ENVIRONMENT DESIGN
Area Design
I've created some sketches which detail what the area might look like. I've detailed that each area will be made of three segments, and so I've made a sketch for each of those segments. There's the Open Meadow, filled with rolling hills and wildflowers, the Forest, filled with a thicker brush of trees, and the Rare Occurrence at the end, in this case the Glowing Lake. As you can see, the colour scheme has remained largely consistent, with the most notable change, being the bright blue of the lake.
Asset Design (Cont.)
I've made further concept sketches for some flowers which will dot the landscape. I've added some variation into the environment by creating these bell-shaped flowers which can grow both on the ground, and from vines hanging off of trees. I've also drawn the Giant Sunflower, another rare occurrence. A glowing stone, called Akasho, is an asset I've designed which causes all the flowers in the area to glow at night. The player may be able to collect it as a resource and use it to augment their terrariums, or to induce different behaviour in the creatures they have collected.
Planning Phase
To start my environment design, I've made a plan for what to include in the meadow area of my game. I've considered what resources would be available for the player to collect, the type of soil that is found here, and also the climate. I've also thought about what might be found there, both the vegetation and the creatures there, as well as the dominant colours in the area, to make everything look more consistent. Specific to my game, I've also made a list of rare occurrences that might be found at the end of the level here.
​
Meadow Moodboard: (772) Pinterest
Asset Design
I've made some concept sketches for asset designs which will be used in this environment. There are two different kinds of trees, for variation, rather than seeing the same assets throughout the entire area, as well as other forms of vegetation, like the grass, and some hedges. There are also rocks for some textural variation, and for player resources. I've also included a concept for the Sakura Tree, another rare occurrence which the player may find at the end of the area.
Asset Design (Cont.)
Kyle's Inkbox:
- Kalvin Brush
- Low Ink Flat Flex
​
- Air Brush
​
Ao Furin:
- Highlight uses Screen blendmode
Template
Environments are based around a chosen biome, which I've mindmapped in Ideation and Development > Gameplay Development. The environment will also have:
-
A climate
-
List of plants/creatures that can be found there (as well as any conditions that may be required to find them)
-
Materials that can be found there
-
At least 3 different Rare Occurrences
​
There should be multiple routes for the player to explore when designing a environment, but all should lead to the same final spot where the rare occurrence is. The environment can be split into 3 sections. Each section should also be unique, yet cohesive with the overall environment. Cohesion can be created through the use of a dominant colour scheme, or shape language, or even sound design.