Forgotten Runiverse Production Update

We are so excited to show you all the cool things the team has been working on. Everything is still a work in progress, but it has come so far and we’re excited to bring you along for the journey! Just keep in mind that as the art keeps evolving it might look very different by the time you see it in the game.

The TL;DR: is this – we’ve made a ton of progress on the art and level design side with Wizard Capitals and the various biomes really starting to come together. The team has started work on new biomes from the Jungle to the Beaches. We’ve also begun work on the combat and crafting systems, so we have a look at some of the UI experimentations, mob designs and character animations and some of the systems the team is putting in place to make crafting a deeply customizable experience.  We’ll wrap up with a little listen to some of the new music that will tie your whole gameplay experience together.

Wizard Capitals

The Wizard Capitals are far from complete, but we wanted to give you a little sneak peek. The Runiverse has seven capitals, each aligned with a color that belong to a sect of Wizards. Each Wizard sect tends to specialize in a specific type of magic and eventually in the game, you’ll get to choose which school you align with. At launch, there will be four capitals in the game – Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green.

To design and develop a capital, the first thing we do is find the correct shape language to represent it. Each wizard faction has a gem cut and style that symbolizes their culture. So we mimic the shape of the gem in the architecture. We also look for textures and the feel of the materials that will be used in each individual city early on. After that comes the rough sketches and finally the final concept that is then sent to the pixel artists.

Here’s a little look at where we’re at with the four capital cities.

Combat Scenes

Combat in the Runiverse can occur in all kinds of locations and biomes. All of our combat scenes start off as hand drawn sketches before they’re converted into pixel art.

At first glance, these images might look like pretty scenery, but look twice and you’ll see a bloody battle about to begin on the terrain. These side by sides let you appreciate the artwork of the landscapes and also get a feel for how a battle might look raging across their lands.

Landmarks

We’ve also been working on some of the landmarks you’ll come across as you explore the Runiverse. While they’re still all works in progress, they were too cool not to share.

Level Design

The various levels that the topography of the land takes is something that you might not think about as you’re playing the game but a lot of thought goes into it. Below you’ll see some examples of level design that the artists have been playing with.

Taking The Jungle From Sketch to Reality

You might easily dismiss each individual tree, blade of grass, and flower that you pass by (or stomp into the ground as you walk over it!), but care and thought has gone into each and every one. We’ve been diving deep into the Jungle biome in recent weeks. Here’s a look at the evolution of the trees and flowers.

Other Biomes

Here are a few recent updates that have been made to some of the biomes. For a more deep dive into the biomes of the Forgotten Runiverse, check out our Biomes Blog Post. 

Gameplay System Design/ UI

So all of this artwork has been beautiful, but what are you actually going to see as you fight other characters and monsters and choose between materials for building your home? To land on the final feel of combat, the UI team goes through a number of explorations on every element to not only ensure a cohesive visual design, but also to ensure information is conveyed clearly and effectively so you can make the best choices in combat.

Animation

Who doesn’t love a good gif? It’s so fun to see the artwork in action and actually moving!

Programming

Though you’ll never see this part as you actually play the game, we thought it was worth showing you some of the process that goes into defining and generating the colors you see in the world of the Runiverse. The programming team is working with the art team to develop our crafting system where the resources you choose to use will dynamically change the way your final item looks. Color systems of course also work for changing enemy types based on location, attributes or status!

Music

The music during our Frog Hunt was such a hit that we’re excited to be able to share more of it with you. Here are some of the tunes we’ve been kicking around the office so far that you’ll hear during combat.

We can’t put everything the team is working on into one blog post, make sure you’re in our Discord and following us on Twitter to continue to see the latest and greatest updates!