Build specification
High-Fidelity Scene Concept Art#
Status: complete visual-target set for all 17 Bellwether Scenes. Date: 2026-08-23.
Purpose#
Each Scene has one dedicated 1672×941 concept image that establishes spatial character, material language, atmosphere, light, and the relationship between the Scene's purpose and its physical form. The images sit before the functional isometric layout on each Scene page so a developer can compare experiential intent with build geometry.
These are not runtime screenshots, production sprites, or proof that every depicted detail is implemented. Scene JSON, functional layouts, map adjacency, accessibility contracts, and validation remain normative.
Shared visual constitution#
- Elevated 30-degree isometric three-quarter view with coherent, navigable topology.
- Inhabited light, background illumination, material reflection, contact shadows, and atmospheric depth.
- Dark basalt, coral limestone, carved stone, dark wood, aged brass, restrained gilding, deep teal enamel, glass, textile, tropical foliage, tidal water, and firelight.
- Architecture frames Attention; nature connects Areas; state is expressed through material and environment before overlays.
- The world continues beyond the viewport.
- Never board-game tiles, mobile city-builders, voxel or toy worlds, generic fantasy packs, neon portals, glossy AI assistants, labels, HUD, or readable in-world interface text.
Scene-to-file manifest#
| Scene | File | Primary visual function |
|---|---|---|
| 00 · Bellwether Island Overview | assets/scenes/concept/00-island-overview.png | One coherent island, physical routes, and restrained Portal traces |
| 01 · Arrival Harbor | assets/scenes/concept/01-arrival-harbor.png | Arrival, welcome, first contact, and clear route to the Lantern |
| 02 · The Lantern — Exterior | assets/scenes/concept/02-lantern-exterior.png | A living ancestral home built in visible layers across centuries |
| 03 · The Pitch Room | assets/scenes/concept/03-pitch-room.png | Listening, evidence, family presence, and provisional Orientation |
| 04 · Compass Rose State Sequence | assets/scenes/concept/04-compass-rose.png | Material Compass state expressed through stone, enamel, brass, and light |
| 05 · Stella's Observatory | assets/scenes/concept/05-stella-observatory.png | Patient pattern-reading without oracle or dashboard cues |
| 06 · Orson's Workshop | assets/scenes/concept/06-orson-workshop.png | Constraints, testing, repair, tool custody, and capacity |
| 07 · Cadillac's Harbor House & Exchange | assets/scenes/concept/07-capital-exchange.png | Offers, resources, conflict, and settlement as accountable social exchange |
| 08 · Psy's Underways | assets/scenes/concept/08-psy-underways.png | Puzzle, tide, hidden routes, and ambiguous time |
| 09 · Ruby's Expedition Yard | assets/scenes/concept/09-ruby-expedition-yard.png | Cooperative readiness, logistics, rescue, and departure |
| 10 · Vesper's Terrace | assets/scenes/concept/10-vesper-terrace.png | Invitation, consent, dissent, agreement, and privacy made spatial |
| 11 · The Apiary Entrance | assets/scenes/concept/11-apiary-entry.png | Entry into a connected ecology of purposeful work without bee symbolism |
| 12 · Apiary Project — Table | assets/scenes/concept/12-apiary-project-small.png | One new Project, one persistent table, and room for a first contribution |
| 13 · Apiary Project — Workshop | assets/scenes/concept/13-apiary-project-medium.png | A proven Project growing into connected work Areas without losing identity |
| 14 · Apiary Project — Compound | assets/scenes/concept/14-apiary-project-large.png | A mature, federated, multi-Area Project connected to the wider Field |
| 15 · The Grove & Wild Island | assets/scenes/concept/15-grove.png | More-than-human observation, ruins, quiet discovery, and non-instrumental play |
| 16 · The Second Bell | assets/scenes/concept/16-time-anomaly.png | A stable Bell and architecture that holds several possible ages at once |
Provenance#
Scenes 00–03 and 05–15 were produced with built-in image generation in stylized-concept mode from the corresponding Scene specifications. Scene 04 uses the supplied Compass Rose room image. Scene 16 uses the supplied Bell room image. The supplied rooms and Commons references established fidelity, material, light, and isometric composition for the generated set.
The complete prompt set is in references/image-generation-prompts.md.
Production use#
- Use the concept image to establish mood, material, focal hierarchy, and background continuity.
- Use the functional layout immediately below it to establish Area boundaries, routes, stable anchors, and interaction geometry.
- Use Scene JSON and asset manifests to determine build scope.
- Recompose for portrait or narrow viewports; do not merely crop away the organizing form.
- Preserve descriptive alternatives and semantic Actions independently of the image.