it's a star cube, a cube made of stars :3

hello, it's 1:34 am and i made a star cube :3
#pilotone

the patreon post preview, titled "DESIGN A GAME! IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE... UNLESS??". included is a sketch of pilot surrounded by screens, a sketch of the observable universe, a data panel containing information on a plant and pilot's tired face above a textbox that says "i don't know, shut up, i'm trying to work."

a screenshot of a blender workspace where pilot is standing inside of a cross section of a ship. text in the upper right reads "i kind of just placed pi into this quick ship interior as a size ref." in the bottom left the text reads "i pretty quickly went back to the drawing board because i wasn't sure of how things were looking, never having made a 3d environment and all."

lil preview of the post i just made over on patreon! this month's zip contains a bunch of early ship interior + game mechanic + ui design stuff for #pilotone! :D it's fun seeing what changed and what stayed the same, hope you guys have fun lookin' through it too!!
patreon.com/90percentstudios

hello i'm 3d now 😳
thought i'd throw together some 3d models of andy and i in early preparation that silly lil cameo we put in the credits of every game (this time for #pilotone )!! ignore the armpit deformation, it looks a little wonky but it turns out i'm not bothered enough to fix it 🥲

animated pilot's lunch the other day. 😋🍴 i omitted the third pair of legs cuz with the antenna it looked 8-legged and spider-like (I'M A COWARD). not sure if lo-fi bugs like these should warrant a bug-phobia mod for my fellow bug-phobes but hopefully not?? lemme know otherwise 😅
#pilotone

a blurred preview of the patreon post. overlaid is the text "pilotone 2d character design process - 90% studios patreon.com/90percentstudios".

one of many suit designs for two characters, pilot and double, who stand side by side here. below the characters are notes on their design: "total accident (i was trying to make double's headset wrap around his head like a halo, and pi's would stick up like devil horns), but now they just look like numbers which is so silly i might just stick with it. anyway, the style is way cooler/interesting here, i think i'll have to draw a few expressions/poses to see if these designs can really communicate their characters well? i considered making double's outfit slightly different but this feels more in line with the story, the only thing being different is his head"

posted a bunch (a METRIC BUNCH) of 2d character design work for #pilotone over on our patreon! everything from the first redesign based on the original demo, to the final design i used to create the model from last month, are included! hope you enjoy! :)
patreon.com/90percentstudios

i was curious to know how the mesh would look subdivided and 😭🐭
#pilotone

a preview image of a patreon post, blurred. it's titled "pilotone 3d modeling process". below is the text "90% studios patreon.com/90percentstudios".

screenshot of pi in the blender program, waving her arm. next to her are some notes: "tweaked her color palette. originally i was thinking the game could be a bit chilled out/pastel to start, but i think diving straight into a starker palette would make more sense. the collar of her shirt has also changed. the previous collar was supposed to give her a bit of an office-worker cibe, buuuuut conceptually and visually i didn't really like it. this new design looks much better while still having a sci-fi-worker look."

this month(-ish)'s patreon post is all about pilot's 3d model! it's got screenshots, animated tests, notes, and the .blend file itself! there're still a few things i'd like to tweak but i'm sooo happy with where her model ended up. hope y'all enjoy!
#pilotone patreon.com/90percentstudios

#pilotone ????????

a preview image of the patreon post, blurred. you can make out the "words" LAWD SHE OMIN and some strange blue faced pink haired character. the title of the post is "pilotone drawtober psds + the dreaded first model". below is the text "90% studios patreon.com/90percentstudios".

LAWD SHE OMIN(?????????)
patreon.com/90percentstudios

just posted to patreon, thanks for waiting while we got our shit together! :D #pilotone

a character with a long ponytail looks over a sea from a hill covered in dandelions and wildflowers. over the sea are dark clouds which break into a bright starry sky. a white silhouette of a figure sits further down the hill. the drawing is titled "see you".

#drawtober #inktober #31
IT'S DONE IT'S OVER I'M FREEEE!!! i'm gonna slink back into the dark n keep working on the game but i'll post some bts stuff once in a while on our patreon. feel free to join if you'd like to see more #pilotone. either way HAPPY HELLAWEEN!!!! GO EAT A PUMPKIN NOW!!!

a pale haired character with red skin that melds with a red background. his body is covered in threads that trace contours around him, loosening and flying off in tangles. underneath these threads are darker red lines like those on a microchip. he has a blank expression. the drawing is titled "birth".

