Eden - Developer Diary 01: Art Direction news

Developer Diary 01: Art Direction

Hello, I’m Alexander the 2d lead for the Eden project and I would like to talk a little bit about the ideas we had so far and the direction our game follows.

As you will find in the next entries there is a complex and multilayered world in which the action takes place. In essence the game world has a base style, that being the period between the 1920’s and 1940’s, and a quite different layer on top. The layer that we added consists in an advanced technological world that keeps in broad lines the mood of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s but has the increased lifestyle that technology is able to give. In this sense we see a world deeply carved by scientific advancements, an alternative to our present if you like, in a possible scenario in which human kind kept in it’s evolution different parts of its past.

Leaving this more general stuff aside only for detailing it bit by bit in the next entries I will stick to the first episode and the concepts we already produced and decided upon.

The apartment concept:

The action starts in Leonard Dawson’s apartment. The description calls for, “a luxury apartment. A penthouse in the arts district of Eden’s metropolis. The house is lush and rich, opulent in its texture, full of the emptiness that only the rich can afford.” The concept called for playing with space from the present day perspective, not the more pre-modernistic style (as you will find in the detective’s house). The game world is diametrically designed in either a future oriented fashion (relative to the base style), or more past oriented fashion that expresses feelings of nostalgia towards a higher way of living (from the ethic and moral point of view) that existed before the 1900s. The 3 levels of the apartment have the areas close to the windows left empty, creating communication between floors and amplifying the space perceived by walking from the front door towards the large window. This amplification can inspire richness and create diversity in the interior spaces. The living area is the most important in the apartment. The grotesque spectacle that is the crime scene not only dominates the room, but has its power increased by the importance of the room, thus being visible from all angles.

Although a minimalist concept in the beginning, thinking only of the spatial relations and the importance on the living area, the base style had slowly emerged from the concepts. It would be easier to understand the process if you imagined the base style a layer underneath the initial concepts for the apartment. The way it emerged was by erasing parts of the minimalistic layer on top. In this way the large emptiness was filled in, the walls covered with paintings, decorations and so on.

The apartment block concept:

Hi, I’m Tiberiu, concept artist in the Eden Project. Here are a few thoughts about the exterior design of the apartment block placed into a retro future scenario.

The apartment block is just outside the heart of the city and at the same time it’s where everything in the story begins. It must show the luxuriant style of living that the inhabitants have in order to succeed. I decided that this area must be surrounded by nature (water/ grass/ trees) as luxury means a better integration of the natural and healthful with technology and ease. It must also be imposing but not too dense, so I separated the apartment block in two bodies linked by three skylines. The entrance is very important. I choose to make it out of glass in a curved manner. The space in front of the building is also very important so I felt the necessity of a front square with lights, benches, a few stairs in front of the entrance, and a monument. This monument is near a roundabout and so it’s inspired from the circular motion of the streets, two different ways emerging into one. The monument combines round shapes with straight edges, water and metal. This reflects a symbiosis of evolution, luxury and a sense of increasing wealth, as the shape, like, like an arrow from the ground, points up into the sky.

The lifts are another interesting feature of this building as they are located outside of the main body of the apartment block to give a magnificent view of a wide park/garden that creates a buffer from the busy city and it’s crowded streets.

The main body of the structure has to stand up and be a little more spectacular. Taking this into consideration I made a metal cover that resembles a hood, giving the whole building a more human aspect.

I liked how this concept evolved and hope that my next assignments are as challenging as this one.

Join us at Mechanicalsheep.com for further updates, art and information. We welcome questions and criticism and hope to hear from you by email or on our community forums.

We are still actively recruiting character artists, animators, level designers and coders. Visit our jobs section to see how you may be able to contribute.

Thank you for your time and watch out for our next press release in the coming weeks, we will be discussing in depth about how we go from concept to in game art in a another developer diary.