Outer Ring MMO - species architecture showcase

One of my biggest responsibilities working for Outer Ring was figuring out distict, recognizable architectural styles for each of the five species inhabiting the great Silver City. Together with Lead LD Bogdan Dinca, narrative director Adam Bullied and concept artist Marta Brandariz we crafted 5 individual concepts based on the narrative and character guidelines, that were later on turned into asset kits by our modellers and level designers.
The challenge was to have them harmonize well but be instantly recognizable at the silhouette level, while also keeping true to each species' lore and ergonomics - and on top of this, good gameplay was paramount.
The humans always have straight 90 degree angled boxes built with modularity and flexibility in mind, in dense tetris-like compositions. They are a balanced, mid-ground between the other styles, sometimes using ornamentation, addons, various colors. Another distinctive feature is the use of green plants as props.
The scavengon building silhouette is an additive, messy composition, with complex contours, tons of addons easily distinguishable over negative space, varied materials and a rusty palette of colors. Composition looks unstable, is top heavy and tree-like.
By contrast, Va'an buildings are bottom-heavy, massive, and subtractive in composition. A monumental lump of rock with tiny slits for light to enter, sparsely - a mix between Tourette Monastery by le Corbusier and WW2 bunkers, dominating the landscape from high vantage points. Materials are hard, dark, obsidian-like cement, with lit engravings and little ornamentation.
Oracle buildings are an additive organic cluster of stasis-liquid protected by bio-armour, accessible by simple antichambers where these aquatic mollusks park their exo-suits. Materials are poly-chrome, iridescent, mother-of-pearl like, counterbalanced by shiny, glossy, stasis-liquid surfaces.