In my nation-building game Country Architect, worker teams roam the map building infrastructure, transporting resources, and defending territory. Each team has different states (idle/working/drafted/charging) and can be equipped with multiple specialized vehicles. (Eg. One team could have several excavators, and a few drones to help defend itself).
I need to decide: Should teams be represented as emoji blobs or a construction vehicle?
- Emoji blobs show team state at a glance (happy/working/alert)
- Construction vehicle feels more professional but less expressive
Poll (no signup): https://linkto.run/p/Z5UY3MPQ
Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4136240/Country_Architect/
I'd love some input. Which would you prefer in a game like this?
10 Comments
Rentlar@lemmy.ca · 27 pts · 259d
How about construction vehicles with a cute little indication of their status... some suggestions:
"tired" becomes a little tornado cloud coming out from the bubble.
Idle is zzzs coming from the bubble
You could use these kinds of marks, as inspiration.
purple_mimosa@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 259d
This is an awesome idea. And then the lightning symbol when it's charging. Thanks.
Avicenna@programming.dev · 9 pts · 259d
I find that stuff like emoji blobs or too cartoonish characters prevent me from immersion and prefer the right amount of realism to "silly graphics". Wouldn't call that a necessarily a universal rule though.
frongt@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 259d
Depends. How are you defining your art style?
purple_mimosa@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 259d
I have some vague concepts of an idea, but they seem to change every once in a while. I'd like a modern vaporwave rusty industrial pastel fabric 80s lighting look.
Yeah. I know.
frongt@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 259d
So you probably want a top-down image of a piece of equipment then? Neither a blob nor an icon.
isyasad@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 259d
The construction vehicle looks a bit more visually legible. I do like the cute emojis, but perhaps a moving icon is not the place for them.
isyasad@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 259d
Though if it makes sense for the type of vibe you are going for, they could still work as an alternate skin kinda like lichess/chess.com alternate pieces and tilesets
Matty_r@programming.dev · 3 pts · 259d
I've always liked some of the stuff that Kenney produces:
https://www.kenney.nl/
Might be some inspiration there
purple_mimosa@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 258d
What and absolutely gorgeous website and assets! I may indeed take inspiration from these.