Cortex Protocol
VR / ERASMUS / ARKTIK KIRKLE
CASE OVERVIEW
PRODUCT
GOALS
Make a VR game from a scratch in 9 months while competing with other game making teams.
ROLE
UI Designer
DURATION
9 months
PLACE
Oulu Game LAB, Finland
IDEATION / CONCEPT CREATION
Project begin by pitching teammates several game ideas and selecting one in the process. We had chosen one which fitted the most into our desirable criteria:
— It should be deliverable in nine months.
— The concept should have a good selling point.
— Most importantly it has to be fun.
Following this, we refined and set clear goals of what we want to see in the game and also achieve individually during the development process. Finally, we distributed the roles inside the team. I was in a sub-team responsible for visual design, 2D assets and later UI.
RESEARCH & ART DIRECTION
The focus of Cortex Protocol game is puzzle-solving element synthesis between its environment while the player is inside a rubrics cube and the puzzles positioned in various locations within it. With this in mind, I analysed the same genre VR games to see what design direction we should take. Since the majority of them at the time had a geometric low-poly style, we decided to go for it. Also, it was not only more time-efficient and convenient but also great for performance and reduced chance for players getting motion sickness.
At the end of this phase, all the team artists made an ‘Art Bible’ with guidelines for typography, colour palette, future promotional material, used software settings for 2D vector graphics, 3D modelling, exporting files and more.
BRANDING & VISUALS
The focus of Cortex Protocol game is puzzle-solving element synthesis between its environment while the player is inside a rubrics cube and the puzzles positioned in various locations within it. With this in mind, I analysed the same genre VR games to see what design direction we should take. Since the majority of them at the time had a geometric low-poly style, we decided to go for it. Also, it was not only more time-efficient and convenient but also great for performance and reduced chance for players getting motion sickness.
At the end of this phase, all the team artists made an ‘Art Bible’ with guidelines for typography, colour palette, future promotional material, used software settings for 2D vector graphics, 3D modelling, exporting files and more.
REFLECTION
Working in a team of twelve with people coming from different backgrounds was challenging for various reasons. This tremendous opportunity taught me:
— Stay firm in the design decisions you believe in, but also realize the product is a combination of everyone’s best ideas.
— Determine a realistic scope and direction earlier on in the project (quality over quantity).
— UX and UI designers should work together from the beginning to ensure proper communication throughout process.
— When working with non-designers, communicate very clearly importance of process and reasons for design decisions.
— And most importantly – never be afraid to make mistakes. If you don’t – are you even learning anything new, improving your skills?