Chapter 3: Reading Briefs & Asking the Right Questions

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Reading Briefs & Asking the Right Questions (Role, Faction, Tech Level, Climate, Gameplay)

Why Briefs Matter

A brief is not just an assignment—it’s the first prototype of your costume. It encodes identity, mechanics, constraints, and risks. Your job, on both concepting and production sides, is to clarify any ambiguity before pixels harden into pipeline. Good questions protect scope, catch contradictions early, and produce deliverables that downstream teams can execute without guesswork. In indie, the brief may be a paragraph in chat; in AAA, it could be a multi‑page document with legal, licensing, and live‑ops implications. Either way, your first deliverable is alignment.

The Anatomy of a Costume Brief

Most briefs implicitly answer five pillars even when they don’t say so directly:

  1. Role: combat/readiness function (hero, tank, striker, healer, support, civilian tiers) and ability affordances.
  2. Faction/Culture: symbols, grammar of motifs, rank structure, and taboos.
  3. Tech Level & Materials: fabrication plausibility (hand‑stitched linen vs. nano‑weave), energy sources, and diegetic fasteners.
  4. Climate/Environment: temperature ranges, wind/sand/rain/biome effects, travel wear, and silhouettes under gear.
  5. Gameplay & Camera: POV (FPP/TPP/isometric), average read distance, speed, motion blur, silhouettes in profile vs. 3/4, UI icon needs. When any of these are missing, your question set fills the gap.

A Question Bank You Can Use Immediately

Role Clarity

  • Which verbs must the costume telegraph at a glance (shield, heal, hack, stealth, crowd control)?
  • What shouldn’t the costume imply (e.g., heavy armor if no damage mitigation exists)?
  • Which attachments are canon (sheath types, gadget mounts, medical pouches) and which are prohibited?

Faction & Culture

  • What is the emblem grammar (how it scales, inverts on light/dark, rank variations)?
  • What cultural materials or cuts are mandatory or off‑limits? Any clichés to avoid?
  • How standardized is the faction? Are we in parade dress, field kit, or scavenged variants?

Tech Level & Materials

  • What is the highest credible material (e.g., carbon‑ceramic plates) and lowest (stitched hide)?
  • Are emissives or reactive fabrics diegetic? What color temperatures are canonical?
  • Which fasteners are period‑correct (toggles, ties, buckles, mag‑locks) and where are zippers banned?

Climate & Mobility

  • Baseline environment (hot arid, cold wet, variable microclimates), expected wind speeds, precipitation types.
  • Travel profile (on foot, mounted, mech transit); weight budget in kilograms for worn kit.
  • Hem and cape tolerances for sprint/crouch; headgear constraints for camera occlusion.

Gameplay & Camera

  • Primary camera(s), average on‑screen size, expected motion blur settings.
  • PVP readability rules (enemy/friendly palettes, rank trims) and color‑blind safety requirements.
  • Iconography needs (HUD portrait, minimap pip, class badge). Which silhouette crops should we design to?

Production & Scheduling

  • Target LOD count and texel density; reuse expectations (shared trims/decals).
  • Integration partners (outsourcing, scanning, licensing); legal logos or patterns.
  • Review cadence and sign‑off authorities; what kills the asset late?

Narrative & Ethics

  • Provenance for motifs and textiles; consultants engaged? Attribution requirements?
  • Character arc (upgrade/damage states) and personal history tells we must include.

Reading Between the Lines: Spotting Hidden Constraints

Briefs often hide constraints in verbs and nouns. “Fast reconnaissance” implies breathable layers, strap lockdowns, and no trailing cloth. “Ceremonial guard” suggests formal symmetry, polish, and slower animation beats. “Scavenger” implies non‑standardized kit and asymmetric weight. Translate words into costume rules: edge hierarchy, paneling, and attachment psyche. When text mentions “harsh sodium lamps,” you should test palette under warm lights; when “frozen fog” appears, pad seams and shorten hems.

Indie vs AAA: How Questions Change

In indie, you’ll ask convergence questions—“What is the one silhouette we must nail?” “Which two trims define this faction?”—because you need a small, reusable system. You’ll also negotiate scope explicitly: “We can deliver a hero plus two NPC variants by reusing this trim sheet.” In AAA, you’ll ask compliance and throughput questions—“Which shader presets are locked?” “What is the LOD merge strategy?” “What must be in the vendor handoff?”—because multiple teams will touch the costume. Your questions will also track dependencies (licensing sign‑offs, cloth profiles, physics budgets) that can stall production if unresolved.

