Dead State Design Update

After showing us an improved character model last week, this week’s Dead State design update shows us the portrait belonging to that model, and tells us a bit about the character portrait process.

Most characters and every ally in the game has a portrait. Last week we showed off the model changes to one of our characters. This week, I’ve included the in-game portrait for that character. All our portraits are done by Kim, our 2D artist. The 2D portraits and our character model sheets are used as a basis for the models that Joey makes.

One of the goals of the portraits is to capture the spirit of the NPC’s personality and give each survivor a unique face. The designers (Annie and me) come up with a general look and feel for the characters, then give a bio and reference material to Kim, who then drafts an initial concept. After a few notes from Annie, Oscar, and I, Kim tweaks the portrait and gives it the full color and shadowing treatment. Sometimes dialogue or character arcs are used by Kim to give the characters an expression that suits their personality without going in too extreme a direction they’re kept near to neutral to suit the content of most conversations. All ally portraits, info, and status are recorded in the player’s journal.