Introduction
Hello, IndieDB community!
Welcome to our sixth game dev article of “Unseen Value”. Today we will show you the process and reasons for the game's aesthetics.
Shadow and Light
All objects are better perceived when they have lighted surfaces and shadow parts.
For "Unseen Value" we wanted the shadows to look a bit like a cartoon. For that, we started to do a cell-shader in the engine.
The result was a very weird object, where the shape is almost lost.
However, the shadow is simplified.
Image 1: Cell-shaded object
Then, we smooth out the transition from dark to light.
We also created a way to select the shadow and light colours.
The result was an object that has a better reading and a smooth transition from dark to light.
Image 2: Smooth transition from dark to light
It was also important for the objects to have some life.
To achieve this effect, and because we are working in 3D, we simulated the 2D hand-drawn animation effect. Where the objects, even stopped have some kind of movement.
We started by adding some colour to the light and shadows.
The shadows in the background are a bit pinker while the ones in the object are a bit bluer.
We also added a texture that emulates brush strokes.
Image 3: Colour and texture added
Then, we added an animated distortion to the mesh to make it seem like it is moving.
In this image, the effect is more visible on the lid.
Image 4: Mesh distortion animation
And this is the final result animated:
Image 5: Final result
Next week we are going to talk about the programming for "Unseen Value".
Until then:
Have a nice week
