# 🎨 NOVAFARMA - ART STYLE GUIDE

**Last Updated:** 2025-12-14

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## ⚠️ MANDATORY ART STYLE RULES

### ✅ **ALLOWED STYLES:**
- **2D Flat** (Top-down, side-view)
- **2.5D Isometric** (Stardew Valley style)
- **Smooth painted/drawn style**

### ❌ **FORBIDDEN STYLES:**
- ❌ **NO Pixel Art** (unless specifically requested!)
- ❌ **NO Voxel style**
- ❌ **NO 3D cube/block aesthetics**
- ❌ **NO grid-based chunky graphics**

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## 🎯 DEFAULT STYLE: STARDEW VALLEY

**All assets should follow Stardew Valley aesthetic:**

### Visual Characteristics:
- ✅ Smooth, hand-drawn appearance
- ✅ Soft edges and organic shapes
- ✅ 2.5D isometric tiles (diamond-shaped)
- ✅ Rich colors with subtle gradients
- ✅ Natural, flowing animations
- ✅ Detailed but clean visuals

### Examples:
- **Terrain:** Smooth textured tiles, not blocky pixels
- **Water:** Flowing animated surface, not grid-based
- **Trees:** Natural shapes with smooth foliage
- **Buildings:** Isometric structures with depth
- **Characters:** Smooth sprites with animation frames

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## 🌊 WATER RENDERING

### ✅ CORRECT:
```
- Flat 2D animated surface
- Smooth wave patterns
- Gradient blue colors
- Sparkle/shimmer effects
- Seamless tiles (no grid lines!)
```

### ❌ WRONG:
```
- Isometric water cubes
- Voxel-style blocks
- Visible tile borders
- Pixelated edges
```

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## 🌳 DECORATIONS (Trees, Rocks, etc.)

### ✅ CORRECT:
```
- 2.5D isometric sprites
- Smooth natural shapes
- Depth via shading/gradients
- Organic irregular forms
```

### ❌ WRONG:
```
- Voxel cubes
- Pixel art blocks
- Geometric chunky shapes
```

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## 🏠 BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES

### ✅ CORRECT:
```
- Isometric 2.5D view
- Multiple faces visible (front, side, roof)
- Smooth textures
- Depth through shading
- Natural proportions
```

### ❌ WRONG:
```
- Flat pixel sprites
- Voxel blocks
- 3D cubes
```

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## 💧 EFFECTS (Rain, Puddles, Particles)

### ✅ CORRECT:
```
- Smooth particle sprites
- Natural shapes (irregular puddles)
- Alpha blending
- Soft animations
```

### ❌ WRONG:
```
- Pixel-perfect droplets
- Blocky grid-aligned effects
- Hard edges
```

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## 🎨 COLOR PALETTE

### Guidelines:
- Use **rich, saturated colors** (Stardew Valley style)
- Avoid **pure primaries** (too harsh)
- Use **subtle gradients** for depth
- Include **highlights and shadows**
- Maintain **warm, inviting tones**

### Water Colors:
```
Dark Blue:   #1e5f8c
Medium Blue: #2a7fbc
Light Blue:  #4488cc
Highlights:  #88ccff
Sparkles:    #ffffff
```

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## 📐 TECHNICAL SPECS

### Tile Sizes:
- **Terrain tiles:** 48x48px (base)
- **Decorations:** Variable (proportional to tile)
- **Buildings:** Multiple tiles (e.g., 2x2, 3x3)
- **Effects:** 16-64px depending on effect

### Rendering:
- **Seamless tiles** (no borders/grid lines!)
- **Alpha transparency** for blending
- **Depth sorting** (Y-axis for isometric)
- **Smooth animations** (4-8 frames typical)

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## 🚫 EXCEPTION CASES

**Pixel art is ONLY allowed when:**
1. User **explicitly requests** pixel art style
2. User says "make this pixel art" or similar
3. User provides pixel art reference

**Default is ALWAYS Stardew Valley smooth 2.5D!**

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## ✅ CHECKLIST FOR NEW ASSETS

Before creating any visual asset, verify:

- [ ] Is it smooth 2.5D (not pixelated)?
- [ ] Does it match Stardew Valley aesthetic?
- [ ] Are edges smooth (not blocky)?
- [ ] Does it use gradients/shading?
- [ ] Is it seamless (no grid lines)?
- [ ] Does it blend naturally with existing assets?

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## 📝 NOTES

- **This guide overrides** any previous pixel art references
- **Always default to Stardew Valley style**
- **When in doubt:** Smooth > Pixelated
- **Quality over speed:** Take time to make it look good

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**Remember:** We're building a beautiful, smooth 2.5D farming game, NOT a retro pixel game!

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*Last confirmed by user: 2025-12-14 14:47*