character design
- Character Design Thinking
- Character Moodboards
- Character Process
- Character Guidelines
- Character Designs and Profiles
We chose our cast of characters with a few factors in mind: scalability, originality, and level of approval they’d need. As far as scalability goes, we are aiming to give most characters a generic Mii-like body, with their heads being individualized to the given character. This makes it easy to pump out a full cast of characters, with a focus on the heads pulling the weight of a silhouette since the back of a character’s head is most of what the player will see. Originality was very important as well, and this ties into needing approval, as planning for RIT mascots was our immediate thought– but these were not safe bets like general student characters. We still have 2 mascot characters along with the 4 main student characters, but they are more directly tied to IGM and are either original or pre-approved. Gizmo embodies the School of IGM as a whole, while Jamster represents the RIT Game Dev Club.
- Soft, rounded, marketable
- Cartoony, exaggerated proportions
Level 1 - Studies
- super rough pencil sketches
- trying multiple different expressions/vibes
- forming ideas of first impressions
Level 2 - Reference Sheet
- tighten design
- label swappable accesory
- front, side back turnaround
- height relative to “normal”
- pronouns, quick bio
Level 3 - Final Color Design
- color!
- aim for a palette of 4 colors
- USE OUR COLOR PALETTE
- hex codes and palette are in GDrive
- name the character, final bio
Level 4 - Initial Model
- delete camera and light in scene!
- only their head, nose, and any accessory specific to character (use dev puppets for bodies!)
- model hair/head/accesories as separate models
- intersecting geometry is fine
- use correct size dev_puppet model as a base
- pivot point should be centered at the feet
- DO NOT COLOR
- place model in appropriate folder within ‘Models’
IF USING BLENDER: to work between maya and blender just go to the blender_plugins branch in our github and install the newest better_fbx ZIP so models rigged/animated in maya will work seamlessly!
Level 5 - Unwrapped Model
- topology check !
- ALL UV UNWRAPS ARE 1024x1024p
- annotate your UV unwraps with a guide texture! (what unwrap/group of unwraps is what? arm, leg, front chest, back, etc.)
- unwrap same limbs/meshes the SAME WAY so they can use 1 texture
- color!
- WHEN EXPORTING: HIDE THE UV GUIDELINE LAYER
- rig and weight model!
Notes:
- Bones should be orientated consistently
- Spine should be facing forward
- Try to retrofit the puppet rig into Jamster (or at least have the same arm/shoulder bones)
- Structure the bone hierarchy similar to the hippo
Level 6 - Finished Model
- animations
- (standing)
- idle (make basic, if adding flairs make it small)
- (sitting)
- idle
- victory
- getting hit
- using item
- drinking energy drink
- (standing)
- expressions
- neutral
- happy
- sad
- shock
- concentrated
- renders
- pose for website (16:9 ratio)
- character select bust (1024x1024)
- at least two head-on busts for website profile pictures (1024x1024)
Below is the full list of characters developed for Gizmo Go-Kartz. Each character was categorized based on approval, consideration, and priority.
- Tier 1: Fully designed characters in the final version of the game
- Tier 2: Stretch goal characters with higher priority
- Super Senior
- Richard the Big Cat
- Climber Sophomore
- Fresh Freshman
- Comp. Sci. Major
- Unnamed Graduate
- Tier 3: Stretch goal characters with lower priority
- Engineering Major
- Physics Major
- IGM Ambassador
- Biker Junior
- Retron
- Needs Approval: Characters that require external approval for consideration
- Ritchie
- Roarie
- Bricky
- President Sanders
- Dean Matt
- Director Dave
- Sten
- Weez
- Unused: Characters no longer being considered
- Juno (WiC Member)
- Academic Weapon Junior
- Tiny Freshman
- Freshie Jones
- Forgotten Cut Freshie
- Jumbled Junior
- Senior Senior
- Sleepy Senior
- Stylish Sophie
- Bandy
- Studio Arts Major
- Business Major
- Unnamed Trekker
About
- Pronouns: any/all
- Height: Short
- Year: N/A
- Major: N/A
Personality
- Likes: Doohickeys, Creativity, Being helpful
- Dislikes: Bugs, Bugs
- Favorite Song: lofi hip hop radio 📚 beats to relax/study to
Bio
- A curious ghost that lingers in the IGM Open Lab
- Carved a life-size wooden doll to possess as a physical body
- Timid but optimistic; believes in a good future for games
- Has a box of trinkets and knickknacks to share
Design
Gizmo's design is based on the now-unused IGM logo from 2011-2018, specifically referencing the 'M' as Gizmo's head. The ghost form and toy form were orignally 2 different potential designs that eventually got merged into the same character. The toy form was inspired by wooden string dolls that have similar blocky features to the ghost form.
