86 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
86 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
# Character Art Direction
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## North star
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Papaya Shooter is **urban anime first, expressive utility tech second**.
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Grace Howard from *Zenless Zone Zero* is a directional reference for the
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relationship between character and machinery: confident, readable streetwear
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and personality remain dominant while a few believable tools explain
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extraordinary movement. It is not a costume, silhouette, or prop set to copy.
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The working ratio is:
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```text
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90% character / urban anime
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10% functional mechanics / technology
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```
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The ratio is perceptual rather than a polygon count. At combat distance, the
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player should identify face, hair, body language, clothing silhouette, team
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colour and weapon before noticing a mechanism. Technology earns attention only
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when its related action begins.
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## The 90%: character and city
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- Strong hair, face, garment and pose silhouettes carry recognition.
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- Clothing uses broad graphic panels, asymmetry, layered streetwear and one
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clear accent rhythm instead of dense sci-fi segmentation.
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- Materials stay readable: cloth looks soft, rubberized trim looks matte, and
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skin/hair keep their anime value grouping.
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- Decals, seams and accessories describe taste, job and attitude before lore.
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- Animation sells confidence and intent. The body leads; hardware follows.
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Avoid full exosuit coverage, exposed machinery on every limb, uniform emissive
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strips, or greebles spread evenly across the body. Those invert the ratio and
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turn a character into a vehicle.
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## The 10%: hero tools
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Each character may express the same movement verbs through a different form
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language, but the function and timing remain legible.
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### Jump jets
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Jump jets support bunny-hopping, air correction and quick direction changes.
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They may live at heels, calves, a belt, coat hardware or a compact backpack.
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The visual event is a short deployment, a graphic thrust wedge, and a fast
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retraction. The audio is mostly air/thrust with one soft actuator detail.
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### Grappling hook
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The grapple needs three readable beats: launch, latch, and loaded reel. Its
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housing may be wrist-mounted, weapon-mounted, hip-carried or deployed by a
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small companion device. Cable direction and tension matter more than housing
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detail. The mechanism stays quiet enough that the body swing remains the hero.
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### Thrust dash
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Dashing is a decisive impulse, not sustained flight. Thrusters may appear at
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the waist, shoulder blades, boots or weapon rig. Use a clean ignition core,
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directional air wedge and brief afterimage. Do not add a rattling engine loop;
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the device should be visually dormant again by the recovery pose.
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## Shared visual and audio law
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- **Idle:** technology is folded, dark and quiet.
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- **Anticipation:** one seam opens, nozzle pivots, or latch arms.
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- **Action:** a single bright shape and clean thrust/mechanical cue explains
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the verb.
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- **Recovery:** the tool retracts quickly and character animation takes focus.
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- **Sound ratio:** roughly 90% motion, thrust and body; 10% relay, latch or
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servo. No constant rattle, scrape wall, or narrow high-frequency chirp.
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- **VFX ratio:** one authored wedge/ring/line is preferable to many particles.
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This law lets characters share technology without looking mass-produced.
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Function, gameplay colour and timing stay consistent; placement, casing,
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fasteners, deployment motion and wear pattern belong to the individual.
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## Review questions
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1. Does the silhouette still read as a person before it reads as equipment?
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2. Can the movement tool be understood during its active animation?
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3. Does the hardware disappear from attention when inactive?
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4. Is every mechanical sound attached to a visible or gameplay-relevant cause?
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5. Would removing half the greebles improve the character? If yes, remove them.
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