Case Studies

Know full well about key achievements in project development
Full-Cycle Game Dev & Art Creation for MechaChain – Innovative Web3 Robot Combat Mobile Game
Full-Cycle Game Dev & Art Creation for MechaChain – Innovative Web3 Robot Combat Mobile Game
MechaChain is a future space conquest and robot combat video game developed by EternalHorizons. Following the blockchain trend and seeing the future of gaming in web3, the developer undertook to combine a stylish sci-fi setting and play-to-earn features to greatly expand the gaming experience. Our team was honored to become a trusted partner of EternalHorizons in the full-cycle development of the game and some art tasks, including animation and interface design. Key Project Details Goal The client entrusted us with the full development of this game, taking into account our rich experience in creating AAA models, animations, as well as the development of P2E games. Challenge The main challenge was to get into the style and vision of the game universe – the client provided detailed information about it, as well as key concepts and references. Team Composition Full-cycle development of a large-scale P2E game required the involvement of all our key professional verticals: Unity developers, testers, game designers, concept artists, technical artists, 3D artists, 3D animators, spine animators, UI/UX artists, and sound designers. Initial Data Let’s take a look at the functionality of the project, its distinctive features, and the source material with which we started development. MechaChain project Gameplay Details As an innovative sci-fi mobile game, MechaChain has a strong and thoughtful lore. The combat robots that will be controlled by the players are divided into two factions, Assimilee and Pure-Gene, and are called mechas. The factions differ in the degree of symbiosis between the pilots and their mechas – Pure-Gene believe that it should be reduced to the necessary minimum, while Assimilee strive to merge as much as possible with their mechas to maximize their potential. Each mecha is a set of parts that are NFT collectibles. They can be purchased online with a blue card with an in-game utility token called Mechanium ($MECHA) or using Ethereum. Once fully assembled, the mecha will be able to participate in PvP battles alone or in teams 6 vs 6. Players can earn Mechanium by winning battles, as well as upgrade their robot by purchasing new NFT and non-NFT modules. They can also rent out their robots to other players and thus earn Mechanium, gather resources, craft their own weapons, and upgrade them to NFTs. Each weapon and module has 5 different rarity levels and can be upgraded to become even more powerful. MechaChain project Distinctive Features The ability to assemble a combat robot from NFT parts and its integration into in-game tokenomics with the possibility of trading and earning is a new unique mechanic that hasn’t been available in other entertainment products so far. At the same time, people who are unfamiliar with crypto and don’t have a crypto wallet can also freely play the game and earn $MECHA using the game login system. They get a basic non-NFT mecha body and a set of non-NFT modules for it. As the mecha improves, the player gets the opportunity to convert individual components into NFTs. The focus on a mobile-first approach is driven by the booming mobile market and the desire to showcase games on the blockchain to an even wider audience. Subsequently, the game will be adapted for virtual reality headsets to fully immerse players in the MechaChain metaverse. Start of Cooperation To begin with, we needed to outline the areas of responsibility of our team and the client’s team. Having turned to our full-cycle development services, the client already had: Game lore, script, and narrative.The visual concept of the game universe.Concept art of combat robots mechas. Since mecha creation was on the client side, our art task was to conceptualize and model modules that are added to mechas and give them certain characteristics, mecha weapons that allow them to inflict damage on the enemy, and individual elements of the map: hangar, environmental elements, buildings, etc. In addition, our full-cycle development tasks included: AnimationDevelopmentTestingGame designUI/UXTechnical artVFXSound MechaChain project Workflow We divided the work into 6 key stages – this allowed us to better structure large volumes of work and prioritize tasks in accordance with the objectives set at every step. 1. Discovery and GDD Phase At this stage, our team asks the client key questions about the game to form an understanding of the essence of the task and develop game design documentation with all the necessary explanations on the mechanics, systems, servers, multiplayer, and so on. Game designers have significantly detailed the initial gameplay concepts and proposed options to attract not only blockchain-savvy players to the game, but also those who have no idea about the blockchain and don’t have crypto wallets. This approach expands the potential audience and gives everyone the opportunity to try their hand at the role of a mechapilot, regardless of their knowledge in the field of blockchain. Finally, we discussed and approved 4 game mechanics available to players: Mecha customization. Players can assemble their mecha and give it the desired characteristics using different NFT and non-NFT modules.Mecha battles. Players confront a team of rivals on the territory of planets that are the deposit of a valuable Mechanium.NFT marketplace. Players can sell, buy, and rent NFT modules and entire mecha assemblies, as well as NFT land.Galactic conquest on the MechaChain console. Players can explore the space map and assess the possibilities and prospects of buying NFT land for profit. Thus, players get a wide variety of gaming activities depending on their desire to delve into the gaming universe and take advantage of its play-to-earn features. Those who are only interested in battles may focus on upgrading their mechas and participating in interplanetary confrontations, while others may be attracted by the opportunity to rent out their mechas and receive profit from the purchase of NTF land. MechaChain project 2. Project Estimate and Production Start Having received all the necessary information, we draw up a project estimate and agree on the key development stages: vertical slice, closed alpha version, open alpha version, and release. Ideally, the project should be ready for release in 18 months, but we also allow for a certain number of additional weeks in case certain changes or additions need to be implemented. 3. Vertical Slice The vertical slice stage includes the preparation and deployment of all game mechanics, allowing the client and the player to understand the main concept of the game. In fact, the result of this stage is a playable version of the game with the basic implemented features. With its help, we and the client can understand what has been done successfully and what needs to be adjusted. The implementation of the basic logic of all features consists of the following tasks: Creating art and animating mechasDrafting mapsDeveloping multiplayerAdding UI, weapons, and skills (5 active and 5 passive)Building game systems: aiming, movement, damage, etc.Creating VFX and sound In addition to working on game mechanics, we were also involved in some aspects of the art. These were modules, weapons, map elements, and animation. MechaChain project Modules Modules are technological additions to mechas, which are attached to them like elements of a constructor and provide unlimited customization possibilities. The player can customize their mecha by installing various modules that affect the characteristics of mechas (attack, defense, speed, etc.): Back modules (wings, reactors)Shoulder modules (left and right)Weapon modules (left and right forearm)Energy core The first 3 points are implemented by 3D models. The energy core is highlighted with the same color illumination on all modules. Epic rarity is accompanied by a flashing light, Legendary with additional effects. The more unique modules, the more authentic the mecha looks and the stronger the pilot becomes. The work on modules for mechas on our part was carried out by downgrading the mecha with modules of the highest rarity received from the client. What does it mean? This means that we receive the robot in a complete set with the rarest modules from the client and remove the modules one by one, bringing the mecha to the original body state. There are 5 module rarities in total in the game, from Common to Legendary. Common and Uncommon options are available for free-to-play players for in-game currency. Rare, Epic, and Legendary options are NFT assets. Accordingly, those players who want rarer modules will need to be more deeply involved in the game tokenomics. But it is quite possible to get by with non-NFT options as well. MechaChain project Weapons The weapon is the basic tool for the mechapilot to fight enemies. Of course, the sci-fi setting and interplanetary battles