I remember playing GTA5 back in 2013 and being absolutely thrilled by the thick, immersive explosion effects. I would steal a tank from the military base and go on a rampage, destroying every vehicle in sight. Those explosions were addictive!
Now, I’ve finally transitioned to being the one creating explosions (safely, of course). A famous Japanese sculptor once said, “Art is explosion.” He meant it metaphorically, as a way to express emotions. But I believe "explosions are art". This isn’t a metaphor; creating beautiful explosions requires an artistic touch. Nowadays, these experts are known as VFX artists.
The only problem was, I had no experience or knowledge as a VFX artist. But then again, most developers are not great at predicting future problems, which is why game release dates get delayed so often.
Feeling lost, I browsed the Unity Asset Store and found some amazing products. The catch? They were designed for medieval siege engines in fantasy games or Molotov cocktails for zombie apocalypses. Modern warfare weapons don’t explode like that.
However, they were generous enough to let me break down and customize their products. So, I learned how to use VFX Graph (Unity’s GPU-based effects engine) and, with a lot of tweaking and custom coding, created the effects I needed. Here’s what I’ve achieved in the past week:
Underwater Explosion
Expands in a circular pattern, then contracts, leaving bubbles behind.
Shallow Explosion
When trapped energy reaches the water surface, it releases suddenly, sending water high into the air.
Anti-Ship Missile Explosion
When it hits a thin target, small fragments penetrate and scatter to the other side.
You can watch the explosion videos on YouTube. These are still in development, so they don’t represent the final quality.
What I’ve shown today is just a small part of the current tasks. There’s still a massive amount of work to be done, and honestly, I sigh every time I look at the roadmap. The team is working on coding the underwater missile launch system, creating trailer footage, and 3D modeling various objects. Please bear with us until the game is playable!