# Wildlife Kingdom — Art Direction
*The in-code "master graphic prompt": every sprite follows these rules.*

## Perspective & Camera
- **Top-down / slightly isometric**, 2:1 diamond grid (64×32 px tiles), camera reading
  as a ~45° look-down — the classic premium zoo-builder view.
- Painter's-algorithm depth (`x+y`), consistent across terrain, fences, objects,
  buildings, animals and visitors.

## Shape Language
- Everything is built from **rounded blobs and soft prisms**. No straight harsh edges.
- Animals: chunky bodies ≈ 2× tall as legs, oversized heads, **big glossy eyes with a
  single white shine pixel**, rosy blush, tiny smiles.
- Buildings: extruded iso boxes with three-tone wall shading (top +8%, left 0%,
  right −10%) and one playful roof feature each (swirl cone, wave dome, mesh aviary,
  boulder roof, scalloped awning, flag archway).

## Color Palette (natural zoo)
| Role | Hex |
|---|---|
| Fresh greens | `#7cc653 · #63b34c · #4d9a37` |
| Warm yellows | `#ffd23c · #ffc93c · #f0c05c` |
| Sky blues    | `#69c3ef · #6ec6ea · #3796cf` |
| Earth browns | `#a9743f · #c99b62 · #8a5a34` |
| Soft oranges | `#ff9d47 · #e8823c` |
| UI cream     | `#fdf6e7 · #f6ead1`, ink `#43362a` |

Accents (red `#e85d5d`, pink `#ff8aa8`) used sparingly for signs, awnings, hearts.

## Lighting Rules
- One sun, upper-left: highlights top-left of every blob, shade lower-right.
- Contact shadows: soft translucent ellipses under every entity; buildings cast a
  footprint shadow.
- Day/night: sky gradient lerps `#7ec8f5→#2c3e66`; night adds indigo tint + warm
  radial lamp glows.

## Animation Feel
- Idle = slow breathing bob + tail/ear sway; walk = sinusoidal leg swing with body
  bounce; eat = head dip + chew cycle; happy = hop squash-stretch + sparkle/hearts.
- Visitors waddle (leg phase + lane offsets); kids at 0.68 scale; balloons drift on
  their own sine.
- Water breathes via moving highlight arcs; swimmers clip at the waterline with
  ripple rings.

## Sprite Hygiene
- Transparent backgrounds, clean readable silhouettes at 40 px (icons) to full size.
- Consistent scale ratios between species (elephant 1.22 × zebra 0.95 × penguin 0.68).
- No text, logos or watermark noise inside world sprites.

## UI Identity
- Cream paper panels, 18–20 px radii, 2 px warm borders, soft drop shadows.
- Pill HUD stats with hand-drawn icons (coin paw-print, flask, star…).
- Chunky rounded buttons that depress on click; orange = selection, green = money,
  red = danger/demolish. Typography: Baloo 2 (rounded, friendly).