Art Style Guide Overwatch

Art Style Analysis

INSPIRATION  ●

Originally to be Blizzard’s new IP, Titan ○

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MMO and FPS mix ○

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Was canceled after 6 years of development Designed to draw a gigantic fanbase like World of Warcraft

Abilities and skill tree development led to a variety of skill combinations that were too overpowered ○

Results were too cluttered and confusing

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Had 6 weeks to think of a new idea Inspired by existing Blizzard IP, Hearthstone, to make a smaller, self-contained game Took inspiration of team based shooters from TF2, the popularity of MOBAs, and existing assets from Titan to create a prototype game When the prototype was “If people compared us to Team successful, Overwatch was Fortress 2, we would be honored approved as Blizzard’s because we love that game!” fourth major IP

“A world that is welcome and inviting, but not sterile and perfect”

MOOD 

- Michael Chu

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Diverse Plots, Characters, and Gameplay ○

Allow players to create their own connections

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Globally Diverse Characters/Locations

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Players of all skill levels feel welcome

Hopeful Future ○ ○ ○

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A vision founded from the world around us Many problems we face today are solved Robot/Human rather than Human/Human Conflicts

Inspiring Stories ○ ○

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Lead Writer Overwatch

Super Speed, Time Travel, Teleportation, Flight Inspire players to see the World how it could be

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Dynamic Heroes and Locales ○ ○ ○

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All races and nationalities Larger than life personalities and abilities Embrace humor and excitement

Handcrafted,, lived-In World Handcrafted ○ ○

Small details hint at story relationships Each object/ element of design serves a purpose

CHARACTERS  ●

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Lead character concept artist, Arnold Tsang, says: “The key to creating the game's instantly identifiable characters lies in their silhouettes.” Arnold Tsang says that the running animation is the next step to differentiating differenti ating in game recognizabil recognizability. ity. "We go into animation... and we try to push the silhouette of that character running in the game to be as different as possible from the other heroes so they stand out." The art team rallied behind the heroic feel of Tracer, applying that feel to the rest of the world/ characters ●

Designs for each character define their abilities and function in the game. ○  Smaller characters are more mobile, and easier to defeat. Larger characters have more ○ health, and take more effort to take down.

“Reinhardt Wilhelm styles himself as a champion of a bygone age, who lives

“[Tracer is] One of the most important characters, if not the most important character in the Overwatch line-up, because she embodies the spirit of Overwatch, as a game, and as a universe.”

- Arnold Tsang

ENVIRONMENT  ●

Looks ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Many organic and natural surfaces Soft, bright color tones are used throughout the game to have a more cartoon like style There are no sharp or beveled edges There are no 90° corners All the edges in the scene have highlights to appear softer and rounder than they really are. Over exaggerated fake light painted on all edges to make the environment seem softer.

Levels ○ ○

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A wide range of diverse environment and immersive experiences. Map contains open areas for sniping heros and hallways for close range fights so there are many possibilities for different player styles and skills. Easy to navigate around the maps and understand the flow of the level. Each map has you immersed at a different exotic location in

SHAPE LANGUAGE  ●

Silhouettes ○

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Character designs are heavily based around unique silhouettes.

Composition ○ ○

Each character and silhouette is composed of shapes to give each character a unique and easily recognizable look. These traits run through each of the game’s four class sets, allowing players to recognize not only a character but also their class from a distance.

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Environmentt Design Environmen ○ ○ ○

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Each level uses shape design to continue Overwatch’s story into the levels themselves. Curved shapes are used in futuristic settings while squared shapes are used for classic architecture and design. These design choices combined with other storytelling elements give each level a unique atmosphere.

Inspirations ○

Each level pulls from the architecture and shapes of the r eal world locations they are based on, giving each map a level of authenticity that helps keep it grounded in reality.

LIGHTING/ATMOSPHERE  LIGHTING/AT MOSPHERE  ●

Colorful and Well Lit Environmen Environments ts ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Most of maps are outdoor environments with bright sunlight. Indoors are also well lit with ambient light and other sources. Even the night time maps have lot of street lights and bright signs which makes it easier to spot things and doesn’t hinder gameplay Abilities and effects have colorful and distinctive lighting style that grabs your attention and easily helps you identify it. Overall the Atmosphere and lighting is very well done and improves the overall quality of the game.

