Iconoclasm

The Process​

During the game development process, I worked closely with my design team to create a hack and slash game with an ambitious art style. Together, we dedicated a semester to prototyping the game to ensure that our envision could be achieved. We also invested significant effort in refining the gameplay mechanics, taking into consideration the needs of our programmers who had to develop a custom engine to support the gameplay and art style we wanted to achieve. 

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User Interface and Experience

To start, I collaborated closely with our producer and design lead to discuss and develop mock up designs for the user interface and pop up displays for the game. For the boss health bar, our initial concept leaned towards a more minimalistic design that would not distract players. However, after conducting and research and reviewing more references, we agreed to move towards a more intricate art style that would have better aligned with the game's overall art style. To achieve this, we created unique health bars for each major boss fight encountered by the player by combining rendered 3D assets. For the player's user interface, we settled on using symbols situated at the bottom of the screen to provide feedback on the charges accumulated by the player. Throughout the development process, we also experimented on the size and placement of the UI elements. In addition, we also introduced an on-screen user interface component to indicate when the player had reached the maximum charge capacity. 

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Choice of Art

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Software used: Zbrush, 3DS Max, substance painter and photoshop
 

Our aim for Iconoclasm was to have a realistic art style with influences from art nouveau, while incorporating 3 distinct major bosses, 3 different levels and a variety of enemy types. To manage our scope of the project for the amount of time we had to complete the project, we made the decision to simplify the intricacy of the environment art style, ensuring that we could accomplish what was necessary within the time we had. 
To optimize our workflow, I focused on creating the most detailed model required, being the final boss. This also allowed my team member to step in to assist me with the retopology and rigging at an earlier stage. Doing this gave us ample time to address any potential issues that might surface later on. Our initial plan was to have the final boss model completed from the shoulder up. However, as the development progressed, we decided to extend the model down to the waist level, providing more flexibility in incorporating combat mechanics into the game. For the environment and level design, our concept was to have the entire gameplay take place in a floating city in the sky. We incorporated a mix of varying heights, rocky formations and man made structures to simulate a war torn environment to enhance the player's experience. To ensure adaptability for future level design changes, the models were created in a modular manner for ease of adjustment where needed. I used Zbrush to add weathering effects to the brick pathways and model some of the terrain rocks and structures. To optimize performance within the game engine, the details from high polygon models were then baked onto lower polygon models.