Week 2.5: Concept Additions
Other obligations this week limited my time available to work on this project, but I still wanted to dedicate a smaller effort to keeping progress moving…
First, I continued to source new assets (through the Unity Asset Store) as references for character models.
If in a full game, most npcs would be stationary with minimal animations. This would allow them to almost act as set dressing. As the other figures in the library disappear between scenes, a sense of loneliness and emptiness settles in.
Due to these minimal interactions, and to match the styling of the rest of the environment, the models would be lower poly than many current games. Realism in shape and proportion would be considered, but facial details are less important.
Next, I did a quick sketch of the study floor and how it connects to the lobby.
While in a real world application the plausibility of this layout would be low, the changing orientations of rooms will be less noticeable since all scenes take place on the interiors, and the opposing orientations help differentiate the spaces.
Lastly, I began to ideate on the “monster” concept.
Blending into Shadow, Almost-Human, Smiling, and Watching: these are the core details this monster is based from.
For ideation, I decided to warm up with a shaded sketch of my first idea, before moving into quick sketches of proportions and facial features.
Pushing the physical limits and proportions of this character seem most fitting for the stark dissonance between monster and place. It is meant to be almost human; something you’d hear about in stories but never see; something that lurks in the dark like a child’s nightmare.
Since the form and features of this character have become so extreme, it would make the most sense for a custom character model to be made, instead of re-texturing a premade asset.
I have never made a character model before, but I am currently debating if I should try my hand at it.