Daily blog - first impressions only go skin deep; need more pretties!
With the latest Early Access build rolling out featuring notable gameplay and control changes, I've realised that my game just isn't pretty enough to garner attention. I grabbed Element4l on PlayStation Vita yesterday and, on a mobile processor, it's managing some pretty tasty post effects that give it a beautiful sense of light and shade.
Lighting is the primary language of visual art of these sorts, and my lighting is too flat and functional. I've experimented a little with pixel-based 'volumetric' lighting to cast shadows and think that'll work well in my nebulae, giving a sense of dust scattering the light. Maybe. Thankfully the prototype on the Nexus 7 didn't slow to crawl like the other post effects.
If I can't get something that produces beautiful screenshots though, even if only the PC flavour, I'm going to have an uphill struggle with marketing. The unfortunate reality is, 'skin deep' is as far as you get with first impressions. It's the pretty screenshots and videos that get the attention, and not the list of features or fabulous underlying technologies.
