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@runevision@mastodon.gamedev.place

2026-04-03 07:43 UTC

But damn, I don't know how to escape a never ending process of trying to tweak different elements more or less blindly. Even with references, it's super hard to figure out what elements (or relation of elements relative to each other), are vital and which are merely circumstantial. I feel like I'm missing some fundamentals in process.

Replies (3)

  • Okay, after a lot of experimentation, I got a result I'm fine with, as a result of: - Darkening grass a bit (and cliffs and paths to match) so it's darker relative to the trees - Darkening the auto exposure so it doesn't make things (especially grass) quite as washed out - Brightening the sky considerably I had thought I needed to make the grass less yellow, but it actually needed to be darker. Before/after images attached.

    Open ##2647239

  • @runevision@mastodon.gamedev.place It might help to look at illustrations or paintings instead of screenshots or photographs. Definitely does for me. In a way traditional artists have solved these kinds of problems many times over already. They use different tools than we do, but some of the solutions still apply. I learned a lot of tricks for depicting nature from Bob Ross videos. Can't use them directly in realtime rendering, but they inspired me to look for equivalents.

    Open ##2647243

  • @runevision@mastodon.gamedev.place If I were to attempt to make a Maxis-style (oversimplified but feels correct) SimGrass game… The map would have two parameters, sunlight and moisture. Then I would have different models of ground cover selected based on how well those grasses thrive in those locations. Blending happens naturally because the conditions could be halfway between the ideal conditions of two grasses. You could add a third variable of foot traffic/toughness if you want natural paths from wildlife.

    Open ##2647247