This week I spent my time on the aesthetic of the UI. Before that I had pretty much mapped out the overall look and design, but now I have been working in Photoshop to actually make it more usable and to refine the edges so that it carries the nostalgia of an old 1990s PC. I think I could improve my efficiency, and spend more time away from class working, however I had a busy week between preparing for tests and the States competition for Science Olympiad. This week I hope to finish everything around the UI and to work at home as well since I finally should have more free time. I like the results of how its coming along, but I really need to get a move on and hurry. Conclusion:
0 Comments
Between missing school and having Friday off as a holiday, I was only at school one day this week. I didn’t have much time to accomplish work in the classroom but I was able to work from home a bit when I was feeling better. I continued with the UI that I had begun earlier. I’m happy with where it’s at. I still need to figure out how to make it pop a bit more and give some depth along the edges. Otherwise, I like the general aesthetic. I can’t say much about how the team has been progressing besides that everyone is doing their part. The only setback for me was not feeling well and being at school only one day. Next week I hope to utilize class time to get back on track and finish this UI once and for all. TLDR:
This last week was spent working on the Cliffside logo in class, as well as the UI at home. The logo was inspired by a retro wave style theme and a font called ‘groovy.’ I was searching for inspiration that encapsulated the way I envisioned the 60s aesthetic and vibe. I downloaded a free font similar to what I liked and then watched a tutorial for text layering in order to create the intended effect (type shift). I think it turned out well but was way more difficult and time-consuming than it should have been for something so simple, and felt very unintuitive which is again why I hate Photoshop. For a program with an overload of tools, the features aren’t ever there when you need them. Although it’s a simple text effect, I think having a logo and building the vibe sets an important tone for the entire game. I like the juxtaposition between the look of Cliffside’s logo and the actual environment inside the abandoned facility. It’s eerily welcoming. My group has also made a good deal of progress with the UI functionality and audio effects. It’s nice to see it all come together. I also came up with and brainstormed a few ideas on how we could add some stylism and humor that conveys the game’s personality; when trying to quit, the game the screen will pop up with the usual “are you sure you want to quit?” followed by a spam entry of “are you absolutely, positively sure you want to quit?” like a cascade of pop-up ads or viruses on an old computer OS. I think this is a prime example of the Mountainheart game “feel” we are going for. Coming up with and adding creative features like this has helped build some morale and hype for our game. Everyone seems to be on the same page and way more unified, though we still aren’t as far as we need to be. This upcoming week will be focused on finishing the UI completely and all of the aesthetic aspects. I will do the finishing touches on the logo, and continue with the UI which will hopefully be done by the end of the week. Recap:
As the lead 2D Artist for my team, I am currently working on the UI that the player will interact with by the endgame of our development. I wasn’t given a reference for the intended design, so I decided to go based upon my own feel of the game. Mountainheart takes place in an older facility, which led me to the idea of doing something diegetic and fitting with both the time and theme, which brought me to my inspiration: the World Wide Web (the original internet browser) UI, and subsequently the original Microsoft operating system as well. Cliffside is a research facility so it should be sort of tech-y. And it’s oddly advanced for the time period. It is also a horror game so I didn’t want it to pop too much, to where it stands out from the rest of what’s going on. Rather than copy the blue, white, and grey of the Microsoft classic theme, I decided to stick with muted colors that share the same red undertones. This is because Mountainheart, naturally, strikes me that way and it felt right given the name. Mountain + Heart; beige and red. It also does not distract from the game’s horror elements, rather adding to the immersion. I imported a pixelated font to convey the older operating system and UI, and have been working down to the pixel to add onto that effect elsewhere in the design. It has been a struggle making it look pixelated and low resolution, like an older computer screen, but also clean and friendly to users. I still have features to add and right now its mostly the bare layout; highlights will help it standout, and more buttons will add functionality and fill in the blank space, which I can add after I consult with my team. Right now it is a bit flat and stiff. I need to add the finishing touches and then draw in some dimension, like I said. Overall I think our team has really gotten on track, and I am happy I have had more time to focus on 2D artist things. I would also like to do 3D models in the future, but first the UI is my priority. The settings menu will probably take this week to finish and I may be able to get a jumpstart on the cassette inventory from there, hopefully utilizing some of what I have already made. I have made sure to work with layers so that the design is modular, customizable, and correctable. I look forward to finishing this and am really excited to see how the UI works in game. On the need to know:
|
AuthorMy name is Quinn Peterson! I will be reflecting about my art work in this blog! Archives
May 2022
Categories
All
|