Design slots
Design slots are how you submit original characters into Koegama. Each slot allows you to upload one character into Koegama, letting you use them in the ARPG once approved. There are 4 types of design slots, each with their own acquisition methods and guidelines:
- A universal kid slot allows you to create a child-stage design of any species. These kid characters are only able to participate in Growth prompts. After completing the required amount of prompts, they age up into adults and are able to participate fully in the ARPG. This type of slot is exclusive to the First Time Owner (FTO) Gift Box.
- A species-specific kid slot allows you to create a child-stage character of the named species, e.g., Hanasei Kid Slot, Tajira Kid Slot, etc. These slots come from egg items unique to each species. Eggs can be bought from the Great Cradle, crafted, or acquired from events.
- A species-specific adult slot allows you to create an adult-stage character of the named species, e.g., Hanasei Adult Slot, Tajira Adult Slot, etc. Unlike child-stage characters, adults can immediately participate in all prompts and events in the ARPG. These slots come from Aged Eggs, with each species having their own aged egg item that can hatch an adult slot. Aged Eggs can be crafted, acquired from events, and are rarely available for purchase at the Great Cradle
- A universal adult slot allows you to create an adult-stage character of any species. These slots do not have an associated item and are only obtained through events and raffles as rare prizes.
Receiving and using your design slot
In most cases, you'll need to open an egg item to receive your design slot. To do so, go to your inventory and click on the egg you'd like to open. Select the checkbox, and go to "open item". Once you click open, your design slot will be created, and you can check your design slot page for all available design slots you own.
Once you have created a design, go to your design slot page and click “submit design”. The following are required for a design submission:
- A masterlist image. While artwork can be sketchy, the overall design must be clear and, at minimum, contain a single reference with flat colors — no shading or painting. However, you are free to include multiple drawings in the masterlist image if you’d like to maintain painterly or shaded aspects alongside the main reference artwork.
- If your design has any ink morphs, go to the traits tab in the design submission page, select all inks that apply and describe what ink morphs are present. Make sure to also add any ink items needed in the add-on tab. Check here for more info on inks.
(example image here)
Once your character has been submitted for review, a mod will either approve or reject your design. Rejected designs will come with explanations on what to fix or what may be missing. Your original submission will not be deleted and can be resubmitted once the required edits or additions are made. Approved designs will be uploaded to the masterlist, making your character official to the ARPG and able to participate in prompts and events.
Creating a new design
Each species in Koegama has its own overview page detailing in-world biological information as well as general appearance guidelines. Included there are illustrations detailing differences in designs and variations possible for a species. So long as these guidelines are followed, you’re free to experiment and interpret their features as you wish.
There are no pattern or color limitations on Koegama designs. While some markings and colors may be described in-universe as appearing more commonly in certain species or regions, you are not required to follow this lore when designing your character.
However, we do impose some specific limitations as well as completely prohibit certain types of designs in Koegama. They are as follows:
- Any design stolen from another individual. This applies specifically to freelance artists’ designs; check the ‘Porting Mass Media Characters’ section for creating designs based on characters from TV shows, manga, etc.
- Any design which falls under cultural appropriation, racism, bigotry, or makes use of dog whistles and similar iconography or terminology, to be judged on a case-by-case basis by staff. More extreme cases of disrespectful depictions of certain cultures etc. may result in a ban from the site (check our Terms of Services and Rules for more info).
- Any design intended to mock, belittle, or harass a Koegama user or mod.
Porting mass media characters
Users are allowed to draw inspiration from popular media characters, but they cannot submit heavily derivative designs. Here's an example of a ported design based on the Pokémon Turtonator:
From left to right:
- Rejected. This design is too obviously based on the Pokémon and wouldn’t be approved.
- Rejected. While proportions were edited and certain parts of the design were shifted, the overall appearance is still too close to its source.
- Potentially Approved. While there’s still inspiration from Turtonator present, the design has been given unique markings with colors changed enough to fall into a gray-area. This type of design is more likely to be approved than the previous examples, but edits may still be required depending on how close it threads to the source. If approved, this design would be given a note on the masterlist specifying which character it was based on.
