Seasonal Harvest: Crafting Immersive Environments and Interactive Crops

Here you can read the breakdown of the environment and prop creation for Seasonal Harvest.

In Seasonal Harvest, players are transported to a world of enchanting and mystical crops, embarking on a captivating journey far beyond the ordinary farming games. As they nurture their crops, players must also confront formidable adversaries capable of disrupting the seasons and jeopardizing their precious harvests.

For this project I have had the privilege of overseeing the environmental design and the creation of vegetable crops in Seasonal Harvest. With my designs, I aimed to infuse a sense of magic and vibrancy into the crops. I wanted to convey an energy that pulses through the veins of these crops, serving as a visual indicator to players of their readiness for harvest and their overall well-being.

The crops are designed to have 4 stages of growth, ending in a darker gloomier decay stage. 

Seasonal Harvest is the collaborative project of the MossMallow Team, comprising one developer, two artists, and two  audio engineers.

Goals of the project.

In this project, my primary goal was to establish a stylized and cohesive visual identity that perfectly complemented the  game concept. I aimed to infuse a warm, inviting atmosphere into the harvestable crops by carefully selecting colors and forms. To achieve this, I focused on crafting rounded, easily recognizable shapes and utilizing vibrant, eye-catching colors, as reflected in my concept art.

The overall intention was to evoke a sense of coziness and wholesomeness throughout the game, ensuring that players would feel a deep connection with the world we've created. Trying to bring an extra layer of emotional connection through shape/color and or movement of the plants.

Below, you'll find a step-by-step breakdown of the creative process behind the three vegetables I brought to life in Seasonal Harvest. This journey takes us from the initial blockout stages all the way to the final vision with textures.

Enhancing Crop Realism Through Vertex Painting

In our quest to breathe life into the world of Seasonal Harvest, I utilized vertex painting to introduce subtle leaf movement to our crops. This technique transformed these static objects into dynamic, vibrant beings. 

To achieve the visible movement, we employed a movement shader developed by our team, which was applied to the vertex-painted parts of the assets. This shader allowed us to control the shape's movement, giving it a more natural and flowy appearance. 

Collaborative efforts for a vibrant crop interaction.

Working together with the team, we came to create a visually engaging VFX effect that acts as a helpful indicator for when the crops are ready for harvest. As players interact with the crops by watering them, the plants respond with a gentle "plop" effect. This subtle interaction not only communicates to the player that their actions matter but also contributes to the overall sense of vitality in the game world.