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【Character Design File】 Nian: Art & Skill Design

2K View2023-12-01

At the polite invitation of Mr. Wallace, our art director, combat experts, and BOSS came together to unveil the art and skill designs of the protagonist in 'Into the Void'! Mr. Wallace worked diligently to compile the first edition of the 'Design Files.' Let's all take a look together!

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Today's Protagonist: Nian

BOSS: The character design iteration process for the male lead Nian has been rather complicated because his background carries a lot of weight. He needs to have a distinct personality while also allowing players to relate to him. So, whether it's his character or his weapons and skills, they all need to exude a somewhat 'moderate' temperament, not too strong nor too weak, and they should have room for growth. These were the starting points when we kept overturning the old versions and iterating on the design of the new character image.

Art Director: Yes, but it must be said that designing it was somewhat challenging.

You could see our iterative versions from left to right, the earliest version had a more traditional Chinese style. The second and third versions incorporated more modern and lightweight mech elements, but Nian appeared slightly mature and not quite moderate. He looked strong and resolute. So, all of these were overturned, and in the final iteration, we gave him more of a youthful and futuristic feel.

BOSS: Furthermore, in our story, the male lead holds the position of a squad captain, and his role is somewhat similar to a commander.

Art Director: Yes, that's why his clothing has a certain level of professionalism and a uniform feel. Also, can you sense a subtle contemporary Chinese fashion trend in his braided hair and highlights?

I don't know if you all can sense Nian's personality. He has been through a lot, has a bit of youthful rebellion, and likes to pretend to be mature. In more colloquial terms, it means he's a bit "pretentious" or "show-off", but deep down, he's not completely mature. Take a closer look, and I'll continue talking about his weapon.

Nian's weapon was decided to be a rifle from the beginning of the design process. This choice is related to gameplay and character. Emphasizing a 'moderate' temperament, a rifle aligns well with this, making it friendly to novice players, easy to handle, and appealing to a wide audience.

Mr. Wallace (Me): Just like how some people don't like UMP45, some people don't like DBS, but no one dislikes M4!

Team Members: ...

Lead Artist: Because our game is a shooting type when designing weapons, we always consider whether the character's temperament matches and so on. When we design each version of the character, they always come with their weapons. In our game, a character must be in a state of holding a gun to be complete.

When it comes to Nian's weapon, we wanted it to have a realistic flavor. The prototype for his gun was based on a domestically produced assault rifle, as we wanted to ensure that gun enthusiasts wouldn't feel out of place in our game. Additionally, our guns come from different manufacturers, and weapons from different brands have varying mechanisms. We will provide more detailed explanations about this in the future.Now, let's hand it over to BOSS to talk about the skills~

BOSS: Regarding Nian, his skill set is highly compatible with his weapon and his character. I want to emphasize the term 'moderate' once again. Nian is a 'balanced' character, meaning he can do a little bit of everything, but he's not the best at anything. In general, this is very friendly to novice players. If you don't know who to play in any situation, just play him.

Combat Designer: The 'Homing Missile' skill is a great embodiment of what BOSS mentioned. It's Nian's initial skill, and it's very simple to operate – just aim and shoot. This skill design not only aligns with the character's role but is also based on the needs of new players entering the game. You can tell from his skill tags that he's extremely beginner-friendly. With 'Area Damage', 'Track', and 'Stun', even if you aim inaccurately, you can still hit the enemy.

BOSS: Yes, Essentially, we hope that the character's combat style can have minimal gameplay barriers while still being compatible with our game. Based on the character's background, like some titles you're familiar with, such as 'Chun Qiu Tactical Squad Leader' and 'An ordinary person without Cyan abilities,' determines his tactical guidance and team-oriented character positioning.

Combat Designer: In the design of Nian's skill set, we considered many possibilities for synergy with other characters' skill sets. We want him to play an 'INITIATOR' role in the early game by controlling the enemy first and then switching to other characters for damage output. Skills like 【Freezed Missile】 clearly have a strong crowd control aspect.

BOSS: Many of Nian's skills are team-oriented and cooperative skills. For example, after using a skill in combat, switching any team member will synchronize the skill effect on the team members. The BUFF effect continues until the skill ends.

Combat Designer: Yes, for example, the skill 'Intramuscular Injection.' It increases attack speed, reduces reload time, and affects the entire team. The main focus of Nian's skills is on two keywords: 'functionality' and 'team-oriented.' The skill allows players to achieve various combinations.

Combat Designer: Let me introduce another skill with a healing effect, 【Medicinal Mist Spray】 It's a skill that deals absolutely no damage. When placed in a specific area, it continuously heals nearby friendly units. It's a group healing skill that provides a fixed effect in a specific area. From a gameplay perspective, it adds diversity to skills and combinations.

BOSS: Additionally, aside from the initial skill, the other skills are not ranked in terms of priority or strength; they simply have different functional features. Depending on the suppressor carried, there will be different skill effects. Each character can equip one weapon and one suppressor before entering battle, and players can choose what to bring.So, in our game, the combinations of characters, skills, and weapons are highly flexible. There can be many ways to play, and you can explore them in the game~ This is also the most significant feature of our game.

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INTO THE VOID is in development. Please keep following us for more information~
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[The above GIFs are captured during the development process and do not represent the final game quality.]

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