Building the Ballroom in Wylde Society 💃🏾🕯️

Greetings, cozy coven!

In our December Wylde Society game trailer, we introduced Fairhaven’s ballroom for the first time! It was exciting to show off our vision of a ball event in action - the lighting, the dancing, the mood - and the potential for drama!

This space itself was a large undertaking that took many hands from art direction, illustration, 3D modeling to lighting and animation. We wanted to share some more screenshots that get you closer to the details, along with some insights from Kat (Art Director) & Ben (Art Production Director).

Victoria: How would you describe your vision for the ballroom?

Kat: I wanted the whole room to feel extravagant but still feel warm and cozy. Soft candlelight, glittering chandeliers and lush curtains. It needed to be big enough for multiple dance partners but cozy enough for some wallflowers to linger near vases or floral centrepieces.

Victoria: What were your inspirations?

Kat: Shows and movies like Bridgerton, Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice have excellent set and prop departments. Sometimes you only get a peek of the background past all the characters, and so I’d make note of what stands out and helps set the scene and tone. I would also feel inspired by existing stately homes and various virtual tours of manors, and imagining the people who lived there and how it was decorated.

Victoria: How did you want people to feel the first time they saw it?

Kat: I want people to be delighted and excited for all the possibilities! They can dance, gossip or listen just like their favourite period drama heroes!

Victoria: What is the process like from when you get the art direction for 3D space to it being fully implemented in the game? What steps do you have to take in that process?

Ben: Usually what we start off with is a rough brief of ideas from Kat, something less describing of how the scene looks but a general look/vibe. I will usually create some block outs of ideas with supporting reference art that allows us to see something in game. From there, we experiment with ideas and polish what's there.

Once that's done, it's all broken up into pieces and briefed out to the artists who work on the individual pieces. Then we put it all back together, we make some more polish/changes and add final details like plants/dressing etc.

Victoria: What is your favourite detail in the ballroom as a whole?

Kat: My favourite detail has to be the curtains along the arched windows. It really elevates the whole room, and adds a bit of gorgeous texture to the walls

Ben: I love the reflective floors! It's something I suggested would look good early on in the development and Alex (Technical Director) jumped in at the end and made that happen. I have mostly worked on hand painted games - so that stuff is really cool to me. Probably also the ambience of the place, the colours, lighting etc. It all feels very cohesive and inviting.

And for now - that’s a wrap! We’re hard at work on some new spaces in the game. We hope they will simply delight you!

⛵ More about Studio Drydock ⛵

Studio Drydock creates games for people seeking creativity, exploration and self-discovery. Their highly acclaimed debut title, Wylde Flowers, released in 2022. The team is delighted to share their progress on their current game in development, Wylde Society. ✨ Wishlist Wylde Society ✨ Join our Mailing List ✨ Join our Discord

🔮 Best witches, Victoria and the Studio Drydock Team