Devlog 2 - Project Pillars, Core Values, Workflows, and Pipelines

By Nick, 07/10/2026

For today’s devlog, we want to talk about our team's core values, our project's pillars, and the workflows we're developing in order to obtain our goals!

Downstream Games Core Values

Video games require a monumental amount of coordination and effort, so it's paramount that our team have standards to abide by and strive for. Our core values are the traits that we find most important as a team of people working together towards a common goal. By doing our best to stick to these principles, we can build the best experience possible for our players and grow together as developers.

Project Pillars

Similar to how core values are the guiding principles that drive our team, project pillars are the guiding principles that drive a project. If we're unsure of where to go with direction, we can always return to our project pillars. Each one is, to extend the metaphor, a foundational core of our game, and if any of them were missing or below our standards then the game would suffer because of it.

Workflows

Workflows are repeatable steps that the team can take for different assets or tasks that allow us to consistently hit our targets. Assets can range from rough prototype sketches, concept art, animations, background tracks, and more, and each one is part of one or more production pipelines.

What Is a Pipeline?

A pipeline is like an assembly line, but it includes all the members of the team, tools, and processes that are required to complete an asset.
For example, the art pipeline looks like this:

Every art asset starts with specifications laid out by the design team (which is basically just me). Then references are gathered, and the asset is added to the backlog in our task tracking. When a new asset is scheduled for the current sprint our concept artists will create a concept art sketch. That sketch is given feedback until it has the proper proportions, contrast, shape language, and color scheme for the game. After that, it's handed off to one of our pixel artists, who will start with a conversion into pixel art. Because pixel art has its own restrictions, and because it's difficult to accurately assess how art might look in-engine from a screenshot, the asset is put into the engine to verify that it looks accurate. Notes are handed back to the pixel artist for refinement until everything looks as expected!

Task and Asset Tracking

Every game studio has a different method of tracking what tasks need to be completed and where assets are in their production pipeline. Downstream Games uses Trello, which is a free, lightweight task tracking software.
Each task gets its own card on the board and starts out in the backlog column. Our backlog is sorted chronologically in our roadmap, which is made up of two-week periods called sprints. We prioritize tasks on a few criteria, including the importance of the asset to the game overall, how fundamental it is to the base mechanics, how much it adds to the experience versus how long it would take to make it, and when we want to show it off to you!

At the beginning of every sprint, we take the cards due at the end of the sprint and add them to the To-Do column. From there, team members move cards into In-Progress to show what they’re currently working on. Once they’re finished with the task, it’s moved to the Sprint Complete column so that we can make observations on how much work is getting done each sprint, known as our velocity. At the end of the sprint, our team leads discuss the progress made and areas for improvement, then move all of the tasks from Sprint Complete into Milestone Complete.
To easily see the status of all the assets necessary for a milestone, we have the Art Asset List and the Audio Asset List. Assets are tracked based on type, for example UI Icons, overworld characters, sound effects, and music tracks. Each asset has information about it, including the file name in the engine, the priority of the asset, whom the asset was assigned to, and notes on any design requirements.

Design Ideation

When it comes to developing design ideas, the most important consideration is how engaging an idea will be compared to the cost for implementing it.
Because we're a small team working on an ambitious project with beautiful art, it's important that we don't overextend ourselves. That usually means designing interactions or assets that are easy to understand, can be reused or retooled, and don't require a lot of art assets to convey. For example, creating interactable objects that can be used for multiple purposes, such as the lantern item. The lantern acts as a light source, can light small fires, protects Kid from fog and poison, and more without requiring many unique animations.
It's also important that ideas have time to brew, like a delicious cup of coffee! Getting ideas down and out for the team to think about over time allows for moments of serendipity, where the team can have an experience, discussion, or inspiration and apply that to the game. For example, there have been many instances where I’ll be reviewing plans for the game and an artist will make a joke or pun that elevates the initial idea to something really worth pursuing!

Social Media

Our social media posts are usually planned out well in advance--the first draft of this post was written two weeks before it was live! We try to be ahead of what we're showing by a few weeks, that way we always have more to show down the pipeline!
We use a variety of tools and services to create our social media posts:

Devlog 1 - Masque: A Trickster Tale,
A Primer

By Nick, 06/26/2026

Welcome to the first of many bi-weekly devlogs by Nick,
the Director and Lead Designer on Masque: A Trickster Tale!The goals of these developer logs are to:

1. Track our progress on the game.
2. Offer an insight into our thought process.
3. Provide a sneak peek behind the development curtain.

To get the ball rolling, today's devlog is all about setting up expectations for the game and answering broad questions. We'll explore what a trickster is, what the game is about, what you do in the game, and touch on the vital respect we're keeping in mind when working with so many iconic and important cultural figures.

So, What Is a Trickster?

A Trickster is a fundamental character archetype, like a Hero or Villain, found in cultures throughout the world!

Tricksters, as their name implies, are all about trickiness. Rather than using brute strength or virtue, they use their wit and cunning to get what they want. Sometimes their methods are beyond human morality, to the point they become amoral, or wholly unconcerned about morality. They're almost always selfish, but they're not always evil; tricksters can act both heroically and villainously!

Many classic tricksters are only worried about their own carnal needs, such as food, comfort, and pleasure. Often tricksters will act as an agent of change, challenging the status quo or humbling their arrogant peers. Some tricksters you may have heard of include:

A trickster tale is a specific type of story centered around the exploits of a trickster. Historically, trickster tales have been used to teach audiences, especially children, lessons about virtue and thinking outside the box.

