Update #79: Graphics and Rendering

[Sensuki]

Yeah could be the nav mesh being slightly too high or something.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Nine out of ten games I play have this problem to some extent. I suppose it's a real headache in most area-making engines and platforms. Equally often, the characters and critters feet seem to have sunk through the ground, though.

Edited May 28, 2014 by IndiraLightfoot

[PrimeJunta]

Looks nice. Really, really nice. Interesting to get a peek under the hood as well, but the whole is coming together super-well. Point light shadows would be gravy. This really is how IE games would look if they'd kept making them!

[ryukenden]

 

 

At E3, the team will be showing Pillars of Eternity at the Paradox booth behind closed doors. To avoid spoiling what we will be showing, we will be saving these moments until you get to play it. Because we want to include you in the experience, we will be taking photos at the booth, and in a future update we will be sharing more screenshots from the demo. To give you a small taste, here's a sneak peek at a scene that will be shown at E3:

 

Wait, what? Can there be a mini demo or something? I don't think it spoils anything. And are you suggesting BETA is coming?

[Mor]

First fires? is this a new district we are first hearing about or the name for the forth nameless district mention before?

 

By the way, with that surprising ending, does this mean that Aloth is a confirmed companion now?

dat wild Aloth, we still know nothing about him.. I suppose they keep all details for E3 exclusives well that how it works, if you want good press you need to give them more than a recycled info\question already asked in hundred variations before ..

 

Hey! One of the only plot tidbits we've gotten so far was that we witness a profound supernatural event. Maybe it's a meteor that crashes into the ground lol.

I kind of assumed it was the biamhac.

 

 

 

 

Is this one of the entrances to the mega-dungeon?

 

I also would like to know what kind of encampment we see in that screenshot(real pretty). Also entrances? is the maga-dungeon suppose have more than one entrance? Edited May 28, 2014 by Mor

[Gyges]

I dont understand anything of this but those environments are works of art.

[Bryy]

Just now noticed the Pillars.

 

Woah.

 

I was like woah, guys.

[Hormalakh]

it's very obvious that a lot of work has gone into this: good work.

 

my one concern is whether these things things hold up in all situations - it seems that you guys are trying your best to make the 2d environs look amazing but you're adding all this tech on top of it.

 

i worry about the bugs.

[lolaldanee]

i'm not too enthusiastic about the press getting information before us backers

but otherwise, great update

[Lephys]

These update visuals look simply... specu-tacu-lar!

[ManifestedISO]

I'm sure they just haven't sent out 80,000 NDAs for us to sign yet. Once they do, the backers will be first to know. Maybe we'll get invited to GDC, too.

[Frenetic Pony]

 

Well that's really disappointing, all you need for environment shadow maps is a tiled pre-calculated shadow map. That's it, no need for lightmapping or other oldschool stuff. Just create a planar shadow map from your static sun/moon source and output to streaming tiles the same way the background works.

 

Also just turning SSAO on should still work out well with depth information and etc. Unity has a nice enough built in SSAO right off the bat.

 

We do have dynamic directional light shadow maps. Those are the shadows that are being cast by the spheres and characters. We do not have point light shadows, which can be more complex, and for us is challenging because of our psuedo-2d/3d situation. It's something that I would love to do moving forward!

 

 

It didn't look like it! It looks like it's only for dynamic objects, while you could easily do a proper shadow map for static objects that's just a static set of of depth maps tiled and streamed like the background. That's just my impression though.

 

As for point light shadows, just create a pre-rendered set of cubemaps for the environment for each shadow casting lightsource, place a shadow casting lightsource in the same spot for the "game" render. Combine the realtime game render of characters/dynamic objects with the static cubemap and it should work.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Frenetic Pony

[Ineth]

@Frenetic Pony

 

I guess it wouldn't look as smooth/detailed as pre-rendered environment shadows though.

 

But yeah, it's a little disappointing that shadows of walls and trees etc. won't change with the time of day or with other possible dynamic light sources (like when standing in a dark hallway, and opening a door to a brightly lit room).

[LordCrash]

I still love the visual style of the game, it's such a good Infinity Engine feel. But a dynamic night-and-day system is quite pointless without a dynamic repositioning of the shadow casting. It's ok if there will be only two times of day, but even then the exact same position of sun and moon is just weird...

I would strongly vote for a static system, really. in the Infinity Engine games daytimes were static as well (I guess for a reason....)

Edited May 28, 2014 by LordCrash

[Barothmuk]

Some nice screens but I was really hoping for some more portraits and maybe another lore dump.

 

Oh well.

[Cubiq]

It's a shame there's no evening sunlight. but i guess with static shadows it could look weird so maybe that's a good thing.

I wonder if you guys find it confusing if you need to make any touch ups after rendering, when you have to work while having objects floating in air.

[Agremont]

Getting lovely vibes from that scene. The music works a lot better when accompanied by the visuals too.

[Tauron]

Bravo, looks great, whats more to say?

[Bryy]

I'm sure they just haven't sent out 80,000 NDAs for us to sign yet. Once they do, the backers will be first to know. Maybe we'll get invited to GDC, too.

Now you're just being mean to them. 

[Hormalakh]

ok, now that you've heard all this awesome stuff people are saying about you, it's time for some criticism. I think the dynamic cloth can get a little "heavier" so that it's not flying around everywhere the way that it is when aloth is running around. It looks great, but it's like what Josh said about the swords, sometimes it looks better a little "faker." anyway...less flooopy more heavy.

 

k thx bai

[Silent Winter]

Great update - really loved getting some of the technical details

[Lord Gorchnik]

This is.....fantastic.  That monolith/dungeon/pillars area looks absolutely breathtaking.

 

I must visit it.......in-game of course.

 

Stupid Earth.

[curryinahurry]

Always enjoy the technical updates; thanks.  It really looks great for the most part, but I will agree with others that the static shadows are a bit odd.  Also, the female character on the left being back-lit by the dynamic lighting but not casting a shadow is a bit odd.  Of course, in-game, these things may be less noticeable.  Hopefully we'll get a gameplay animation soon that helps answer these questions.

[Helz]

I'm curious how the developers feel about working with the 2d images.  I personally prefer 2d for isometric games.  I feel like 10-15 year old games done in 2d are prettier in a lot of ways than the 3d isometric games being developed today. 

 

I would like to know what the advantages are in doing it 2d from a development standpoint.  Is it cheaper?  Faster?  Easier?  Or have all the great looking lighting effects that you've been able to create made it actually more difficult than it would have been if you were using 3d rendering?  I hope there are advantages, because I'd love it if you guys brought on a 2d revival. 

[Hormalakh]

another issue: when aloth is walking under the shadow, he becomes darker before he is even under the shadow; it can look a little jarring.

 

will day/time change while players stand in a certain area? the reason i ask is because technically, when the sun/moon comes up shaodws move; this is in contrast to your static shadows (with the building for example).

Edited May 29, 2014 by Hormalakh