#drawtober #inktober #30
figuring out visuals for double's "birth" lol. i recently discovered blaschko's lines; lines of skin cell proliferation during development of the fetus. so i thought it'd be cool to work that in with some tech motifs! just walking the line between real and unreal.
#PILOTONE

the drawing is titled "enrichment" and is set in a cramped spaceship cabin. pilot runs on a treadmill embedded in the "floor", held down by bungee straps that simulate the force of gravity on her body. meanwhile double sits upside down above her. the two watch something on a large monitor. double looks pleased while pilot looks tired.

#drawtober #inktober #29
some ship tasks require processing time. in case you had nothing to do while waiting, you could do enrichment tasks like exercise/watch tv. it'd pass the time and add to the few nice memories you have of double (in low-stakes scenarios they get along pretty well).
#PILOTONE

a grid of 9 stars/celestial bodies. from left to right, top to bottom: proxima centauri, a red flare star. sirius, a blue-white star with a white dwarf companion. astraea, a violent magenta star. lithonial, a yellow dwarf binary system. gigas, a massive mysterious grayish-purple star. pallidus equus, an explosive white-blue star with crater-like flares. vaitarani, a small neon green star. ersetu, a black sphere surrounded by glowing material. "-... -.-- .", a black hole.

#drawtober #inktober #28
as you progress towards your destination you harness energy from nearby stars. some of these are completely real, some are varying levels of fake/hypothetical. i didn't want to use only existing stars, since apparently most are red flare stars and that'd be boring.
#PILOTONE

four expressions, all rotated and jumbled up. in the upper left is double, upside down, looking incredulous. in the upper right is pilot, looking sideways and pleased. in the bottom left is pilot, right side up and flustered. in the lower right is double, laughing in profile view. the drawing is titled "wavelength".

#drawtober #inktober #27
i love figuring out the style of new projects, not that the final game will look anything like these drawtobers (ideation's just easier in 2d for me). defs gonna be trading expressiveness for the benefits of 3d but i think it'll look super cool. :3
#PILOTONE

a blue haired pink skinned character cradles in one hand a floating gun tipped with a syringe. the gun's chamber is filled with a transparent blue serum. through the blue serum you can see one of the character's eyes. the drawing is titled "procedure".

#drawtober #inktober
how the procedure works: nano particles are injected into the host's brain. their polarity attracts them to seldom used neural paths. a micro computer collects data from the particles and processes it into sensory information, giving the double a form.
#PILOTONE

two panels of a comic titled "decay". the first panel is labeled 0 years, and shows a sci-fi console with colorful buttons, a green leafy plant to the side and a glass window in front. the second panel is labeled "??? years". here, the colorful console is dulled, and swept through by a blue finger which smears the buttons together, emitting a dust cloud. the plant has turned to dry rot, but the glass window is pristine. a transcript in the lower left shows dialogue from a character named "pilot". she says "seems we've been asleep for a while".

#drawtober #inktober
over time (especially if exposed to radiation) plastic degrades, cracks and crumbles into dust. thankfully pi can collect the pieces/particulates, input it into a 3d printer and rebuild the broken system! it's only a real pain when it all breaks down simultaneously.
#PILOTONE

the drawing is titled "PILOT'S WARDROBE". it features three outfits for a character with long black hair with pink highlights and blue skin. the first outfit is their work outfit, which is a black short sleeved shirt with a white collar and white cuffs, cropped over a white torso layer. there is a black star on her navel, and black shiny baggy pants over white sock-like boots. she also wears a white headset and wrist computer. the second outfit is a thermoregulator layer, a skintight white suit with cutouts along her shoulders and hips. these serve no function, unless serving is a function all by itself. the third outfit is a space suit, which is a chunkier white suit with a dark shaded glass helmet, a wrist computer on one arm and a velcro tool holder on the other.

