Chapter 3: Variant Families

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Variant Families (Starter / Elite / Legendary): A Systems Approach for Weapon Concept Artists

Why Variant Families Exist (And What They Solve)

Variant families are a studio’s way to scale expression without breaking identity. “Starter / Elite / Legendary” is not just a rarity ladder—it is a contract about silhouette stability, functional clarity, and ethical monetization. For concept‑side artists, tiering clarifies which forms and finishes are allowed to change and why. For production‑side artists, it defines material IDs, mask packs, and blueprint parameters that can scale across seasons without pipeline debt. Well‑designed tiers let art, economy, and gameplay stay friends.

Design North Star: Identity → Function → Finish

Keep a strict order of operations across tiers:

  1. Identity (silhouette & class) stays constant—barrel profile, receiver massing, stock/brace profile, optic category.
  2. Function reads (controls, safety, muzzle origin, sight corridor) remain legible and unaltered in camera.
  3. Finish & ornament escalate with tier—materials, livery, engravings, emissives—without changing occlusion, ADS speed perception, or aim clarity.
    This order prevents subtly “pay‑to‑win” benefits from creeping in through art decisions.

Tier Definitions — Clear, Playable, and Ethical

Starter (Foundation)

The baseline shipping experience. Neutral palettes, low‑noise surfaces, minimal patterning. Attachment allowances are limited to core ergonomics (basic optics, light, small grip). Hazard and legal marks are prominent. Materials favor coated metals and matte polymers for readability. Goal: trust and clarity.

Elite (Functional Expression)

A performance‑flavored trim within the same silhouette envelope. Allows expanded attachment sets (magnifier, extended rails, power pods within cones), subtle livery blocks, and modest material upgrades (brushed plates, anodized accents). Hazard language remains intact; emissives are present but recessed and capped. Goal: mastery expression without advantage.

Legendary (Ceremonial / Heritage)

A prestige trim that amplifies story while guarding gameplay truth. Ornamentation (engraving, inlays, unique decals) is panel‑bounded by mask packs. Emissives can be more theatrical but must avoid reticle cones and team color collisions. Accessibility alternates (color‑blind safe, high‑contrast, reduced‑motion) are required for all Legendary items. Goal: memorable identity without silhouette drift.

Attachment Permissions by Tier (Without Power Creep)

Define an attachment matrix once and reuse:

  • Starter: Top rail short region, under‑rail 1 segment, basic muzzle device.
  • Elite: Full top rail, under‑rail 2–3 segments, side accessory slots within no‑go cones, alternate muzzle device forms (same VFX cones).
  • Legendary: Same as Elite plus ceremonial covers or sleeves that ride over hardpoints without changing envelopes.
    All tiers share fixed clearance cones (muzzle flash, ejection, charging path) and sight corridor rules. Cosmetics never shrink occlusion or change co‑witness geometry.

Material & Finish Ladders That Degrade Gracefully

Author a tiered material ladder aligned to LOD:

  • Starter: matte polymer (R 0.50–0.65), coated steel (R 0.45–0.60), low micro‑normal amplitude.
  • Elite: introduce brushed/ceramic accents, slightly broader highlight ladders on hero edges, controlled anisotropy (LOD clamps).
  • Legendary: specialty metals (nickel/bronze hints), engraved plates with baked AO, selective edge polish, richer color accents—never mirror‑chrome near the reticle.
    Provide shader fallback curves (normal fade, roughness clamp, emissive dampening) so each tier remains readable at distance and across cameras.

Mask Packs as the Tier API

Ship the same packed masks for every tier and variant: EDGE (R), CAVITY (G), PANEL (B), DECAL (A) with optional EMISSIVE. Tiers differ by parameter presets, not different geometry masks. Legendary ornament must stay inside PANEL masks; edge pinstripes ride EDGE; hazard bands sit in reserved “avoid” regions. This keeps production changes reversible and predictable.

Livery Governance Per Tier

  • Starter: two‑tone neutrals; single accent for info ticks only.
  • Elite: up to one macro panel pattern plus pinstripe; accents may touch PANEL and EDGE with contrast checks.
  • Legendary: one hero motif (crest, serial heritage, faction story) + limited gilding; never multiple competing motifs. Provide color‑blind safe and high‑contrast alternates by default.

Readability Across Cameras

FPP: Preserve the sight corridor at all tiers. Legendary emissives must be lateral/recessed; no bloom through aim.
TPP: Use stronger value block separation on Elite/Legendary so identity persists at 10–30 m; keep team/faction color rules consistent.
Isometric: Limit to bold panel blocks; convert engravings to simplified fill shapes; keep one silhouette cue (drum vs stick, muzzle cone).
VR/AR: Increase bevel widths on decorative plates; dim and widen emissives; avoid micro‑patterns within 10° of fixation.