of the distant future imposed certain requirements on weapons – it had to be something futuristic, powerful, and at the same time authentic to the gaming lore. The creation of weapons was realized from scratch in several stages: The game designer collects references and prescribes the functionality of the weapon.The concept artist creates several weapon sketches.The art director on the client side approves the concepts.Our 3D modelers model according to approved concepts. The weapon module can be placed on the mecha’s left or right forearm. The types of weapons we develop include automatic rifles, impulse rifles, and light machine guns. Each of them has its own description and features, offering a variety of ways to fight, as well as an interesting history of creation. For example, one of the rifles was created by two engineers who later ended up on opposite sides of the barricades. One of them, the future Pure-Gene, gave it a shape and a name, and the other, the potential Assimile, worked out its functionality. MechaChain project Environment The game offers 5 planets with one battle arena on each. Level design implies 3 key areas of the map: Team A spacecraft landing zone.Team B spacecraft landing zone.Mechanium gathering area in the center of the map. The goal of the match is to get to the place of concentration of the Mechanium and destroy the opponents. The battle includes 12 players, 6 from each faction. The match ends when there are no live players left in one team, if one of the teams has obtained more than 50% of the Mechanium on the map, or when the timer expires. In this case, the victory goes to the team that has obtained more Mechanium.  In addition to the battle arenas, there are colonies on the planets belonging to different factions. Our task was to create various environment elements for combat arenas and colonies, such as spaceships for both factions, individual buildings and objects of the urban environment (benches, stairs, pillars, kiosks), Mechanium containers, and more. The game also has a workshop location, the so-called hangars, where the player can manipulate modules, view the effects, characteristics, and attacks of the collected mech, as well as repair modules damaged in battles. This is a kind of hub where players can take a break from battles and lick their wounds. We developed the appearance of the hangars for each of the two factions based on their design features and feature specifics. MechaChain project Play-To-Earn Economics The MechaChain ecosystem encourages players to participate in in-game events and receive token rewards leading to NFT ownership opportunities for the most active ones. In-game rewards will be paid out in the Mechanium, and their amount will depend on the difficulty of the tournament. Players will also be able to use tokens to access in-game assets in the form of NFTs. The game also offers extensive trading opportunities on the NFT marketplace. The player can buy and sell NFT modules and complete mechas, as well as rent them out to other players for a certain amount of time. Another important part of the economy is factories and land. The plant, one per planet, produces one component for crafting an NTF mech body or module. At the same time, each plot of land on the planet is also an NFT element and, when acquired, brings the player a part of the profit from the sales of the plant on this planet. If desired, players can resell their NFT land on the marketplace. In this way, the game encourages the player to be more deeply involved in the player’s tokenomics, since this way there is an opportunity to earn even more. 4. Closed Alpha At the closed alpha stage, our team ensures the implementation of the full logic of all features and a full-fledged multiplayer. The game is available for testing for the client. In this phase, also called closed testing, the client launches the game and runs it using all game mechanics to make sure everything works correctly. This applies to the assembly of mechas, their controls, and battles, as well as all the nuances regarding game tokenomics. The procedures for minting NFTs, buying and selling modules and whole mechas, manipulating the land, and registering players without a crypto wallet on a free-to-play basis should proceed flawlessly so that the game can be presented to the gaming community at the next stage. MechaChain project 5. Open Alpha Having received information from the client at the previous stage regarding possible wishes and adjustments, we prepare the game for presentation to the players. During the open alpha testing phase, our team polishes visual bugs and finalizes all modules and server functions. The game becomes available for testing by the project community, so all the planned features and work should be completed by this time.  After testing the game, the gaming community also issues its verdict on the overall readiness of the game for release and provides feedback with possible wishes and comments. 6. Release Thanks to the participation of the gaming community and comments from it, we are finalizing the game and fixing possible bugs. The release version is finally polished and supplemented with all the remaining features: achievements, push notifications, tutorials, and so on. This exciting moment is scheduled for February 2024. There may be delays during the development process, so the release date may move slightly. However, we can say for sure that in the first half of next year, a lot of players will be able to try on the brand new profession of mechapilot. We are looking forward to doing our best to bring this web3 mobile breakthrough closer. Value Delivered Based on the client’s vision of the game and benefiting from extensive experience in game development, our team created a game design for MechaChain, including basic game mechanics, gameplay features, and game economics (tokenomics). Taking the client’s art concepts as a foundation, we also drafted and modeled all types of game weapons, mecha modules, and map elements in accordance with the setting and the general style of the game. Deep knowledge of coding and mastering the most modern tools and approaches has given us the opportunity to ensure the successful implementation of all the necessary features in the game. Join the Mechapilot Team It will be possible to take part in space battles and assemble your mecha through the App Store and Google Play in February 2024. Without the need for an initial investment, any player will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in an ultra-modern and exciting journey that can bring real profit in addition to pure entertainment. Join the waiting list and see you in the new mecha era!
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The Exclusive Experience of Participation in a VR Project: Creating Ultra-Realistic Models for Birdly Insects
The Exclusive Experience of Participation in a VR Project: Creating Ultra-Realistic Models for Birdly Insects
The use of virtual reality in the modern world is becoming deeper and more conscious every day. Away from video games, VR technology is actively used in construction, industry and, of course, education. Over the past few years, virtuality in education has been recognized as a powerful and effective learning support tool. In particular, virtual worlds allow performing specific tasks in various settings created as scenarios for specific learning purposes. Given all this, our client, the Swiss company SOMNIACS, has placed its bet on VR by creating Birdly, a unique VR platform focused on flight simulation. A special place among the already created experiences for this platform was taken by the world’s first Birdly Insects simulator, designed as a highlight of special exhibitions in Switzerland to celebrate the 100th anniversary of BirdLife Switzerland, an organization for the protection of birds and the preservation of their habitats. The essence of the project was to create the most realistic environment in the form of a lawn filled with real species of insects, plants and birds. Our team had the honor to take part in the creation of 3D models for this simulator. Project Goal: Creating 3D Realistic Models for the VR Experience The Birdly Insects simulator was part of the special exhibition “Insects – secret heroes” at the BirdLife nature center in Neerach, and also the highlight of the new BirdLife traveling exhibition “Take off for Biodiversity”, which took place in about 50 locations in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland over the course of several months. For its 100th anniversary, BirdLife Switzerland decided to raise awareness of the importance of environmental infrastructure for Switzerland. The Birdly Insects project had a special purpose – to draw public attention to the importance of insects in the planetary ecosystem and the problem of their extinction, which would lead to ecological catastrophe. To do this, it was necessary to completely immerse visitors in the habitat of insects and invite them to take on the role of one of these insects. Feel like a butterfly – fly over