General Color Guide

Overview

This section will help to establish color palettes that will be used in all aspects of the game. It will serve primarily as a resource for members of the development team and allow them to quickly make color choices without hindering production. The information is organized under category headings which are easily linked to objects being created in game. This allows for a pertinent organization of colors and will make it faster for the team to find relevant information. This document will be amended as circumstances require new color palettes. This segment of the style guide will also serve as a public document which displays research and establishes the intention behind color choices within the game.

Print colors in the fifties were vivid and bold. Due to the type of film processes movies also featured very saturated colors. These bright hues form the historical foundation from which we are developing our color palettes.

Colors in Ground Zero

The world of Ground Zero is not the brilliantly vibrant future imagined in the 1950s. Nuclear War has created a dusty landscape where everything is a paler version of what existed before. Rust and decay have taken over and a lack of wealth has prevented any repairs or new developments. In general, colors are de-saturated and show the impact of years of weathering.

Specific Color Palettes for Ground Zero

Building Interiors

Interiors of buildings will be fairly dim and should feel like they are a bit musty. Peeling wallpaper and slumping furniture will be common features. Things should seem stained and in need of repair.

Landscape

In the Springhill prototype, any forested areas were destroyed by a firestorm which swept through the area after the bombs were dropped. This leaves a desert environment with struggling small plants and a few large trees with bark tough enough to survive.  In the full game there will be eight environmental zones (Landscape Style) which will each have variances of color based on their specific environment.

Sky

The bright blue sky acts as a contrast to the de-saturated landscape. The pure tones reference the future the populace thought was imminent and enforce the decaying reality.

Metal

 

Although metal is usually cool in tone, the metal in the prototype will reflect the environment with warm tones of gray. For displays please reference the Interface section.  Most items within the game will have received extensive use without chance of repair. Thus, there will be quite a bit of visible rust.

Populace Physical Appearance

The residents of Springhill have been through very tough times and it shows. Their skin is often tanned from exposure.

Clothing

A lack of industry has forced the populace to rely on local seamstresses for most of the things they wear. Homespun articles remain a natural color as dye is not easily attainable nor affordable. Clothing from before is patched constantly and most fabric has become very dull with usage. People may have special occasion outfits which still directly reflect the fifties but are faded from storage.  Make-shift armor is similarly hand crafted from whatever materials can be acquired. Leather and bits of scrap metal are common elements.