Monetization Ethics — Guardrails That Build Trust

  • No silhouette edits that reduce occlusion or change ADS entry perception.
  • No reticle‑adjacent emissive boosts that improve aim tracking.
  • No camouflage exploits that break team readability or biome parity.
  • Accessibility parity: every purchasable skin includes color‑blind/high‑contrast/reduced‑motion variants.
  • Truth in marketing: store plates include a gameplay‑parity capture at true FOV.
  • Rarity honesty: rarity maps to craftsmanship (materials, motif complexity, audio foley flourish), never to damage, recoil, or cone.

Economy & Collection Design Without Art Debt

Organize variants into capsules per family: Starter baseline (included), Elite pair (function‑flavored), Legendary anchor (story). Rotate seasonal palettes and decals by swapping preset JSONs rather than reauthoring textures. Keep a retire/refresh policy (pinstripe swap, plate rerender) that updates look without new masks or shaders. Bundle attachments only as cosmetic shells; gameplay unlocks remain separate.

Cross‑Team Contracts for Tiers

  • Combat Design: Tier swaps never alter TTK perception cues; muzzle origin, recoil envelope, and sight picture are invariant.
  • Animation: Moving parts (slides, bolts) keep identical travel and silhouette; decorative covers have collision buffers and don’t occlude hands.
  • VFX: Emissive colors avoid UI/team collisions; flash cones identical across tiers; provide day/night presets.
  • Audio: Legendary may add tasteful foley layers (engraving ping, plate tick) at non‑combat moments (inspect), not during fire cadence.
  • UI: Diegetic counters and hazard marks meet contrast guidelines in all tiers.

2D/3D Hybrid Workflow to Author a Family Fast

  1. Family blockout with datums, hardpoint belts, and sight corridor.
  2. Starter paint: neutral plates, hazard bands, legal marks.
  3. Elite pass: add panel patterns and brushed accents using the same masks; test ADS and TPP ladders.
  4. Legendary pass: layer engraved panels inside PANEL, pinstripe EDGE, recessed emissive slits; generate accessibility alternates.
  5. Plates: neutral studio, raking, backlit silhouette, ADS crop, TPP 10/20/30 m, iso 64/128 px, VR comfort.
  6. Preset export: material + mask parameters as JSON per tier.

Testing Gauntlet Before Sign‑Off

  • Grayscale only: validates value hierarchy without hue bias.
  • Backlit silhouette: ensures identity absent textures.
  • Distance ladder: checks TPP and iso survival.
  • ADS corridor under bloom: guards against reticle wash.
  • Color‑vision simulations and high‑contrast mode for UI parity.
  • LOD preview: confirms pattern collapse and emissive clamps per tier.
  • Store compression: verify no moiré/banding in JPG/WebP.

Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

  • Tier drift (Elite looks like a new gun) → lock silhouette constants and panel permissions.
  • Pay‑to‑win optics (sleeker housings near the reticle) → enforce sight corridor dimensions; decorative covers sit outside.
  • Pattern soup on Legendary → restrict to one hero motif; increase negative space.
  • Shimmer at distance → clamp micro‑normals; broaden highlight bands; bake wear into albedo for LOD1/2.
  • Faction confusion → palette bible with reserved hues and contrast checks against UI/team colors.

Example Capsule: “Sable AR Family”

  • Starter: Field Matte — Warm gray body, cyan info ticks, matte polymer, hazard bands prominent.
  • Elite: Range Operator — Brushed steel top plates, sand‑tess panel on fore‑grip inside PANEL, rust pinstripe on EDGE, recessed amber emissives with day/night presets.
  • Legendary: Ceremonial Azure — Deep indigo plates with engraved crest (PANEL‑bounded), polished chamfer stripe (EDGE), gold serial inset, accessibility alt with thicker strokes & high‑contrast decals.
    All share the same silhouette, attachment permissions, clearance cones, and mask pack—proving the system scales without power creep.

Deliverables & Naming

Ship a Variant Family Pack per weapon:
• Orthos + silhouette sheet with constants highlighted.
• Mask pack (EDGE/CAVITY/PANEL/DECAL + EMISSIVE).
• Tier preset JSONs for materials and emissives.
• Plate set for each tier (gameplay parity + beauty).
• Accessibility alternates.
Name consistently: WPN_AR‑Sable_Family_Starter/Elite/Legendary_v03.

Closing: Tiers as Trust

When tiers are authored as a system—constants up top, permissions in the middle, finishes at the end—players recognize fairness and studios gain sustainable variety. Draw the family once, encode the rules in masks and presets, and let trims and stories bloom—without ever touching the silhouette that gameplay depends on.