New graphical elements - more animation and real-time lighting
Zante
Member Posts: 15
Wow, I'm enjoying BG:EE immensely. I never got into the original when it was released as I hadn't acquired the taste I now have for more complex gaming.
If there's one thing about BG that immediately springs to mind in terms of its aesthetics, it's that the environments are incredibly static. There is nothing moving around on-screen at all. I realise that many of the original art assets were lost and so I am not suggesting recreating any of the original elements. Instead, I would recommend you create additional art assets in order to create effects akin to grass, tufts or otherwise which blow in the wind. Leaves falling from trees and improved rain/snowfall effects. You are using a 3D engine so particle effects of this sort should be possible. If you wanted to really improve things, you could do a little modification of the existing environments to create reflective puddles (a simply sky reflection / image of a cloud would suffice).
Understandably, trees blowing in the wind can't be done due to the volume of existing foliage in the world and the loss of original art files. Real-time lighting could be added to areas where there is no high contrast pre-rendered lighting in place. Think of placing flickering candles/torches in caves or introducing fireflies, any way to add a bit more wonder to the world. Snow blowing from drift, a dust/sand storm would go a long way with an impact that could go beyond something aesthetic if need be, such as a blindness effect when facing into the storm or otherwise (hardly necessary but immersive).
Simply put, make the world move a little more. Granted, you can't do any real vertex blending so you can't have animated puddles unless you pre-render their animations. If you can do vertex blending, you could easily make everything look wet during a rain storm by making use of specular maps, just keep them low res so they blend in with everything.
NPCs smoking pipes with smoke drifting upwards from their mouths, hot drinks with steam flowing from the top, condensation on someone's breath as they breath in cold temperatures - anything to create movement in a scene.
It would go a long way. There ought to be moments when someone should be able to just stop and admire the scenery and flow of nature in the surrounding environment. Don't be shy with it, you have a creative license and the onus is on you to see what you can do to modernise the presentation (how about some accelerated/lerping smooth-screen scrolling too).
Kind regards
If there's one thing about BG that immediately springs to mind in terms of its aesthetics, it's that the environments are incredibly static. There is nothing moving around on-screen at all. I realise that many of the original art assets were lost and so I am not suggesting recreating any of the original elements. Instead, I would recommend you create additional art assets in order to create effects akin to grass, tufts or otherwise which blow in the wind. Leaves falling from trees and improved rain/snowfall effects. You are using a 3D engine so particle effects of this sort should be possible. If you wanted to really improve things, you could do a little modification of the existing environments to create reflective puddles (a simply sky reflection / image of a cloud would suffice).
Understandably, trees blowing in the wind can't be done due to the volume of existing foliage in the world and the loss of original art files. Real-time lighting could be added to areas where there is no high contrast pre-rendered lighting in place. Think of placing flickering candles/torches in caves or introducing fireflies, any way to add a bit more wonder to the world. Snow blowing from drift, a dust/sand storm would go a long way with an impact that could go beyond something aesthetic if need be, such as a blindness effect when facing into the storm or otherwise (hardly necessary but immersive).
Simply put, make the world move a little more. Granted, you can't do any real vertex blending so you can't have animated puddles unless you pre-render their animations. If you can do vertex blending, you could easily make everything look wet during a rain storm by making use of specular maps, just keep them low res so they blend in with everything.
NPCs smoking pipes with smoke drifting upwards from their mouths, hot drinks with steam flowing from the top, condensation on someone's breath as they breath in cold temperatures - anything to create movement in a scene.
It would go a long way. There ought to be moments when someone should be able to just stop and admire the scenery and flow of nature in the surrounding environment. Don't be shy with it, you have a creative license and the onus is on you to see what you can do to modernise the presentation (how about some accelerated/lerping smooth-screen scrolling too).
Kind regards
1
Comments
As for the rest - I would like to see that.