Merry Christmas to all!
Things might be a bit slower these next two weeks, due to people being busy with family and such.
A feature that’s big on the Plains of Epheroth (the first level) is grass. I did some work on the grass last time, but I did a few more tweaks and improvements beyond that.
I wasn’t happy with how the grass was appearing/disappearing in the distance as the camera got closer, so I figured out a way to make the color of the grass actually change to match the color or the ground underneath it. When the grass becomes the same color as the ground, it’s essentially invisible, so you don’t notice it popping in-out of existence. I’m also doing another method of hiding that transition in having the blades of grass sink down below the surface the further from the camera they are.
I’ve also done a bit of work on some trees for a few forested areas of the map. The uniformity of the colors didn’t look very good though, so I put a function in to use the position of the tree to randomize the shade of the leaves. I think it’s looking much better!
Another thing I’ve been working on is getting some clouds working. Unreal recently released a new volumetric clouds system, so I’ve been experimenting with that and getting a stylized look with them.
Cesar has been continuing to work on concepts for a monument which will be on one of the hills in this level, providing a bit of history and context.
As you can see, designing things isn’t always a perfectly straightforward process, and we’ll probably go through a few more concepts before we settle on something.
Thanks for checking in, and Merry Christmas!
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