Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
ChapTeR 4
Visual Design
From concept to finished
art, designers must always ask themselves: do
the visuals being developed work with the look and feel of the game?
Visuals
refer to the characters, props, environments, and interfaces built for the
project.
Occasionally, an existing character is the starting point for a game, such
as Marvel Comics' Thor or Luke Skywalker from the
Star Wars
sagas. An
entire cavalcade of characters and exotic worlds had already been created for
the
Lord of the Rings
trilogy. Those examples are well thought out, deeply
developed entities that have their personalities and abilities clearly mapped.
In such situations, the game and its gameplay usually develop around them.
In other types of design, the concept for the gameplay comes first, and then
characters, environments, and so on are developed to match what the look
and feel should be. Either way, the end result should be the same: a good bal-
ance between art and gameplay, to appeal to the demographic for which the
project is being designed and to be appropriate for the gameplay style. All the
elements have to work together to ensure that the final product is compelling
and fun.
developing concept art
previsualization
Developing Concept art
Coming up with the concepts for innovative characters, props, environments,
and interfaces is an important first step for beginning an original game design.
These initial sketches help to carve out what the world will look like, where
play will take place, and how the gamer will be able to interact with that world
through the interfaces and avatars. Beyond the written word, where interpre-
tation can be subject to the reader's own experience and imagination, actually
seeing the first passes on art quickly gets the whole team on the same page.
According to game designer Daniel Cook in “Evolutionary Design”
(in
