News - Eclipsed

With a week to go before Eclipsed's release date, things sure are getting heated around here. Guess the old adage, "time flies when you're having fun", can also be applied to when you're on a deadline. As with all projects, some parts are finished quickly, with barely any sweat, while others are more time-consuming and headache-inducing. Today's subject, animations, falls into the latter category.

Although we recorded all animations with a motion capture suit, that was indeed the fastest part of the whole process. The initial editing of the raw animations (cutting, looping, etc.) was done using only the Rokoko skeleton, and was actually very quick and straightforward. The real work began after character rigging, when we linked the edited animations to the characters' skeleton.

Creating Aelizia's animations was actually a trial and error process. Not only were they the first (and everything was new and had to be researched and learned), but there was the cape's cloth simulation to consider and deal with. After hours of editing in Maya, checking the animation's interaction with the cape in Unreal Engine and adjusting the physics, going back to Maya, and repeat times a hundred, we're finally moving on to other tasks. The final result, while satisfactory, is far from perfect, but we'll have to settle for "good enough", as they say.

To give you a small taste of what's to come in Eclipsed, we're showcasing two of Aelizia's animations (looping), previewed inside Unreal Engine.

First, there's Aelizia's Light Ability shooting, followed by her item collection animation. As you can see, her cape still has a few problems due to the animation's interaction with the cloth simulation.

The guard's animations, while easier and much quicker than Aelizia's, presented their own set of problems. Since we recorded their animations on two separate occasions, the skeleton's settings of the two sessions were different from one another, so we had to account for that difference. To make matters worse, when creating the character's mesh, we didn't take into consideration how the different parts (upper body, lower body, etc.) might interact with each other during the animations, so there are a few problems that couldn't be fixed with weight painting or delta mush deformers.

However, as with Aelizia, time was of the essence, so we aimed as high as we could within our very limited time frame and didn't look back. Well, maybe just a glance, like the perfectionists we are! You can check for yourself two of their animations:

First, there's the animation of a guard getting hit by Aelizia's light ability, followed by one of the idle animations. We've created three different idle animations which will be played randomly throughout the game, adding variety to Eclipsed's visual experience.

What do you think of our character animations? Was the struggle worth it? We're almost at the finish line!

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With the release date quickly approaching, we have been working hard on multiple fronts, hoping to eventually meet each other in the middle. Between the finishing touches to our character models and remaining user interface details, rigging and getting started on character animations, and the beginning of sound implementation, we've been very busy bees indeed.

However, we also reserved some time for something essential when it comes to game design: user tests. We've been testing Eclipsed's Alpha Build with users from the game's target audience and the feedback we've received has been very enlightening and will certainly bring about some necessary changes to Eclipsed's gameplay. But that's news for another day!

Drum roll, please, as the guards are about to enter the scene! Or better yet, they came, they saw, and they conquered our game project in Unreal Engine! And what a feat! Back in May, when we presented the game's antagonists' concept art, they were just an idea, but now they're more than a concept, they are fully-fledged 3D models.

To refresh your memory (yes, we know it's been three months!), here's the concept art for the guards, which are meant to represent both Light and Shadow abilities. As with Aelizia's model sheet, we had to update the ability icons on the chest plates with the light and shadow icons created for Eclipsed's User Interface.

After a few scares with stretched UVs and remade UV mappings and textures (and a 90 minute struggle with UV transfers to a skinned mesh), we cried for joy when everything was finally the way it was supposed to be inside Unreal Engine and we were finally one step closer to the finish line. The road was long and hard, but we made it out with only a few scratches!

We won't delay it any longer, here they are:

As you may have guessed, we are using the same model, but with different textures. We believe it's a clever way of adding visual diversity to the game while saving precious production time. Like with the reveal of Aelizia's model, here are a few close-ups of both versions of the guards' mesh:

What do you think of the guards' 3D model? And the use of different textures on the same model? Do you think it combines well with Aelizia's mesh? Tell us everything! We'd love to know your opinion!

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Another week has passed, and we can hardly believe it has been a week already! Time is really flying by, and each day brings us one step closer to the dreaded deadline. But we're pushing through, doing our best to get things done as fast as we can without compromising on quality.

