u/ChaosTheDevil

First of all, I'm not claiming it is great and second, I agree with the sentiment it is a really good idea to get somebody who knows what they are doing to tackle your Steam capsule.

But, for this project I just wanted to learn as much as I could, so I went for it myself.

I made a little timelapse mostly for fun, but decided it might help someone.

The process I used can be basically broken into 4 parts:

1. Create 3D models and export poses I liked for character and logo. This meant that all the projection details of the character were correct, which was something I thought I'd mess up.
2. Use Inkscape to slowly build up a scene I liked. I just had fun and made it up as I went.
3. Trace the 3D model character image and add illustrations on top to add detail and lighting using gradients.
4. Bring into Gimp and add raster detail on top for fine detail. I did this right at the end and it made a huge difference.

I tried to keep everything vector in Inkscape as long as possible so that I could move things around and make all the slight variations of the capsule needed for Steam. Eventually I brought them into Gimp and just experimented with freehand drawing (using mouse) on top. I noticed that if I just went for it, it often looked better.

I did this work over months and kept jumping in and out when I wanted a break from coding. Some earlier versions seen in the timelapse were live on the Steam page at times. I also doubt this will be the last time I change it.

Not sure if this will be useful for anyone, but just in case.

I've launched an open playtest to gain some feedback.

After 6 years solo developing the game, it's so cool to have people playing it.

If you are also a fan of the PlayStation 1 era of 3D platformers, then you can get insta access by clicking 'Join the Playtest' on the Steam page.