Smaradagus Swamp: Muck, Tradition, and Stagnation

So it's been a full year since I've done a level writeup and then posted a ton of pictures, which is a transgression I shall now fix! I hope you like swamps.

The Smaradagus Swamp is a rather gloomy place located right smack-dab in the middle of Vitrerran. It's populated by a group of frog-like creatures called the Tranalid, and on the whole, is the biggest nuisance on the continent.

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Evolution of an Art Style

I don't know exactly when Joe and I started working on The Regret of Vitrerran, but I started the game's Bible sometime in September of 2012. For my part, I went for story elements and world creation while Joe started on programming a level editor. We talked nonstop and scribbled out sketches and diagrams of what we wanted, and things just started moving forward.

See, it's easy to get lost in the evolution of a large project. When I open up our level editor now, I can see something near finished and with all sorts of bells and whistles (some of which I still don't know how to work). I can open levels and enjoy the color and the lights and then add trees or water as needed.

That, of course, wasn't always the case...

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Concept!...Sketches

I’m a huge fan of looking at video game concept art. Most of it is either a mix of beautiful or awesomely strange, and it’s a fun way to build hype for an upcoming video game or create feelings of “what could have been” for video games that are already out.

So. Here’s the thing: We don’t have any real concept art. I feel bad about that, truly, but our approach to doing the art for The Regret of Vitrerran hasn’t required any. As a two-man team, it’s been easier to just go, “Hey, so my idea for this character is…” and then talk about it until we are both happy. After that, Joe goes off and draws what needs drawing so we can put it directly into the game.

But, there have been a few times where discussion led to drawings...

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