- Approved. This design has been altered greatly and no longer immediately resembles the source. This character is unique enough to stand on its own and would not require a note on the masterlist specifying what it’s based on.
When submitting a design intentionally based on a popular media character, it is required to state which character(s) from what media you took inspiration from, even if attempting to try for a ‘Type 4’ design based on the above examples. This full transparency allows design mods to judge ports even if they are unfamiliar with the source material. Trying to bypass this rule will result in an infraction.
Kid characters
Kid characters are, by design, more limited than adult characters in how they can be used.
- They are unable to participate in prompts and events other than those labeled Growth Prompts.
- After completing the specified amount of Growth Prompts, kid characters are then aged up into adults and can be used freely in all other types of prompts and events.
However, there are no color nor marking limits for kid characters, and most design rules for adult characters also apply to kids. If you wish to follow lore — which Koegama encourages! — most will have fewer colors and markings than their adult forms. We recommend keeping a simpler palette, especially if you’re working with the smaller kids.
The ages of kid characters can range from toddler to child to teenager or anywhere in-between. You are free to choose which age to design for your kid slot. Regardless of which age you select to depict in your submitted design, you’re not bound solely to that growth stage and are free to swap between any of the allowed stages for prompts — so long as they are still recognizable versions of the masterlist design. Each species page has more information on growth rate and biology of each species’ young.
Some growth stages are not allowed as kid characters due to being too premature. Here are the main allowed ranges for each species:
Hanasei:
Youngest allowed are 3 months old larvae. All following life stages until adulthood are allowed.
Luminae
Youngest allowed are 4–6 months old. All following life stages until adulthood are allowed.
{add tajira here after}
Note: You can design younger versions of your adult characters. Unlike kid characters, these retroactive child designs can be used for all prompts due to being linked to an official adult design.
Growing your kid
Once you finish all prompts required to grow your kid character, head to your character's page and select "update design". Once there, you'll create a design update submission draft. In the comments, link all your approved growth prompt submissions (you can access them in your character's profile ⇒ submissions) and submit a new image with your adult design. All standard design rules apply. Once approved, your design will be classified as an adult and ready to be used for all aspects of the ARPG.
Note: You are allowed minor design edits to the design when aging up your character.
Redesigning a character
When redesigning a character, there are 3 types of changes you can apply to their design:
Design Tweaks
Design tweaks are small adjustments that can be done anytime. You do not need to update your masterlist to draw your character with them, but we recommend doing so for clarity to other players. Design tweaks include:
- Changing accessories, outfits, and other apparel
- Changing build and physique
- Changing age
- Adding/removing scars and amputating limbs
- Editing physiology--such as ears, tails, horns, etc--that is already present on the design
- Eye and insides
- Very minor marking edits to accommodate physiology and physique changes
- Adding new ink morphs
Note: While adding new ink morphs fall under design tweaks, it is an exception where you must update the masterlist art when doing so.
Minor design edits
Minor design edits are more involved than tweaks, but still maintain the design recognizable from the original. You are free to do one minor design edit per month, and can buy a Rough Aesthetic Ink for extra edits if needed. Minor design edits include:
- Editing markings
- Changing out colors
- Swapping out ink morphs of the same time (for example: swapping a Hanasei ink of Hanasei horns into a Hanasei tail) or removing ink morphs.
There's no specific limit of things you can change at once, but a design must still be recognizable as branching off the old design. We understand this can be a bit nebulous, and you're free to reach out to mods to clarify any confusion.
Major design edits
Major design edits allow you to revamp the design as much you want, with no limits on the number and range of changes - markings, colors, even species. You must use Refined Aesthetic Ink to apply these revamps, and they can only be done once per month.
Note: Before buying Refined Aesthetic Ink to create a revamp, consider if the design change doesn't warrant its own slot. You may trade your design for a slot and items needed for it, without spending money for the revamp.