Jump to content

Recommended Posts

While the gameplay trailer looked just as gorgeous as I had hoped given the decision to go with 2D backgrounds. One thing that I'm not sure about yet is the look of the water though. Maybe it's all pre-alpha and I just should stop worrying but let's take a look at the three scenes where water is most prominently featured in the trailer.

 

post-53509-0-61903700-1386851759_thumb.jpg
post-53509-0-59240700-1386851786_thumb.jpg
post-53509-0-34811700-1386851803_thumb.jpg
 
The water looks very different in all three of these scenes and I definitely like the first one the least while the second one looks pretty good actually. Of course the hard pixely edges of the foreground columns contributes its share to make the water stick out in the first screenshot but actually I'm not convinced this is the only reason. It just looks too "3D" to me.
 
Any thoughts?
Edited by mudd1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to be clear, BTW. I don't think the water looks bad per se. In any other game I'd probably like the effect. I don't like it here because I don't find it fitting for the painterly backgrounds. Just wanted to make sure this came across.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's more or less ok on the first two screens imho. 
The reflections are weird on the last screen though. Looks like an inside of a nuclear reactor illuminated with Cherenkov radiation.
I think that making it way darker would add a bit more realism.

Also, 3d water surface tends to look slightly more natural and life-like when two layers of displacement noise are mixed, one with a fine grain and the other of slightly higher amplitude.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like it and I don't think it clashes with the painted backgrounds at all.

 

I'd agree that perhaps they could reduce the number of ripples just a tad.

  • Like 1
“Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's more or less ok on the first two screens imho. 

The reflections are weird on the last screen though. Looks like an inside of a nuclear reactor illuminated with Cherenkov radiation.

I think that making it way darker would add a bit more realism.

 

Also, 3d water surface tends to look slightly more natural and life-like when two layers of displacement noise are mixed, one with a fine grain and the other of slightly higher amplitude.   

 

 

Well i like the water, especially the fact that there are various kind of textures for it depending of the place. I wasn't shocked at all. Perhaps, in the third, there are too many ripples and the water should be still... But well, maybe there is a reason for it to be animated and highlighted... The trailer does not show enough to be sure there isn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thoughts? No reflections. Solution: Pre-render the reflection map like what's done with the background, light, apply, win. Problem: No skyboxes in the current game make for extra work for the artists. Or blank areas where the sky's reflection should be :blink:

Edited by Frenetic Pony
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Water dynamics are actually really hard to get right, and I hope that the guys aren't going to be taking a single approach across the board.

 

The opacity, textures and specular reflection of water should be scene-specific. e.g.:

- a calm brook or lake

- a fast narrow stream

- a swamp (no, it's not as easy as turning the light map green)

- a muddy puddle

 

Similarly, other substances e.g.:

- Oil,

- Large vats of boiling blood

- Lava

- liquefied fears of children

 

Should not look like recoloured water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thoughts? No reflections. Solution: Pre-render the reflection map like what's done with the background, light, apply, win. Problem: No skyboxes in the current game make for extra work for the artists. Or blank areas where the sky's reflection should be :blink:

Be easier to use a Reflection Cube to bake into the texture, they don't need skyboxes just the scene files. 

Also; love the name. DXHR, right?

I'd say the answer to that question is kind of like the answer to "who's the sucker in this poker game?"*

 

*If you can't tell, it's you. ;)

village_idiot.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...