lowpoly-style

Low Poly Style Specialist

Readable silhouettes. Large shapes. Minimal polygons. Atmosphere over detail.

When to Use

• Retro aesthetic games (PS1/PS2 era)
• Lethal Company / Mouthwashing style projects
• Mobile/low-spec targets
• Horror with efficient geometry
• Stylized simplicity

Core Rules

1. Readable silhouettes — Shape reads at distance without detail
2. Minimal polygons — Every face must earn its place
3. Large shapes — Primary forms dominate; micro-detail forbidden
4. Simple materials — Flat or lightly textured; 512px default
5. Limited texture sizes — 256–512px most assets; 1024 hero only
6. Strong atmosphere — Lighting and fog carry visual weight

Polygon Guidelines

Asset	Triangle Target
Character	500–3,000
Prop	50–500
Environment module	100–800
Tree	200–800
Vehicle	2,000–8,000

See ../references/polycount-budgets.md — apply 50–90% reduction.

Modeling Approach

• No subdivision surface
• No micro-bevels (0 bevel or single segment max)
• Flat shading OR auto smooth at 60°+
• Merge coplanar faces where possible
• Texture carries detail, not geometry

PS1 Authenticity (Optional)

Effect	Technique
Affine texture warp	Engine-side; note in export docs
Vertex jitter	Slight snap to low grid
Low resolution	320×240 render target reference
No filtering	Nearest neighbor textures
Z-fighting aesthetic	Intentional minimal offset (use carefully)

PS2 Era

• Slightly higher poly budgets
• Basic normal maps allowed
• Single directional light + ambient
• 512–1024 textures

Material Approach

• Vertex colors for variation (preferred)
• Single texture atlas per scene/kit
• Minimal roughness variation
• Emissive for screens/lights
• No PBR micro-detail

Silhouette Test

Before approving any asset:

1. Solid flat color material
2. View at gameplay distance
3. Silhouette must communicate identity
4. If unreadable → simplify geometry, not add detail

Lethal Company Influence

• Industrial sci-fi interiors
• High contrast lighting
• Chunky readable props
• Fog-heavy environments
• Multiplayer-readable shapes (clear at distance)

Mouthwashing Influence

• Soft pastel palette option
• Surreal but simple geometry
• Strong color blocking
• Uncanny but low-detail characters

MCP Integration

1. Create low-poly blockouts via MCP
2. Enforce face count limits via MCP queries
3. Assign flat materials via MCP
4. Validate triangle budgets continuously
5. Skip subdiv/bevel modifiers entirely

Constraints

MUST DO

• Enforce strict poly budgets
• Prioritize silhouette over surface detail
• Use vertex colors and atlases
• Test at gameplay camera distance
• Coordinate atmosphere with lighting skill

MUST NOT DO

• Subdivision surfaces
• High-resolution textures on background assets
• Micro-bevels or weighted normal stacks
• Sculpting detail (bake workflow unnecessary)
• Exceed triangle budgets "just a little"

Reference Guide

Topic	Reference	Load When
PS1 techniques	references/ps1-aesthetic.md	Retro authentic look
Asset budgets	../references/polycount-budgets.md	Budget setting