Turning Answers into Deliverables

Silhouettes reflect role and camera: if the healer’s read depends on hand visibility, push negative space near the hands. Turnarounds capture faction syntax and tech level through seam logic and fasteners. Breakdowns translate climate and tech into fabric GSM, roughness/metallic targets, and micro‑pattern scale. Callouts preserve decisions (“cape edge is interfaced and non‑sim—stays crisp in sprint”). Variant packs express live‑ops and narrative arcs while locking identity anchors (emblem grammar, silhouette class) to prevent drift.

The Collaboration Map (Who Needs What From Your Questions)

  • Game Design: wants role telegraphy, ability affordances, and no false promises. Your questions expose mechanic/read mismatches early.
  • Narrative: wants cultural coherence and taboos respected. Your questions prevent trope traps and secure provenance for motifs.
  • Animation: wants clearance and weight logic. Your hem and strap questions prevent impossible actions later.
  • Rigging/Tech Anim: wants deformation‑aware paneling and anchor points. Your seam‑flow questions save weeks of corrective work.
  • Cloth Sim: wants fabric intent, stiffness philosophy, bias cuts. Your GSM/constraint questions prevent sim churn.
  • Materials/Lookdev: wants reflectance targets and micro‑detail scale. Your shader questions avert “too plastic/too matte” loops.
  • Lighting/VFX: wants emissive policy, rim read, SSS zones. Your palette and highlight questions ensure camera readability.
  • UI/UX: wants iconable crops and consistent rank trims. Your silhouette‑crop questions future‑proof HUD needs.
  • Audio: wants material cues (rustle, clink). Your fabric/material questions support foley authenticity.
  • QA: wants a risk ledger. Your edge‑case questions (map camouflage, pattern strobe) create test plans.
  • Marketing/Licensing: wants print‑safe palettes, pose readiness, and rights‑cleared assets. Your compliance questions keep campaigns on schedule.
  • Production/Outsource: wants clear estimates and naming. Your scope and dependency questions avoid late slips.

Kickoff Checklist (Use as Your First Page)

  • One‑sentence role statement and three visual verbs (e.g., Shield / Endure / Anchor).
  • Faction anchors (emblem, trim, motif grammar) and forbidden tropes.
  • Tech/material ladder (lowest‑to‑highest plausible) and fastener policy.
  • Climate notes (temp range, wind, precipitation) and hem/cape tolerances.
  • Camera matrix (FPP/TPP/iso, avg on‑screen size, PVP rules, color‑blind checks).
  • Attachment map (weapons, tools, gadgets) and safety arcs.
  • Deliverables list (silhouette sheet, ortho, breakdown, callouts, variant pack) with dates.
  • Stakeholders and sign‑off gates; risk ledger with owners.

Example Question Email/Comment You Can Paste

Subject: Questions on [CHAR_ID] Costume Brief — Role, Faction, Camera

  1. Can you confirm the primary camera and average gameplay size? (Need for silhouette and palette tests.)
  2. For role telegraphy: are we signaling Shield / Heal / Control? Any verbs we must avoid implying?
  3. Faction grammar: please share emblem scaling and rank trims, plus any off‑limits motifs.
  4. Tech/material ceiling: are emissive threads canon? If yes, target color temperature?
  5. Climate: expected wind/rain? Approvals for cape length at sprint?
  6. UI needs: locked HUD portrait crop or minimap pip shape?
  7. Outsource handoff: required package contents and shader presets to match? Thanks! Once confirmed, I’ll run silhouette proofs and an ortho with seam/closure logic.

Risk Ledger: Questions That Prevent Expensive Rework

  • Occlusion risk: Does headgear or cape block camera? Mitigation: shorten hem or add side slits.
  • Pattern strobe: Any small checks/plaids near motion blur? Mitigation: scale up or swap to twill.
  • Palette collapse at night/fog: Do accents need value bump or emissive trims? Mitigation: adjust value ladder; provide night test.
  • Attachment collisions: Two‑handed weapons vs. backpack straps? Mitigation: reroute straps; add quick‑release.
  • Cultural misstep: Motif proximity to real‑world sacred symbols? Mitigation: consult + document provenance.

Definition of Done for Discovery

Discovery is done when: (1) each pillar—role, faction, tech level, climate, gameplay—has one approved sentence; (2) your silhouette sheet proves the read at gameplay distance; (3) your ortho locks seam/closure logic; (4) your breakdown maps materials to shader parameters; (5) your callouts record edge cases and constraints; and (6) your collaboration map lists owners for all remaining risks.

For Concepting and Production Alike

Concepting artists transform answers into proofs of readability; production artists transform proofs into manufacturable pages. Both sides are custodians of the brief. Ask pointed questions, translate answers into systems, and publish deliverables that keep the whole team moving in the same direction. The right questions, asked early, are the cheapest optimization in costume development.