the flower meadow and explore the wonderful world of insects and plants up close. The grassy landscape turns into an adventurous jungle, and only constant attention, caution, and observation will help you pass through them unscathed. Wearing a virtual reality headset, visitors were supposed to turn into a butterfly and fully explore the world around them. “Insect death is a reality. The older generation keeps telling us how the windshield of the car used to be full of insects – but where are they now?” asks Stefan Heller, head of the BirdLife Nature Center in Neeracherried. It was the complete realism of the environment that visitors embraced with the help of the VR platform that could help them realize and feel all the vicissitudes and dangers of the life of an insect. Every blade of grass, every stamen and every scale of an insect must be visible. To achieve such lifelike realism, SOMNIACS asked for help from our 3D specialists, who had a lot of experience in modeling. Simulator Uniqueness Compared to Previous Experience Despite the fact that our team has repeatedly worked with VR projects, Birdly Insects was a completely different case. Unlike other commercial or gaming projects, the key feature of this simulator was absolute lifelike realism, breathing and spellbinding. It was a prerequisite for visitors to be able to fully immerse themselves in the world of wildlife. To achieve this, our team was provided with numerous references, which included: Photos of real insects, birds and plants from different angles.Links to video materials demonstrating the movements of insects and birds in different situations. “We were tasked with creating the most detailed and most realistic 3D models of insects, birds, and plants. We also made animations for insects and birds. The basis for this was the realistic habits of these insects and birds in wildlife,” the PM of the project says. An additional advantage was the participation in the project of natural scientists and biologists, who provided qualified feedback on the correctness of displaying various details of the models. Collaboration Process and Pipeline Optimization “The main character is a black and white butterfly. You see the whole world around through the eyes of this butterfly. Hyper-realism is necessary for a clear immersion in the environment and awareness of proportions: the bird looks big compared to the butterfly, the bushes and grass look like a jungle for the butterfly, it can see every thorn, every leaf and flower as close as possible. We tried to ensure that when people got to know this world, they would see it as real, existing,” the PM recalls. Our work was divided into two key blocks – the creation of models and their animation. In turn, modeling included the creation of insects, plants and birds. So the team structure looked like this: 3D environment artists creating models of plants and insects.3D character (bird) artists creating models of birds.3D animators creating animations for all created models. We applied the classic pipeline to produce highly realistic models: Approving brief.Creating a high poly model.Creating a low poly model.UV mapping and baking.Texturing. Before the start of each new stage, the results of the previous one were agreed upon with the client. Given the different complexity of the models, they were created at different speeds, and the artists worked in parallel, presenting the results as they were ready. For example, creating a bird took much more time than modeling a wasp. After the models were approved, the animators got involved. Using real-life shots of birds and insects, they implemented a wide range of different movements for the models. The pipeline for creating 3D animation consisted of the following steps: Rigging, skinning.Animation. Thanks to detailed references and feedback from qualified experts in the required species, our team was able to create the most realistic models and seamlessly fit them into the required environment. The Result of the Work Work on the VR project Birdly Insects lasted 3 months. During this time, our team created 23 full-fledged models of plants, insects, and birds with animation. Fast and stable operation was established thanks to a detailed brief, clear references, quick feedback and an optimized pipeline with no downtime. We succeeded in high realism of the created models, which allowed us to achieve the key goals of the customer and make the simulator as immersive as possible so that visitors could fully experience the life of an insect. The simulator was enthusiastically received by many museums in different Swiss cities and attracted wide public attention to the role of insects in the world’s ecosystem. 
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How to Spice up Match-3 Games With 2D Animation
How to Spice up Match-3 Games With 2D Animation
Match-3 games are one of the most popular genres, which does not stop replenishing with new samples with a variety of art. Whatever the setting, the mechanics remain the same – the game world consists of a table or grid of elements, and the player’s task is to manipulate the elements in such a way that the template combinations specified by the game match, and after the condition is met, the collected elements disappear. Match-3 games are classified as casual, they are quite simple, do not tire the player and allow relaxing after a working day, passing the time in line or transport, or competing with friends. Librasoftworks is a Turkish game studio that makes casual games, and the best of them is a match-3 game called Joy Blast. To make it as attractive and appealing to the player as possible, it needed a lively and eye-catching animation. This became the task of the 2D animation team of Kevuru Games. GOAL CHALLENGE TEAM COMPOSITION Character animation for a casual match-3 game Create 2D animation for game characters: fox, bear and bunny Lead 2D animator     2D animators     Project manager Initial Data The key initial information was the art of the game’s characters provided by the client. The essence of the game itself, its mechanics, locations and style were also clear, so the 2D animation team immediately got to work. The task was to create two types of animation – in-game and pop-up. The in-game animation dealt with all the in-game movement of the characters. Pop-up animation is the addition of character movements in a special pop-up window that appears after a certain player action: completing a level, moving to a new area, and so on. Workflow Taking into account the availability of all the necessary art, the work was very quick and easy. After a couple of first approved animations, our team understood what approach was required and did all the necessary work in 1 month. Communication took place daily with the founder of the studio, who monitored progress and gave feedback. Whenever we had questions or clarifications, the response from the client was immediate, allowing us to minimize downtime and avoid work at random. Value Delivered For 1 month of work, our 2D animation team made all the necessary in-name and pop-up animation for the characters of the casual match-3 game. Communication was detailed and positive, thanks to which it was possible to achieve results that satisfied the client in a short time. Conclusion Creating art and animation for modern match-3 games can be a big challenge. Judge for yourself – almost every third game in markets is a variation on match-3, the competition is huge, the presentation varies from the story of a man restoring his mansion to an RPG story with the destruction of zombies. At the same time, match-3 games for mobile devices have a special magnetism, since it is impossible to complete one level and postpone the game for later. As statistics show, more than 76% of users who started playing this type of mobile application do not stop after 10-15 completed levels. Of particular interest and excitement is the complexity of the game, which increases with each level passed. In order to capture the attention of the player in such a highly competitive environment, you need to come up with an interesting story and offer players bright and eye-catching art. Animation plays an important role. It allows players to immerse themselves in the game world, believe in the story, empathize with the characters and strive to help them achieve their goals. We look at each game as a story and try to bring to it the maximum of our capabilities, based on many years of experience and passion for the gaming industry. If you want to create games that resonate with players, stand out from the crowd, encourage players to return to them again and again, stimulate interest in learning more about the developer, but do not know how to do it – just contact us. We have gathered game designers, artists and programmers who know all ins and outs of the game industry and the psychology of the players – they are aware of what people are looking for in games and why they download them. We will help you bring your idea into the world. Drop us a line and let’s implement it together.
