Days of work on the city. Then I wanted something to fly around, so i developed this cute drone with my robotics framework to make it look vivid. Not perfect, just experimenting and another way to explore my creation. The self-transforming machinecity will grow till my workstation can’t hold it anymore.
Looking for fellow creatives for a fantasy project!!
Hi all! I’m looking for other people who might be interested in collaborating on a hobby world-building project. !!Please help me find people by reblogging this post!!
[ID: Sketch of someone waving cheerfully at the viewer. end ID]
This world is designed to be the basis for a magic-based, multiplayer platformer fantasy game similar in ways to Maplestory and Fantasy Life, where the player character travels throughout various cool and magical realms. If you want to learn more about the world, please check out the information under the “read more” (I didn’t want the post to get too long).
Some stuff about me: I’m a Thai-American genetics student/researcher with heavy interests in evolutionary biology and Southeast Asian culture. I like to draw/design in my free time. I’m looking for people who are interested in contributing (to any degree), especially those who have an interest in biology, ecology, or sociology/anthropology. I would love to be able to work with other people from cultures that are underrepresented in the fantasy genre (though ofc not a requirement). No skills necessary!!! I’m able to handle all the art and visual design load on my own, I’m just looking for anyone imaginative!
I tend to be very realism-focused, so I’m hoping that input from others will help this world blossom into a more fantastical, wondrous setting. You don’t have to commit to anything–if you want, you can just hang around a bit and see if it interests you, or just provide input once in a while.
This is currently just a fun side-project that I work on in my spare time. I want to make it clear that even though I’m designing it with a videogame in mind, there really is no guarantee that it would ever get to that point, and I don’t want anyone to join with the hope that it would eventually pay off monetarily. I’ll make sure that anyone who contributes heavily will get a say in where the project eventually goes, if it turns out to last long.
Please contact me on Tumblr or Twitter to get involved! I plan on making a Discord server to keep all our collaboration in one place, invites given by PM.
[All images described in alt-text]
The premise of the world is that flora and fauna are not separate beings, but instead that all animals start their lives as plants, turn into animals, and then at death they create seeds which sprout into new plants. People also go through this life cycle–when they start out life they’re the huge, slow-growing plants that provide the structure for complex ecosystems (pine trees, kelp, huge cactuses), and then when they become people, their community cares for the ecosystem in question.
–MAIN GOALS– - To build a work in the fantasy genre that rejects the overwhelmingly common eurocentric and often colonialist setting, as well as incredibly popular westernized systems of fantasy morality (light v. dark, demons v. angels, etc) - To portray fictional cultures in a way that highlights the incredible diversity of IRL cultures without stereotypes or homogeneity - To show the interconnectedness of everything, including showing different groups of humans as being connected with each other and showing humans as part of the environment; actively rejecting contemporary notions of “mastery over nature”
!!Everything below here is subject to change!!
Since I’m heavily interested in evolutionary bio, I built the biology of this world on the premise that life evolved much like it did on our world, starting from a single organism and blossoming out into different branches. Humans, or rather “people”, evolved multiple different times whenever a complex, dense ecosystem arose. Here are the groups of people I’ve come up with. The player chooses which species they want to start out as, and the dominant weapons or magic style of that culture determines the combat style they first learn to use. (Each group of people has multiple different subcultures, but there would be one “main” subculture that players start out in.)
Merfolk/seafolk:
Perhaps some of the earliest peoples, seafolk start their lives as kelp and inhabit the thick kelp forests that surround many coastlines. They have a love for exploration and discovery, but generally avoid encroaching on land. Their magic generally has to do with water, and the weapons they use are mechanical crossbows and heavy blunt weapons (blunt weapons integrated with controlling/redirecting the flow of water to lend force to blows). I haven’t figured out which real-world cultures to draw on for inspiration for seafolk societies, since nobody IRL lived underwater, of course. This is probably the most open-ended group of people. They’re visually based on fish and salamanders.
Frostfolk:
These people start their lives as conifers and thus inhabit the taiga and tundra. Their magic mostly has to do with ice, cold, or wind, and their main weapon of choice is spears. In this group of people, I want to have different societies: a nomadic hunting/fishing society, a nomadic pastoral society, and a more sedentary river/forest-based society. They’re based visually on dinosaurs, specifically theropods, with perhaps more bird-like features.
