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Visual Upgrade Poll (Patreon)

Published:
2021-03-24 19:35:05
Edited:
2021-03-24 20:55:15
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Poll

Visual Upgrade Poll

  • Leave everything as is and just make more content 123
  • Better lighting would be nice 212
  • And add the new postFX filters 84
  • Could use more furniture, too 314
  • 2021-03-24
  • —2021-04-07
  • 733 votes
{'title': 'Visual Upgrade Poll', 'choices': [{'text': 'Leave everything as is and just make more content', 'votes': 123}, {'text': 'Better lighting would be nice', 'votes': 212}, {'text': 'And add the new postFX filters', 'votes': 84}, {'text': 'Could use more furniture, too', 'votes': 314}], 'closes_at': datetime.datetime(2021, 4, 7, 19, 34, 52, tzinfo=datetime.timezone.utc), 'created_at': datetime.datetime(2021, 3, 24, 19, 35, 5, tzinfo=datetime.timezone.utc), 'description': None, 'allow_multiple': False, 'total_votes': 733}

Content

Added an important clarification below.

Let me start with a bit of a background. I’ve been talking to other devs lately, and jealously comparing the visuals of our games at the same time.

I got some coaching from a certain person. And a couple of suggestions from another.

And then I got this.

Scene 1.

My base “realistic” lighting setup, the primary light comes from a set direction depending on the time of day. This is a morning scene, and the sun on the other side of the house:

Adjusted “pretty” lighting setup. Screw the sun direction, this looks better:

New set of postFX. Shiny:

Added some decor that wasn’t there before:

Scene 2.

“Realistic” lighting, basic postFX:

“Pretty” lighting:

+ updated postFX:

+ new decor items:

Now, an important caveat. If you think the visual improvements are worth it, I’m going to only enable them for the new scenes. Same with the new decor elements. All the new scenes will feature the new furniture and stuff, and I'll update the navigation screens, but the old scenes will remain barren.

We will keep remastering the older scenes, so eventually the whole game will look like this. IF we are doing this. I’m not sure. It looks better. But it’s going to be another case of older scenes looking drastically worse when compared to the new ones. I don’t know. Pls vote.

The poll is multi-choice if you are fine with whatever. If the previews are too small, there's an album on Imgur - https://imgur.com/a/ojLdO6L

Important clarification: the new postfx stack and the prettier lighting won't slow down the content delivery much, if any. The new decor is going to take a few days to sort out, but it's a one-time thing.

So the question is more, do you like the new look, and if you do, are you alright with it only appearing in the new scenes for the time being?

Files

Comments

Charles S

Why not add the new lighting/decor and make it a story element? That way you don't have to go back and redo everything. Like adding the need for dusting and cleaning.

Zanith

The rate of story progress is non-linear. There will be newer events triggered before this point, and older events brought up after it.

Charles S

I get that, not saying it's a great idea but at least temporarily have a "reason" in-game as why it looks different

Charles S

Honestly, the game is great just trying to make your life a little easier lol

Soulpuppet

Not a fan of the postFX filters. I prefer the "pretty" lighting =). Don't overdo yourself. I would prefer more content but as Charles S put it just add it as part of the story element somehow. That way you can keep chugging forward.

Zanith

I mean, I won't just switch from doing new stuff to remastering older events. It's more about the look of the new events.

Soulpuppet

I hear ya. I love everything you do no matter what you decide it will be great =).

Dillek Firehawk

Listen, I understand that it will make it look better, specially to people like me how like to "replay" the story so far... but I understand the amount of work that all of that would need, the rendering alone... it's insane... although the combined one (all the options) looks amazing, I don't want that to get in the way of you and your team have to re-render everything. There could be an event about the regarding the decoration or the protagonist could using his "new" levels of knowledge and focus to be able to make the house more "lived" in, like Charles S and Soulpuppet said, an story element that shows the character progression and a "in-lore reason" to add those visual improvements going forward. Just my 2 cents, and keep up the excellent work!

Zanith

I've added an important clarification at the bottom of the post, but I'll reiterate here. If we're going to add new details, it's going to be a retcon of sorts. The game doesn't lend itself to the changing environments. There are a few exceptions, but I can't really add new furniture with an event. It just won't work with the freeform progress.

