{"id":2010,"date":"2021-10-30T21:03:38","date_gmt":"2021-10-31T01:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.joshuarosenstock.com\/teaching\/imgd3500-b21\/?p=2010"},"modified":"2021-10-30T21:03:38","modified_gmt":"2021-10-31T01:03:38","slug":"erin-marczewski","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joshuarosenstock.com\/teaching\/imgd3500-b21\/etmarczewski\/erin-marczewski\/","title":{"rendered":"Erin Marczewski"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this game, the player plays as a little guinea pig wizard from a small village. Their goal is to reach the top of a distant tower that is rumored to have a powerful magical artifact at the top. The game sees the player controlling their little guinea pig protagonist from the 3rd person view, exploring the land from their village to the tower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game functions like an action RPG, where the player freely explores the world similar to an adventure game, but coming into contact with enemies causes them to enter a fight mode of sorts. The player can still freely move around in this fight mode, and cas spells and choose attacks while trying to avoid whatever their enemy is doing. Leaving a certain radius away from the enemy counts as fleeing the encounter. Players that defeat an enemy get experience and can level up to gain new spells and abilities to use in fights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The characters in the world are mostly other guinea pigs with other creatures from the \u201csmall pets\u201d section of a pet store. Most of them can be found in the home village, but some will be encountered along the road as well. The village contains several notable characters. There is a village elder who resides in their home. A wandering swordsman stands near the village exit who talks of trying to go to the tower himself. A local chef runs an open air kitchen who will eventually cook you meals to give you status boosts. A merchant runs a stall nearby who peddles their wares. The player might even find a hidden local recluse if they explore enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beginning of the game sees the player start in the village. This village is located in a glen near the edge of a forest. The buildings look like the stuff you would put in a guinea pig or hamster cage, but made of natural materials and appear to be built by the residents themselves rather than bought from a pet store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This game is intended for people who like cute, fun games. Definitely not for the crowd of gamers who enjoy difficult, hardcore games. Ideally, this is a game that everyone can theoretically enjoy. However, those that would enjoy it the most would be people who like games in fantasy settings and more cartoony, less realistic art styles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The art style will be cartoony and simple, with cell shading. Something similar to Ori and the Blind Forest mixed with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Most structures and any clothing will reflect the fantasy theme, trying to look as medieval as possible while still referencing objects in a modern small pet habitat. There will also be a lot of natural elements added in, to make it feel like a more primal and ancient environment. It will rely on simple shapes and patterns rather than realism, along with bright, vibrant colors. This is to keep the game light and fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concept Sketches!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Here’s some of the character and building ideas I had!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here’s some images I chose to help set the games mood and theme:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I found this little Hobbit hole-esque tiny village and thought it looks exactly like a place where small animals would live in a fantasy setting. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This one I liked because it conveys the cool “village in the woods” vibe I want to aim for. I also liked the colors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This is great reference for ideas surrounding what kind of buildings could work in a fantasy village filled with guinea pigs and other small pets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This one conveys the sort of mysterious fantastical element that I would like to add to the outskirts of the village. Great reference for a little area to hide secrets for the player to find. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I’ve been playing a lot of Ori and the Blind Forest lately, and the art style of that game absolutely blew me away. I want to kind of emulate that style in a more simple way. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The chef concept I came up with and the open air kitchen were a little bit inspired by the chef from Monster Hunter 4. I always liked the idea of a tiny chef that cooks with a giant wok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following images I used for drawing reference, but they still are great for drawing inspiration from in order to play with how I can make the characters and objects in game look like the things from real life while still fitting them into the art style I want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n