STYLE MANIFESTO

Here I outline my plans for the visual style of Infobroker.

Future details will be updated on this post rather than in individual posts, to keep the visual design goals consistent and centralized.

ISOMETRIC FAKEOUT:

Main scenes emulate the visual style of isometric RPGs with a 45 degree angled orthographic camera. Towns and main areas in Infobroker will call back to PC RPGs of the past with designs that are created with an isometric camera in mind.

FULL 3D EFFECTS:

Full 3D environments allow for camera effects which would be unfeasible with a sprite based system including:

• Full 3D Photo Mode
• Dynamic Lighting

STRUCTURE FROM MOTION:

Photogrammetry is a method for asset creation using a series of photos. There's a lot of cool tech that goes into the actual process of going from a bunch of photos to a textured 3D model, but for Infobroker, all that matters is that I can use my phone to get realistic-enough looking models using my cell phone. With scanned models, I can add detail and depth to the world while not blowing this solo project out of proportion.

CUTTING CORNERS WITH STYLE:

A solo game development project must select some areas as sacrificial lambs to be - eh hem - efficient (lazy). By applying certain limitations to the visual style, and by choosing corners that I can accept cutting, I will allow myself to "go wide" in this project without overwhelming myself with work that would make the game unfeasible as a solo project.

• Pixelated rendering - Low resolution cameras will hide imperfections and allow me to quickly iterate on the systems and world of Infobroker, allowing for a world with both breadth and depth.
• Rough  models - I allow scanned and designed models to be imperfect. Photogrammetry, especially with smartphone footage, can often have odd texture defects and random floating triangles around the model. I will ignore these flaws, and allow them to contribute to a certain rough look.
• Unconvincing realism - Almost-realistic models, with the flattening effect and some rougher scan artifacts will create a sense of uncanny valley realism and this effect will be incorporated into the visual tone of the game. A general policy of semi-realism also allows for gaps to be filled with purchased or free models for generic props.

EVERYTHING IS INFORMATION:

The standard technique for video game UI treats the main camera's rendering target as entirely separate from the immaterial "UI Layer". Information is presented to the player outside of the context of the game's world, for the sake of clarity - the UI does not exist.

Diagetic UI, on the other hand, attempts to realize UI elements, incorporating readouts into the game's props and environments.

Infobroker is a game about gathering and exploiting information. Naturally, the presentation of the game should reflect this philosophy. It will invert the goals and techniques of diagetic UI design - the main camera will render to a texture which is drawn as a UI image. In Infobroker, the interface will be rendered on equal terms to the world. The PC, photography camera, and other menus will exist on the same level of "reality" as the environment and characters. This will be achieved not by bringing the UI into the material world of the environment, but instead by bringing the world into the immaterial canvas of the UI.