CREATE A TRIPLE-A GAME IN UNREAL

Part 2: References and colour palette

- Rob Redman

Okay! We are set to make a game. We know what the premise is, we have our equipment ready and a good environment to work in, so what’s next? Jump in and start modelling? No! Hold your horses there. As discussed before the key to success is planning, and to that end we need to set out a few things before we begin the actual construction phase.

We need to decide what path the player will take, what obstacles they should encounter, whether there are any shortcuts and the all-important mechanics of the gameplay. However, before we start we need to set the tone. What does the player’s in-game environment feel like, are there any notable visual cues to allow them a sense of familiarity or impending doom? I’m not talking about specific structures here, although important to keep in mind. I’m thinking about colours and their emotional impact.

I’ll add a caveat here. The process I’m describing may apply to indie artists and small studios but can vary wildly, especially as the teams become departments. You are acting as the client, creator, art director, engineer, artist, musician and UX developer. With that in mind, I’m running through this course in a fairly linear process, in an attempt to give you a grounding in the overall story of game development.

Back to the topic in hand, which is the look of the game. The concept and brief define certain aspects of this, so let’s start there and see what we need to add.

We know it’s planet based, in a valley, with varying areas, and that the player needs to travel along a path from point A to point B. We also know it needs to be an open-world but with a fairly clear path for them to follow. There need to be small hints towards either an ancient or alien society.