Dear Community!
We haven’t been heard for a while but the waiting has come to an end. My name is Krzysztof and I’m a Game Designer for this great project. I’ll be writing for you a series of devblogs that will tell you more about our progress, methods, philosophy of creation, and lots of interesting trivia concerning both the game and ancient China. We aim to provide you with these devblogs about once a month, and in every one of them, you’ll find specific information about the game.
HOW DO WE CONSTRUCT BUILDINGS?
The subject of today’s substantive part is the process of construction of buildings (their 3D models) present in the game from the developers’ perspective.
1) Choice
Before the whole process starts, we select the references from the actual, historical buildings, especially paying attention to make them fit our game, its specification, and goals we want to achieve. We try to maintain a balance between the historical adequacy and the in-game purpose of the buildings. This stage is often quite challenging, as China is an incredible and inspiring civilization. One may spend hours only watching the shapes, colors, and beauty this nation is made of. Observing all these magnificent objects we’d like to recreate each one of them but sadly it’s a task beyond our possibilities.
2) Research
Every time we choose a building to recreate, we conduct thorough research about it. We collect information about its historical appearance, architecture, its role in ancient Chinese society, materials it could have been made of, and so on. We are getting inspired by reading about them, scrutinizing the pictures of them, drawings, illustrations, sculptures, and many breathtaking relics they have left behind.
3) Initial Concept
The next step is the creation of the first concept art. It allows our whole team to imagine and visualize the building, and understand how it should work. It gives us the initial idea of what will it be exactly in the game. This concept art stimulates the imagination and exposes the differences between our, often very distinct, visions...
4) Blockout
Next, we prepare the first 3D blockout. It facilitates the later drawing, modeling, and allows us to prototype the game with something more interesting than whiteboxes.
5) Detailed Concept
The next stage is creating a more advanced concept. It’s a very important part because basing on this concept we accept the target look and feeling the building will have. This concept is also the base of the whole texturing stage.
6) Raw Model
Having accepted the detailed concept, we start modeling - we place, extend, rotate, bend, sculpt, and do everything in our power to create a game-ready object out of thousands of polygons.
7) Texturing
This is probably the longest part of the whole process. We try to create appropriate, esthetic, and good-looking textures. It’s a hard and tedious task that demands a sense of aesthetics and imagination to transform a group of pixels into surfaces that faithfully depict our vision. Technically, with every texture, we have to pick the colors, paint the dents, and adjust the composition. We are given the hardest time by the normal maps and realistically looking thatched roofs - honestly, I can’t even say how many approaches we have had towards them, but we are getting closer to the desired effect.
8) Iterations and Corrections
If the model’s look doesn’t satisfy us at this stage, we make corrections. We modify its geometry, repaint the textures, add details; everything to make it both esthetic and credible.
9) Import to the Engine
Finally, when the model doesn’t lack anything more, we import it to the game engine. Then we give it the right parameters in the game code and adjust the model to the other buildings, so it fits them and is unique at the same time.
That’s how the whole process looks like, from the very beginning to the end. Each building sooner or later goes through, so that we can maintain their quality and mutual coherence. And believe me, it’s a difficult mission to do it concerning the number of them - we are planning to have about (at this moment) 70 unique buildings.
THE GAME IS ALIVE
Our brainchild is constantly developing and flourishing, despite the fact that it has been a long time since the last teaser. We continuously expand our team and make sure that the game will be as good and enjoyable as possible, so every one of you will have an unforgettable experience playing it. If you wish, you can add our game to your Wishlist (if you haven’t done it already), and invite your friends to check the game.
INVITATION
To conclude, we’d like to kindly invite you to our Discord server (English only), where you can find additional media, other members of our Community and in the future also me answering all your questions regarding the game (and not only the game).
https://discord.gg/X5upJD7eVc
I can’t wait to share with you the next features (we have some surprises planned for you).
See you next month,
Krzysztof