Devlog 2 - The Characters of Synthaar news - Synthaar: A Space Opera Simulator

The characters in Synthaar are represented by 2D Pixel characters that exist in the 3D Space of the world. I wanted something that could display more detail than a simple "pawn" or "nugget" design while keeping a very low fidelity rendering of the character. I have found that the characters in Synthaar have a special charm, where they are representative enough of what they are while allowing the player to have room for imagination when thinking about their characters. I've never been good at making 3D character art, so finding a technique to render a character style that I fell in love with was serendipity. In this Devlog, I'll show you some of how the characters first came to be designed, along with some concept art for future clothing and armor, and finally a proper introduction to some of the new playable species that will be coming to Synthaar in due time!

In the original prototyping stages of Synthaar, I played with 3D models being the standard for character design, but my lack of skill with organic 3D modeling provided a severe limitation to what I could do. While I was satisfied with the general art direction of a few attempts, my skill was getting in the way of being able to make the necessary modifications to give them the variety they would need for a game like Synthaar.

Eventually, I settled in on the idea of using pixelated art, after learning about a very minimalistic style that used entire pixels for things like arms and legs, rather than do a more complicated sprite. It was then I created a rough draft of what would eventually lead to the art style seen now in Synthaar. When I made my very first draft, I fell in love with the idea immediately.

Of course, eventually, I moved on to double the resolution to allow more detail, though I retained the base design and shape, allowing to take that good silhouette and chisel it into something that could be very flexible. Not to mention, I wanted to be able to fit eyes on them. It was important to me that the game not be cartoonish, though not exceptionally immersive (as it was beyond my scope), and I feel pretty confident in the end result.

With the character design finalized, I wanted to try and see how much I could make in customization for the game itself. With low detail such as this, it was important that there was enough variety in the outfits and designs that would allow the player to distinguish one character from the next. Synthaar is a game that will have combat, and so armor is a must as well as clothing. When working with this lower resolution, the act of creating art for these characters can feel more akin to a puzzle than drawing; trying to find where all the right details need to go to make it visually interesting and recognizable.

Creating concepts is relatively easily; the challenge is then adapting it to different species and genders, and keeping the look consistent and clean. Synthaar is built to support many clothing options for many different species. The clothing outfits are designed to be modular, allowing you to find, mix and match different jackets, pants, shirts, boots, hats, and so forth. Back on the topic of species, however, some of those who have been following Synthaar's development thus far might have noticed two Reptilian characters who is not yet present in the game.

Currently, in Synthaar you can play as a Human, or a canine-like Thauxan. However, there are many more species planned to be added into Synthaar's galaxy. I've designed the system to allow for flexible and customizable species to be added. Waiting in the wings at current are these five species, who will soon be added:

Introducing the stoic Zegrel from the tropical world of Kilroot, the spiritual Sylithan from the jungles of Zil, the industrialist Arkedde from the rogue world of Arkedun, the enigmatic Oxziic from the hexagonal world of Xefex, and the vicious Vyseri from the long forgotten Vyserian Empire deep in unexplored space.

As Synthaar begins to step into creating new content, these ideas and designs will be utilized and implemented, in the hopes of creating characters who will present a diverse and fascinating cast to anyone's galaxy.

Stay tuned every other Tuesday for a new Devlog regarding the development of Synthaar! Thank you so much to those who have been interested in my game. Check out Synthaar on Steam and Itch.io!