(No name yet):
Related to frostfolk but now geographically isolated from them, these people start their lives as cycads and live in the tropics, especially on chains of islands. Some subcultures would be highly seafaring, while some would be more sedentary and involved with metal-working and smithing. For the sedentary cultures, their magic would revolve around utilizing fire, and weaponry would be small blades made from obsidian. They are also based on theropods, but would have more vibrantly colored feathers like tropical birds.
Dustfolk:
Based on carnivorous mammals, mainly cats, foxes, and coyotes, these peoples start their lives as succulent plants like giant cacti. They inhabit the deserts and canyons of the world and live a largely nomadic life. Their magic has to do with wind/sandstorms, and their main combat styles are focused on hand-to-hand combat, utilizing claw or knuckle weaponry.
Plainsfolk/brushfolk(?):
These people start their lives as deciduous trees, generally as part of savannas, or sparse forests on mountainsides. They are based visually on ungulates, mainly deer/antelope, goats, and pigs/boars. I plan to have a semi-nomadic subculture in the dry savanna, a more sedentary agricultural society in the tropical savanna, and a mountainous society. Their weaponry would use a combination of sword and shield, and they would utilize light magic by way of reflective metal or glass.
(No name here either… they’re humans):
Finally, there would be a species of primate-based people that start their lives as broadleaf evergreen trees and inhabit the tropical jungles of the world. Many of their societies would be agricultural, with some fishing river-based cultures. Their magic would be related to monsoons and thunderstorms, especially lightning magic, and they would use long, thin blades for fighting.
—
In addition to the “main” cultures of the world, there would be many cultural centers where multiple peoples meet and trade food, goods, and technology. People will not be divided by nation borders or “species”.
Currently, my idea is that combat is used to battle metaphorical representations of disease, malaise, generally bad and imbalanced things. I haven’t developed this part of the storyline too much yet, I just know some thematic goals I might have.
In addition to combat (either physical or magical-based depending on the player’s preference), players would be able to pursue a few different skills, like farming/breeding using a robust genetics system, tailoring/clothes-making, furniture/crafts-making, smithing, healing, cooking; as well as more “meta” hobbies like making maps and puzzles for other players to use.
Again, if you’re interested in getting involved or have any questions, you can reach out to me here on Tumblr or on Twitter.If people do end up being interested, I’d like to make a small community on Discord to chat with! Edit: We do have a discord server now, you just have to ask to join!
“I went to school for game design! I am highly qualified to talk about any game out there!”
I bet you don’t even know how big an 8 year old’s hands are.
You cannot meaningfully understand a great deal of Nintendo’s game development decisions without understanding how a child holds and uses a modern game controller. People love to critique game companies like Nintendo, especially core gamers and educated developers, as if they are some authority on game design but in twenty years I have never seen this type of individual talk about how Nintendo’s game design is constrained by the size of a child’s hands.
So…how big are they?
Big enough to use a dpad on the playstation controller but not large enough to use the analog stick comfortably. The opposite is true on the xbox controller. The shape of the joycon is designed for easy access for small hands for both.
Still, the kid’s thumb will have difficulty reaching both so rapid switches are not possible. On the left hand of the switch the stick is above and the dpad below, and the opposite is true on the right. This is a direct consequence of how a kid might use the controller. In most games the left hand controls movement - meaning an analog stick - and the right hand controls discreet inputs - meaning the dpad/button diamond.
Children’s also struggle to reach shoulder buttons and have lower grip width, so the natural gamer grip in which two fingers are resting on the shoulder buttons does not work at all for children. They usually have to use all four fingers to hold up a heavy device. The shoulder buttons go from being the most easily accessed buttons on the controller to the most difficult.
A child’s grip strength is lower, and thus so is their ability to hold a heavy controller comfortably, especially one not designed for their hand size. A single joycon in sideways mode, often used in child’s party games on the switch, is a far better controller size for a child while it is uncomfortably cramped for an adult.
It is not a coincidence that the Switch, which is marketed as a family console, comes prepacked with the controllers that are kid friendly and adult friendly controllers are a secondary purchase.
There are more things you can point out, but in a practical sense you can see these design principles applied by comparing something like Kirby vs Metroid Dread.
Kirby is almost entirely controlled through the face buttons, with only the rarely used defense button mapped to the shoulder buttons, and you can really get by with never using it. The triggers are not used at all. You rarely have to combination press anything. If my memory is correct, the shoulder buttons are never used for any temporary transformation abilities. The difficulty of using new abilities should not be compounded by hard to reach buttons.