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Guild of Guardians: 2D Avatars for the NFT Marketplace
Guild of Guardians: 2D Avatars for the NFT Marketplace
Recently, NFTs have been increasingly used in video games due to the huge amounts of money they bring in. The Play-to-Earn industry is actively developing. Blockchain technology has organically fit into the mechanics of multiplayer games and has expanded the possibilities for users both in terms of immersion in the game world and in terms of opportunities for real income. Guild of Guardians is a mobile RPG where players can team up and compete in a guild to earn epic tradable rewards. The game is scheduled to launch in Q1 2022 and already has over 130K players on the waiting list. Our task was to create 2D digital avatars for players that would be set as their profile pictures and could be purchased on the NFT marketplace. GOAL CHALLENGE TEAM COMPOSITION Game monetization using NFT avatars that can be purchased on the marketplace Create 2D traits of creatures of different races to form digital avatars Project manager   Create an algorithm for generating avatars from individual traits Creative director     Concept artists     Unity developer Initial Data The key initial information was the game itself. Guild of Guardians is built on the Immutable X platform developed by the blockchain company Immutable. It has already established itself as an active player in the gaming blockchain market by releasing the successful Gods Unchained card game. In turn, the Immutable X cryptocurrency it created is the first Ethereum layer two solution for NFTs on Ethereum with instant trade confirmation, significant scalability (up to 9,000+ trades per second), and zero gas rate without compromising user data storage. Our team had to create 2D digital avatars that would be minted as NFTs and could be purchased on the Immutable X marketplace. These avatars could be used by players as their profile pictures and avatars on social media and messaging sites such as Twitter and Discord. Players would also have the option to sell their avatars to other players. Avatars had to match the style of the game and include creatures of different races: goblin, orc, ogre, human, elf, demon, skeleton, dragonborn, and serpentkin. They had to be randomly generated from different traits, characteristics, and styles. The customer had a brief and references, but they did not fit the style. Therefore, first of all, it was necessary to adapt to the game style and find a visual approach that would suit the customer. Workflow The client identified 2 key phases of work: Creation of mockups, style guide or moodboard on the style of future avatars.Creation of avatar concepts with different traits, characteristics and styles, randomly combined via engineering work. Accordingly, the first stage of work was to find a suitable visual style for avatars. The client had the following requirements: Plain background colours. Visible face and torso.Appealing traits without negative: no crying, beatings, sadness, etc.No gender bias.True to the Guild of Guardian style without duplicating it.Obvious and intuitive rarity – it should only take a glance for the player to figure out which hero is rarer. The team offered various options, and ultimately the design was approved. The choice was made in favor of an angular design in the spirit of the low poly style, characterized by an emphasis on the use of geometric shapes and the fragmentation of real objects into stereometric primitives. The subject of discussion was the attributes of the characters behind their backs: swords, axes, wings, and so on. Their original size required them to be taken outside the borders of the avatar, which seemed unacceptable to the client. In this regard, it was decided to reduce all such attributes so that their main part remained within eyeshot. Initially, the client wanted to create one trait for all characters. However, we showed that this was impossible since each race had a different head shape and facial features. In addition, some traits were only available to men or women. It was necessary to adjust the traits for each race. Our Unity developer created a custom algorithm that combined artist-created traits from different races to generate full-fledged images. Communication mainly took place with the marketing manager, who evaluated the results of the work. The final versions of the avatars were approved by the game director. Value Delivered For 2 months of work on the project, our artists, together with the Unity developer, succeeded in generating more than 40 thousand avatars. We created a huge number of traits in the following categories: Head shape.Headdress.Eyes.Mouth.Body.Back.Background FX.Background color. Thanks to the algorithm created by our developer, the combination of different traits and attributes of characters was implemented as quickly and efficiently as possible. Conclusion The number and quality of NFT games continue to increase. More and more game developers are trying their hand in this direction. Given the popularity of games such as Axie Infinity, it can be noted that many players favorably accept the integration of the blockchain into the gaming environment. However, there are still many questions regarding the rules for the sale and use of such assets in marketplaces and their scope. Therefore, when developing NFT games, it is important to carefully study their specifics or choose reliable and experienced partners who have implemented NFT cases under their belt. Kevuru Games quickly picked up the NFT trend and has already implemented several similar projects. In particular, the team took part in the creation of characters for the FPS game Undead Blocks on the Ethereum network. The team boasts specialists who are well versed in the blockchain and its integration into games, as well as a carefully written pipeline both for creating individual NFT attributes for a finished game, and for developing an NFT game from scratch. if you also consider NFT a promising direction, but have questions or need help in implementing your idea, feel free to drop us a line – together we will implement any of your concepts and make it work.
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Your Food Majesty or 2D Environment Satisfying Visual Hunger
Your Food Majesty or 2D Environment Satisfying Visual Hunger
Mia Games is an Israeli mobile game developer that has grown from a small company of game enthusiasts to a well-known game studio in Tel Aviv. Artists, designers and programmers have gathered to have a good time and unleash the inner child of all gamers who come into contact with their games. Inspired by the genre of merge games, the studio founded the Merge Lords direction. It included a number of games with different themes: cars, fashion, food, etc. And when they needed help redesigning one of these types of games, our team came to the rescue. GOAL CHALLENGE TEAM COMPOSITION Creating 2D locations in accordance with the game concept Create a 2D environment for food court and amusement park locations Project manager Increasing game variety with new food courts and attractionsCreate food courts for different types of cuisineLead 2D environment artist Boosting player engagement by increasing the amount of game contentCreate multiple types of amusement park rides2D environment artists Redesigning 3D content in 2D while maintaining key featuresCreate companion props for the food court and amusement areaArt director Initial Data The merge game genre is not new, it features games that overlap with many other genres. Merge games involve combining resources and other elements to create completely new elements that are critical to the gameplay. In some of these games, you may need to combine 3 or more items, similar to match-3. In other cases, you may only need to concatenate two or more elements. What makes merge games so special is their ability to keep the player hooked, wanting to know what update the next merger will produce. It was the constant interest and passion of the players that became the main priority of Mia Games when they developed Merge Lords: Foodcourts. In this game, players had to manage food courts, combine them, sell food and expand their food network. Initially made in 3D, the game seemed to the developers not bright enough and appealing. A large number of 3D elements turned out to be cumbersome and made the casual game heavy and clumsy. Therefore, it was decided to transform it into 2D. The client provided a list of desired food courts: Asian food, hot dogs, ramen, pizza, and more. Their visual representation in the game was completely left to the artists. Workflow The process of working on locations was as follows: Providing several options for sketches for food courts.Making corrections and recommendations.Location approval.Location coloring.Location rendering.Preparing for animation. Due to the fact that the customer continues to think about the optimal presentation of the location with food courts, there is no final render – the work was limited to approved sketches in the amount of 18 ready-made food courts. The customer plans to add a 2D constructor to the location, allowing players to customize the space and add trees, flowerpots, fences and other elements at their discretion, as well as to make a combination of 2D and 3D – leave 3D figures of people who are food buyers in the game. After the players complete the work on the food courts, they get access to the second location – an amusement park with carousels and other types of entertainment. Our team completed work on this location up to the rendering according to the above pipeline. In addition to locations and their content, our artists developed a juicy appealing logo for the game, as well as a bright and eye-catching splash screen that perfectly represented the essence and atmosphere of the game. For the customer, speed was a priority. Therefore, the original team of one environment artist gradually expanded to three people. Delivery took place every day – every day, one artist provided the client with three versions of the sketch for consideration. And if the approval of the location itself without filling was a matter of one week, then the work on countless elements of food courts, attractions, trees, fountains and benches significantly increased the time required to complete the project. For example, coloring elements took half a day, and rendering took several days. From the client side, their art director was the communicative link. He contacted our lead
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Star Wars: May the Force of 3D Character Design Be With You [Case Study]
Star Wars: May the Force of 3D Character Design Be With You [Case Study]