#drawtober #inktober #24
pi has a work outfit, thermoregulator (worn under spacesuit + during cryosleep), and space suit. atm the game is first person pov with dialogue portraits from the shoulders up. might add third person pov scenes to better show her design/character actions though!
#PILOTONE

an advertisement for the new circadian cryopod, now designed for everyday use. the advertisement reads: "Keep fluid and nutrient exchanges clean, painless, and distraction free with the tri-line umbilical, your lifeline to dialysis, enteral nutrition, cryoprotectants, anesthetics and more! Free consultation and installation through the federal cryo-pilot program. Use requires store of macronutrients, water and electricity. Delayed cryosleep may cause withdrawal symptoms including but not limited to fatigue, dizziness, nausea, migraine, seeing, hearing, and feeling things that aren’t there, clammy skin and death. Occupational use only." also on the page are two images, one of the cryopod, a coffin-like bed with a padded interior. the second image is a cross-section of the umbilical with three meaty tubes inside. below this image is the caption "Latches neatly onto your low profile navel plug!"

#drawtober #inktober #23
all cryopilots connect to the pod via umbilical every night. their blood is drawn and their body is fed before entering ice-crystal free glass transition temperatures. to avoid shock they're thawed slowly and enter regular sleep cycles before waking normally.
#PILOTONE

centered are two logos for the game "PILOTONE". the top one is black, with a glitch effect over the word "PILOT". the bottom one is 3d, and colored in a gradient from left to right, transitioning from pink to blue. both logos feature two arrows that stem off the center letter T, one points to the right and one to the left. a left hand character (double) says "I mean, it’s 3D! Sooo versatile, and the transition between pink and blue is pretty thematic! ... And it’s just really cute." they favor the colorful logo. the right hand character (pilot) says "I think I’ve had enough of candy colors. And isn’t this a horror game? Please, try to stay on theme." she favors the black logo.

a bunch of different pilotone logo ideas, all in black and white. some are sketchy, some are warped.

#drawtober #inktober #22
option 1's a good wordmark, but option 2's charming in a petscop kinda way, and doesn't take itself too seriously. option 1's a bit gritty but the 8-bit helps. i'll probably mash-up the two by the time we have to market this (which won't be for a looong while).
#PILOTONE

double sits cross-legged in a tiny hexagonal room surrounded by random space ship systems, including a 3d fabricator, spacesuit storage, air revitalization system, communications system and the grow station. on the communications screen is the face of pi's 3d model.

#drawtober #inktober #21
speaking of work, i have so many gd spreadsheets. one for in-game day summaries, air/water/food quotas, celestial object data, etc. might not use every piece of research but maybe the co2 scrubbing fandom will appreciate having a cdep system on the ship.
#PILOTONE

a window into space. out in the starlit darkness are floating humanoid bodies, all upside down and facing the viewer inside. a transcript box in the lower left hand corner displays double's dialogue. "please pi, they're suffocating". below the text are two options, "let them in", or "abandon them". the drawing is titled "survivor's guilt".

#drawtober #inktober #20
figuring out what "rules" of #PILOTONE are and how clear they should be (stuff like, how opposite of pi is double? does he share hallucinations? why's he pink??). not sure a project like this benefits from clarity though. gotta leave something up to the imagination.

a character drags a coffin-like cryopod through an alien desert. the sun, awfully close to this planet, appears to set behind them near the fiery wreck of their ship. they've walked a long way. the title of the drawing is "tidal lock".

#drawtober #inktober #19
for #PILOTONE, i think it'd be cool to focus on the emptiness of space instead of Cool-Sci-Fi-Things™ like nebulas, aliens, etc. sounds boring but there're ways to include that stuff w/o breaking the theme of isolation, like featuring them around distant endings/dreams.

a character eats a pie filled with brains. to his left are some dead dandelions and to his right is a candle that lights the scene. the drawing is titled "braindrain".

#drawtober #inktober day 18
8 hours of real biological sleep are tacked onto the end of pi's cryosleeps (since being frozen doesn't exactly do the reparative work that sleep does). so she still dreams, which is great because i eat highly interpretable dream imagery for breakfast. :b
#PILOTONE

a character with black hair, pink highlights, and blue shadows. her skin is blue. she wears a white headset, and a collared shirt. the background is a psychedelic mix of blue, pink and red.

