Specific Research

Dungeon Crawler:

This board was made to mainly focus on the visual style and level design of the game. I collected images that I liked the look of in theme and function and ones that I thought looked similar to the visual ideas I had for the dungeon like environments inside of the game. I wanted clear visuals towards the look of the game. I like the style of the artwork and think it would be good to get inspiration towards the final look of the game and help in the design process.

I wanted inspiration towards the level design and looks of the levels and felt these were the best towards realizing the image of this dungeon based game as it will affect how the game is made entirely. Taking special inspiration from the game "dead cells" in its level design with a dungeon like interior while also its gameplay and aesthetics being core parts, with a pixel based graphics that I like the look of. However the point I don't like so much as in its colour design I feel dead cells go for much brighter colours where I feel my own project would work better with darker lighting, with more purple tones. But will still take inspiration on how to use the lighting.

Dark Fantasy:

The whole dark fantasy theme is the main set piece for my game design which not only dictates the world and level design but also the visuals and characters that encompass it. I took images from areas that I liked of the theme that I thought would work well as inspiration towards getting that gritty, dark & gloomy feel of dark fantasy correct and could spur on the creative process of designing assets like characters tilesets or even the lighting of the world.

2 specific pieces of media that I took heavy inspiration from and really like is the game series "dark souls" and the manga series "berserk". Dark souls has brilliant environments that instill awe and I really want to be able to capture that same feeling and work in the same mindset, being able to correctly build a heavy and weighty feeling world. Most importantly trying to create an immersive environment.

Gothic:

Similar to Dark Fantasy the research on this theme was done because it's a heavily influence to the whole design of the game overall. It plays an important part in world, environment, character and level visual design. However when it came to the material I chose to use for research, I chose material which followed a distinct visual theme, mainly in the area of visual colours as the colours of the game have a heavy affect on the design of the game and I felt these images best suited towards the style of the game I wanted to make.

The main part of the whole gothic theme I like is the architecture and gloomy design of buildings and environments as they have a distinct overwhelming presence which I want to take from the material I collected. Taking colour samples and architectural ideas for the actual layout of the "AB·yss" dungeon I have created.

For specifics, a similar game to dark souls, "bloodborne" is a game that takes these gothic themes into the gritty dark places I want to go, creating these grand environments full of story and life (or should I say unlife because of ghouls and zombies). But in any case it has the feeling of gloom and doom I wish to capture within my own work so I specifically have taken reference from the games environments and works to get inspiration towards the direction I want to make things. A.k.a More direct influence.

Effects (Fx) Design:

This board actually has no specific direction in theme and is just a general use board on designing Fx. From water, fire, wind and magic it encompasses many visual styles of Vfx which I personally liked the look and style of in which I plan to use for creating my own Vfx for my game or other projects. As personally I have little experience in the moment of designing or how to design Vfx and especially animate them I hope to not only take inspiration but learn from this board on how to design and/or animate Vfx that not only looks good but also feels good so in still works with the visual themes of the current project.

For instance with my current game AB·yss, the colours I can take from other thematic design areas and art style in overall design (like pixel art) I can use in tandem with the research of previously done Vfx that I like to able to create my own which I'm happy with.

Character Design:

I created this Character Design board for reference and inspiration when it came to the design of not only the playable character but also enemy design. I selected the images I liked that focused towards the themes of dark fantasy and gothic in design and the images that followed & reflected these themes the most. Picking the designs that I think not only followed similar suite but also were ones that I personally liked.

However the board also follows and has a bunch of concept art and design for different character creations. Giving a large variation to the designs available for the appearance of characters. Personally I'd like to use not only the more well developed pieces to focus the look and design of the characters so I can get the bits/details I need when designing the full and finalized looks of characters within the game. To finalize the character not only will I need these final pieces but also the different design pieces that come up with alterations and variation to character design and want to use it to my own artwork and variations to be able to come up with a varied amount of character designs. I like the looks of armour and their variations and want to be able to explore these things with the same ways that other artists have.

Pixel Art:

This pixel art board is a general board on the overall visual style I wish to take the game in. From characters to environments & levels and how to make them/ the art. This board is a collection of pieces that I liked the style of and wanted to incorporate into my own design when I use pixel art to draw & colour the assets of my game. I specifically chose pieces of work where not only I liked the pixel art style but also its subject matter is related to or similar to the themes and visual styles I wish to work with and use. Not just in Theme but also in physicality as I chose works that may have dungeon environments or a colour scheme that I wish to incorporate. These works I like the visual style and hope the incorporation of the pieces with similar subject matters will help with designing and actually using a pixel art style to draw. Using these pieces as reference for drawing characters or environments with a pixel art visual style.

Dead cells is a game which I take large inspiration from in its subject matter and its visual style with pixel art, animation and environments as I believe the way the game feels and looks is very distinct and feels familiar to the ideas I have for my game "AB·yss". As such I have taken some art and concepts from the game and will use it as inspiration towards creating the game with the visuals I want it to have. I wish to use the game to spur on my own creation and have not only a goal towards but also a point of reference taking notes, ideas & inspiration from the game to develop my own ideas and areas of my game. I wish to use the game to create my own pixel art style to a level I'm happy with.