What Is Masque: A Trickster Tale?

At its core, Masque: A Trickster Tale is a pixel-art adventure RPG that captures the whimsical magic of early-2000s console classics. It blends a comedic narrative with snappy, reflex-driven turn-based combat. The game focuses on a foundling, named Kid, who becomes lost in the realm of tricksters from around the world. Early on Kid meets Masque, a magical floating mask who agrees to help Kid find his way back home. We plan to feature over 100 characters from all over the globe in the game!

What Do You Do in the Game?

The game is split into two parts:

Armed only with Masque, a slingshot, and as much courage as Kid can muster, you'll search through the realm of tricksters for a way home. Tricksters you meet on your journey may choose to help, hinder, or attempt to trick you, so make sure to keep your guard up! As you adventure deeper into the realm you'll uncover pieces of magical artifacts; show them to Masque and he might have an idea about how to use them...

As you encounter the mischievous denizens of the Trickster Realm, you'll act in Shows! Shows are turn-based encounters where Kid and Masque take to the stage to bruise the egos of their opponents. Lie, cheat, steal--do whatever you can to get back home! We'll go into further details about shows a few logs from now.

Research and Cultural Sensitivity

For an indie studio like ours, and with a game concept as both ambitious and culturally sensitive as ours, we think it's important to share where our minds are at. In future logs, we'll talk about our research process and how we're working with cultural experts and representatives to respect the living cultures and folklore many of the important figures featured in our game come from!

Devlog 2 - Project Pillars, Core Values, Workflows, and Pipelines

By Nick, 07/10/2026

For today’s devlog, we want to talk about our team's core values, our project's pillars, and the workflows we're developing in order to obtain our goals!

Downstream Games Core Values

Video games require a monumental amount of coordination and effort, so it's paramount that our team have standards to abide by and strive for. Our core values are the traits that we find most important as a team of people working together towards a common goal. By doing our best to stick to these principles, we can build the best experience possible for our players and grow together as developers.

Project Pillars

Similar to how core values are the guiding principles that drive our team, project pillars are the guiding principles that drive a project. If we're unsure of where to go with direction, we can always return to our project pillars. Each one is, to extend the metaphor, a foundational core of our game, and if any of them were missing or below our standards then the game would suffer because of it.

Workflows

Workflows are repeatable steps that the team can take for different assets or tasks that allow us to consistently hit our targets. Assets can range from rough prototype sketches, concept art, animations, background tracks, and more, and each one is part of one or more production pipelines.

What Is a Pipeline?

A pipeline is like an assembly line, but it includes all the members of the team, tools, and processes that are required to complete an asset.
For example, the art pipeline looks like this:

Every art asset starts with specifications laid out by the design team (which is basically just me). Then references are gathered, and the asset is added to the backlog in our task tracking. When a new asset is scheduled for the current sprint our concept artists will create a concept art sketch. That sketch is given feedback until it has the proper proportions, contrast, shape language, and color scheme for the game. After that, it's handed off to one of our pixel artists, who will start with a conversion into pixel art. Because pixel art has its own restrictions, and because it's difficult to accurately assess how art might look in-engine from a screenshot, the asset is put into the engine to verify that it looks accurate. Notes are handed back to the pixel artist for refinement until everything looks as expected!

Task and Asset Tracking

Every game studio has a different method of tracking what tasks need to be completed and where assets are in their production pipeline. Downstream Games uses Trello, which is a free, lightweight task tracking software.
Each task gets its own card on the board and starts out in the backlog column. Our backlog is sorted chronologically in our roadmap, which is made up of two-week periods called sprints. We prioritize tasks on a few criteria, including the importance of the asset to the game overall, how fundamental it is to the base mechanics, how much it adds to the experience versus how long it would take to make it, and when we want to show it off to you!
At the beginning of every sprint, we take the cards due at the end of the sprint and add them to the To-Do column. From there, team members move cards into In-Progress to show what they’re currently working on. Once they’re finished with the task, it’s moved to the Sprint Complete column so that we can make observations on how much work is getting done each sprint, known as our velocity. At the end of the sprint, our team leads discuss the progress made and areas for improvement, then move all of the tasks from Sprint Complete into Milestone Complete.
To easily see the status of all the assets necessary for a milestone, we have the Art Asset List and the Audio Asset List. Assets are tracked based on type, for example UI Icons, overworld characters, sound effects, and music tracks. Each asset has information about it, including the file name in the engine, the priority of the asset, whom the asset was assigned to, and notes on any design requirements.

Design Ideation

When it comes to developing design ideas, the most important consideration is how engaging an idea will be compared to the cost for implementing it.
Because we're a small team working on an ambitious project with beautiful art, it's important that we don't overextend ourselves. That usually means designing interactions or assets that are easy to understand, can be reused or retooled, and don't require a lot of art assets to convey. For example, creating interactable objects that can be used for multiple purposes, such as the lantern item. The lantern acts as a light source, can light small fires, protects Kid from fog and poison, and more without requiring many unique animations.
It's also important that ideas have time to brew, like a delicious cup of coffee! Getting ideas down and out for the team to think about over time allows for moments of serendipity, where the team can have an experience, discussion, or inspiration and apply that to the game. For example, there have been many instances where I’ll be reviewing plans for the game and an artist will make a joke or pun that elevates the initial idea to something really worth pursuing!

Social Media

Our social media posts are usually planned out well in advance--the first draft of this post was written two weeks before it was live! We try to be ahead of what we're showing by a few weeks, that way we always have more to show down the pipeline!
We use a variety of tools and services to create our social media posts: