Kaodi News

[p]Hello everyone![/p][p]After the launch of Kaodi, we’ve seen that one of the aspects you’ve enjoyed the most is the narrative. That’s why we’ve decided to share how we designed the Inner World and the narrative progression in Barren’s journey 🍃[/p][p][/p][p]It didn’t take long for us to realize this would be quite a challenge—not just from an implementation standpoint, but also in terms of narrative coherence. What kind of system could we use to make sure we didn’t make mistakes in the progression of concepts? How could we create a balance between them so that some levels wouldn’t feel overloaded while others remained empty?[/p][p]Once we started writing the first drafts of the dialogues, we noticed the issue of not having designed the concept progression beforehand. We wanted each concept to matter equally, and it was essential to define what we wanted the player to reflect on with each one.[/p][p]We tested several systems that didn’t quite meet our needs, so we decided to create one from scratch—and it turned out to be the best decision we could’ve made![/p][p][/p][p]That’s what we called it. Many members of Outlander Games live in the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, so it’s very common for us to interact daily with the Madrid Metro maps.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We came up with the idea that each concept would be like a metro line, with its own specific color, and that the different interactions/updates of that concept would act as stations.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]This exercise helped us a lot when defining connections between concepts, identifying areas or NPCs with overloaded interactions, distributing the narrative weight across levels, and even spotting dynamics that we had not yet implemented in the Inner World code.[/p][p][/p][p]Want to see the result?[/p][p][/p][h3]🍃🍃Kaodi is now available on Steam🍃🍃[/h3][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p]

Launch day hotfix:

• Solved some reports of missing localized texts for Japanese and Turkish versions.
  

After a grueling year of hard work, Kaodi launches TODAY on Steam!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3325570/Kaodi/
From all of us at Outlander Games, we hope you love Barren's journey as much as we loved bringing it to life.

💨 Experience it now - your adventure awaits and we can't wait to know your thoughts!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

🧵 Today we're revealing Kaodi's unique art direction journey. From day one, we wanted to create something that would stand out in the market. Here's how Jiale, our art director, didi it!👇

1️⃣ Our previous games like Nhiol (3D lowpoly) and Myth Tales (2D pixel art) gave us experience in different styles. But for Kaodi, we needed something fresh that helped us define our visual identity.


2️⃣ Recognizing our team's strengths and limitations, we searched for an approach that would allow us to create something distinctive and doable. 🔍

3️⃣ That's when we discovered 2.5D pixel art (or "low-spec"). This technique expands traditional pixel art by adding depth and dimension, bringing an extra layer of visual charm while staying within our technical comfort zone. 💡

4️⃣ For KAODI's artistic direction, we drew inspiration from Eastern art, particularly Chinese ink paintings. This traditional art form's distinctive monochromatic style perfectly complements our game's themes and narrative. ⚔️


5️⃣ Our technical pipeline uses Crocotile3D, a specialized software for creating 3D pixel art. This allows us to model in 3D while texturing in 2D pixel art—all in one program. Every asset follows a strict pixel grid to maintain visual coherence. 🖌️

Want to see how this unique art style comes together? Check out KAODI on Steam! 🎮👇
https://store.steampowered.com/app/33255

🧵 Today, we’re telling you why Kaodi is the way it is. It all started with the incredible character design by @penusbmic. 👇

1️⃣ This isn’t the first time we’ve used one of his assets. In Ronin Fighters, one of our earliest games, we already included the techno-samurai from the Sci-Fi Character Pack 8. We absolutely love their style! 🔥



2️⃣ Some time later, we saw he had released another pack, a clear evolution of the previous one. And there he was: an imposing samurai who challenged us to create a world, a story, and an art style around him. That’s how Kaodi was born, and the samurai became Barren, the protagonist of our game.



3️⃣ But the original asset didn’t include all the animations we needed. That’s where @apoonto came in, completing the sprite sheet with walking, dashing, hurt, and a devastating new attack animation. The result was SPECTACULAR. 💥

4️⃣ We wanted the spear-wielding version to be the game’s main enemy. For that, @apoonto stepped up again with new animations that made combat feel fluid, organic, and packed with the punch we were looking for. ⚔

5️⃣ From there, our art team developed a visual style where Barren and the rest of the characters would fit naturally. Sometimes, inspiration for a game comes from the most unexpected places…


Want to see the final result? 🔥

Here’s the Kaodi Steam Page! 🎮

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3325570/Kaodi/