Focus is obviously on the , but some suggestions:
- Lunar / Moon cycles (material based moon crescents, etc.)
- Tidal shifts / changes (changing water plane height offset based on time of day / lunar cycles)
- Wind variation (fuzzy directional/strength wind which changes cloud / rain / snow direction (and perhaps spray, too)).
I might have a go at helping out with some of the above. I had a pretty decent random wind direction/speed setup in an older project.
As for the underwater god rays, I would say particles is the best approach. It’s only really something you’ll see when looking up and near the surface, so spawning particles when needed won’t be too difficult.
Really loving whole project. Hopefully the community can pull together and create the best video game water/environmental system possible!