Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 156 Expert
Chu Chen had noticed this after carefully observing the demo at the booth, because although the demo looked somewhat similar to the game Octopath Traveler, they were actually completely different things.

The demo contains numerous problems that are clearly visible to the naked eye.

However, this did not stop Chu Chen from taking a step and walking towards that small exhibition booth.

His approach quickly attracted the attention of the three Japanese men.

One of the younger men, seeing the sign representing the manufacturer hanging around Chu Chen's neck, brightened up and immediately stood up, speaking in somewhat broken Chinese.

"Hello! How can I help you?"

Chu Chen asked in fluent Japanese.

"Excuse me, is this a rendering engine independently developed by your team?"

Upon hearing the fluent Japanese, Ishii Akira, who was in the lead, was clearly taken aback for a moment. He then adjusted his glasses, stood up, and bowed slightly.

"Yes, this is the 'A-HD Engine' developed by our team, and it is currently just a prototype."

"Can I try your demo?"

Chu Chen pointed to the only computer on the display stand.

"Of course! Please!"

Ishii Akira immediately made way for Chu Chen and personally opened the demo program for him. Chu Chen sat down, but instead of touching the keyboard, he asked a question first.

"You used depth-of-field effects to simulate the relationship between different layers, and used dynamic lighting and post-processing to enhance the expressiveness of the image. This is a very good idea."

"However, I noticed that you haven't adapted the model's scale. Why is that?"

2D-HD technology may seem simple, but it is actually not that simple.

In his previous life, Chu Chen had researched this thing. After all, 2D-HD technology is an excellent technology for small teams to compete with big-budget games in terms of image quality.

Back when Chu Chen was all alone, he tried to replicate this technology using Unity to make indie games, but he quickly realized that even though it looked simple, it was definitely not something one person could do alone.
So I gave up.

Even so, because he had tried it, Chu Chen was very clear about all the details of this technology.

For example, the camera lens.

In HD-2D games, in order to blend 3D backgrounds with 2D pixelated characters, it is necessary to use pixels to build 3D models of the background to reduce the visual disharmony.

However, once 3D modeling is used in the background, a whole host of problems arise.

For example, the setting of camera angles and model proportions.

If you don't make any modifications and just use a regular 2D game camera, it will look like a regular 3D game, and a low-quality one at that.

Because pixel-style architecture will look very rough when scaled up proportionally.

(Image source: PPT presentation by game developers)
In the original Octopath Traveler development team, the perspective was widened, and the camera angle was adjusted to be closer to that of a 2D game.

However, because the camera zooms out, if the scene is presented in the same way as before, half of it will be the distant sky, which would look a bit monotonous.

Therefore, Octopath Traveler deliberately created many stepped terrains to accommodate more ground-level buildings and ensure sufficient information density in the game. They also adjusted the ratio of player to buildings, making the houses smaller to give it a more classic 2D game feel.

However, this adjustment also brings a problem: the house seems a bit too small. In such a small house, once you put in a little furniture, the player has no room to move around at all.

To address this, the team devised a clever trick: they shrunk all indoor objects, including all the characters, to half their original size. However, when players enter or leave the room, a switch is triggered to adjust the camera, ensuring that the main character's size remains constant in the player's view.

Because the main character's size appears unchanged, players can hardly perceive the change.

These technologies weren't secrets in my previous life. After all, everyone could play games. It's like if you were given a math problem and you didn't know the answer, they would write down the answer for you and you would say, "Oh, that's it?"

Because of his past life experience, Chu Chen immediately understood the difference between this demo and the "correct answer" from his previous life as soon as he saw it.

Chu Chen asked the question because he was still wondering why 2D-HD technology would appear here.

But his question had a significant impact. The moment Ishii Akira heard it, he froze on the spot, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"You? What did you say?"

Don't be fooled by the fact that Akira Ishii's team lost to Acquire.

The fact that he was able to receive an invitation from SE proves that he is no ordinary person. He worked at CAPCOM for a considerable period of time in his early years. After leaving CAPCOM, he joined Vanillaware in 07.

He also participated in the development of "Muramasa: The Demon Blade" as a core artist, and later participated in the optimization of the game engine for "Great Knight Chronicles".

By the time of Dragon's Crown, he had joined the core creative team, in charge of coordinating engine and art resources.
Until 14, when he started his own business independently, founding Milk Studio, and participating in SE's outsourcing bidding...
So even if they ultimately lose in the competition with Acquire.

However, Akira Ishii still put a lot of effort into this demo, and even after losing the competition, they continued to try to optimize it.

Although they felt something was wrong during the polishing process, this feeling was like a fishbone stuck in their throat, tormenting them repeatedly in countless late-night discussions and revisions.

Akira Ishii tried many methods, but the final result was only to turn the "strange" DEMO into "another kind of strange".

Even so, during the process of solving the problem, Ishii Akira's team was aware of the "problem," as evidenced by Chu Chen's first words upon arriving.

It's like when you're working on a math problem you can't solve, and a top student suddenly points out to you, telling you why you can't solve it this way.

That sudden realization.

For a moment, Akira Ishii's mind went completely blank, before being filled with a tremendous roar.

Why does the upper half of the image appear empty, like an unfinished canvas, when the camera zooms out?
Why does making architectural models more detailed make them look fake, like a cheap plastic toy?
Why do characters always seem so awkward when they walk down the street, as if they and the scenery are from two different worlds?

Yes... proportions! It's the model's proportions!
How could I not have thought of something so simple?

"You...how did you..."

Ishii Akira's voice was a little hoarse. He wanted to ask, "How did you know?" but the words caught in his throat, and he felt that the question was too stupid.

Is there even a question? They're a true expert!

Immediately following, a tremendous sense of shame and a sudden, overwhelming joy surged within him, causing his expression to contort.

(End of this chapter)