Ahoy anglers! 👋🎣
Get ready for a glimpse into the process of bringing our finned friends to life. Let's explore the depths of fish design together! ✨
🐟🤔 Reeling in the Right Fishy Vibes 🤔🐟
From real-world sturgeons to fantastical wonders like Breadie and Carpet Carp, the fish in Island Skies greatly vary. So how do we choose which ones to add into the game? 👀
Choosing the perfect fish for Island Skies is no easy task! It's not just about the mix of fresh and saltwater species; it's about ensuring each fish makes sense in the game's overarching atmosphere. So, how do we decide? There are no right or wrong ideas–whether the fish swim in real-world oceans or exist purely in creative imagination, we love exploring and experimenting with various concepts. We aim for a balance between realism and fantasy. Real fish are designed to be easily identifiable, staying mostly true to natural features while infusing a touch of stylized personality. Embracing creativity and imagination, fantastical fish are unique species that transcend the boundaries of reality. Our goal is to maintain a ratio of 2 real fish for every 1 fantasy fish! When it comes to inspiration, we try to look at real marine biology as well as folklore and other sources like food, movies, etcetera! What kind of fish do you want to see in the Island Skies? 😊🏝️
🎨💡 Fishy Artistry 💡🎨
Once we've hooked an idea, our artist Andy dives into the creative deep. With a stroke here and a splash of color there, Andy's magic turns each fish into a work of art! Game director Jenn (our guiding starfish ⭐😂) provides insights to make sure every design swims seamlessly into the Island Skies world.
Our design process typically starts with research! Andy examines various aspects and real-world variations of actual fish, gaining an understanding of the design possibilities we have to work with. Andy and Jenn collaborate to determine the direction for each design. They think about questions such as, "Should we focus on a specific type of salmon? If so, which salmon would be most recognizable to our players?" Questions like these often lead us to doing multiple variations of a fish, which is why we have more than one salmon in our game!
When crafting more fantastical fish, we usually begin with a theme or a real-world item. Keeping a fundamental link to reality is critical for our designs, even in the realm of fantasy. Andy frequently associates a real-word item with a real-world fish, blending them together to create unique combinations. An example of this approach is evident in our Melon Felon, which is a fusion of a watermelon and a puffer fish!
When designing Breadie, a fish that was loosely inspired by Taiyaki (a Japanese fish-shaped cake), Andy and Jenn tried out different concepts before landing on the iconic design that you all know and love today! 🍞 Here’s a peek at some Breadie sketches:
◻️🧐 Square Icons 🧐◻️
Because the game icons are square, our fish artwork needed to fit in a square! This posed interesting challenges for different fish designs–like the sturgeon, who has a really long body! This restriction led to some unique style and pose choices, which we think is super cool!!
🦈💙 The End 💙🦈
Thanks for taking a swim with us through the fishy design process in Island Skies! 🥰✨ Let us know which fish has reeled in your heart—whether it's the graceful koi or the elusive Fish O’ the Wisp! 🌟🐟
And if you’re feeling extra fishy, write a short poem about your favorite fish! 👀✍️
Fluff and Love,
The Fluffnest Team