Environment Moodboards

 Hero building -

My idea for the hero building would be some sort of auction building for the Sphyr payloads that the marauders are transporting, this ties in both of my characters that i have created and provides an interesting backdrop for a boss battle. As my videogame would be a beat-em up crossed with a looter shooter, an environment like this would be great as it provides lower, middle, and high grounds for different attacks, enclosed spaces for sneaking around and hiding from enemies, and sets the scene for the boss battle with the Hogg and Swine. It provides context to the Hogg and Swine's purpose without it having to be explicitly stated, and i can imagine there would be plenty of opportunities to include traps and other mechanics such as doors, turrets, bombs and tripwires that would make gameplay more engaging. I had this idea for the auction building being a very blocky, geometric and sharp building, building on hostile shape language whilst still fitting in with the Marauder's very utilitarian and grungy looking aesthetic. The building could be quite weathered or even dilapidated in some areas, clearly worn through years of combat, though it still serves its purpose and so the Marauder's see no need to fix it up. As the marauders are partnered with the GCPS in the Sphyr trafficking operations, this building would be a combination of both Marauder's and GCPS elements, perhaps with both of their logos being displayed, and some vehicles and personnel from both factions being present [along with the Sphyr representing the Rebs faction]. I also think it would be interesting to throw in some withered vegetation and rainy weather to push the feeling of hopelessness and despair about the facility. Brutalist architecture is a great example of utilitarian and hostile building designs, so that is something i will be looking at when thumbnailing for this building.

Street Furniture 1 : Cages/Containers -

For my first street furniture element i chose either a cage or container sort of prop that will hold the sphyr captives that have been taken off of the Hogg and swine. I imagine these to be placed haphazardly, horrifically rusted in some cases, and either open to the elements or claustrophobically enclosed. I think the open element is great for a storytelling element, it lets the viewer know exactly what is going on and brings greater context to the operations the Marauders are taking part in, however the more enclosed containers would probably be more realistic as they want their cargo to remain mostly secretive. I think i will explore both options and see which is better visually, though i would certainly have to add some visual cues to the more enclosed container to explain to the viewer what is going on in the scene. These containers in the game could pose as a mechanic the player could interact with, there could be a mission where the player must free so many captives whilst fighting off the boss [that being the Hogg and Swine], adding an extra challenge to gameplay.

Street Furniture 2 : Turret/Watchtower -

The second element would either be a high mounted gun turret or some sort of watch tower with armed guards. This gun tower could either be placed in amongst the cargo hold or on the big fence surrounding the facility to provide a vantage point to spot potential enemies or escapees. I imagine this structure to be very clunky and reminiscent of the marauder tanks. The building may also have spotlights which could also serve as a gameplay mechanic where the player must enter the facility without being detected by the watchtower, this mechanic fits more in line with a looter shooter than a beat-em-up game, however i can see this being an optional route, either you can try to be stealthy, or go in and just start attacking immediately. I also really like the spotlight idea when thinking about how i am going to draw this scene, i think the spotlights shining through a layer of fog and rain could make for a really atmospheric scene and i am definitely excited to see how that might look.

Street Furniture 3 : Gate / Security Fence - 

The final structure would be the entry gate and security fence to the facility. I imagine this to be a huge, imposing structure that would be practically impenetrable, with fences too high for any enemy to scale, and gates too thick for any tank to destroy. Mechanically this would serve to keep a player in a desired area so that they will have to complete all of the tasks before moving on, especially for something like a boss battle, the inability to fully flee from the situation makes the game more tense and pushes the idea of the threat being something the player must defeat to progress any further.

How this scene links into my idea for the game -

For my game idea, i have explored the route of the two opposing factions the Rebs and the marauders. Looking from the perspective of the rebs [as the player], the character i designed links in with this setting as this is where her backstory began. She was captured by the marauders to be Trafficked, being transported to this facility in the Hogg and Swine. However she managed to escape along the way and found out where the other Sphyr women were being taken to. In the game you would be following the Hogg and swine to this facility, picking off soldiers along the way before infiltrating the compound. This would include a few different styles of gameplay:

Infiltrating the compound - A stealth based mission, the player must break into the compound staying out of the watchtower spotlights, killing guards along the way and blending into the shadows.

Freeing prisoners - Exploring the interior of the cargo yard, Katya must release the imprisoned Sphyr, making sure not to get caught by the Guards or the Hogg and swine which is circling the perimeter

Boss battle - Inevitably spotted by the Hogg and swine, Katya must fight against the cause of her capture, she may use the Yard and the auction hall as battle grounds, using her main weapon, special attacks and fixed turrets to attack the Hogg and swine. If the player is playing with friends, the roster of characters available to choose from would each have a unique playstyle and attack that would help bring down the Hogg and swine, perhaps one has a ranged weapon, one is more like a tank build, and one is a healer. [The Hogg and swine's difficulty and health would change depending on how many players are in the game, less players means it has less health, more players means it has more health]

This scene would be a depiction of the compound this fight would take place in, telling a story about what the marauders are up to and giving the player a good idea of what threats are in store for them. This would likely be used as a loading screen before the player enters this area.