Thought it would be interesting for y'all to see what goes into creating each location from start to finish for the new island. So here it goes!
1. LORE AND REFERENCES First the lore is created with a bunch of references to use as inspiration for the different locations so they feel realistic, have the atmosphere we want, and fit into the lore as a whole.
2. RAW SKETCH Then a rough sketch is put together from all of it as a guideline for the next stages.
We used to make these hand-drawn sketches you see below, but then we switched to these 3D sketches made from simple shapes so the other artists can see it from all angles for the next stages. You can check out one of our 3d sketches yourself here: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/seismotorium-3d-sketch-298b4106215c43ec8c41b9c4d97fdf62
3. VISUAL CONCEPT
A more detailed visual concept follows that gives more of that feel and look we want without being tied by too many gameplay rules yet.
4. WHITE-BOX LEVEL Next in the pipeline is the white-box level made from simple models and textures which is pretty much the exact opposite of the visual concept. The goal is to make sure the location is playable, works with the environment around it, the AI can navigate it, while sticking to the general look the visual concept has set.
5. FINAL IMPLEMENTATION Once these are finished we marry the two together making sure it looks close enough to the visual concept but also works with the gameplay and implementation rules of the white-box level. Only then we start creating the final models and textures.
Hope you guys liked this and let us know if you have any questions!