0
0
As the sweltering Summer is steadily climbing to its peak here in the real world, Intrepid Studios has given homage to all seasons in their latest teaser video. Alpha Two intends to introduce seasons to Ashes of Creation along with some complementary weather effects.
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays the adventurers of Ashes of Creation. At least, that’s the intention as the team at Intrepid Studios has delighted in showing off their new weather effects and seasonal changes to an area of the Riverlands. Weather and seasons will undoubtedly bring a much-needed sense of immersion to the world.
In addition to the video showing off the neat changes to the environment, much more could be gleaned to their design decisions in the tech demonstration Creative Director Steven Sharif put together in their May development update stream. During the stream, Sharif was joined by Lead Environment Artist Trystan Snodgrass, Senior technical Artist Brian Gans, and Environment Artist James Kurowski, as they dove into the painstaking detail, they have gone through to make the dynamic changes to the seasons work in the most immersive way possible.
Everything from the amount of snow that accumulates on different surfaces, to the way the cloud accumulate and dissipate in the sky are all part of the environment and seasonal changes the team has been working on, and the transitions between the biomes will have start visual differences that players will undoubtedly find appealing. Weather effects are integral when you want a sense of a living, immersive world, but they can easily be taken for granted.
Sharif noted that the environmental effects won’t just happen as part of a seasons cycle, but they could also change due to player activity. The changes gamers make to the weather and environment can affect other players in different ways. That means that weather changes will mean a lot more than just a visual benefit. We look forward to seeing how environmental changes affect the world of Ashes of Creation in Alpha 2, which as yet to be announced.