And today we have an update that was three months in the making! Yes, that's right, you guessed it from the title, Eclipsed's main character model is FINALLY in Unreal Engine! And looking mighty fine, if we may say it ourselves! It only took three (calendar) months to get from point A, Aelizia's concept art, to point B! Thankfully we didn't actually spend that many hours in this model, but sometimes it sure felt like it! What an herculean battle! To refresh your memory, here's the concept art of our dear Aelizia (with the updated icons on the cape):

Back in May, we had no idea of the many intricacies needed to create a 3D character. We knew the basics, and imagined that it would be time consuming, but we didn't fully understand the scope of this endeavour. You've been with us every step of the way: from the stepping stone of the blockout and the hardships of sculpting to the time-consuming retopology and the ancient art of baking, we have shared this momentous journey with you. And what a journey!

And now, without further ado, here's Aelizia in all her glory:

We still have a few tricks up our sleeves regarding this model, but all will be revealed in due time. For now, we'll give you a few close-ups, but bear in mind that a 2D image of a 3D model will never measure up!

What do you think of Aelizia's 3D model? Does it do its concept art justice? Dare we say it, did it surpass it? Tell us everything! We'd love to know your opinion!

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A week has passed and we're still engaging in two battles, albeit at very different stages, with the low poly models of our two characters. We're anxious to move on to the textures, but there are still some miles to go before we reach smooth sailing!

Regarding Aelizia, after polishing the low poly model, it was time for UV mappings and baking. The goal was to get as many details as possible from the high poly version into the low poly model, but taking care not to introduce artefacts or strange shadows, which was no easy feat.

Almost at the finish line, Aelizia's low poly model is about 95% complete. Although they can never do justice to a 3D model, we captured a few close-ups to show the bake in better detail:

Sadly, the guards still have to catch up to Aelizia, as their low poly model is far behind. Since their high poly had a much higher number of polygons, the retopology is taking longer, and a corrupted file made us lose all the progress in the legs, so we had to start over. So on we go, sometimes two steps forward and one backwards, other times the other way round. We're getting used to jumping through hoops!

However, the guards' upper body is looking good, very good indeed! Don't you agree?

As for the rest, we'll be working hard to finish both models in the next few days, and hopefully move on to rigging and textures very soon! Keep your fingers crossed!

Stay tuned for more Eclipsed news!
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It has been a while since we checked in, but, fear not, we are alive and kicking! And we'll start by announcing that Eclipsed's vertical slice will be released on the first week of September! The clock is ticking faster than ever, and we've been working full steam ahead to get everything ready for the big day.

Regarding character development, we've been making progress in the low poly models. Retopology was simultaneously very easy and hard to do. On the one hand, Maya 2022's "Retopologize" option was a godsend, turning the whole process of reducing the number of polygons into a smooth settings' adjustment and click of the mouse. Credit where credit is due, Maya does the whole job for us, and does it incredibly well. Blender, watch out, because Maya has just re-entered the race! On the other hand, our computers have been working around the clock on these time-consuming and processor and GPU heavy tasks, and, we confess, after many "freezes" and "crashes", there might have been some tears involved.

But we soldiered on, and we made it to the other side, with some eye-candy. Can you spot the differences?

This next picture might help:

The wireframe doesn't lie, the difference in poly count is huge! As you can see, Aelizia's low poly model is almost ready for the baking. We're firing up the ovens as we write this! Hopefully, all the rich details from the high poly will be baked into the low poly. Keep your fingers crossed!

As you might imagine, the guards' model, with all its smooth, individual parts, is being a bit more stubborn, but the battle rages on! Here's a sneak peek:

On another front, we've also been working on Eclipsed's sound design. As a mixture between medieval, fantasy, and stealth, the game has a unique vibe and feeling we're hoping to convey to players. We want to immerse players in its environment, its characters, its story. It's early stages yet, but we'll give you a small taste of what's to come, as we've been testing walking sound effects in Unreal Engine:

Which part of today's update did you enjoy the most?

Stay tuned for more Eclipsed news!
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