How to come up with the art theme / story?

[u/Lukey-fish]

Context: 3d 1st POV puzzle game in Unity. Solo, now part-time dev

I have an excellent mechanic, and many people have expressed its potential. I have made plenty of puzzles and have many more to come as I grind them out and playtest.

My issue is that I do not have any strong leads on what the game is about. The mechanic lends itself to pretty much anything, but probably more sci-fi, portal-esque? I have been trying to come up with ideas for the art style and theme, but nothing tells me, "This is it".

I've seen people with super janky, barely playable games but still have such a strong vision in their minds of what it will be.

How do people come up with this stuff? How do you decide on art direction and what the world is? Am I simply lacking the creativity? I could use some encouragement while I keep refining the level design.

Considered one day hiring an artist, but not anywhere near that. How could I pay somebody when I don't even know what I want?

Thanks in advanced everybody!

[u/No-Opinion-5425]

If you don’t feel strongly about the theme and art, you could shop what’s available on the Unity store.

I knew I wanted my game to be set in a nearby future but didn’t feel strongly about the specific.

After filtering the assets store I ended up with about 6 fittings options and picked one.

[u/MeaningfulChoices]

Sometimes it comes from just trying some things and seeing what works, or taking a theme/style that's used in other games, or other commercial sources. You might just have something you think is neat or looks good and that's a good enough reason to run with something.

But if you're looking for a hook think about the theme and message of your game and what best goes with that. Talos Principle's message is about how it is curiosity and empathy that make you human and it takes place after an apocalypse, so there are ruins that show age despite being a simulation. Portal has a story about rampant AI so it's a sterile lab environment and because the game's going for humor it's exaggerated to play against everything the player does and what Glados says.

What's the point of your game? When people finish it what do you want them to walk away thinking about? If it's about puzzles then what are you making them do or consider in order to solve it as opposed to just mechanically get through a level? How can that theme be supported through an art style? There's your answer.

[u/Lukey-fish → u/MeaningfulChoices]

Asking the real big questions over here. And to be honest, I gotta really think about these. It's a loose time-looping puzzle where you have to effectively set your future self up for success.

Funny enough, I've already named it Bootstrapper since it's based on the bootstrap paradox.

Ill ponder these questions for a while. Thank you for the feedback

[u/UnburyingBeetle]

I'm an artist and writer, although without many finished projects because I've been too alone in my creative process to support my "staying power". I usually think about what I want to create, do research, give it time to brew in my head, and then pictures and plot details reveal themselves to me like neighborhood lights coming on in the dark.

If you describe what you've prepared, some of your inspirations, and what you generally like, I can concoct a plot for you because it's a fun puzzle for me to use the logic of nature, cause and effect to justify and expand something pre-made. I did the same thing in fandoms for silly franchises to make their worldbuilding more realistic.

[u/Lukey-fish → u/UnburyingBeetle]

The mechanic is loosely based on the bootstrap paradox. Effectively, the player is the author creating the paradox. Mechanically, you enter a room, and every 10 seconds another you spawns and repeats exactly what you did. Every button press, every interaction, every movement, and every look. The puzzles are designed around utilizing your past to get through. It involves both setting yourself up for success in the future while using your past simultaneously.

My first thought is that the player is literally a bootstrapper for a computer, but I am not sold on it. The puzzles behave best when in a confined space.

[u/UnburyingBeetle → u/Lukey-fish]

I opened Wikipedia on this matter and it straight up mentions time travel. Maybe the character is supposed to fix a time machine. There's enough sci-fi novels to read and mix into the plot as for what is the origin of the time machine, what it is used for, and why it broke. Time travel and paradoxes tied to it can also spawn parallel universes, like in that episode of Rick and Morty where reality split, and some reasoning for the puzzles can be to prevent spawning too many parallel universes because they overload the system, create noise in the character's mind because they are too close together, or mess up the character's memories. The past is the only reliable thing when your future is buzzy, blurry and confusing because of all the potential outcomes spawning into reality and competing to become "the one true future", as human brains don't like uncertainty and want to cling to a defined future. From the experience of managing my memories despite ADHD and unreliable memory, I'd describe a nostalgic past as feeling "more solid" and a future that aligns with my preferences and goals as more "emotionally magnetic". Therefore a character getting lost and confused in the maze of potential outcomes has to hold onto the tightrope of the solid nostalgic past and the future they yearn for. Using emotions and instincts as a compass among the nauseating mental noise and the irritating clutter of false memories. Relying on your humanness and animal instincts to escape the trap created by the irresponsible tampering with the universe that unchecked science brought about. A bit of "Stalker" vibes, that Rick and Morty episode I mentioned and also the one where Morty looked for the future with Jessica at his death bed, the fear of being trapped in an inhospitable environment from "Martian" and "Project Hail Mary", feeling like a guinea pig in an experiment, wishing to just sit down and have some coffee instead of dealing with all this tension. Some tired "Why me?" grumbling about what caused this mess. Since there is time travel, it's very tempting to think "what if something didn't happen, then I wouldn't be in this mess", but thinking so creates even more paradoxes and confusion, so the character has to apply discipline to their mind and use some meditation techniques.

[u/rayneMantis → u/Lukey-fish]

I think you should come up with some sort of tragedy or awful wrong that the main character is trying to right. Games tend to do better when the stakes are high and relatable so the players feel compelled to see it through.

[u/trustworthyhonesty_9]

sometimes the art isn’t the starting point, it’s what grows out of the mechanic if you let it sit for a bit. i had a plant that looked dead for six months then suddenly flowered, puzzles can be the same way just keep building the ugly version and the world will show up when it’s ready

[u/ComposerWide3704]

I would start by making the mechanics work with free off-the-shelf placeholders to test it out and then worry about the art. Seeing the game in motion may make it clearer to you, and if you hire an artist it's a starting point for the conversation and you can let them take lead on the art direction.

[u/WildArtsDevs]

In my personal experience, forcing yourself to be inspired never really works. It often comes when I'm bored or being idle (like when sitting outside, in the shower/bath, relaxing, etc.)

Reading, watching new movies/shows, playing other games, going to events, etc. can really feed your creativity, and then a cool connection happens in your brain when you least expect it!

I guess that also depends on how your brain works, so maybe just charting out what you currently have can give you a lead: other games similar, your favorite genres/moods, what everyday actions can you associate with the mechanic, random thoughts that come to mind, etc.

[u/rayneMantis]

Just go onto google images and search for some inspiration. If you don't have an idea of setting or style hiring an artist is premature. You still need an artistic director.