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Should we stick with 3D?

somerandomguy1
polycounter lvl 4
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somerandomguy1 polycounter lvl 4

Hey everyone! This is kind of a copy and paste from a reddit Unity post I did but I'm trying to ask as many developers as possible to get the most input on the subject. 

I'm currently a, "technical artist" ,(I put quotations because I do a lot more than just that haha) working on a 2.5 platformer game in a team of 7 people.

 I asked my boss and he said it would be fine to link you to a video of the game that they had made a year ago before I joined.

The game is called Puppet Quest. You control a boy and use meditation to then control the puppet to solve puzzles and traverse through the level. We've made some big gameplay changes but the art would be similar if we kept it in 3D.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOqT0zAHVHM

We've been working on our game for almost 2 years and at the beginning of the summer our new producer made it clear to us that our current game was broken on the side of fundamentals, (bad character response, uninteresting gameplay, ). What we did have at the time was a nice looking 2.5 platformer that was playable and had lots of 3D assets. So, taking his warnings to heart we took our existing characters and animations and went back to prototyping gameplay mechanics to make our game fun and enjoyable to play. With that point in mind, we have until December to give our investors a beauty pass, (verticle slice). Our producer is suggesting we scrap our content, take our ideas/knowledge and make a 2D game in the few months we have left, with the size of team we have.

I'm very hesetant on this idea as I think that our game looked nice, our character models are already modeled/rigged, (the hardest part to characters IMO) and I feel if we switch mediums that we will be so lost (since we've worked in 3D for 2 years) that the game will crash and burn.

lastly i'm worried about investors that signed onto a 3D game and get a 2D game.

Our producer wants to switch to 2D so that we don't have to spent a lot of time modeling new assets based off our new gameplay.

Can anyone please give some personal experience into this to help bring some direction? Would making a 2D game really be soooo much easier as to scrap existing work and assets in order to get SOMETHING out the door? Much appreciated.

Team consists of

-Concept artist

-Technical Artist/3D artist

-Two engineers

-A level designer

-A mechanics designer

-producer

-CEO

-Texture artist

Replies

  • hmm_rock
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    hmm_rock polycounter lvl 10
    Yes
    As a 3d artist I'm biased, but I think you have an interesting style started, though I do think you could push it more. I think the puppet stages are the strongest example of what I like about your style (1:56), it's kinda a 2d/3d mix. Blocky 3d shapes make up the geo of the stage, but the "details" are just kinda painted on 2d (aka faux details), which rings pretty true to how puppet stages *should* look. 
  • low odor
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    low odor polycounter lvl 17
    No
    oops ...I meant to say stick with 3d... The problems that  your producer is describing are not problem that are magically fixed  by switching to 2d. Stay the course. Identify and attack  the problems. Polish the fuck out of what you have.

    From the video this looks great for a vertical slice. Your CEO needs to manage the expectation of the investors and take a good look at a producer who is willing to throw out 2 years of work in favor of what would be a 3 month Death March  to make anything remotely passable..




  • Kevin Albers
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    Kevin Albers polycounter lvl 18
    So,
    - Your team is 2 years into the project and you haven't completed a verticle slice beauty pass yet.
    - Your producer wants to make a huge change in how the assets are made, and this change would not represent the game that you are being paid to make by investors.

    Without knowing more about the project (in particular if most of the content is still to be made, or if a high percentage of content has already been made), it's hard to know the best course of action for the project. 

    Good luck. I hope it works out ok. It sounds quite challenging.
  • m4dcow
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    m4dcow interpolator
    Yes
    With the current team breakdown, there is no way you could turn around and make a proper 2D vertical slice pass by December. If need be prioritize more important assets for polish but throwing it all out at this point is ill advised.
  • RyanB
    Yes
    Based on the trailer you posted, your main problems are lighting, shaders and a lack of understanding of how to create depth in a scene.  Going to 2D will not change those things because you will just repeat the same mistakes in 2D.

    Find someone who is excellent at lighting and trust their judgement.  Let them re-light everything because that is your biggest problem. 

    If they are also great at shaders and can fix your problems with layers and depth, then it's a bonus.  If not, hire a person who can do those things.

