Then there’s the gradient makeup of a character, varying based on the purpose of that character (along with vibe you’re going after). Focal points of a character’s identity lie within the correct shading, mixed with the value of gradient within said shading to produce a memorable and long-lasting impression with the player.

To care for the foundation of design itself at the foundation-level is to care for the player’s impression down the road.

When more precise concepts like directionality come into play, affecting literal perception naturally occurs. When you look at something from different angles, how does it change? How does this affect the style? How can we smooth out the rough edges (literally)?

Oren-nayar sphere shading —we’ll come back to this. / CU

It’s been exactly a decade since the idea of illustrative rendering within Team Fortress 2 was introduced at the global symposium for NPR-related material. Since then, more techniques have been applied by Valve to create the fascinating world of DotA2, but the basis is still the same. Taking principles from games past, the game’s design makes it evident that the roots from which it came from are still recognized and respected. Before going more in-depth about how Valve’s going to use this in the future, let’s look into color an why it plays such a huge role in the game’s overall appeal.

Color Theory: How It Affects You

Colors evoke emotions, and affect us in ways subconsciously. This is yet another layered component to game design which Valve takes into serious consideration during the development process that many game developers skim over. In fact, they’ve gone so far as to hire a professional psychologist to make sure the user’s experience is the best it can possibly be. Each color in its own right may mean something different to each person, and the palette used for each in-game object is critical in the overall presentation. This may include characters, items, maps, and even user interface(s).

We see the exact same approach transfer from Team Fortress 2 into DotA2, in classic Valve fashion — less is more. A huge general rule of game design is efficiency, and color theory is no exception. In fact, it’s one of the main focal points of overall game presentation. Colors seem off? A domino effect may very well occur, subtracting appeal from the end product.

Warm colors evoke stronger emotions, while cool colors tend to relax the user. For a game of DotA2’s scale to be sound color-wise, the design and composition must mesh naturally with subject matter, in a balancing act of artistic expression.