I was reading a few things online today, one about how there are too many low poly art packs out there, and also that you shouldn't add art to your game because it gives a false sense of accomplishment.

So naturally I got my hands on a low poly art pack!

I'm SO glad I added this crap to SeaCrit. I'm being hit with so many random ideas right now, and the game is SO MUCH COOLER to swim around in now that there is actual stuff! The mind races with all the possibilities opening up.

Now that i'm filling the game out with various underwater objects and abandoned houses, you start to wonder... who were these pirates that once lived here under the sea?  Or do they still live here? Was there a flood? What sort of stories will the fish who now inhabit these various wreckages have? Will I create entire zones full of these interesting shapes to explore, even if they don't facilitate combat? Will I fill out the distant background with islands and palm trees?

Who knows! But I do know that these assets are a real shot in the arm and I'm excited to get into building up the world and experiment with all sorta of potential story and level setups. You never know what sort of possibilities will reveal themselves until you start adding these cool things to your game. It's easy to get locked into really narrow views of what the game will be, to discount the impact of "frivolous things" like art, sounds, icons, etc. But often times you throw them in, and a torrent of potential neat things unveil themselves.

Going to stay grounded, not going to go off and totally revamp the plan moving forward, but I am much more confident the world will feel interesting and lived in, expansive and full of places to explore with intrigue and a sense of danger and exploration.

I REALLY didn't expect this little asset pack to be such a shot in the arm, feeling excited to get to work tomorrow. Going to be a lot of finagling art, prefabs, files, naming, textures, shaders, etc. But I'm kinda ok at this sorta stuff...

Tomorrow's gonna be a good work day.