The Island - Ethereal (Development Update #2) news

I have been busy this week. Mainly focusing on details. I wanted to make sure, that anyone who played with us during the the pre-alpha testing, would see a huge difference when attending the second test. I also reduced some minor stuttering, that would occur every 15 seconds or so, the game runs way smoother now. Here are some highlights, that show the version of my game:

Sunrise

I wanted to have a more complex day-night cycle. Once I started rewriting the code, I noticed, that I could add a few more parameters, that would change the overall look, which allowed me to get a nicer overall blend during transitions periods. I also noticed, that my sun was not highlighted the way it should be. Reworking the sun allowed for some more impressive looks during sunrise and sundown.The sun has already risen and reached its final form. From here it will travel up until it changes its look again, ready for sundown:

A few minutes before, the sun was about to come up. Fog is still laying over the island:

A closer look at the early hours of the day (Step 1):

A closer look at the early hours of the day (Step 2):

A closer look at the early hours of the day (Step 3):

Not so flat anymore

I never liked the look I got from the standard terrain shaders in Unity. I wanted a more detailed look. I wanted a shader that made good use of the height map of my textures. It did take a whole day and an extended night + very little sleep, but I am pleased with the results.The terrain is not just flat anymore. You can clearly see the height map taking effect here:

The same effect on some stones here. Each stone will actually also throw a shadow depending on the directional light:

More alive

While the wind moved the grass and trees and the ambience sound gave the great illusion, that the island is alive, something was missing: Animals. I decided to start with the birds, as they would add a lot to the look and atmosphere. Bird avoid hitting the terrain and trees. They might scare you in tense combat situations though, when flying low right in front of you.

A bit further away, birds like to flock together.

No more ghost

While our weapon was only floating in front of us, I decided to add some placeholder arms/ hands. They will be replaced depending on the character you play in the game:

Let there be particles

Particles are important. Especially if you are under fire and you can see the shots hitting the tree next to you, throwing little pieces of wood and dust your way. It adds to the atmosphere and allows you to locate your opponent. I have added effects for hitting the floor, trees or structures. Still to come: Hitting stone, metal and water.Here we hit a tree:

Also made possible by particle effects, if we stop the recording just at the right time, we can see the bullet trail:

A first step towards a night sky

It really is only a first step. I added some stars to the night sky... still missing the moon.

Some more random screenshots: