Witch Training Game Idea

I have been getting pretty stagnant with my motivation in terms of game design, so I thought it would be a good idea to change gears a little bit. I know the other project has more work before it could be considered  done, but I don’t want my enthusiasm or motivation to plummet and go months without progressing in some way. New game idea time!

As of now, I am thinking of calling the game “Witch Training”. I still have a fascination of witches after watching an anime series called Soul Eater - so I will coast on that direction. The purpose will be to run and fly around different levels. A series of targets will have to be hit for the level to be complete. Obviously as the game goes on, targets get progressively harder to hit. Targets will start to move, be attached to things such as trains, etc. Flying and throwing power will produce more complex targeting objectives. The scoring will be made up of how fast you can hit all of the targets as well as the accuracy of them. It might be a good idea depending on the execution.

Character sketching

It probably isn’t a good idea to start out with designing the main witch character right away, but whatever. I really wanted to try to expand my visual vocabulary more with different types of outfits. My characters seem to have very similar outfits, which is really lame. I went to the library and picked up a book called What People Wore When, which is a visual dictionary of all kinds of costumes and clothing people wore throughout time. It really helped me get creative ideas in the process. The image to the left are a few different sketches I wanted to try a few different approaches.  I made them go in different directions since there was no type of design brief.

I decided going with the last one, just because it was the most different and unique design out of all of them. It is a bit odd, but I thought it’s quirkiness would give it a little more personality. I made the thumbnail bigger and started thinking about some of the details that would go into it.

The other designs  were good and had potential, but I felt they were too stereotypical of witches. Yes they are sexy, but even sexy has become sort of cliché for female characters. The only one that doesn’t exude that trait is the last. A bit on the androgynous side, but hey, that will of course mean it will have a bigger audience. :)  That is my logic anyway.

Final Render

Here is the final rendering on the left. I reworked some of the details from the sketch. Some things weren’t flowing well like the shoes and the outfit, so I played around with them until I thought they worked.  While drawing and painting, I was trying to create a little practicality in everything. Here is my summary:

Witches are pretty nomadic, so they need to carry their life’s belonging with them. Carrying a little bag, isn’t enough. They need blankets, food, water, sentimental items, toiletries, things to do when they are bored. Things like fishing rods and weapons that are pointy can stick out. If they need to attack something melee-style, they can grab it right away instead of rummaging through their bag.

Their hair is groomed in the shape of a traditional witch hat. Having that coupled with the broom would be a good enough association for them to be a thought of as a witch.

The shoes are oversized to make them look younger, and less intimidating. The smirk on their faces means they are a bit egotistical and arrogant. This over-confidence makes them more careless and prone to doing practical jokes - reinforcing the physical qualities of youth and curiosity.

Next

Environmental ideas. I don’t have as much experience doing environments and level design, so this will be more exciting and adventurous for me. It will be similar in the color palette as the character, so that should give me a good reference as to the direction of the buildings and landscape.