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, with the light hand of George Lucas, a media franchise was born that was destined to turn the previously boring genre of space fiction upside down and be firmly imprinted in the memory of many generations. It’s about Star Wars – not just a space opera, but a whole universe that has absorbed millions of enthusiastic viewers and players and is constantly serving as a source of incredible inspiration. About Star Wars – not just a fantasy saga, but a cultural phenomenon that can reach any audience with the relative simplicity of the story itself. About Star Wars – not just a collection of films and games, but the most powerful cult work that sets the bar for all the fantastic stories in the world. Time for statistics. Star Wars is: The second highest-grossing franchise in history.The fifth highest-grossing media franchise.The first of the most influential fantastic universes, uniting people and changing their worlds. Not to mention the number of games for PC, consoles, and mobile devices based on the universe, the number of which has long exceeded one hundred. One of which we were lucky enough to touch from the inside. And before we completely turn our storytelling into an ode to the franchise, it’s time to make a statement – Kevuru’s 3D team was honored to work on three characters for the new immersive VR-based game Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge. And we really want to talk about it. GOAL CHALLENGE TEAM COMPOSITION Creating 3D characters in accordance with the provided concepts Create 3D models of warriors and droids with alternate armor colors. BizDev managerProject manager Lead 3D character artist 3D character artists Initial Data Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge is a project by Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB effects studio popularizing interactive storytelling through virtual reality and mixed reality. The game is made in the genre of action-adventure in virtual reality, in which the player has to go into the wilds of the planet Batuu and plunge into a semi-open world with the main plot, side activities, resource gathering, and impressive shooting mechanics. The player takes on the role of a droid mechanic who finds himself at the wrong time and in the wrong place and incites the wrath of the local Guavian Death Gang. Pursued by a group of mercenaries, the hero is forced to find a way to fight back the army of pirates, along the way helping iconic characters of the Star Wars universe in the fight against the resurgent Empire. The game is currently exclusive to the Oculus Quest handheld helmets. Workflow In addition to the Guavian security soldier, which was created as part of the test task, we needed to model two characters: the human Boggs Henchman and the Attsmun Industries Droid. Working on a human meant modeling organic textures, while a robot was a hard surface object with metal and mechanical parts. At the beginning of the work, the pipeline was approved, in accordance with which a specific task was coordinated at each stage. At the first stages of blocking and high poly, calls with the client took place every day: we made daily delivery of the results of our work and immediately implemented the necessary edits and updates. Working in this format, we could instantly understand what the client wanted from us and quickly implement the necessary corrections without wasting time on interpretations that did not coincide with the client’s vision. Later, when the process was completely stabilized, we called up once a week. The daily progress check remained unchanged so that the client could see what we were doing during the working day. The results were delivered through Lucasfilm’s dedicated internal system. It provided complete security and control over the storage of information. The feedback process was built in the format of edits on top: we shared our assets as screenshots, and the client displayed the necessary edits right on top of these screenshots, like on a whiteboard. Thus, we could easily see where where we went wrong with element spacing or placement and quickly correct the model. The stages of creating the models were standard: we evaluated the work, agreed on the estimate, approved the team, assigned tasks, and started working. The production consisted of 6 phases: Blocking. Creation of the general proportions of the character’s body, the length and width of the arms, legs, head volume, and more.High poly. Work on the details, from the clothing of the human character to the knots and mechanical connections of the droid.Retopology. Model optimization for better gaming performance in polygon reduction format.UV mapping and baking. Transferring a volumetric form to a plane to prepare the model for texturing.Texturing. Applying desired textures: three color options for Boggs Henchman and two for the droid.Levels of detail. Creation of several variants of characters with different levels of detail, which are switched depending on the distance of the object from the virtual camera. After the end of the work, the client suggested adding us to the credits as a production team. It was not just a pleasant gesture for us, but a recognition of equal partnership. And it was logical, given that throughout the project we worked in the most polite and respectful atmosphere, where each artist was considered and appreciated as a master of his craft. Value Delivered After a month of intensive work, our team succeeded in creating authentic models that completely satisfied the client. Thanks to a finely tuned LOD creation process, the models were ideally optimized for maximum performance in VR, which was known to require rendering from 90 frames per second for each eye. Each character and detail of his appearance was created in accordance with the specifics of his game role and biography. So, the droid, as an expensive mechanism with a high level of maintenance, looked very well-groomed. However, due to its combat nature and the need to often move off-road, it had certain stains and scratches on the bottom of the legs. Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge was released on November 19, 2020, and received a warm welcome. Players and critics alike commented on the diverse and dynamic game world, great immersion, wonderfully written dialogue, and great, well-crafted graphics that harnessed the full potential of Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2. Noting the rather clear hint of a sequel and the high likelihood of future DLCs, players expressed a strong desire to continue their game journey, complaining that the end credits appeared too soon. Volumetric Bottom Line Working with Lucasfilm has left a lasting impression on our 3D team. Each of the artists is a fan of the Star Wars franchise and has their own top films, games and sources of inspiration related to this universe. The understanding of its specificity and the feeling of great respect for it gave impetus to the most enthusiastic and painstaking creation of models that fit perfectly into the environment. Character work has always been special to us. After all, this is not just the creation of an abstract model, but the embodiment of individuality, a personality with a unique history, character, behavior, and reaction to what is happening. Every nuance of the biography is reflected in certain details, every battle leaves its mark. To touch the legendary universe from the inside is a responsibility and an honor on a literally cosmic scale, and we are extremely grateful to Lucasfilm for their trust and amazing cooperation. Being part of a world-class project, working on a franchise that generations grew up with, was an incredible adventure that we would like to repeat again. And now it’s time for new challenges and game worlds. Perhaps yours? Be sure to contact us if you already have an idea on ​​how to add fire to the gaming industry, be it a formed concept or a vague image. We’ll advise, design, shape, polish your intent, and together launch a brand new product that – who knows – may also turn someone’s world upside down.
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4224
Comics Bob and Co. or Aerobatics of Cave Animation [Case Study]
Comics Bob and Co. or Aerobatics of Cave Animation [Case Study]
The hyper casual party continues in the gaming segment. According to Sensor Tower, downloads for hyper casual games have grown from 7 billion to nearly 12 billion since 2020, and ad revenues have exceeded $ 3 billion. It is no wonder that this niche remains incredibly important for all market players and very competitive for everyone who wants to get into the gaming segment: it is becoming more and more difficult to create something interesting and standout. But SayGames are doing well. To date, hyper casual games publisher SayGames has released over 40 games with 2+ billion downloads worldwide. Every game they release has a high rating and tens of thousands of comments. The bar is high, so every new game should be flawless both in terms of addictive gameplay and eye-catching visual content. SayGames has selected renowned experts in game animation to add some liveliness to its new arcade puzzle game Comics Bob with non-trivial choice-based gameplay. And our team gladly agreed to help. GOAL CHALLENGE TEAM COMPOSITION Development of original heroes’ movements for visualization of different scenarios Work out 2D animation of the main and minor characters for different scenarios BizDev managerProject managerLead 2D animator2D animators Initial Data Comics Bob is a funny, colorful and very addicting arcade puzzle game in which players will act on behalf of Bob the caveman and his girlfriend Jess who constantly find themselves in various difficult situations. Due to their modest intellectual abilities, heroes cannot find the best way out on their own, so the players will have to use their brain resources to help them handle circumstances that that are quite strange at times. Bob looking for a space dog A key feature of the game is humor, which makes even the wrong choice look very funny. Simple controls, relaxed atmosphere, colorful graphics and a humorous presentation can easily cheer up gamers of any age. There are now 62 episodes in the game: the final ones are scheduled for the near future. Players note the freshness of the idea and the positive atmosphere, regret that the game ends too quickly and say that they want more. Each episode has 2 or 3 checkpoints where the player must make a choice that will affect whether Bob or his girlfriend can advance further. The choice is sometimes quite unclear, and in case of failure, you will have to start the level again. But even the wrong scenarios are drawn so amusingly that the error does not cause any negative reaction. Moreover, many players deliberately choose the obviously absurd option in order to see what happens. Jess trying to fix a vase The deadline was quite tough: despite the fact that the game was released back in March, the SayGames team in parallel