STACK CITY Proposal in progress

Art direction + UI/UX / working proposal

A city shaped
by your choices.

A financial-learning world for teens. Make a plan, see what a choice changes, and find a way forward when life changes the plan.

Compare three directions Follow a player decision

Working outline · Source check: 10 November 2026

The question How can an inviting world make financial tradeoffs easier to understand?

The proof Original environments, meaningful choices, and a readable interaction.

01 / Art direction

Three worlds to explore.

Three contrasting directions. No final winner selected. These cards reserve space for original studies and the UI that belongs in each world.

Exploration

O’Keeffe + Tsuchidana
Botanicals

A botanical direction to develop through plant forms, useful objects, and an inviting environment.

Next evidence An original scene study + a financial-choice screen.

Exploration

Wright-inspired
City-States

Horizontal architecture, civic spaces, and a city that grows through personal, business, and shared decisions.

Next evidence A market or pavilion study + a comparison screen.

Exploration

Colorful Syd Mead
Retro-Future

Optimistic functional forms, modular businesses, and clear signals for capacity, resources, and growth.

Next evidence A service-bay study + an operating-plan screen.

Abstract card graphics are layout placeholders, not original artist studies. The next pass will show the environments, objects, and UI developed for each direction.

02 / Player experience

Follow the player’s decisions.

The current exploration follows a player through planning, tradeoffs, setbacks, and recovery. This sequence describes the intended experience, not a finished game.

  1. 01

    Start with a goal.

    Welcome, choose a goal, make a plan, and review the first grocery basket.

  2. 02

    See the consequence.

    Cover groceries and a bill, handle a repair, and see how the neighborhood changes.

  3. 03

    Recover and revise.

    Make a shortfall understandable, revise the plan, and show a clear recovery route.

  4. 04

    Make it yours.

    Preview a cosmetic choice, confirm it deliberately, and keep a clear way to pause.

  5. 05

    Give players a reason to return.

    A neighborhood event with a value comparison, feedback, and a reward.

  6. 06

    Design the edges, too.

    Reward collection, completion, eligibility, event expiry, and returning later.

03 / Next pass

Make the work visible.

The proposal grows around evidence: the sketches, the choice, the revision, and the reason behind it.

A

Draw by hand.

Make a small scene thumbnail, a useful-object study, and a rough UI layout for each direction. Keep the roughs and annotations alongside selected work.

Planned · original studies
B

Test one decision.

Use a comparable financial choice across the three treatments. Explain the commitment, the remaining reserve, and what happens when the player changes their mind.

Planned · direction comparison
C

Edit, review, publish.

Revise the interaction, save a review version, then update this pitch with the selected screens, observations, and next questions.

Ongoing · review loop
What exists today

The interaction designs, a separate earlier browser prototype, reference research, and a V2 planning workspace. Original final art, direction-specific UI, user validation, and a production game remain future work.