Hello Neyyah adventurers, far and wide!
Today is a cool day! I've been over on Patreon, spewing out the gossip on Neyyah's recent developments, and delving a bit further into the magical world of Cornwall and my adventures there last month! Over on Patreon, I also have a 4th Year Neyyah Dev Special happening, with a draw prize taking place on Tuesday 13th September (more details further down in this post).
You can watch my dev log here, exploring places such as Looe (where I stayed), Tintagel Castle, The Rocky Valley and Polperro! A mix of scenes were documented, alongside texture references, and I also recorded some great sounds too!
I've decided to separate my updates today, so I can focus on Cornwall, plus updates on where the game is heading currently!
I am going to share some shots from my trip, which have inspired me and have pushed certain areas of the game further (mainly at conception stage to the eventual Blender developments - and some of those will be taking place in the next couple of weeks, which is very exciting) plus, these are some of my personal favourites, too! I see this as an extention of personal connection and developer insight, in connection with the dev log.
Here I am with Matt Clark and Jonathan Boakes, creators of the Barrow Hill, Dark Fall and The Lost Crown games. These really inspired me as a teenager, when I started out, finding an interest and pursuing game development / 3D modelling further! It was wonderful hanging out with these talented game designers, talking game dev, and I also thank them for their continued support with Neyyah!
Find out more about their games down below in this post!
The beautiful Cornish town of Looe where I stayed for my visit! Fantastic area to get a taste of Cornwall! Definitely coming back here next year, too!
The rock formations astounded me ... There are some amazing purple slate and rock areas, which have definitely pushed certain terrains in Neyyah forward in their concept stages, and I really look forward to getting stuck into moulding these said environments in Blender! The 3D canvas beckons ...
This is a closer shot of the purple rock, oozing with its metalic alien like presence ... Closer shots like this have been taken of various rock and other materials, as seen in the dev log, in the hope of being able to redesign some great texture maps in Photoshop for other areas of Neyyah! This process will be something I'd like to document and share at a later point, too!
YY
Other areas of Cornwall also provided me with a realm of ancient Cornish rocky terrain. This photo was taken at Rocky Valley, just outside of Boscastle near Tintagel Castle. The metalic wet layered look of the terrain is something I'd love to look at recreating for areas in Neyyah, even if it's used sparsely for greater effect (and making sense with the environment change, too!) As mentioned in the dev log, I also loved how similar it looked to terrain I captured back on a road trip in Western Australia, 2014, at Karijini Gorges ...
Pathways and other areas of my various trips enabled me to help visualise certain areas I have yet to bring to Blender, but have already created concept art for! These shots enable me to focus on the more detailed placement of certain materials with the natural environment, and as mentioned in the dev log, some of the natural flora already reminds of certain areas in Neyyah, where I have incorporated natural elements to the coastal areas, fusing even man made structures with flora too! This helps build a more old ancient world!
I love how the plants grow on the rocks! This is something I've definitely infused into the world of Neyyah!
I was lucky to capture this at low tide - this area can be completely submerged at Looe's harbour, but on my 5 mile trek back from Polperro, I slanted down to the barnacle infested blanket of Cornish rock and managed to take some great shots, including this rocky pathway towards the castle ruin tower ... This reminded me of a scene I have instore for Neyyah, so it was a perfect capture!
YY
In terms of what already exists in the game, or the concepts I have for areas yet to be modelled / rendered out, I am always keeping my eye (and ears - for sounds) out for anything which can help inspire or develop the ideas further along.
Cornwall didn't disappoint!
Here is a final art piece I created for Patreon a while back, depicting a scene which has undergone some work due to getting backdrops ready for actors / filming FMV sequences in January next year (and this in itself has helped push the design and environment art further further too!)
The building structure has gone through various designs (on paper and in my head), influenced by local architecture I have seen on my outtings, but also in Cornwall too! This coastal watch building will help influence the tower building, due to the shape and materials used!
... It's also very Myst!
YY
Tintagel Castle was an amazing location to visit in Cornwall, already bound in myth and legend, a place offering plenty of opportunities for inspiring Neyyah's designs further! There was definitely the hustle and bustle of tourists abound, and the weather throughout the day I went began with rain and fog (the drive feeling as though I was riding the dragon's breath to the castle, which did feel very cool, as though I was time travelling) through to being soaked in August sunshine, lost in the magical splendour of Merlin's Cave area, below the forboding bridge leading to the castle ruins beyond.
Tintagel Castle ruins ... Wih Neyyah being in its own state of ruin, it was great drawing influences from the history of this wonderful place, and also the style of architecture which had been used too!
I thought I wouldn't be able to get down to Merlins' Cave ... It had been advertised as being closed, due to reasons specified on their website, but instead, everyone was flocking down to this gorgeous beach, and being the adventurer I am, and in the name of Neyyah, I had to check it out! The steps lead down to the bright shores, basking in the afternoon sun, which the waters poured in through the rugged coastline, the tide being out just enough for explorations of Merlin's Cave to take place ...
A scene from Neyyah (which has also undergone some cool Journey Mode animation renders, too)
Neyyah showcases a bunch of glorious sunny open air scenes, but it also has its cavernous, darker, enclosed spaces, and this can definitely shift the atmosphere and feel of a particular location!
The beauty of creating the transition from enclosed to open is infusing various environmental elements together ... This takes place already in various areas of Neyyah. You'll really feel the hit of being out again in open sunlight, after wandering dark cold underground chambers!
A scene from Neyyah - the use of volumetric light really emphasising the derelict feel of the rubbel ahead (dust particles will be added to such scenes too!)
YY
I'm going to have to cap this update off there for now ... I could go on forever about Cornwall. It's definitely provides a huge cauldron of inspiration for Neyyah. I will definitely be returning next year, and I look forward to implementing my finds into Neyyah - in all various forms, which will be duelly noted as I share the progress of the different areas of development! My next update which I'm aiming to have out by the middle of the week will delve into current developments on the game, including updates on backdrops for FMV acting sessions (taking place in January next year in Western Australia) and the engine work coming up!
Thanks for reading! And massive thanks for continuing to support the developments of Neyyah!
- Aaron Gwynaire / Defy Reality Entertainment
Join up on Patreon to be part of the 4th Year Neyyah Dev Anniversary - Patreon Special! Draw prizes being announced on the 13th September! Follow Neyyah's dev on Patreon for a more exclusive behind the scenes experience! All patrons will have their name on credits of the game as a Patreon supporter! Enter the portal at www.patreon.com/defyrealityentertainment
Matt Clark and Jonathan Boakes (Links:)
http://www.shadowtor.com/store - all games available here!
http://www.darklingroom.co.uk - Jonathan's website
http://www.shadowtor.com - Matt's archaeological work / Time Team etc!