    You have a very solid foundation and there is lots of great stuff in your trailer.  Find that person who can light it and you are going to have a great looking game.

    P.S. - You also need some great particles and fx in your game but lighting must come first.
  • Neox
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    Neox godlike master sticky
    Yes
    you got only a few months, 2d or scrapping what you have entirely will not solve your problems.
    just tell him, Ori and the Blind Forrest took us 4 years to do. 1 year to figure out the look another 3 to actually produce it. 2d has its pros and cons, just the same way as 3d has its pros and cons. But at this time starting from scratch into uncharted territory sounds like a very, very bad idea.
  • AtticusMars
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    AtticusMars greentooth
    Yes
    2D art can be incredibly time consuming depending on how you make it so it's not necessarily going to be faster than just improving what you have. There's a big difference between creating something like Ori and the Blind Forest compared to say... Sword and Sworcery in terms of how much time it's going to take.

    Ironically a lot of 2D games use 3D renders as a basis for the 2D work to iterate and keep art consistent, King of Fighters was known for this as well as many other JRPGs (multiple xseed games come to mind) that use 3D renders directly as 2D sprites because they need many animations from different angles.


  • somerandomguy1
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    somerandomguy1 polycounter lvl 4
    Yes
    Really appreciate everyone's response. The reasoning seems to back up my thoughts although my ceo pointed out I shouldn't have used "downgrade" as a bias in my title haha. Lighting is was my main issue to address when I joined the team which that trailer was created before I had any input. Glad to see my thoughts are shared on that as well though I'm not allowed to show that part of the game :/ 

    Will the outpour of positivity  towards 3D our CEO feels more comfortable going on the path we've been doing so we can crank this beast out and have it play and look great in the time we have. It's a huge challenge for sure. Again I appreciate the feedback! 
  • EarthQuake
    Yes
    Stick with 3D, scrapping all the content you have and going 2D would be suicide, and honestly makes it sound like your producer has no idea what he is doing. The argument that it will save time because you don't have to make all those 3D assets is completely bonkers, because you would have to remake the entire game in 2D. Making 2D art can sometimes be faster than 3D art but it is by no means a trivial task.

    If you were just starting pre-production and had a 2 year cycle, with no firm commitment to 2D or 3D, there would be a solid argument for going 2D with a small team. However, at this point? No way.
  • krraej
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    krraej triangle
    Yes
    Not only would you have to scrap a large part of what you've already produced, you would have to switch over to an entirely different workflow with different requirements and different areas you need expertise in. I can only echo everyone else's doubts here.
  • melli06
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    melli06 polycounter lvl 2
    Yes
    Seriously stick with 3d! I don't know a ton about game development, teams, planning etc., but I guarantee you that your investors would not be happy with whatever 2d game you could come up with from scratch in only a few months when you guys were given 2 years of dev time already. My first suggestion is to really focus on gameplay cause that is what is supposed to be lacking (just going off what you said). I get the "oh switching to 2d can make all the gameplay way easier to develop for" etc. but the reality is you guys have 3 months to polish the hell out of what you have. The ship has sailed for a complete 180 in development. Changing course sounds like it would doom your game. What you guys currently have is solid now you just need to really push it forward. I recommend consulting with someone who really knows their stuff when it comes to 3d/lighting/composition/etc. Seems like you guys don't have time to test out what might work artistically. so seriously find someone who can help.
    Honestly the game is above average for Indie standards as far as aesthetic goes so don't go beating yourselves up over it. You guys seem close to a good product, it sounds like your producer might be a bit pushy? Obviously I am assuming and don't know him one bit though. good luck!  ;)
  • somerandomguy1
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    somerandomguy1 polycounter lvl 4
    Yes
    Thanks everyone for your feedback. Just wanted to update and say we are sticking with 3D thanks to your responses. Cheers! 
  • Tomiajayi
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    Tomiajayi polycounter lvl 2
    I think it looks great in 3d!!   if you went flash/vector it would be SO boring and "asusual"
    there aren't that many 3d 2.5d games really.. and I think they're beautiful.
    the only thing I would say is pump up the detail on your main character.
    he's a little blocky.  
    I'm sure you could keep the env as is and bump the character without too much trouble...
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