Dread on the other hand uses combination presses a lot and ties three critical abilities (free aim, missile use, and sliding) to the shoulder buttons. The omega cannon, a rarely used but critical and time sensitive ability, is tied to the shoulder buttons for the easiest and most intuitive possible use. The stress of defeating an emmi should not be compounded by fumbling with controls.
Smash Bros in particular is pretty cool in how its control scheme is set up. The most basic functions that a child might use are very simply mapped to the single stick and face buttons. As you learn to play better and try more advanced techniques (like an adult might) like timed grabs, dodging, and shield use you move away from the face buttons, incorporating more and more use of the shoulder buttons. It splits the difference for the best of both worlds. You can trace the principles of this design all the way back to the N64 and I would not be surprised to learn that the in game mechanics were built specifically to compliment this novice to expert transitional design, which is what makes smash bros so friendly to novice and expert gamers alike.
This is an excellent point as well, something I wasn’t going to get into but so much of game design just ignores accessibility issues like this all together. So many of the basic assumptions of game design from input device to button mapping to in game accessibility features are built around the assumption of fully abled adult between late teenager and middle age.
Some people hold a grudge until their dying day. For fire mages who delve into the forbidden arts of necromancy, their grudges last even longer than that. A hellhound is an embodiment of rage and hatred that typically manifests when a necromancer uses fire magic to extend their personal vendetta beyond their own life. For the first few years after its master’s death, the hellhound will focus on the specific object of its master’s ire. This could include harassing a particular kind of people, or viciously guarding a territory or treasure. Over time, the specific purpose of the hellhound will become unfocused, and it will simply lash out in anger at any being who gets too close. When this happens, hellhounds will often congregate in exceptionally hot, dry areas like lava tubes and active volcanos.
(Thanks to Matt Holmberg @orwin-dm for permission to use the art)
Alterra Worldbuilding Journal: An Enchanted Evening
ALT
Your party has been traveling by airship for ten hours, and so far it’s been smooth sailing. Normally the four of you wouldn’t be able to afford tickets for a luxury vessel like this, but you were able to work out a bargain with Captain Valen, the owner. You and your allies would be allowed to travel for a fraction of the cost, in exchange for helping the crew and defending the ship from airborne threats like dragons and air elementals.
Hopefullysmall air elementals, you think to yourself as you look down over the railing.
Not that the threat of falling is really an issue. Everyone on board, even the crew, was issued a swan-shaped ring when they boarded the airship. The ring will cause them to float to the ground as gently as a feather if they fall overboard, and even float on water indefinitely in case of a water landing. Too bad you have to return it when your party arrives at your destination, you remind yourself.
Thinking of your destination turns your thoughts inward. There’s no guarantee that Academie Arcana will provide any real leads for the mystery that’s already taken you across multiple continents. But at this point you’re convinced that the Academie is your only hope of getting any answers at all.
A chill gust of wind from the north makes you shiver, and you spin around in alarm for the eighth time in the last hour. Like the other seven times, it was nothing but a normal gust of wind. But that’s no guarantee for the ninth time.
You turn the swan ring on your finger and look to the other three corners of the ship where your companions are stationed on lookout. If they were attacked by an air elemental, the ring could put you in just as much danger of being blown into the stratosphere as anything else. The thought makes you grip the rope next to you with white knuckles.
A warm breeze behind you brushes across your cheek, causing your neck and shoulders to relax. And then you hear a deep, breathy voice in your ear.
“It seems tragic that a face like yours should wear an expression like that on an evening as lovely as this.”
Your heart skips a beat. The voice came from behind you. There shouldn’t be anything behind you except the railing of the ship and some clouds.
You turn around, though not as quickly as you did just a moment ago. There, standing on the railing of the airship, leaning casually against a rope, is a devastatingly attractive djinn.
It takes several seconds for your brain to wrap itself around the figure before you, starting your gaze low and working your way up.
Shiny black boots that go halfway up the calf, with striped pants tucked into them. A leather belt around the waist secures a cutlass to one hip and a spyglass to the other. A ruffled white shirt that’s mostly covered by the long red coat with gold trim that seems to billow gently in the wind.
And above the collar is a face of such confidence and mirth that you swear that in contrast it makes it seem as if everyone else you’ve ever met had something to hide. And this is the first time you’ve seen the face of any person who has nothing at all to hide. No doubt, no shame, no hesitancy.
