Pilgrims
Game Visual Development
Pilgrims is a short, multi-narrative, dialogue driven game that served as my Arts & Technology capstone at The University of Texas at Dallas. Chris Krueger served as the game designer and writer, while I was a one-woman visual production team.
Mood Boards
Chris and I decided early on to create a unique fantasy setting as a backdrop to the project, so my preproduction process involved gathering a collection of look-and-feel art boards to explore which direction we wanted to head, as Chris outlined a general set of potential narratives and characters.
I was fascinated with the idea of using a white, snow covered backdrop with color and life lurking beneath the surface. Eventually we arrived at a similar idea- we'd start with a colorful desert, and cover it with snow as a plot point.
With this theme, I was driven primarily by my interest in patterns, textures, and the rich contrast between the desert browns and bright turquoise. This and the "Northern" board became the main two drivers behind the final look of the game.
Chris and I decided this one was a little over-used in fantasy settings, and we quickly determined that there was very little on the board that we wanted to implement.
I was fascinated with the idea of using a white, snow covered backdrop with color and life lurking beneath the surface. Eventually we arrived at a similar idea- we'd start with a colorful desert, and cover it with snow as a plot point.
Setting
After reviewing the mood boards, we were intrigued by the idea of "snow in the desert", and wanted to build every aspect of the story around the hot and cold dichotomy: for example, red and blue themes to environments, warm/endearing versus bitter/rigid characters.
With this core idea in mind, Chris and I built the characters and settings to work hand-in-hand: the story evolved to have two rival towns, one being a vibrant, chaotic trading town, and one a haughty, insular village which operated as a cult-like hub. Each of these towns were assigned a color palette: red for the trading post, and blue for the holy hub (and by extension, our fantasy religion.)
Characters
Each character went through a development process that started with a rough sketch of their general look, and since we were not going to be animating the designs, I was allowed to throw in as many flourishes, patterns, and details as I wished.
Originally, we had hoped to create a more painted look for each of the characters, but since our turnaround time for the entire project was a single semester, we settled on a polished cartoon style.
Pictured on the left is the process for the creation of the Matriarch of the religious village. As her character would introduce the player to the tone of one of the settings, it was important that she appeared ornate, imposing, and a touch mystical. I aimed for big robes, big hair, and fancy additions- and we liked some of the "rejected" designs enough that they got incorporated into other characters.
Artbook
All Honors projects at the University of Texas at Dallas required a 10 page essay detailing the work, development, and research that went into the process. I had felt strongly that a traditional word document would not accurately depict the full body of work that went into Pilgrims, and pulling from my background as a graphic designer, I pitched the idea to develop an Art Book instead. Intrigued, the staff agreed to the approach.
From beginning to end, this project was the highlight of my career as a student. I had the opportunity to further my skill set in every facet I enjoy: creative development, illustration, graphic layout, and game design.