Situation: The goal of this week is to continue working on detailing the design, focusing on visual feedback and affordances.
Tasks: Next to the regular tasks of discussions and design tasks refinement, the tasks that I planned for this week are: document playtest results; discuss and create an improved art asset list, focusing on the visual feedback needed for the alpha prototype; create variations of the Building and Score systems UI Lo-Fis (meaning the HUD of the game), so that UI art can work on making the final assets.
Activities: My initial task involved cooperating with the Art Department to define the art asset list. This was crucial to ensure they understood the goals for the Alpha prototype and could plan accordingly. The process was smooth since the detailed design of the systems was largely finalized. This clarity allowed me to elaborate on the design and art possibilities. The discussions with artists also offered valuable insights, sparking ideas on how to more effectively visualize certain system information that I hadn't previously considered.
The second goal involved documenting the outcomes of the playtesting. This primarily manual task involved structuring and compiling information from already conducted playtests. Additionally, I made several updates to the design documentation to incorporate the most recent design changes following the playtest.
Next, I began working on the UI using Figma. We chose Figma for its component system, industry standard status, and free availability. Given my limited experience with the software, I started by following the beginner tutorials.
In the meantime, an urgent issue arose that required immediate action. We only had a vague idea of how a city neighborhood would appear in the game with the models created by the art team, using the defined grid size. We aimed to test these variables together to gauge the level of visible detail, the clarity of each separate tile, redefine the camera angle, and assess how realistically a specific real-life area could be modeled.
To accomplish this, I began by searching for an appropriate area. After identifying one, I captured a top-down image, overlaying the grid on it.
I traced the roads on the grid, striving for maximum realism. Next, I started prototyping in-engine, where I positioned the grid, the roads, and then filled the remaining spaces with houses and two landmarks. Based on the results and subsequent discussions, we confirmed that everything was proceeding as planned.
Upon completion of this task, I started working on the actual UI variations. Initially, I designed four variations which predominantly had the same elements but in different placements.
After discussing these with a few people, I gathered a few more references and ideas. Based on them, I created more variations this time with different elements that look a bit more game-y (less boring).
Reflection: The week was mostly successful for me; I accomplished a lot. However, my initial plan was disrupted mid-week due to an unexpected level test, which postponed the Building system UI to the following week. This deviation was due to my limited planning experience, causing me to overlook certain key factors. This experience has taught me the importance of early visualization and involving art in discussions as early as possible. This not only engages them more in the design process but also enhances their understanding of the game and allows for the gathering of crucial visualization ideas.
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