The Kristala Dev Blog - Issue #23
Welcome back to the ever-enchanting Kristala dev blog, where you can get front-row seats to the development process for indie 3D dark fantasy ARPG Kristala, the first title from female-owned-and-operated indie game studio Astral Clocktower Studios.
Get ready to take a peek at what we've been up to over the past month and what's ahead for the rest of 2020. We'll dive head-first into the fantasy world of Ailur and get even more acquainted with the fantastical creatures that call this magic-filled planet home.
In this issue, you'll get a first look at the new tutorial section for our convention build, the treehouses that populate our Nisargan clan lands, the new models for our Kotakayan soldiers, a super sweet cinematic shot showing off our six clan biomes, and so much more.
Are you ready to enter the fantasy? Here we go...
3D Asset Design
Last issue, we shared the finished model of the gigantic coliseum our 3D Environmental Designer, Cass, created for our Nasahara Ruins level. If you're just joining us, you can read all about Nasahara's lore here.
The coliseum was a piece Cass had been working on for several sprints, and while the model certainly showcases the amount of work and attention to detail Cass put into it over the course of the past couple months, we know he was stoked to move onto something new.
As our ace of architecture and structural design, Cass now moves on to modeling out the sewer system that runs beneath the charred streets of Nasahara. Take a look at the progress he made on modeling and texturing the sewer pipes, grates, landings, and divisions.
Once the models for the sewer items were completed, Cass then shifted focus to texturing them. We wanted to use a mixture of brick and cobblestone for the sewer walls to help showcase the age of the materials, but we weren't sure which color brick to go with.
Cass gave us a few different options, and we ultimately ended up combining several of them together before deciding on the finished product.
After the sewer components were completed, we working on brainstorming a unique way to bring a source of light to the dark, winding tunnels.
You might think simple lights with bulbs would be the way to go, and if Nasahara were a Kotakayan city, traditional light bulbs would make perfect sense due to the Kotas' tendency to utilize science and electricity in their overall aesthetic.
Because Nasahara's sewers are part of Anagativan territory, however, we wanted to highlight the fact that unlike the Kota, the Ana tend to utilize more organic materials and items in their typical aesthetic.
Ultimately, we came up with the idea of using shards of crystal as a lightsource for Ana-owned cities, villages, and towns. Check out Cass's interpretation of that idea in the crystal sewer lamps featured below.
With the Nasahara sewer components completed, Cass was also able to knock out a few more light tasks before moving onto the next big architectural project he'll be tackling: the tree-house villages located within the great Jhacanda forests the Nisargans call home.
Before we show off Cass's start to the tree homes, here's a look at a Warhammer he designed that will be added to our growing arsenal of weaponry.
Now that Cass has the below base models down for the Nisargan houses that will be clustered together amongst the hulking Jhacanda trees, he'll move forward on individually detailing and texturing them to be placed in the Kristala game build.
Tune in to next month's dev blog to see the updates!
Speaking of tree houses, Cass isn't our only modeler working on Nisargan structures. 3D Designer Karena has also been working on the large, cylindrical tree homes that will be featured in the Nisargan capital city of Nisar.
In addition to the houses themselves, Karena has also been working on a series of ropes and bridges that will be used to navigate from one tree house to another.
We designed the Nisargan cities and villages in this way to not only showcase this clan's affinity for nature and the natural world of Ailur, but to also give them an offensive advantage that allows them to spot potential dangers well before they arrive.