continued to work on the next levels, which were gradually appearing in the game. Work on the episode began with a clear assignment, which contained a comic-like description of the episode’s plot and the consequences of each choice, as well as links to all the necessary art assets and icons. For our part, we could offer certain minor variations in the presentation of the animation in order to make it look more impressive or funny, but the basic concept remained unchanged. In addition, we had access to the materials of the ready-made levels, which helped us quickly adapt to the required animation style. Workflow At the initial stages of work, we prepared the animation for each checkpoint of the episode separately: it was necessary not only to implement the actions of the characters conceived according to the script, but also to comply with the general animation style of the ready-made episodes. We provided the client with animation, received feedback and, if necessary, corrected certain aspects. Then, when we got used to the desired style and the need for adjustments disappeared, it became possible to prepare the whole episode in full and provide it for the client to check. This greatly accelerated the work. The client got the opportunity to get a complete picture of the episode and evaluate how correctly and smoothly the animation was made. In addition to the main character Bob, the game includes his girlfriend, whom the player has to control at several levels, as well as several secondary characters that appear in accordance with the scenario. These are: an insidious saber-toothed tiger, constantly striving to play dirty tricks on Bob and juggle away his girlfriend, dressed up in a business suit;a multi-professional monkey whose specialization ranges from a sushi master to a medic and even a police officer;many-eyed aliens with incomprehensible intentions and creepy devices;the second cavewoman, trying to brazenly get into the relationship between Bob and his girlfriend;Mouseman – Mickey-like analogue of Batman, who comes to the rescue at the right time;and the final antagonist of the game – the giant green octopus who kidnapped Bob. Simple fauna is also enough here: a mammoth (moonlighting as a bartender in a local club), a lamb, deer, pterodactyl, snakes, fish, cat, bees, etc. While on another planet, Bob meets an adorable space dog who becomes his companion and assistant. All of these characters also required their animation approach. On average, it took us from 60 to 90 hours to create one episode, depending on whether there are 2 or 3 checkpoints with 2 choice options. Accordingly, communacation with the client of the completed work on one episode took place every one and a half to two and a half weeks. Value Delivered For 3.5 months of work, we made 12 full-length episodes, including animation of Bob and other characters. The well-coordinated work allowed us to easily fit into the required time frame and deliver a result that completely satisfied the client. At this stage, work on Comics Bob is completed: the creators have put a logical point in the narrative. The current result is impressive: an average rating of 4 in Google Play with over 105,000 ratings and comments, and 4.6 in App Store with 18,000 ratings and comments. At the same time, the company always listens to the players and quickly implements patches and updates, which, besides adding new levels, improve the gameplay and remove bugs. Conclusion Players love hyper casual entertainment products for the simplicity and addictiveness of the gameplay, fast loading, short game loop and the ability to instantly engage a bored mind with something, whether it’s a simple puzzle, a bright simulator, an intriguing arcade game or an exciting race. And our team is always happy to have a hand in the visual design of the game, which is downloaded by millions of users. Stay connected with Kevuru Games: we have many more stories to tell. And be sure to drop us a couple of lines if you understand that it is no longer possible to keep your game idea locked up – it strives for freedom. Together we will make it shine.
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7185
Saving King Arthur: When 2D Art and Voice Come Together [Case Study]
Saving King Arthur: When 2D Art and Voice Come Together [Case Study]
Voice technology is not yet a very common technology in the gaming industry, but some advanced developers have long noticed this great opportunity to breathe more life into games and achieve amazing engagement. One of the pioneers of voice direction is the Portuguese company Doppio, which harness the power of voice to create vivid and addictive gameplay. Voice Quest, created exclusively for Google Assistant, is a story in a unique format that allows players to immerse themselves in the medieval atmosphere of the Knights of the Round Table and become a key character influencing the outcome of events. The main task is to save King Arthur from the tenacious grip of insidious Morgana, who decides to seize power. Such a story, of course, requires an appropriate visual presentation that transports players to the correct era and dynamically changes as they develop. The creation of authentic characters, environments, and other game art elements became the main mission of the Kevuru Games team. GOAL CHALLENGE TEAM COMPOSITION Stimulating the interest of players with a bright splash screen that reveals some of the gameplay detailsCreate 2D art for characters, backgrounds and splash screenLead 2D artist   Thinking over the background in accordance with the medieval settingWork out 2D animation of the main character and his enemies Lead 2D animator Working out the images of key participants in the story with the addition of unique features following the plot   2D artists   Creating images of enemies with different abilities and strengths from low-level to high-level   2D animators Animating key movements of the main character and his enemies   Project manager Initial Data The tight deadlines and a decent amount of work led to the formation of a rather large team for this project. Doppio provided the concept of the necessary characters to be finalized and animated, as well as the wishes for the background image, which was supposed to have a side-scrolling effect. Our team of artists was given considerable freedom of imagination:the client was open to suggestions for interpreting the characters and representing their movements. In his dangerous and difficult adventure, the protagonist faces different types of enemies who are trying to prevent him from reaching King Arthur. To defeat them, the player must manage to shout the correct spells, which are created by combining elements of nature – air, earth, water or fire – with an action word. Players have more than 2500 witchcraft options at their disposal. Of course, players also need to keep an eye on their mana level to use it for the right spells for the rest of the current round. A separate task was to develop icons for Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, and the main character. The first three were created on the basis of the main characteristics of the characters given by the story: beautiful and insidious Morgana, brave but slightly self-centered Arthur, and experienced and wise Merlin. The main character, like each of his enemies, had to have his own unique set of animations for movement, idle state, battle, and more. The animation team designed all these movements from scratch, offering the client different options that best suited various types of characters. Workflow To optimize the character creation process, we synchronized the work of 2D artists and animators, dividing them into pairs and entrusting them to work out specific characters. This allowed us to significantly speed up the work and almost simultaneously submit all the necessary characters for consideration. The implementation of the side-scrolling effect of the protagonist’s journey was achieved with the help of a seamless road: thanks to skillful looping, we created an infinity effect, supported by new enemies that appear at each new level. When working on animation, it was necessary to take into account the specific physique of each character, so the animators offered several options for their vision of their movements. Work was in progress on animating an idle state, walking, attacking with a spell and without it, defending, hitting, and celebrating victory. Giving characteristic movements to enemies appearing on the screen allows the player to assess their possible strength and prepare in advance for battle. For example, skeletons, which are not the strongest opponents, move slowly and rather clumsily, while the Black Knight is a much more agile, fast, and dangerous opponent. Our artists also thought over a splash screen. This is the image that appears on the screen while loading the game. It partially reveals the gameplay, showing the main character from the back, the road on which he moves, and the enemies blocking his path. The logo developed by us consists of the name of the game and an emblem that unites the four elements of nature. The font and style of the logo were chosen with an emphasis on Celtic symbolism. Thanks to daily communication with the client and the regular provision of the results of the work, the process of creating art and animation went very quickly and smoothly. All wishes and corrections from the client’s side were implemented immediately after the discussion and presented the next day. Value Delivered In less than a month, our team managed to do a lot of work, including icons, splash screen, art, and animation of the main character and his enemies, as well as a looped background. With our suggestion to remove some of the violent elements such as blood and gore from some of the enemies, the game managed to get past the 18+ age limit and reach a much larger audience of potential players. The quick and well-coordinated work of artists and animators made it possible to complete the project even ahead of schedule. Voice Quest is now available for selected smart displays like the Google Nest Hub or Android devices and tablets with built-in Google Assistant. The game has 30 levels available in the Woodlands location and more levels are expected to be released in future updates. Conclusion Voice games are an impressive new word in the virtual entertainment industry. The use of voice commands in the gameplay allows players to better immerse themselves in the story, feel their involvement in what is happening, and influence the outcome of the story. Our team is very grateful to Doppio for the opportunity to have a hand in creating 2D art and animation for a game in such an innovative format. Don’t be afraid to embody interesting ideas and follow the latest technological trends: Kevuru Games will be a reliable support in all your endeavors in any aspect of game development.
