Crab Design Inspiration & Ideation
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Inspiration was taken from the Greek mythology giant crab, KARKINOS (Carcinus) came to the aid of Hydra in a battle. It is an invasive species which is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, joint to the Atlantic Sea.
- Spider crab possesses large, long, thin legs which would allow them to move quickly o Unsettling characteristic, seems dangerous
- Red and orange colouring, oval body shape, intense red eyes
- Snapping claw/ hook were decided to inflict harm against the main character and crystal, addition of snapping animation in future sprints
- Pirate hook and hat o Injuries and “trophies” obtained from its previous battles/ fights
The design style of the melee crab followed a detailed pixel look. The following images provided a good upstanding of the expectation of detail, obtained through shading and highlighting. Incorporated into the design of the crab and ultimately the design guideline, was the use of a dark colour 1-pixel outline. Considering the enemy and its probable need for detail, a black outline on features would have foreseeably resulted in a messy and bulky character design.
Draft sketches allowed for character ideation, as well as understanding various possible perspectives of the crab. Time was spent developing the type of claw in which would be implemented, this was considered an important feature of the enemy considering it would be causing harm to surrounding entities.
Colour Scheme
The colour scheme implemented entails of both warm and cool colours. The red colour is a common colour for a crab although when paired alongside blue creates adequate and pleasing contrast. Strategically draws the attention of the user the claw and unsettling spider like legs.
- Red conveys to many a sign of danger, aggression, and war – very suitable considering its role as an enemy within the game.
- Though the colours are not dark and brooding, the colours chosen still successfully signify the evil, aggressive nature of the crab while being visually appealing.
64 x 64
32 x 32
Studio User Testing
During studio, user testing was completed with team 11 on 64 x 64 design. This allowed for an understanding to be generated early in the ideation process regarding the target audience - university student who enjoy playing video games – and their beliefs surrounding the crab, this paved the way of future designs.
- Users enjoy the colour scheme, colours contrast and complement one another well. Both the highlight and shading is strategic, does not make the body of the crab look messy at all.
- Users really enjoyed the addition of the blue legs and claws, initially drew their attention (“exotic look”)
- Feedback: Addition of an animated face to showcase the mood of the crab (angry, aggressive), increase the size of the claws to draw user attention instantly.
Further, discussion with other groups during the studio allowed for a coherent perspective to be established amongst the teams which were interacting with the design of terrain and other characters. This, consequently, influenced the medium fidelity design of the crab entirely, adhering to design guidelines. More information on the established guidelines in which the crab was designed around: Design Guidelines
The position of the claws was placed strategically, allowing for the crab to receive a greater amount of height, consequently seeming more intimidating. Further, this stance mimics the attack position of a crab. The suggestions received within the studio user testing were applied, this entailed specifically of:
- Addition of an animated face (angry/ frowning expression, large red eyes)
- Size increase of claws
User Testing
User testing was completed on the medium fidelity sprites, greatly influencing the high fidelity design. More details of testing, key findings, and result analysis may be found here: Crab Design User Testing