Bright and colorful abilities makes it easy to distinguish them

VISUAL EFFECTS  Visual Effects in Overwatch stick to the over-the-top cartoon theme and that’s shown in the stylized explosions and muzzle flashes in the game. ● ● ● ●

The muzzle flashes are brief and appear to be emitted on quads or a premade spiky mesh. These meshes are most likely rotated and scaled every time they are spawned. Explosions often use a combination of parts, from unique mesh assets to particle VFX. This is shown in the series of frames showing Junkrat’s Wheel exploding. The visual effects for hitting a wall follow similar guidelines to that of the muzzle flashes. Hit flashes start small, and scale up over time and then start fading away.

Hitting a wall

ANIMATION STYLE  ●

Animation Techniques ○

Use of smear frames to convey speed and to maximize animations in engine.

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The use of Noodle joints for higher fidelity of characters’ movement animations.

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Attention to subtle detail ○

Adherence to fundamental animation principles.

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Animations follow a non-linear path from pose to pose.

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Conveyance of attitude ○

Each character’s animations are uniquely created to fit their aesthetic

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Maintaining recognizable silhouettes of the character

Behind the Scenes: Mei Overwatch Highlight Reel Animation

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS  ●

Game needs to feel Polished, Bright and Colorful ○ ○

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Achieved with consistent level of detail Bright, exaggerated effects yet they are balanced well enough to not feel overly distracting or overpowering on the screen. Diverse, well balanced set of heroes to fit a variety of playstyles. ●

Player needs to feel Immersed yet must be able to instantly recognize what is going on ○ ○ ○

"Bastion is not OP." -Bruce Wilkie, Principal Software Engineer, Blizzard

Player learns to recognize what’s going on through the unique visual and audio cues. Unique characters with unique forms, movement and VFX for visual recognition Unique sound effects linked to every ability for audio recognition

ICONOGRAPHY  ●

Readable ○

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Minimalistic ○

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In-game UI is kept to a minimum to not distract the player Outside of the black and white icons, the rest of the UI is highlighted by four colors: orange, cyan, blue, and red ○ ○

Orange and Cyan are personal to the player’s UI Blue and Red are battle indicators for allies and enemies

Able to obtain all necessary information at a glance

Unique ○ ○

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Needs to be intuitive to both veteran and newer players

No icon is the same Matches each Hero’s personality and character

SPECIAL DESIGN CONSIDERAT CONSIDERATIONS  IONS  ●

Heroes First ○ ○ ○

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The Heroes are the lead actors in our movie and the maps are there to support the Heroes. Each level should be built in a way that allows players to figure out awesome sandbox moments. The maps should create as much opportunity as possible for player creativity with hero abilities.

Diversity of Experience ○ ○ ○

Wide Range of environments and experience in maps ● Maps must have a good mix of fight hallways for our close range heroes contrasted with long range areas for our sniping heroes. A map should feature as many areas as possible for heroes to shine.

Clarity of Space ○ ○ ○ ○

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We should strive to design levels to be as simple and elegant as possible. Play spaces should be uncluttered and details should be pushed against the edges of an area. Within a map there should be clear and simple points of interest Mechanics in our maps should remain consistent.

Immersive World Fantasy ○ ○

The goal of each map should be to put you into an epic, awe-inspiring environment While playing our game you should feel immersed in some of the most exotic locations

CREDITS  Zach Ricketson: Characters Sebastian Ribas: Inspiration Raunak Vikas: Visual Effects Elaine Del Rosario: Iconography Gabe Espinosa: Mood

Titanya Claridge-Walker: Claridge-Walker: Environments Spencer Hodgkins: Shape Language Jordan Brown: Animation Lohith Haresh: Lighting/At Lighting/Atmosphere mosphere Karthik Srinivasan : Technical Considerations/Special Considerations/Special