Prop Design

After a short absence, we’ve jumped back on the projects and got some real solid work going! Specifically, we’ve been smashing out lots of prop designs and finalising our lists and brainstorms of throwable items. Visceral Carnage’s key theme is that everything and anything can be a weapon, so we’re going all the way from kitchen knives and spoons through to pillows and cups of noodles. 

Kris, our Design Lead and our new Producer Tahlia have been enjoying the wide variety of props and designs they get to come up with. In particular, Tahlia enjoyed creating the Maneki Neko, the beckoning cat that a lot of Japanese restaurants and stores have on their counters and in the doorways. 

“Maneki Neko are symbols of luck, as their beckoning paw is sweeping it in. They also show up as a welcoming companion for humble patrons. They’re also just too cute to ignore and I always light up every time I see one! I almost got too engrossed in looking at all the different designs that I went off on a whole Pinterest tangent… But our cute little Maneki Neko features a classic design that is very common among these little statues. I noticed that in particular, they always have one ear that’s coloured and one that isn’t. They’re also very round, so in a game that’s all about throwing, it’d be very ball-like and easy to pitch I think.”

“Another thing to mention is that visually, keeping it simple and minimalist suits our overall visual theme. It’s important to remember that we’re going for a low resolution, moody and gang-related environment. The colours aren’t very saturated, and the most detailed part is only the face. This is because it’s only really the face and paws that people see first in the real world. Sometimes they have the Japanese kanji for luck or welcome, just as a base feature really. I didn’t include it because once we render our props and finalise our textures, details like that won’t necessarily be visible. As a designer, it’s essential to keep the art style in mind at all times and ensure that the 3D modellers have a full reference to make their processes as easy and streamlined as possible. The design also goes on to those who do the textures, so if they have a full reference as well then there’s no room for problems or confusion. It keeps the team on board and in line with everything, and leaves no room for error or lost time.” -  Tahlia (Producer & 2D Artist)

Next up for our team, we’ll be getting a start on more prop designs, but also finalising our map and beginning the texturing! Keep an eye out for more in the next week