15 min
4749
Claire Hart: Mysterious Aesthetics of Hidden Object Games [Case Study]
Claire Hart: Mysterious Aesthetics of Hidden Object Games [Case Study]
Each online gaming platform claims to be unique. Someone is trying to show off famous brands, someone talks about an unprecedented number of games on their resourse. But Pogo doesn’t have to pretend or brag – this is a truly unique online casual games website that looks down at the rest from a great height of its 22 years of experience. As for the owner, it is an American video game company Electronic Arts. Such combinations make Pogo immune to competition. Claire Hart is the most famous hidden object game on the Pogo site. In it, players need to join a discerning girl named Claire, who uses her unique telepathic abilities to unravel mysterious cases and find evidence that nobody knew. The overwhelming success of the first part was the reason for the appearance of the second, called Claire Hart: Secret in the Shadows. New plot twists and puzzles again challenge players to unravel the mysteries of objects that hide their light and dark stories. And only Claire can figure them out. New chapters and new stories equal new locations, each of which must capture the player no less than the previous one. Not just maintaining a high level, but also constantly surpassing it is exactly the task to the liking of our Kevuru Games team. So we got along well with Pogo, taking on the challenge of creating a huge kaleidoscope of new locations for the second Claire game. After all, the best detective journey is the one that has acquired the appropriate visual representation. GOALCHALLENGE TEAM COMPOSITIONCreating visual accompaniment of new game chapters and plot twistsCreate new locationsLead 2D artistStimulating player interest through tricky placement of hidden objectsCome up with hidden objects to match the style of the location2D artistsRetention of experienced players and attraction of new onesOrganically place hidden objects on the locationProject manager Initial Data The creation of new locations with hidden objects is based on the plot that defines Claire’s journey through the city, countries, continents, and sometimes even over different eras. The most important thing for the team of 2D artists is to understand the background of the heroine’s arrival at the location and directly the specifics of this place. All this information is provided by the client in the form of a brief. The brief contains a summary of how Claire got to this place and what kind of atmosphere it should be imbued with. The client provides references for rooms and locations, the style of which the team should focus on. An important aspect is the indication whether it is day or night – this information ensures a smooth and consistent storyline. The team comes up with the hidden objects separately, taking into account the style of the location. The only condition is the presence of one mandatory search subject, which is indicated in the brief and serves as a special link in the plot. Workflow Communication and approval of locations took place in Basecamp. At the first stage, the team analyzed the references and, based on them, created the concept of the location in the form of a photo collage. If it suited the client, the artists proceeded to the next stage of creating the background in black and white. After approval, it was colored in accordance with the setting and atmosphere that needed to be achieved. And already at the last stage, the location was filled with objects. The hidden objects were created separately and placed on the location so that it looked organic, but at the same time it was not too easy to find them. This helped to maintain the optimal balance of mental tension and player interest. There were usually about 50-52 hidden objects in one location. After all objects were placed, the location was transferred to the client for final approval. Since the artists were working on several locations at the same time, usually they were submitted for consideration in 3 pieces – this is exactly the number of locations that make up one chapter of the game. In a month, our team created materials for two chapters, that is, 6 locations. Concepting. Creation of a concept of a future location according to the instructions and references of the client Background in black and white. Drawing the background in b/w according to the approved concept and styleBackground in color. Coloring the background with requirements for the atmosphere of the location in mindCreating objects. Thinking over and depicting objects in accordance with the style of the locationPlacing objects. Organic, balanced, yet non-obvious placement of drawn hidden objects at the location Value Delivered For more than 2 years of cooperation with Pogo, our team has created over 150 unique and diverse locations and countless hidden objects. Claire Hart: Secret in the Shadows has already become 2020’s first Game of the Month on Club Pogo and continues to attract hundreds of players with its riddles every day. No location is like the previous one. In the game, you will find a range of places that is in no way inferior to many real ones. There are old mansions, huge shops, stylish offices, classic hotels, distinctive streets of different cities of the world, restaurants, bars, picturesque gardens and parks and much more. All of them allow the best visualization of Claire’s journey and investigation, completely immersing the players in the story and not giving them a single chance to leave the game before the mystery is solved. Hidden … and Found Conclusion Let us tell you a secret: hidden objects games are our special passion. They have their unique specifics and enigmatic atmosphere, putting the player in detective’s shoes, eager to solve the mystery and get to the bottom of the truth. So it’s not for nothing that we have placed hidden objects games in a drop us a few words. Together we will create something absolutely fantastic, rest assured.
15 min
6213
Character Concepts That Rocked Fortnite Players [Case Study]
Character Concepts That Rocked Fortnite Players [Case Study]
A cultural phenomenon, that’s how the online video game Fortnite is called. It quickly broke into the gaming world in 2017 and without further ado began to gain jaw-dropping momentum. Available in three versions of game modes sharing the common gameplay and game engine – Fortnite: Save the World, Fortnite: Battle Royale and Fortnite: Creative – the game became especially popular thanks to the Battle Royale version, which attracted more than 250 million players worldwide and received several prestigious awards. Battle Royale invites players to take part in a massive battle on a vast map – alone or in groups of two to four people, exterminating or avoiding the other players’ characters until there is only one winner left on the map. The player can choose a different appearance of the character – a skin purchased with in-game currency. Skins are a separate culture that constantly stirs up the interest of players: they want their character to look good, and if a partner or rival enters the game in a newfangled or menacingly mesmerizing skin, then they certainly need to look no worse! The need to hold attention and engage players has led to the need to ensure a steady stream of new skins. Epic Games decided to team up with Kevuru Games to create new exclusive concepts for them. And it happened in the following way. GOAL CHALLENGE TEAM COMPOSITION Triggering and maintaining the interest of newcomers Create concept arts of new skins Art director Lead concept artist Retaining and engaging old hands Concept artists Increasing the number of in-game purchases Project manager Initial Data The peculiarity of skins circulation in the game is that there is no need to spend real money to get them: there is a special in-game currency V-Bucks, which can be obtained for completing missions, tasks, and just for entering the game. Therefore, on the part of the players, there is no prejudice or annoyance towards skins, as happens with all sorts of game features that require a donation in order to unlock them. Players are very fond of skins and carefully collect in-game currency to buy what they like. Therefore, Epic Games chose the correct optimization path for working with them, creating a unified knowledge base with all the standards and reference information for producing new skins. This allowed them to unify the basic requirements for skins and get rid of fragmentary interpretations. To ensure correct operation, our partner provided us with access to the knowledge base. With it, our concept artists were able to create concepts with strict guidelines for style, color, and parameters set by Epic Games. When creating some of the concepts, our team was given complete freedom of imagination, which we actively used to demonstrate our creativity and deep expertise. Epic Games’ trust and openness to dialogue allowed our artists to make suggestions and corrections even to those concepts for which the client initially had a specific vision. Many of our team’s ideas regarding colors, equipment, and weapon handling techniques were received with enthusiasm, overshadowing the initial ideas. Workflow A distinctive feature of cooperation with Epic Games was full access to all skins ever created without any restrictions. Thanks to this, the artists quickly got their bearings in the main thematic style that needed to be followed, and immediately got to work. Intermediate approvals and discussions with representatives of Epic Games took place almost daily: our team provided about three works at various stages of implementation per day and took an active part in the discussion of possible additions or recommendations. About the Created Concepts: Personal Profile Astra She is the star of any shootout. Beautiful, agile, and dangerous, she successfully combines innate talents and skills acquired in battles to demonstrate truly cosmic pirouettes to stunned enemies. Her speed is disarming, and the outfit is dazzling: she leaves no one a chance. First appearing on January 1st, 2020, in Chapter 2 of Season 1, Astra was featured in the Shooting Stars set, categorized as an Epic Outfit, and captivated players with her cosmic grace and elegance.  