And surrounding that magnificent magenta face is shoulder length hair that seems to burn like an orange fire as it dances in front of the setting sun and the airship full of sky pirates rising up from below…
Wait.What was that last part?
Oh dragon snot. You shake your head back to your senses. Where in the wide world did THEY come from?!
“Greetings to you all, my esteemed guests!” the djinn calls out as every conversation on deck goes silent. “For those of you not aware, my name is Captain Cinder. But since we’re all friends here, you may call me ‘Captain’ or ‘CC,’ if you wish. I am accustomed to keeping things familiar, so I hope you’ll choose whatever makes you most comfortable.”
Captain Cinder gives you a wink before walking past you, strolling into the center of the crowd of passengers. As Cinder’s airship rises level with yours, several members of their crew step casually across planks, with swords sheathed at their hips and relaxed smiles at their lips.
“Now I know what you’re all thinking,” the Captain continues. “You’re thinking, ‘That can’t really be THE Capatain Cinder, can it? I heard Captain Cinder was a handsome swashbuckler of a man with a voice like honey and a gaze that makes every young adolescent’s heart melt!’”
Switching to a deeper voice and different accent, the Captain goes on. “‘I heard Cinder was a rogue temptress with charms that could beguile even the most hardened mercenary or miserly merchant!’”
Shifting to the comically high pitched voice of a child, “I heard Captain CC has been the bestest pirate in the whole entire world for over 600 years! And that’s even older than my grandpa over there!’” At this last comment, Captain Cinder points to a white-haired moon elf in the corner and a chuckle begins to spread through the crowd.
“Well as you can plainly see,” says the Captain, returning to their original baritone voice, “you’re ALL right!” At this, the chuckling on board ignites into a burst of laughter from both passengers and crew.
“Ah what an enchanting occasion it is when two vessels of mutual affection should pass each other in a chance encounter such as this, among these golden clouds and ruby sunsets.”
“But speaking of gold and rubies, I now must lean upon this mutual affection of ours and speak of sparkling matters. Donations, to be precise! Gifts given by you out of your admiration and adoration, and accepted by me and my crew out of our gracious and grateful hearts. Here come the boxes, friends!”
You watch, dumbfounded, as the passengers on board happily deposit money purses and heirlooms into the open treasure chests the pirate crew carry politely to each person.
Occasionally you see Captain Cinder personally address one of the passengers. Wealthy women blush and smile flirtatiously as they remove their jewelry for the Captain. Noblemen make a show of removing more and more wealth from hidden compartments of their coats, as Cinder gives a look of feigned shock and an impressed gasp at each new gift. Despite the raid (or perhaps because of it) everyone seems to be in the best mood they’ve felt since the trip began.
In all the excitement, you can’t see your three companions at the other corners of the ship, but you’re sure they’re fine. Everyone seems fine! Even an air elemental would probably decide to join the party if it came along.
Finally, far too soon, the sun begins to dip below the horizon, and Captain Cinder begins to offer sweet farewells. They give their final goodbye to you, their first hello.
Captain Cinder leans in close. “I can see you have little to offer as a donation, but perhaps you would prefer to give me a different kind of gift?” Your heart skips another beat as they continue in a whisper, “My ship can deliver you anywhere you choose. And in the meantime we can enjoy some privacy to become better acquainted.”
You can feel every eye on board boring into you with envy at the intimate attention, but you’re not thinking about them. You’re thinking about your beloved back home and what might happen if you gave in to such an offer.
“No thank you,” you say quietly. You can manage to say nothing else. To your relief, the Captain gives you another warm, genuine smile.
“I see. It takes a very special kind of love to resist a spell of Charming as strong as mine. And it takes a very special kind of person to treasure that love so faithfully.” The Captain reaches inside their inner coat pocket and retrieves a crimson gem.
“This ruby is very special too. In its center it contains a spark of red dragon fire. But it can only be seen by one whose love burns as intensely as yours.”
The Captain’s smile becomes sad, but no less charming. “Once, a very long time ago, that ruby shone as brightly as a torch for me. Now it only flickers like a candle on its last bit of wick. I’d like you to have it.” You find yourself completely speechless as Captain Cinder places the jewel in your hand and gently closes your fingers around it.
After all of the pirates have returned to their ship and the planks have been raised, the Captain calls out to you one last time. “May the Elements protect you until you can deliver that gift to your own beloved! Farewell my friends!!” And then the ship sails through the air speedily away.
