Starfall Protocol / Kickstarter

Starfall Protocol began life as Nebula, a 2D open-world colony sim with RPG elements introduced on Kickstarter in late 2022. As the project matured, we retitled it Starfall Protocol and expanded its scope, keeping the simulation-first design while improving pipeline efficiency and player-facing clarity.

On the content side, I owned the visual language and usability. That included: building a cohesive art direction for both 2D and later 3D phases; creating game-ready art and animation; crafting layouts for ship interiors and planetary surfaces; and defining UI/UX patterns that make deep systems (crew, crafting, travel, diplomacy) feel approachable. I worked hands-on in the engine and toolchain (materials, widgets, animation, and interaction systems), and partnered closely with design and engineering to keep style and systems in lockstep.

On the production side, I helped launch Chaos Systematic, Inc. and supported community-facing beats (campaign assets, store presence, trailers, and updates). Publicly reported figures show over $100k in crowdfunded support—across Kickstarter and post-campaign backers—alongside continuing development toward the current roadmap.

As we evaluated long-term maintainability, modding goals, and content velocity, the team announced a measured transition to 3D. The move was framed around shipping the same sim-heavy experience with a more scalable pipeline, with the official site listing Coming in 2025 at the time of writing. The project's community updates also discuss an Unreal Engine 5-based SDK for modding, aligning with our goals to open the game up to creators.

🛠️ Takeaway Skills

🎮 Engines & Tooling

Unreal Engine (UE5), UMG, UI Material Lab, Material Editor, Sequencer/Animation, MetaHumans, Smart Object System, procedural animation & motion matching

🎨 Art & Animation

2D/3D asset creation, stylized materials, character & environment look-dev, isometric composition

💡 UX & Systems Design

Data-dense HUDs, interaction patterns for colony simulation (crew, logistics, research, travel), widget frameworks, accessibility-minded UI

🤝 Technical Collaboration

Prototyping with designers/engineers, content pipelines, optimization passes, modding-ready structures (SDK handoff)

📢 Production & Communications

Campaign creative (trailers, store art), stakeholder updates, community moderation, and cross-discipline communication

Quick Links

• Official site: https://starfallprotocol.com/
• Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1946440/Starfall_Protocol/
• Kickstarter (as "Nebula"): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chaossystematic/nebula-2
• Funding breakdown: https://starfallprotocol.com/communityannouncement