I have been summoned!! I’m not an expert on most game dev things BUT the topic of “how to get players to immerse themselves not through AAA fidelity but through clever art direction” is something I’m very passionate about!
Buckle up and learn how to make jank look good: 🧵
Buckle up and learn how to make jank look good: 🧵
Reposted from
Max Nichols
So that begs the question: how do we know and control that mindset?
I don't really have answers, but I think there is an invisible line between high-fi and low-fi styles of immersion. If your game is highly polished and signals that high polish is an intent, then bugs and low polish DOES interfere
I don't really have answers, but I think there is an invisible line between high-fi and low-fi styles of immersion. If your game is highly polished and signals that high polish is an intent, then bugs and low polish DOES interfere
Comments
Abstraction✨
and
Artiface🧸
This is an art direction that clearly signals to players that what they see onscreen is merely a representation of the in-game world and not a 1-1 recreation. Examples include Minecraft, Roblox, Prison Architect, Undertale, etc
All characters in-game use simple shapes (almost like board game piece pawns) while communicating to players with cutscenes and dialog portraits that these are ✨representational✨ of characters in the world, priming players to fill in the blanks with their imagination.
While Minecraft lacks PA’s portraits to help players connect the dots, showing players familiar sights like pigs, cows, etc under the lens of the abstract blocky design philosophy also helps prime players in a similar manner to use their imagination.
The logical conclusion of this philosophy is something like Rogue, where everything is represented by either text or symbols, with cover art and text descriptions helping fill in the gaps.
This is an art direction that presents itself as something artificial. Either by recreating the look of outdated tech, or by leaning into the look of artificial-looking mediums such as plastic, clay, etc. Examples include Dusk, HSH, FNAF, etc