As the last of the daylight fades away over the horizon, a chill wind blows from the North again, and the resulting shiver causes many to shake their heads and gather their senses, though the effects of the spell still linger faintly.
“Captain…” you whisper to yourself. Then your eyes widen. “Captain!” you shout. Captain Valen, your captain, the captain of the ship you and your companions are aboard right now, the captain who hired you specifically to protect his ship from threats. How could you have failed him like that?!
You run across the deck of the ship, halting breathlessly when you find him. Your three companions are there too, looking as embarrassed and ashamed as you surely feel. But at least none of THEM were guarding the corner of the ship where the pirates actually boarded from.
All of you try to stammer your apologies at once. “I’m so sorry! I don’t know how we could’ve possible just stood there while-” But Captain Valen cuts all of you off with a wave of his hand.
“Relax,” he says. “Captain Cinder is a local legend in these parts, and with good reason. In all honesty, most of the wealthiest passengers on board booked this trip in the hopes that we’d be boarded.” Valen then adds with a wink, “Though I’d never tell Cinder or their crew that. They’d be furious if they thought they’d become predictable.”
“Then you’re not angry with us for not stopping them?” you ask.
“I’d have been flabbergasted if you did!” replies Valen. “I’ve been boarded by those pirates more times than I can count, and I’ve never had a member of my crew come anywhere close to stopping them. Why should I expect any differently from you four?”
“Though I’ll admit, THAT is new,” he says, pointing at the ruby still clutched in your hand. “That’s quite the valuable keepsake you’ve got there. How about a trade?”
“What?” you ask, taken by surprise.
“I’d be willing to let you keep that enchanted swan ring you’re wearing in exchange for the jewel,” he offers. “They’re not cheap, I can tell you. It will take me three months to earn back enough to replace it. But I think it’s a fair trade. Never fear drowning or heights for the rest of your life! What do you say?”
You look at the ring on your hand and consider the offer. You’ve always been a pretty strong swimmer, and the hights don’t really seem so bad anymore.
“No thank you,” you say for the second time that day.
Once you’re alone again, you gaze at the ruby in your hand and the scarlet light glowing inside like an ember. You sigh happily as you imagine delivering it safely to your own private treasure box back home. The only true love you’ll ever need.
An essential part of interactive storytelling is giving the audience an activity.
You can prompt them to do anything! Geek out about their favorite show! Go shopping! Shoot an alien! Cook a meal! Train for a marathon! Search for a secret door!
So that’s how I like to start: by selecting an enjoyable activity. Then, I (try to) reverse-engineer the experience for the audience!
In other words: I design the story, in a way that rewards the audience for enjoying the activity.
For example, let’s say I want my toddler to enjoy splashing in the pool. Suddenly, my hands are sea-monsters, who can only be defeated by bopping them on the head! It’s watery whack-a-mole!
“An activity for the audience, which forms the basis of an Experiential Storyline.” That’s an important concept. We need a term for it.
Maybe it’s a “Play-Along Activity?” That’s the best I can come up with, at the moment. I am very tired.
Anyway, I think Design Doc’s video provides some good examples of how to design a reassuring Play-Along Activity.
[image: fanciful lettering in purple, orange and green on a black background. Text: Together We’ll Be UNSTOPPABLE. (And That’s Terrible). A Supervillain RPG by Zoe Maxine.]
So I haven’t been able to draw for a while, so what have I been working on in my spare time? A Supervillain team themed tabletop (or digital) RPG! It’s not out yet, but it’s almost a full rulebook now.
So now that I can draw, here’s a logo.
PLEASE ask me questions!
Please let me know if you’d be interested in gametesting it or know a group who’d be interested in playing it and giving feedback, too!
Former Sonic the Hedgehog designers Hirokazu Yasuhara and Naoto Oshima spoke today at GDC about the intent behind Sonic’s character design, with many previously unknown details.
Here is my first try of character design on tablet!
This suave sorcerer called Thaumas (or Lubéga in french version) is from Hydropolis in the game Ni No Kuni 2. It’s like he came from the fantastic planet! There is a lot of amazing characters in this game. So who’s next …?
The Test Fleet has (mostly) returned unscathed! There is enough data for me to conclude that a 6th version is needed/wanted. Nothing major, only just fine tweaking.
ThereWILL be an opportunity to sign up as a Test Pilot again, but I can’t say when.
the notes I got back on this were: “try making his feet bigger than his hands because one of his attack moves is a big kick” and “try making him taller” + some insight into my color palette process
ALT
