focus (I kept everything simple, with basic blocks and sprites).
This was one of the last prototypes I made, where I tested the core gameplay loop: gathering resources, crafting items, collecting dragons, and automating the farm process.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me on Discord, I’d be happy to chat! :D
Thanks, and stay tuned for more updates!
Giuseppe