u/slapduck_prime

I've been working on a sort of silly duck-themed game, and I can't figure out what I want it to actually look like. I've experimented with some different styles (Cats+soup watercolor, Duck Detective sticker-style, rough-sketch outlines, crappy basic SVG, etc), but I just don't like how my game looks.

How did you guys find/decide on a visual style for your games? What are some other options for a sort of cozy-arcade with 2-d and 2.5d games?

[This dialog popped into my head a couple of months ago while I was cooking. It's not tied to anything I'm writing, but I just found it again and it made me laugh]

“Ok, I have to ask.” the alien said, if fluting English-adjacent noises through a brachial tube counts as 'said'.

Perlmutter set the spatula next to the stove and turned, raising an eyebrow. “What now, Cuarn?”

“Humans do not defecate?”

“Uhh… yeah, we do.” At Cuarn’s skeptical look, he added, almost defensively “I... defecated… this morning. We definitely poop.”

“Oh…” Cuarn thought for a second. “So you breed then also, correct?” 

“I’m not sure how that’s related, but uh… yeah, we do that too”.

“This morning, too?” 

Annie turned bright red. Perlmutter also.

“That was just kissing!-“ Annie gasped out as Perlmutter groaned and Jay leaned back in his chair and started laughing.

“I knew it!” Jay yelled happily, pointing at Annie and Perlmutter, who had taken his spatula back up with intent to kill “you two -“

“SHUT UP!!!” Three voices shouted back at him

“I apologize if this topic is sensitive! “ Cuarn interjected, “I only - “

“You only what?” Annie snapped

“It is this human profanity! It is...” the creature visibly struggled to find the word “pedestrian? Normal? Is that how I should say it? Every human poops. Every human procreates-”

“Not every human “ Perlmutter interjected, glancing at Jay, who started turning his own shade of pink.

“Yes, but, almost every human procreates” Cuarn happily conceded, flicking a tentacle to the side benevolently. “So why use that for profane words? Why not words that are rare and amazing?”

“Like?”

“Like Cuarn!” Annie laughed, embarrassment forgotten. “He’s rare and weird”

“I think it’s just things we find awkward and gross as a culture” Perlmutter said.

“So, like Jay?” The creature perked up.

“No…” Perlmutter started, then paused. “Wait... Never mind, exactly like Jay”

“So I can then hurt myself and yell ‘what the Jay’?” Cuarn approximated a grin, as far as his beak plates would permit.

“Hey!” Jay looked affronted 

“Or if we get attacked again, I can then scream ‘HOLY JAY!’?”

“Yeah!” Annie was beginning to laugh hysterically at Jay’s expression.

“That is one ugly motherJay!?” Cuarn was clearly enjoying itself.

“That... might not make any sense” Perlmutter replied

“Does Jay himself make any sense?” 

“Ah - you’re not wrong.“