TheSwordBreaker

Honestly, I think the furniture makes it feel more real, but the lighting absolutely looks good. Personally don't care too much for "gotta make it 18 billion pixels!" but it does look good. If you do none of this the game will still be good. If you made me pick one thing? The furniture. It would honestly also make sense for the house to slowly become more furnished. Wow I have stronger opinions on this than I thought... Whatever, game looks good either way, do you.

Kant

PostFx in examples adds blur for everything that is not in focus, and I personally hate this effect everywhere. My own eyes do that for me, why double effect hiding details?

ArnoN

Added furniture could even be a small scene explaining why it just appeared (so you wouldn't need to remake old scenes). Don't know if that's not just more work though :p

Jesster Gold

No to the Post Fx but everything else would look nice.

Wild Bill

Second this, artificial depth of field *sucks* a lot of the time. I always turn it off in games where possible. In a few cases it might be appropriate, but not as a general effect.

Dorcas Aurelia

Not a fan of the Post FX stuff. It looks like when I've got smudges on my glasses.

Hue

I don't mind whether the lighting is changed or not, it's the characters and story that are carrying this for me. But if this is changed, please take care for the glare lensing. In Lyriel pictures 3+4 that glare is too intense.

Wild Bill

The 'better lighting' I'm not convinced is better at all, and definitely not better enough to justify doing away with meaningful sunlight direction. The DoF is awful and needs to go, the bloom is OK, and the lens flare is quite a bit too strong. The extra furniture is good in example 2, maybe a little OTT in example 1, I'd lose the things on the wall, they make the scene look a bit cluttered.

Dion Starfire

I do NOT like the new FX. It makes the characters look like they're perpetually covered in oil/slime, which is not appealing. I"ve seen a couple other games try this "realistic moisture" effect and it didn't turn out well. Trust your design sense that has made this one of the most popular games around.

Neil Roth

I'd be okay with the postFX filters (or at least the bloom part) if they were uniform (i.e. not a starburst pattern) and more subtle. I mean, sunlight is bright, and it does tend to cause that bloom-y effect when you look at a surface lit by the sun, but the specific form and intensity here doesn't work for me. Any depth-of-field effect should be very intentional, and use a bokeh DOF filter rather than what appears to be a gaussian blur.

Richard S

I like the "pretty" lighting the most. I think the added furniture would be great but don't add too much furniture. I think the second picture looks good but the first one looks too cluttered. I also agree with the other person saying to put in a minor event to add furniture so you don't have to add them to the older scenes.

Buckey

I got a strange take actually bear with me. I like the light having no real clear source like if all the curtains were to be closed and the light switches set to off there would still be a lit room as if it were mid day. Fits thematically in the sense that the house isn't a house its an approximation of a conceptual house with things being close but still not quite right. As for adding new furniture.. do it but tie it to story progression with the house becoming more "real" the longer the occupants inhabit it. (this way you can pretty it up without going back over old ground)

Kizamus

Looks really nice. I gotta say, LOVE the furniture idea. It makes the scenes look a lot better and give it a nicer feel. The PostFX lighting can look nice it some scenes but I find that in other it actually makes it look worse. But the better lighting is defo prettier :)

Buckey

The human eye doesnt get lens flairs

tisiphone

I like the new decor stuff and can take it or leave it with the better lighting. Not a fan of the PostFX stuff. Trying to emulate the limitations of optical cameras kind of clashes with the "look" of the game. Might make sense if you go for photo realistic, but to my eye looks weird for the 3d-animation look of the game. Also how about retconing the change to the main character suddenly being able to manifest a "better" illusion of house, now that he gets better at magic.

Thaewyn

I think the only option I'm not a fan of is the new postFX. I think if you were to use that specifically during dream sequences or etherwalks, it _might_ work, but I don't think the main game needs it. I was surprised at how much the decor added tho, it feels much more like a liveable space. The meta-idea of having it be a more coherent manifestation only when the MC is looking at it / focusing on it would be a neat way to handle it while it's being updated too, so I'm on board with that.