This week saw massive progress on the design side. Merrix implemented a skill system (and a skill bar I made last week), then set up the basic mechanics of classes, and a buff system. We both looked back over the week and I must admit, we were pretty impressed with how much ground was covered.
And me? Well, uh…. Some weeks I get more done, and some weeks Merrix gets more done. This week was definitely Merrix’s turn.
I set out to create some icons and figure out an approach for rendering them that would give us the look we want. The issues I kept running into were twofold: 1) whether and how to use outlines, and 2) how simple or complex to make each icon.
At first, I made icons that looked something like this:
And they were… fine. They’d work, in a pinch. But I kept looking at them and thinking “Those are really simple.” They looked like what they are: visually abbreviated shorthand for the items I’d imagined. But the more I looked at them, especially compared with other people’s icon art, the more I couldn’t continue with that style.
So I watched some speedpaints and decided to give something new a try: lineless illustrations. I have always insisted I couldn’t draw without outlines, that I just didn’t have the skills or capacity. But then I tried. This is the result:
And then I drew a few more…
I’m really proud of these and really excited to continue drawing in this style. I honestly had no idea I could.
Working on indie game dev often means pushing ourselves beyond our limits: maybe not the outer extent of our human limits, and certainly (ideally) not beyond the limits of what’s healthy. But, well, when we manage to transcend our self-imposed limits, and create something that previously seemed beyond reach…
It’s one of the best feelings I know.
That’s all for now. Check in next week for more from OgreWare. As always, thanks for following along.
Until next time!
-Peri