I have finally finished the part of the terrain rendering that I spent most time researching and thinking about: texturing. This is a quite big problem, with many methods available, each having its own pros and cons.
How the player becomes the protagonist
In Amnesia one of the main goals was for the player to become the protagonist. We wanted the player to think “I am” instead of “Daniel is” and in that way make it a very personal experience. The main motivation for this was of course to make the game scary, but also for the memories that were revealed to feel more personal for the player.
Tech Feature: Noise and Fractals
Now that I have a working algorithm for terrain rendering, I wanted to try making some of it procedurally. This would not be used in order to generate levels, but instead to help artists add some extra detail and perhaps for some effects. The natural world is very noisy and fractal place, so in order a to get a nice looking environment, these two features are crucial.
Tech Feature: Terrain geometry
The past two weeks I have been working on terrain, and for two months or so before that I have (at irregular intervals) been researching and planning this work. Now finally the geometry-generation part of the terrain code is as good as completed.
Tech feature: Light Masking
So just wanted to give a quick info on a brand new feature: light box masks.