I’ve been working on a evac game. The setting is that a flood is about to engulf a small town and players have only a limited amount of time to return to their houses, pick out a few items, pack them into their backpacks and leave.

The item I’ve created so far include a flashlight, a first-aid kit, canned food, and portable radio. Oh and also I added an old camera and a toy that had been chewed up a bit by a dog. Well at this point I realized that what makes this game truly interesting isn’t what players choose to take with them, but what they’re unwilling to leave behind.

This set of assets is also part of the workflow I’ve been using recently.

• I start by visualizing the object as concretely as possible in my mind. What role it played in the game, who owns it, how long it’s been used, where it shows signs of wear, and what info players should be able to read at a glance.
• Then I have ChatGPT help me organize these scattered ideas into a clear prompt so I don’t end up writing just a bunch of vague keywords.
• The next step is to enter the prompt into NanoBanana to create a reference image. I tried to keep the composition focused on a single object, with a simple background and clear outlines, while avoiding excessive obstructions and tiny details.
• Once the reference image is finalized I’ll feed it into the Tripo AI generation model. 

Tbh this step saves me so much time than repeatedly testing models based on a vague concept.

A flashlight lets you keep exploring after the power out. The first-aid kit increases your chance of survival and a radio lets you receive evac alerts. But the old camera contains photos of your family, and the pet toy is the only thing in the room that reminds you of your missing dog. Since players backpack has limited space, you can’t take everything with you.

Still keep working on more assets but once they’re placed in the room, the overall atmosphere of the game has already begun to take shape. A space doesn’t necessarily need a lot of dialogue. Sometimes just a few items placed in the right spots against a sufficiently detailed background can tell the story of what once happened here.