Concepts
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Final:
About
- Pronouns: she/they
- Height: Average
- Year: 1st
- Major: Photography
Personality
- Likes: Skating, Baggy clothes, Going fast
- Dislikes: 8AM classes, Wiping out
- Favorite Song: Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne
Bio
- Knows a spot
- Has never broken a bone
- Eats hot food to "prove a point"
- "C's get degrees"
Design
Morgan is based on the character's designer Yazmin (Content Team Lead) during her first year at RIT: skating, baggy clothing, cool vibes. She represents a portion of the RIT population that uses alternative transportation to get around campus, as well as drawing influences from RIT Skate Club. Morgan was designed with fast travel in mind, wearing a tight beanie around her head.
Concepts
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Final:
About
- Pronouns: he/him
- Height: Average
- Year: 2nd
- Major: Packaging Science
Personality
- Likes: Free stuff, Making mixtapes, Anime, Energy drinks
- Dislikes: Angry customers, Waking up
- Favorite Song: Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
Bio
- Always mans the playlist
- Gives a lil extra scoop if you're cool
- Has anime pins all over his backpack
- Works 3 other jobs
Design
Reese is the only character in the roster who doesn't have visible eyes, which inspired his chill vibes and cheesy grin; the idea to make him a dining worker came later. His name also references Reese's™ peanut butter cups as a food pun.
Concepts
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Final:
About
- Pronouns: she/her
- Height: Average
- Year: 3rd
- Major: Game Design and Development
Personality
- Likes: Pins, Early morning walks, Bucket hats
- Dislikes: Loud music, Sleeping in
- Favorite Song: Turbo Hustle - DJ Maestro
Bio
- Orientation leader for several years
- Always wakes up crazy early
- Has all orientation dances memorized
- Wants everyone to have fun
Design
Emma was inspired by an image of a real RIT orientation leader (pictured on the left) during the initial research. The character design is meant to feel welcoming, friendly, and cheerful by emphasizing rounded and curved shapes instead of sharp points. Her outfit also heavily uses RIT's main colors to show her enthusiasm towards school spirit.
Concepts
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Final:
About
- Pronouns: they/them
- Height: Tall
- Year: 4th
- Major: Business
Personality
- Likes: Playing hockey, Bandanas, Going on adventures
- Dislikes: Boredom, Losing a contest
- Favorite Song: Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
Bio
- Hockey team captain
- Very energetic and competitive
- Often told they get too loud
- Brags about losing a tooth (but not from playing hockey)
Design
Kai's name and personality is based on a high school friend of the character's designer Joshua (Assistant Content Team Lead). Their original design was more triangle-shaped with wide pants and slimmer shoulders, but the proportions were modified later to match the other characters. Kai's outfit is based on the RIT hockey team jerseys with a legally-distinct tiger logo on the front.
Concepts
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Final:
About
- Pronouns: they/them
- Height: Short
- Year: N/A
- Major: N/A
Personality
- Likes: Games, Jams, Game jams
- Dislikes: Sitting still, Being hungry
- Favorite Song: Hamster Dance - Hampton and the Hamsters
Bio
- Jam connoisseur
- Constantly running in circles
- Endless energy
- Offers support in any way they can
Design
Jamster was designed by an RIT alum and former RIT Game Dev Club E-board member as a mascot for the club. Although the design was slightly modified, it still abides closely to RGDC's original guidelines. Jamster's magenta, cyan, and beige colors also had to be added to the color palette specifically for themselves.
Concepts
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Original:
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Level 1:
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Final:
