Assist with Visual Technique used in the game Lords of the Fallen (2023)

Development Programming & Scripting C++
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1

Hi All.

Can I please get assistance in implementing the visual technique used in the game Lords of the Fallen (2023), please see an example below.

giphy

Whether it be a step by step guide or even a Youtube video or even a course, some help would be very much appreciated. I have a great idea for mechanic involving a torch light for my supernatural detective game.

Thank you in advanced.

2

Hi there, this is not something that is easy to do. It is quite an innovative mechanic, introducing both new possibilities and new constraints to gameplay.

TL;DR: Two worlds with actual geometry remain available. Normally, only the active world is rendered. When you use the lamp, both worlds render and Umbral is revealed through render stacking, masking, and post-process effects. When you fully enter Umbral, the rendering and gameplay states switch to that world.

  • World & Geometry

    • Spatially aligned dual worlds
    • Each world has its own geometry and collision
    • Both world datasets must remain available and renderable, which requires extensive memory management

  • Advanced Shader Tech

    • Rendering states for both worlds
    • Masks used when looking into Umbral
    • Lighting states
    • Complete rendering-state transition when entering Umbral

  • Game State

    • Different enemies
    • Collision states
    • Interactables
    • Many other gameplay elements

So there is no a step by step tutorial however as demonstrated its doable or as I call achievable. There are some pros cons to it, or constraints generally and it comes generally because of the production cost.

Pros / Advantages

Innovative mechanic, soft death and increased survivability, visually impressive, traversal puzzles, combat variation, and many other gameplay possibilities.

Cons / Constraints

Parkour-like and corridor-based level structures are generally favoured over true open-world topography. Both worlds need to remain spatially aligned, which limits how independently their layouts can be designed. This could potentially be advanced further through technology, such as changing where geometry exists through different world or rendering states.

There are also rendering, performance, and memory costs, although these can be justified when the mechanic is central to the game.

The complexity of level design, planning, and gameplay also increases significantly. It can sometimes feel slightly procedural because designers have to manage multiple gameplay states, as well as many traversal and collision edge cases.

Edit :

For prototyping, you can do something simple like this:

  1. Create an Actor Component called WorldStateComponent .Inside the component, have three enum states:
  • WorldStateA
  • HybridState
  • WorldStateBState A and State B are the main world states. HybridState is the temporary staging state between them.
  1. Add an input action to the component.On button press:CurrentWorldState -> HybridStateWhen the player releases the button:HybridState -> PreviousWorldStateYou can use another input to fully move from World A to World B, depending on what your gameplay requires.
  2. Add an event dispatcher such as:OnWorldStateUpdatedThis event outputs the current world-state enum.
  3. Add the component to your player pawn.Fundamentally, this becomes the main gameplay-state logic for the dual-world system.
  4. Use an MPC, material functions, or custom material parameters to reveal hidden objects during HybridState .At the same time, enable or disable collision for the required actors and objects.
  5. During HybridState , you can use a post-process material to reveal the other world in the camera direction, similar to the game.For a simpler prototype, you can just use a sphere mask that reveals everything inside its radius.

Example:

Player enters an area -> Bridge is broken

Player presses button -> HybridState

OnWorldStateUpdated -> Bridge receives state

Bridge material reveals alternate geometry

Bridge collision becomes active

RedGrimnir (Grimnir) 3
1 Like
4

Wow :distorted_face: . This is a very compressive answer, I can’t thank you enough :folded_hands: . I knew there would be some figuring out to do but definitely a lot less now. My idea isn’t as extensive as having two entire worlds running at the same time which will make for a lot less restraints, but with what you’ve given me I can make my mechanic a lot more dynamic and complex. I will be reporting back once done. Thank You Again.

5

LOTF is excellent BTW. :+1: