VR Test Sketches
We decided the best way to iterate different ideas for concepts and art styles would be to use virtual reality. Flora owns an Oculus Quest 2 and we dedicated a couple of days for us to experiment with the OpenBrush software, which lets you create drawings in open space. The below sets of images are my drawings in OpenBrush.
The above image and video show my first attempts at using OpenBrush and the Oculus Quest. I made a quick 360 of how I envisioned the game would be, with sunken buildings shrowded in plants and small schools of fish gathered throughout the level. I also draw the shark (a potential predator in the ocean environment) blocking the way forward between two cliffs. I also used this to suggest a bright, neon based art style to match the swarm forming showcase Flora used in her presentation.
This next image and video show a different take on the art style and setting for the game. Here I leaned more towards the low poly art style we discussed. I was able to utilise the matte 3D brush preset that OpenBrush has to make the fish and foliage. In this setting I also proposed to the team that we include environmental puzzles. The idea here is that the players swarm is big enough to trigger the handle for the drawbridge, which would raise and allow the player to go behind it to get even more fish for the swarm. Not only would this be good for our 2.5D world, but also adds some depth into the levels. Also, as the video shows, I played with potential ways of parallaxing the environment by having reeds and grass occasionally block the camera as the player passes through.
This third and final set of images shows the layout of the entire game, from start to finish. I made small mockups of each environment, focusing on the mountains as we haven't explored it as much as the ocean and sky environments. The player will start in the ocean as a fish, then once at the surface of the sea will transform into a bird and navigate the skies and clouds, where they will then land on the mountain to transform for a final time.
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Overall I really enjoyed using OpenBrush to make these concept sketches. Although I got off to a rusty start, I found it incredibly useful in creating mockups of the potential 3D environments and the art styles.