What I tried today#
I haven’t been posting actively due to personal stuff and should be back on schedule from now on.
Dev Log#
In the past few days, I’ve been revising the game design even further. Specifically, I decided to add autonomous neutral robots that roam the world — machines that players can trade and interact with. I believe this new design pillar will add depth and expandability to the game, and I’m looking forward to updating my prototype accordingly.
As usual, I got sidetracked while working on the prototype by a simple question: “What should the character’s body proportions be?”
In my mind, the visuals lean more toward The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild than NieR: Automata. But why does the former feel “cute,” while the latter feels more “elegant” or “alluring”? (Besides the obvious fashion choices.)
Is it the head-to-body ratio? The head-to-shoulder width? Or something else entirely? So I did a few quick sketches to find out.
Then I sketched a mech that would fit the character’s proportions and even made a quick physical mock-up for size reference. I found that a 1:2 height ratio feels more pleasant than 1:3. With this ratio, the mech isn’t too intimidating and reads better as a friendly companion.
What Worked#
I’m surprised the character design came out so naturally. To be honest, the placeholder mech design isn’t even half as bad as I expected — I actually like its simple forms and the subtle organic curves along the edges.
What Didn’t#
The mech sketch reminded me that rigging and control rigs aren’t the real blockers for the prototype — animation is. I might be able to handle hand and leg motions procedurally, while body rotation and bending should be more straightforward. It’s daunting, but also really exciting!