Deployment is meaningful, strategic, tactic and immersive.
Let's look at the Deployment Map & UI from an art treatment standpoint. This image is an early exploration of how to present a planet, a good example that shows some of our influences and key ideas we have.
We have been looking at multiple points of reference for what we want to achieve from an aesthetic point of view. These are based on a few key points:
EVE Online - EVE Vanguard is part of the same universe, of course.
Clear information - Removal of waste and clutter.
Strong screen composition - It works in isolation, but can flow into other areas of Deployment.
We have quite a few real world influences, but there are a couple that are more important and constant for us. Ryoji Ikeda is a Japanese visual and sound artist and coincidentally (or not) he released some of his sine tone minimal Techno on another one of our major influences, the German music label Raster Noton - specifically their early releases in the late 90's and early 00's. Both produce music and art that could be labelled minimal or post-minimal. The important thing for us is that both aren't trying to be minimal for the sake of it - they are presenting information clearly, cutting out any unnecessary waste and retaining a strong sense of composition that work in isolation but also as a whole.
Next up, an early exploration of Deploying down to a map. We were investigating a few things here. Risk and Reward being one of them. We were thinking about Hi, Low and Null Sec spaces, and looking at varying difficulty levels within a map. The more difficult the area is to deploy to, the higher the rewards will be. We were also investigating telling you where your friends are. Should you deploy close them if they are in Hi Sec, so you can go and help them out? Or maybe you have other things you want or need to do for your own progression. This screen also shows the potential of displaying other kinds of information. Equipping yourself for the challenge ahead is important, especially where we introduce dangerous elements to the map, in terms of natural and synthetic weather. We will inform you about the situation you are about to enter, so you can prepare accordingly. This is the future for Vanguard - meaningful, strategic and tactical decisions you can make before dropping onto a surface.
One of the many advantages we have as the EVE Vanguard team, is that we have a wealth of things we can use and draw on. On top of that, there are things we don't need to invent. One of these being New Eden. For the next release, we want to put you in New Eden --literally-- by using the Star Map. We have a few mantras and one of those is 'As Above, So Below' and what better way to bring that to life than by using the map of New Eden. We have some ambitious goals for the Star map. One of those goals is to pull data from a variety of sources so we can reflect what is happening in EVE Online and use that for game play on the ground.
Exciting!
As a bit of an aside: we also used 'As Above, So Below' as the theme when we designed our logo, which is basically and arrow pointing up and an arrow pointing down, as well as being V for Vanguard and a Diamond, which you may have noticed is used throughout both EVE Online and EVE Vanguard. See you next time! o7