#drawtober #inktober day 17
thanks for being patient while i slowly make it through these drawtobers!! no blurb for today cuz i'm a bit busy, but i'll try and draw/write more tomorrow. :D
#PILOTONE

a series of drawings titled "MEMORIES OF EARTH". there are seven images. in no particular order, a drawing of two monks in white robes knelt on the ground in front of a crowd of nondescript figures. a drawing of an old ship with a large white sail and white flag. a drawing of a dark beer bottle with a gold label and a q logo over a purple square. a drawing of a large telescope housed in a domed building with a rectangular extension under a starry night sky. a drawing of a beige chapel with a pointed spire topped with a small cross. additionally, next to the drawing of the ship is a star symbol.

#drawtober #inktober day 16
weird one today. the images point to pi's final destination star system. if you know your stars, you could infer the destination + work backwards to identify the images and how they connect. if it's impossible, sorry! i'll explain it after the game's published.
#PILOTONE

on the left is a pixel art tracing of a low-poly model of a pink-skinned white haired character. on the right is a doodle of the same character, now dressed as an angel, and another character dressed as a devil with horns. the drawing is titled "headset" (double and pi's costumes are inspired by their headsets looking like a halo and horns respectively).

a 3d model of a blue-skinned, black and pink-haired character. her head is angled upwards, giving her mouth the appearance of a kitty mouth. :3

#drawtober #inktober day 15
wanted to see how double's 3d model looked with lineart (we're going for a 2d+3d mix for #PILOTONE). also doodled some halloween costumes to pad things out!

fun fact: when you look at their 3d models from a lower angle they look like they're doing kitty faces. :3

pilot floats through her ship towards a food processor, which she throws a cake into. the cake has candles that spell "28", her age. she's surrounded by confetti, also suspended in zero gravity.

#drawtober #inktober day 14
bday doodle cuz it's my bro's bday, pi's is actually dec 8. pa+ckc were made when i was worried about high school stuff. now i'm worried about boring things like capitalism/democracy/hamster cannibalism so i thought it'd be nice to write an older character. :b
#PILOTONE

double sits at a table labeled "quality of life upgrades" with his arms up, framing five upgrade icons: slow time for 200 xp, control an arm for 300 xp, return to earth for free, unlock blueprints for 250 xp and continue onwards for 9999xp. he says "now that you've gained my favor, you can now access upgrades! i'd highly recommend-" pi points at the "continue onwards" upgrade and interrupts by saying "just this please."

#drawtober #inktober day 13
narratively, double IS pi's quality of life upgrade, so i thought it'd be cool if you had to use him to unlock blueprints/task automation/etc. pi's already a pro but double, a new consciousness of sorts, seemed like a better character to anchor a skill tree to.
#PILOTONE

a recruitment poster. up top is the text "EARTH IS DYING", then a drawing of the earth with a single crying eyeball, staring towards a star surrounded by 7 planets, than the text "TO SEE THE STARS" (read altogether, EARTH IS DYING TO SEE THE STARS". below is the text "ANSWER THE CRY FOR HELP, CRYO-PILOT POSITION REQUIRES MASTERS DEGREE/PHD/POST-DOCTORAL QUALIFICATION, SCUBA DIVER/MILITARY LEVEL WATER TRAINING, 1000 HOURS PILOT EXPERIENCE, 20/20 VISION, 140/90 BLOOD PRESSURE, AND GRADE A ISO-EVAL." then a random address to an office in quebec.

#drawtober #inktober day 12
pi is one of many earthlings designed to meet the requirements of a cryo-pilot (a pilot that undergoes cryogenic preservation to complete their mission). the government association she works for is at best, morally grey, but she honestly isn't much better.
#PILOTONE

an interior view of a cramped one-person spaceship, overgrown with vines, leaves, crops and insects. a computer monitor on the ceiling emits a bright magenta light. through the airlock cupola is a dark figure, taking advantage of the darkness.

#drawtober #inktober day 11
an early idea for a ship maintenance task: calibrate light. keeping it lit = bonus to sanity + plant growth, keeping it dark = jumpscares + save energy. not sure if having control over the dark makes it more/less scary but it sounded like a cool idea visually.
#PILOTONE