A Reel Mystery

A Reel Mystery was created during the Cozy Autumn Jam 2023 over a 2-week period. While I kept my contributions lighter compared to other jams, I played a significant role in lighting design and character rigging, both of which brought essential visual and functional elements to the game.

My Contributions

Lighting

One of my primary contributions was designing and implementing the day/night cycle, which added depth and atmosphere to the game world.

The Day/Night Cycle

The system uses two distant spheres in the sky - one for the sun and one for the moon. Their positions are dynamically controlled by a custom component I wrote, which adjusts the anchor rotation based on in-game time. This cycle not only dictates gameplay mechanics but also transitions the skybox seamlessly between a cloudy day and a starry night.

Gameplay Integration

The day/night cycle directly influences gameplay mechanics, creating different challenges and opportunities depending on the time of day.

Dynamic Visual Adjustments

The day/night cycle also influences the game’s post-processing effects to enhance the mood. During nighttime, shadows, midtones, and highlights shift to cooler hues, creating a distinct visual tone that complements the changing atmosphere.

Rigging

My other major contribution was developing a universal character rig that significantly streamlined the animation process for our dedicated 3D animator.

The Problem

The game required animations for 7 unique characters with varying body proportions, each needing emotional expressions for dialogue sequences. Creating individual rigs and animations for all 7 would have been time-consuming and inefficient.

The Solution

I created a universal rig to handle overlapping animations for all characters. The animator created 7 shared animations using the universal rig, then I adjusted proportions and retargeted animations to each unique character model.

The Impact

This workflow significantly reduced redundant work, allowing the animator to focus on refining animations instead of duplicating effort for each character. While there were some minor quirks during retargeting, these were addressed iteratively to maintain quality.