ARTé: MECENAS
ARTé: Mecenas is an educational video game initially developed as a prototype at Texas A&M LIVE Lab. Triseum was tasked with taking the working prototype and preparing it to publish and sell. We were given five months to prepare the game - this included any new features, upgrades and QA. As a startup with no UI Artist on staff, it fell to me to create new assets, edit and improve the quality of the UI/UX for the game. The CEO set the requirement that the design be as diegetic as possible.
The Ledger
Screenshot of original protoype environment with Ledger on screen
Screenshot of final environment with redesigned Ledger
The ledger presented the biggest challenge to a fully diegetic design as it was determined it needed to remain visible to the players at all times to make gameplay easier. Working with the design team to determine the needs of the piece, we ended up with an 'open book' concept that followed the pre-defined art style (realistic, period-appropriate, etc.) and was placed as if being held by the player. I also successfully made the footprint significantly smaller than the original, providing additional space for other key elements in the environment design.
The Market
Sample of original prototype with Market overlay
Screenshot of final Market redesign in game
While the basic functionality remained the same, the market needed new features to provide players additional information and a redesign to better match the final game style guide. While more elaborate and interactive designs for a market were discussed, time and technical limitations required us to stick with a simple and clean design.