Tileable Water System

One of the tasks I worked on at Nova Heartbeat was designing a tileable water system for Spirit Siege, a top-down grid-based strategy game. We wanted to create organic-looking coastlines to generate visual interest while clearly delineating which spaces were playable. With some exceptions, units could not be placed on water. My rule of thumb was: water squares should be at least 75% covered by water, and grass squares should be no more than 25% covered by water.

While the original mock-up by Caitlyn had pretty directional wave lines, I wanted the final assets to be more flexible than that, so I used spirals to create a non-directional water texture instead.

Graveyard Concept Art

Concept art for the graveyard level of the Halloween theme. 

Franken-duckies & gravestones by Jon Gardner. Bats by Terrana Cliff. I did the rest of the painting and the final composition. 

The New and Improved Edge of the World!

Update to the Edge of the World level: new colors for sky and masking flats help distinguish it from the previous pirate-themed level, and background clouds add depth and interest. Woo!

Brown? We don't need no stinkin' brown!

Next up we're making a pumpkin patch level for the Halloween theme. I'm having fun interpreting earth tones with our limited vibrant color palette.

Drawings by Jon Gardner and Terrana Cliff. I did the painting. 

Underwater Stage

Level 3 (act 3 of the pirate theme) is an underwater level, so I got to make a whole new stage complete with sand ground rows, water masking flats, and a god ray backdrop. 

The Edge of the World!

In Level 2 (act 2 of the pirate theme), our friend the pirate ship sails to the waterfall at the edge of the world. Sure, why not.

Pirate Set Pieces

Here is a collection of set pieces for the pirate-themed levels. 

Drawings by Jon Gardner. I did paint and final polish. 

Pirate Level Concept Art

Here's a stab at the target look & feel for the pirate levels. 

The "minimum-wage ducks" up front will always be available, but they are worth so few points that the game is not winnable unless the player also hits more difficult targets.