You have asked for more 2d art in ENDLESS Legend 2 and we have been hard at work producing it. It may sound like a simple task to assign an artist to create a beautiful scene but it takes a lot of time and a lot of revisions to complete. For those interested in the internals of game development, let’s take a look at the process.
Here, we want an illustration focusing on the Gorog. It will be used for their pacification quest, but there are a few different pacification quests you could encounter with the Gorog, so we don’t want it to be a specific scene. Instead, we want it to convey the spirit of the Gorog and make them look cool and interesting.
It starts with a wealth of resources we already have. The artist reviews the concept art, in game art (both 2d and 3d) as well as the lore for the image they are about to produce. This is some of the work we provide for the artist to review.
From that the artist proposes several very rough sketches to try to get a feel for the scene and consensus from the art director before committing to something more time-consuming. Including, apparently, a reference to a Lion King like pose (don’t sue us Disney, we didn’t use this layout and I’m sure it is totally referring to some other, non-IP infringing, work).
This step can be quick if the artist hits on a layout everyone likes, or it can take a long time if it doesn’t feel quite right. It’s not just the time to produce these concepts but getting everyone to give feedback that can take time. In this case we liked that we get to see a little of their world, their environment and culture. Things that are difficult to grasp from the normal 3d mode of the game. We want a careful balance between being able to see the cool Gorog elder (in some of the sketches he is much more prominent) and seeing their environment.
Once we have a layout we like we go to 3d. I know it sounds odd to use 3d tools to create a 2d picture. But the 3d tools are so advanced, and we already have all the 3d models, so it is faster to use 3d to test out the specifics of layout, positioning and lighting than to draw it each time. In this example we played a lot with how many Gorogs are in the foreground and how large the Elder Gorog should appear. We quickly realized that the Elder was too far away and we wanted to move the camera closer to capture more of his expression and awe (changing the camera position being an example of something that is easy to do in 3d and basically requires you to start over in 2d).
Once we have the layout we want, the artist begins to paint over it to add the specific details. At this stage the camera’s position and lighting can’t change, but we want to take a crude scene to something interesting and beautiful. Initially we had a large character on the left side, but the quest dialog blocks most of the left side (which is why the focal point of most of these illustrations is on the right) that would be partially covered and draws too much attention. So, the big Gorog on the left is removed in the next version and replaced with the silhouette of two Gorog watching the Elder.
Satisfied with all the assets, the artist spends time adding detail and improving the image, first focusing on the Elder.
Then moving onto the environment. Even though other team members have been helping to provide feedback throughout, this is the point where we become the most critical as the question becomes “is this ready to go into the game?”. It is a very collaborative process throughout but this is the point for final touches. If it was you, would you accept the above image or what would you ask the artist to change? For us, the feedback was that the two Gorog on the left were blurring into each other and it was difficult to tell what they were (comments like, “what’s up with the furry throne on the left?”). We also asked that the elder stand out more.
The artist quickly made the changes and submitted his final version.
But the work is not done. After we have the artist’s final version, the art director does a pass to match the painterly style of the game. Some brushstrokes are added and some soft edges. This particular artist’s style was already pretty close to the game, so the changes are minimal, but it can be a more significant change for artists with a sharper style.
And finally, the illustration is added to the game to be enjoyed by everyone. Hopefully this helps provide a little insight into the process of making games at Amplitude. We certainly appreciate your feedback, reviews and support as we go through this. The new writing, new presentation, and new art were all requests from you and it has improved the game.