Logo Development Notes
Logo designed by futureyer. I requested that he draw inspiration from metal logos, art nouveau, shonen anime logos, high fantasy game logos, latte art, and beer logos. Not only does it support my narrative’s themes and darker tone as it progresses, but it represents both of my main characters through the sword and magic iconography. The more mature and gender neutral appeal of this logo was also very important to me, per my target audience, and Yer's natural style lends extremely well to this. Developing this logo with him has been the highlight of this project for me, thus far.
Video made for Wacom to feature BaristaEXP.
BaristaEXP is an ongoing visual development project about two NPCs (Non-Player Characters) in an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) approaching its final patch.
The patch happens to include a bug that keeps dungeon bosses from reviving. If the dungeon bosses do not revive, the game cannot continue cycling through, and players will have no reason to continue playing. To save their game they must use their skills and experience, take on player occupations so they can affect their world like live players, crawl through dungeons, and revive each boss one at a time to manually keep the cycle going.
Meadow is a potion barista NPC and Ursa is a special event poison bartender NPC who trades monster parts for offensive poisons of equal value. Having gone through multiple iterations (seen below), the final style of the project is the one seen in the comic to the left — chosen to appeal to an older comic book audience that would have nostalgia for games like World of Warcraft, Maplestory, and Final Fantasy.
To the left is a three page comic of how Meadow was born…
…and how all NPC’s are born - carbon copies awakened one at a time and blessed into instant purpose and existence by their respective “Mothers.” Upon appearance, they know exactly who they are, what they were born to do, and how to do it, without need for tutorial like a regular player character.
This ultimately sets up the point of the story overall==that sometimes we feel like we are born to play a specific role, but when we let go of those internal expectations and help those immediately around us, we can take on greater and more fulfilling roles than expected.
EARLY MEADOW CONCEPT ART
EARLY URSA CONCEPT ART
REVISED DESIGNS OF MEADOW AND URSA (2.0)
Character Design Notes —
Meadow and Ursa’s designs changed because I wanted people who have worked in the service industry to enjoy this project the most. To target this audience I mirrored the culture. Baristas, bartenders, waitresses, front desk secretaries, etc. are not rivals with one another. We all just do different things and those who work hard and take pride in their work tend to share a lot in common with one another regardless of their industry. Thus, while Meadow and Ursa were originally designed to be rivals, they now look like they not only co-exist, but share a sense of reality that may differ from player characters, and therefore give insight to what service industry attire looks like in this world.
Meadow works year round as a potion barista and Ursa works as an event NPC — appearing in town seasonally to work as a poison bartender.
MEADOW’S POTION SHOP - Meadow’s shop is modest and in line with the style of the rest of her town. It stands out for players by being roughly potion bottled shaped in its main quarters and generally overgrown with flowers. Her design is a marriage of Art Nouveau and Medieval architecture.
URSA’S TRAVELING POISON BAR - As an event NPC, Ursa’s shop comes in the form of a traveling caravan, albeit comically large for proper ventilation of toxic crafts. Her design is a marriage of Nordic and Medieval architecture.
Concept Art Sketches for Regulars
Prop Design Notes —
Given my background in furnishings and fabrication, I am particularly aware of how our objects define us and vice versa. The feeling of owning and even creating our own decor, utensils, and surroundings is a powerful feeling that brings us confidence in our sense of identity and shelter. Thus, when designing props, I am not trying to just fill a space with objects for future use, but rather answer questions about who each character is via objects that would be meaningful to own. What does she use to do her job? What materials does she gravitate to and what does that say about her? What condition does she keep her space in? How heavily frequented is her shop? How corporate is she? How expressive is she? What does she value enough to decorate her space with? How does she like to present herself to the world?
MEADOW’S POTION CAFE PROPS
Meadow’s potion shop is inspired by Art Nouveau, taverns, corporate run coffee shops, Legend of Zelda’s fairy fountains, and Olive Garden. She is most concerned with presentation and consistency, so everything she owns is clean and a little flamboyant. Her shop is based in a neutral city, which means players of all factions are welcome to purchase from her store. It is highly frequented by humans, dwarves, and elves, but the occasional orc comes in to clear his head under her high ceilings and open seating area. As a shop owner Meadow is bright, sharp, quick, and eager to please. Although she may look just like every other potion shop NPC in the game, she strives to be the best of them all.
URSA’S POISON BAR PROPS
As an event NPC, Ursa only comes around once a year and she offers a special service! In exchange for monster parts, she will make poisonous, explosive, and generally offensive elixirs of equal value. The more exotic the parts, the more potent the elixir! Thus, for the duration of October, Ursa essentially allows players a completely unique way to grind, p.v.p. battle, and dungeon crawl. Ursa’s bar is inspired by Mammen style viking art and nordic architecture. As poisonous things are often colorful, so in her shop! I chose to draw from Mammen art because of its similarities to Art Nouveau. The art styles complement each other well given their similar visual language and taste for s-curves, c-curves, scrolls, and portraits in profile, while each drawing from very different histories and cultures. These differences help to visually tell the story of who these people are and what sets each of them apart philosophically at first glance, while still appearing as though they come from the same world because they speak similar visual languages. Ursa is most concerned with unique and quality products. Her shop is small and dimly lit with worn, but cozy furniture, and there is something very maternal about both her and her shop despite the nature of her products. Although based in the same main neutral city as Meadow, she is more highly frequented by less lawful faction members such as goblins, orcs, and especially the undead.
These help to build some understanding of her character in movement. The dress she wears is made of heavier fabric, which stays closer to her body when she moves due to her weight. Similarly, she stays low to the ground when she fights and keeps her arms in, the same way one does when bartending.
Meadow's movements are more open, as per her personality. Her clothes are lightweight and balloon out a bit when she moves. Her fighting style keeps her silhouette in dynamic sweeping poses to mimic the the spinning fluidity in barista work.
A New Identity —
To save their game, Meadow and Ursa abandon their shops to become a paladin and a mage, respectively. They don’t know much about combat, but they are both great at multitasking in fast paced environments. They also each know a little magic. As a potion barista, Meadow’s line of work is more streamlined. Her barista experience makes her accustomed to a set tool kit and a set “menu” of related problems which makes her great at more isolated close range combat in addition to her healing skills. With training, she can quickly and methodically barrel through a mob like an afternoon lunch rush. Meanwhile, as poison bartender, Ursa thrives on variety and matching unique products to individual customer needs. However, sometimes a classic old fashioned poison is all everyone needs. She takes the remains of Meadow’s leading blows and quickly extracts, mixes, and pours poisons for long range, area of effect, and damage over time attacks.
LEVEL 1 — Meadow and Ursa leaving their shop posts for the first time to train in the player tutorial training grounds. (Click to Enlarge)