This week the Ara: History Untold Team would like to continue to highlight the progress we've made to the game's visuals. Our latest feat has been creating cloud shadows that roll over the various landscapes, adding a new layer of depth to our living world.
We took a simple approach to implementing this, wherein we take the XY World position of the Pixel and use that to generate tiling UVs for a cloud map. That cloud map then modulates the actual shadow value of the directional lights, allowing ambient light and ambient specular to still have impact.
The results are impressive, with the shadows creating more variation across the expansive landscapes. Don't just take our word for it, see the changes for yourself in the captures below.
A spliced view of what the savannah biome looks like without (left) and with cloud shadows (right).
A full view of what the savannah biome looks like without cloud shadows.
A full view of what the savannah biome looks like with the cloud shadows. Sunlight is more vibrant and shadows bring out variety in the terrain.