Mike Hines, the Art Director for Perpetual Entertainment's upcoming MMORPG, Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, joins us today to write this developer journal about the choice of Environment Art style for the game.

Rome is a word that encompasses an unending sea of images, ideas and feelings. It has been an active part of most cultures in the world since it rose to prominence. American culture, in particular, has placed Rome and Roman ideals at the center of many aspects of our education, government, entertainment and art. We see the Romans as one of the first cultures to develop city-life that parallels our own, and as the originators of many of the things we experience on a daily basis.

Rome and Roman portrayals in entertainment have been numerous, and we worked hard to develop a art style that incorporates many of those familiar portrayals while adding in the historical and mythological aspects that have been modified or glazed over by previous movies and games. Additionally, I had to make the game feel playable, fun and exciting, while supporting the fiction and game design.

Read the whole article here.