Making the Agora

Hi there, friends and foes of democracy,

As summer approaches, my day job asks me less and less, and I find time to work on the game again. Thus, I am here to share a bit about the process of making the Agora scene for Socratic Democracy.

The agora is one of the main scenes in the game, as it was the most important public space in the ancient Greek polis. Agoras were markets and public arenas. They were the place where news and gossip spread, where politicians would make speeches, accusations or debates. Many philosophical schools of Athens were located at or about its agora. 

In the game, there will be three types of events/scenes in the agora. First and foremost, the agora will be the place where candidates for the position of archon (city leader) will debate against each other or the people, presenting and refining their platforms. Second, the agora will be used for some cutscenes where rivals of the player's character will accuse him of been corrupt, tyrannical, etc. Third, and lastly, players who enjoy micromanaging can use the agora to buy and sell products, trying to get small efficiency gains.

I have the goal of making a prototype of scene type I (agora debate) until the end of summer. But to do so, I needed to have the art assets... My objective is not just to develop a minimal code that makes the scene work, but to use it to attract new interest to my project. For that, I need good art. 

If you want art, make the art

As described in my previous blog,  last year I hired a studio to make the scenarios, but unfortunately that didn't work out. A bit traumatized, I decided to become my own scenario artist, while still subcontracting the character art. 

I currently see this work of scenario designer as a major opportunity to develop my skills and implement my vision. However, I must recognize that this is the greatest threat to the success of this project. Either I become a good and fast artist or everything will collapse.

The video below shows my evolution making it.

How I feel about this

So far I am happy with the results I can produce, but not my speed.  I have worked for almost 6 months (though mostly friday nights), and I have done and redone everything at least a few times. After all this work, it is still not ready... I need to improve on the grass and incorporate more furniture, background characters, UI, animations...

I have learned several new techniques in Krita, particularly related to light and shadow effects and complex filters. I also developed a style for different materials which I think will be easy to use in other parts of the game. I am more confident about my color choices and drawing style. 

It has been too hard, but also so enjoyable... 

Cheers,

Pedro