Project
Outpost Zero
• Symmetric Founder
• Art Direction
• Character Artist
• Weapon Artist
• Creature Artist
• Marketing
Outpost Zero blends the genres of Multiplayer Base Building Survival and Simulation games in a Sci-Fi universe. On a lawless alien world, robotic scouts are tasked with building an Outpost for human colonists. Command AI minions, colonize the planet, and survive the perils of Gaiya.
The visual identity of Outpost Zero is a reflection between the alien landscape and the humanoid tech. The stronger the color the more dangerous and lethal something is for both sides. Inspiration from the insect world is prominent. Tech vs the natural world is always a fun place to play and explore.
Studio
Symmetric
Released
2020
Timeframe
3.5 Years
Project Type
Steam
Technology
Unreal Engine
The world has a beautiful atmosphere but it's dangerous and we give the player enough time to prepare and gear up.
The environment needs to be alien but familiar enough that it feels believable for life to exist.
Screenshots show the vastness of the alien landscape
It should be obvious that these creatures are dangerous. Everything from the silhouette to the color pattern on their skin.
This was my favorite gear. You could only fly for short distances but it was so much fun not to mention it made you look super cool.
Sadly it had to be cut for performance reasons.
The Jetbike was your main mode of fast transportation. I loved it so much it made it into later projects.
The Drone was your main companion and workhorse. He needed to hover to make it easier to traverse the landscape and enter your base.
The design echoes shapes from the Jetbike and other heavier gear, like the fins and streamlined engine.
Depending on the gear your Bots feel different. Yes, everything is about survival but the weight of the object needs to be felt.
The design also needs to read from a distance. If an unknown player is approaching you need to see what gear they have.
Your gear wasn't just guns. There were tools for harvesting resources and building your base.
The design cohesion between the gear was important so a lot of elements were shared.
"if you're going to build a time machine into a car why not do it with some style?"-Doc
That's a quote from Back to the Future that is important because it encourages you
to break the rules when designing functioning equipment.
These are the sculpts for the body frame and the hands, which of note have the most important tool.
It's affectionately called "handy" because even if you lost everything, this can still do it all, all be it poorly.
This is the level of detail I wanted. Yes it's only visible like this, but the point is I know it's there and the level of quality helps me be at peace.
This is what a full armor set is like. You are exponentially better at everything with it. The color contrast is intentional between the body and armor.
You could customize colors and upload your own logos to represent your personal clan.