Bushranger Insanely cute and incredibly charming tree instantly became the player’s favorite thanks primarily to its touching muzzle with beady eyes. It seems that such a creature is not able to offend anyone, but appearance can be deceiving when it comes to confrontation. He first came out of the fairy forest on November 7th, 2019, in Chapter 2 of Season 1. Now he is in the Woodsy set, is a Rare Outfit and is good at disguising himself in forests and groves. Globe Shaker He’s one of those who definitely likes to appear like a bolt from the blue or snow out of nowhere: the snow is actually his head filler along with the Christmas tree. Funny, festive, and extremely extraordinary, he fell into the world of Fortnite all of a sudden on December 1st, 2019, in Chapter 2 of Season 1, settled well in the Frosty Fights set, became Epic Outfit, and one of the favorites of the winter season. Who knows what will happen to this world if he shakes his magic head too actively. Frozen Nog Ops According to Polar Legends, after which the set is named, the Christmas and New Year seasons are particularly lavish with spectacular new Frozen Series gear. This girl is a vivid confirmation of this: her adorable winter outfit, fluffy hat, and icy breath make her look like a fighting Snow Maiden. She appeared on December 18th, 2019, in Chapter 2 of Season 1, and since then confidently overcomes both snowy and other terrains. Bunnywolf The pure glow of neon rage. A wolf or a rabbit, this will only be understood on the battlefield. And there, the animal power will break through. Released on February 28th, 2020, in Chapter 2 of Season 2, this Epic Outfit from the Neon Jungle set quickly caught the attention of players with a mesmerizing duality of its animal nature. Strange and a little awkward at first glance, this beast sensitively monitors every heartbeat of enemies and brings them a quick and inexorable death.  Chance When it is not clear what to do next, leave it to chance. She appeared in the spring, during the liberation of the world from the shackles of winter, on March 15th, 2020, in Chapter 2 of Season 2, and, of course, became the leader among the Rare Outfits of the Spring Spirit set. Cheerful, active, and fiery-haired, she is a born leader, ready to guide people to any achievement. She fights as if dancing and takes down enemies with a smile on her lips. Many believe that being killed by her hand is not so bad. Working on such large-scale projects is always a challenge, not only in terms of creativity, but also in terms of realizing a huge responsibility in all respects at once. To ensure information security when working with our team, we sign non-disclosure agreements that guarantee the protection and safety of our partners. Value Delivered For 10 months of cooperation, we created about 120 unique skin concepts for various thematic areas. They fit perfectly into the atmosphere of the game and are already actively used by players to explore and conquer the incredible world of Fortnite. Each created character received an exclusive attachment, also designed by our team. It is called a back bling and has a special shape, color, and features that match the specifics of the character. It can be a backpack, badge, patch, shield, wings, helmet or any other item. Many players managed to appreciate the loveliness of charming Bushranger, the gracefulness of cosmically beautiful Astra, the audacity of red-haired Chance, and many other characters from a wide variety of sets. And what could be better than recognition not only of a partner who appreciates our exceptional dedication, but also of players who admire the skins developed according to our concepts? Planning. Considering reference materials and knowledge base Sketching. Creating thumbnails, generating ideas, and choosing the final option Detailing. Adding small details and elements that complement the character’s image Rendering. Producing the final concept art that can be used for both further modeling and game concept art portfolio Conceptual Conclusion Our team is ready for challenges: this is an integral part of creative work, claiming to spread beyond the limits. drop us a few words about your ideas and plans for a new or existing game: together we will come up with how to skyrocket it to new heights!
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How We Worked on Tabou Stories – A Game with 1+ Million Downloads [Case Study] | Kevuru Games
How We Worked on Tabou Stories – A Game with 1+ Million Downloads [Case Study] | Kevuru Games
Most fantasize about millions of downloads of the game they are working on. Kevuru Games is no exception. But our team not only fantasizes that the project we are working on will capture the hearts of millions of users around the world, but we also apply a real effort to make the game outstanding in the market in terms of design. One great game idea is not enough to achieve such great results as millions of downloads. The quality of the game design really matters in recent years, and with hundreds of new games released every day, yours shouldn’t be short of outstanding visual effects. Kevuru Games’ team is very grateful to Nanobit for the opportunity to become part of such an amazing project as Tabou Stories: Love Episodes! If you’ve ever dreamed about a game that could fetch the big audience, now you can find out more about the process of creating the visual details of the popular game. Read our success story to make sure how external resources can support your project by providing many design solutions on time and on a budget! Data were taken at storytelling game developed and published by Nanobit, a game development studio based in Zagreb, Croatia. Since 2008, this team has devoted itself entirely to one goal – to develop high-quality and super-fun games. On their account, there have already been many successful projects like My City, Matchtropic Island, Chef Town, and others. That’s why when this team turned to us for help in 2D character artist Project manager 5-10 artists (the number varies depending on the scope of work) Since the scope of the project was not precisely defined at the beginning and changes could occur, we offered a dedicated team model. This allows you to add more specialists, if necessary, and, conversely, release them without any difficulties. The ability to select, manage and control team members is also offered to our customers. But in this case, we appoint an experienced PM (this was set by the client) to effectively manage the team and timely deliver artworks. Stages in 2D Character Design Our key approach to this project was to create a highly customizable design of game characters that would look friendly to the end-user and provide benefits for the client. We take into account all the needs and requirements to accurately represent realistic characters in the gameplay in the following way: Concept creation – visual representation based on many details and subject-specific references; Rough sketching – capturing all the basics of the face of each 2D character; Super detailed face illustrations of each character; 2D rendering to maximum realistic effects in the facial appearance; Custom PSD preparation based on some technical limitations. Values Delivered by Kevuru Games Data were taken from App Store Considering our solid experience in 2D character design and effective project management tactics, our team of professionals managed to achieve what was initially planned: Our team finished 2D character design on time and budget; We created a full-fledged design that recreates the realistic look of 2D characters using modern graphics; We implemented a high level of customization for character design based on preferences and tastes in appearance. After the meticulous design process, Kevuru Games managed to contribute to the success of the given game. As a result of our professional approaches to the project: The mobile application was downloaded millions of times in the AppStore/GooglePlay; The new design features allowed increasing the user engagement rate by 33%. Summing Up
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