A Quick Video of the "Luminous Aesthetic"

It's a low-resolution video for the latest Aaaaa!, what with the graphics we talked about earlier. Really low-resolution. It looks like someone ate the video and regurgitated it. Still, there's much love here.

The Next Step in Skycubes

Here's a test level with a luminous skycube (or skybox):





The color palette doesn't match the pieces yet (the background rings are less saturated than the foreground blocks), but if we reduce this to monochrome, I think we're headed in the right direction:

Playing with Skycubes

Developers generally use skycubes as level backdrops. Think of a background matte in a movie. Same thing. We used this one in Inago Rage, for example:



We've been experimenting with more abstract skycubes for AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!; what if we used geometric shapes, for example?









All very early, simple stuff to be sure. But who's to say that a backdrop has to include a planetary horizon?

Evolution of A Concept

When we create a prototype, we often use whatever art assets are lying around. In the case of Aaaaa!, this meant using old building models dating back to 2004. Most aesthetics-related comments we've heard on the Web have been either "man, those graphics suck" or "man, I hope they stop using prototype graphics soon."



Since we don't have a dedicated 3d modeler on staff, we often consult with artists and then iterate on a good idea. Above, we took the the original building concepts and add regions of color. Since everyone and his brother is spending tens of millions of dollars on making photorealistic games, we're firmly headed in the opposite direction:



Lights all over the damned place. We have what I now think is a good starting point to explore what we call a "luminous look." This fits in well with our use of holograms and floating advertisements within the game.



Octagonal prisms for the win.

Textures Galore

Everything needs a good coat of paint. In games, you create the paint, then throw it onto whatever you're painting. At the upper left, we have Graffiti in Multilayered Metal. At the bottom, This Place Used to be Nice. Lower left is My Shiny Metal Shop Project. Every texture has a name and a story.

Pretty Glowing Buildings

As we transition from prototype to alpha to beta, we're working on aesthetics. We're experimenting with the new radiosity rendering, but could also go with the glow.

Localization Maaaadness!

We're talking to a publisher about localizing one of our games, The Wonderful End of the World. Since not everyone in the world speaks English, we dug to see how many of our assets we'd really need to alter. Surely there isn't that much? We started the game, and...



Well, right from the beginning, we have a voiceover that says, "Dejobaan Games: bringing you quality video games for over 75 years." Once we get to the level selection menu, there's more:



So, there's that. And then we'd have to translate the trophy screen. And the preferences screen. And interstitials. And, finally...



...a level made up entirely of English words and western expressions. All to be translated. Seemed like a good idea (and still one of our favorite levels), but man. We have our work cut out for us.

Glowing Textures

We're beautifying Aaaaa! because every game deserves to be beautiful. Right now, I'm experimenting with different aesthetics -- do we bother with radiosity?


Should we go with something glowy? Our best shot at competing with the aesthetics of a AAA title is to go in exactly the opposite direction. They go realistic? We go surreal, as we've tried with Galaxy Rage:

What's on Our Screens?

Buildings and an attempt at a new aesthetic. What will people accept as interesting? (Because if we learned anything, it's that the prototype is ugly.) What can we actually create on an indie budget? The trick here will be to sidestep a traditional, photorealistic aesthetic, because companies like EA have millions of dollars to throw at that, and we do not.

Inspiration for the Game's Title

Over on Kotaku, toofmeister posits that this is where we got the inspiration for our upcoming game's name. He may be right, but I'm not letting on just yet.

File Under "Inhuman Interest"

Local artist K. Adam White noted a recent Telegraph article about a species of immortal jellyfish. This brings up the question as to how longevitous the Dejobaan Games jellyfish is. Who would win in a fight?

My Favorite Mockup

Here's my favorite mockup so far. Tinted corners imply an almost claustrophobic, helmeted view. A blue HUD provides good feedback. Increased contrast gives the view a certain amount of character.