How to create a game with 5000 virtual fishes flying around in VR
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Hello everyone! This is Hiyoko!
Have you had a chance to see the new video of Dyschronia with the 5,000 fishes?
It is an introduction to the "Augmented Dream" where the citizen’s mental health care is taken care of!
It’s so futuristic, with its graphics and the amount of virtual fishes flying around, a dream scenario!
The realistic movement of the fishes swimming above your head, the graceful whale swimming in the water were just like in a beautiful aquarium.
Check the article about the Augmented Dreaming
Game Footage
Talk to us about the graphics!
Dyschronia has a clear graphic evolution from ALTDEUS.
How did you make that using the same device, Meta Quest 2?
Let’s ask to our Graphic Engineer, Mr. Yamamoto!
Tell us about yourself!
Yamamoto:
I am Yamamoto, a graphic engineer.
I started working in MyDearest for Dyschronia.
I like wine and brandy but I don't drink while working.
Nice to meet you!
What kind of work does a graphic engineer do?
Yamamoto:
In a nutshell, I think my job is to give concrete form to the images in the director's head.
For example, in this Augmented Dreaming scenario
The Director Matsuoka said, "I want it to look like it's in the ocean, full of fish.” The art director played a central role in the visualization of this concept.
The art director worked on the visuals and I was in charge of bringing it to life on the actual VR device .
The Evolution from ALTDEUS
Hiyoko:
I have the impression that the graphics have gotten better since ALTDEUS!
What do you think from the perspective of someone actually involved in making the game?
Yamamoto:
It has definitely evolved!
First of all, the number of polygons in the background is three times that of ALTDEUS.
To put it simply...
The background is three times clearer.
Hiyoko:
Just by looking at the images, Dyschronia gives the impression that the floor tiles and buildings are more realistic..
Yamamoto:
They are.
I've been developing games for smartphones in the past, so I've taken advantage of my knowledge and used it in VR!
For example, we used the whale to make the movement of a school of fish more realistic.
I also use a technique called "Bloom," in which light overflows from a light source!
I’m trying to avoid being too technical but I hope you get it!
Hiyoko:
Let me ask you one more thing.
You’re using the same device, Meta Quest 2, we used to develop ALTDEUS for Dyschronia. How did you get things like a more clear background?
Yamamoto:
That’s a good question!
That's where the graphic engineer comes in!
Graphic engineers use the hardware's capabilities efficiently to make the visuals as rich as possible!
In other words, we’re using the engine in a more efficient way than in ALTDEUS.
You can get better graphics using the same hardware, increasing the performance of the tools available in it.
A lot of fish, the making off
Hiyoko:
When I saw the fish school for the first time, I was amazed at the realistic movements of each fish.
How did you achieve the fish movements that are full of life?
Yamamoto:
That was my partner, an engineer, who wrote the program to control the school of fishes.
It's amazing, but that's a story for another time...!
I'd like to explain two points!
First of all, the "Bloom", used for the lighting.
Yamamoto:
The “Bloom” is an effect for shiny objects, creating an area around that object that also looks dimly bright.
Hiyoko:
The difference between with and without “Bloom” is quite big!
It feels very realistic.
Is this a technique that is not used very often?
Yamamoto:
It is often used in today's games for smartphones and PlayStation.
The only thing is that it uses a lot of processing power!
I don't think it has ever been used for Meta Quest 2 before.
The development team thought that it would be impossible to use because it was too heavy, so I wrote the code on my own. I worked around it, making it lighter, implemented the “Bloom” effect and BOOM, done.
Hiyoko:
You coded it by yourself??
Yamamoto:
Everybody knows the power Meta Quest 2 has so artists and game designers are usually shy when thinking about all the aspects of the games.
That is why we, engineers who have the knowledge to "do the maximum with the given tools" have to proactively make new proposals.
Hiyoko:
Is there anything in particular you would like to remark on?
Yamamoto:
I want the team to consult with the engineers as soon as possible!
You have a game planner, who thinks about the experience they want to create, and an artist, who thinks about how it will look. So if everything is already fixed at an early stage there is not much space for me to work with so we’d really appreciate it if they could consult with us, the engineers, to increase the spectrum of the things that can be done and not.
Hiyoko:
That’s why you write in the company chat “you can come and talk with me whenever you want” so much, right?
I can see you from my desk and yeah, there’s a lot of people coming to you!
Yamamoto:
I’m glad it looks like that! I actually talk A LOT with the art director.
When we started working on the fishes my colleague engineer and I wanted to make 10,000 fishes! The art director said “That’d be too chaotic and a mess so please, stop adding fishes” so we stopped adding them lol
Hiyoko:
I’d actually want to watch that chaos some day.
Realistic moving whale and fishes
Hiyoko:
I heard that you made the suggestion about adding the whale as well.
Why did you want to add a whale?
Yamamoto:
That's for making the fish schools move more realistic!
Someone created a program to make the fish schools move and the fishes are designed to avoid obstacles. When they pass near a player, if they raise their hand the fishes will swim away from the player's hand without bumping into it.
But when there are only fishes in a large space, there is only a small chance they collide with a player on the ground, so the fish will continue to swim around.
That’s the moment you can feel a pattern behind the movement.
Hiyoko:
And to fix that you added… a whale?
Yamamoto:
Exactly.
I created a big object the fishes have to move away from. Doing that, you have the fishes not only moving straight but creating different movement patterns, making them more alive! The whale has a different movement pattern and speed than the fishes, making everything more alive.
Hiyoko:
So the whale has a different speed, a different movement pattern so it creates more chances to collide with the fishes and then, they move away, making everything more dynamic. I see now!
Shader, making the graphics evolve
Hiyoko:
When you see the game footage and trailer it’s not only the fish that looks great, all of it looks amazing! Why is that?
Yamamoto:
What creates all the atmosphere it’s the integration of the shader.
※Shader: Program that determines the color and texture of the surface of a 3D model
Hiyoko:
Integration?
Yamamoto:
When I started working here there were like 144 different shaders.
They were treated as independent shaders, one at a time.
For example, when combining A and B, engineers had to create a new shader C that used both A and B.
Hiyoko:
So the artists were combining here and there; they couldn’t change their mind after creating the new combination.
Yamamoto:
Exactly.
We had to create an environment that allowed trial and error to create several combinations.
So now we have the 144 shaders in 1, with the ON/OFF option for combinations.
Yamamoto:
I wanted the artist to be able to create the most appropriate look for the game through trial and error, a working environment where artists and engineers could work together efficiently.
If the work environment is well organized and the efficiency of both artists and engineers is improved, you can create new visuals that fit the concept of what you want to create.
It was a big change, but I'm glad we did it because it has greatly improved our team's development capabilities.
The role of the visual aspect
Hiyoko:
I see you put a lot of effort when the team asks you for visual elements for videos, trailers, footage, etc. What motivates you in those moments?
Yamamoto:
The visual aspect is the first impression you get of a game title, so if they look great more people are going to be interested in Dyschronia!
In my opinion, people are going to think first “this game looks good” and then get more details about the gameplay, story, game system, how to play, etc.
After that they can decide if they want to play the game or not but the visual aspects are what bring that first touch of attention to the game.
Visuals play a major role in broadening the audience, that’s why we have trailers and in-game footage videos, that’s why when the team asks us for footage what we want to show everybody is "Look at all the improvements we've made!”.
Hiyoko:
We can see your effort in the Augmented Dreaming footage video! People who’s reading this, please send your cheering comments to Mr. Yamamoto!
The evolution of VR Games
Hiyoko:
From my desk I keep seeing you pushing the graphics elements, making what I thought was impossible. Why are you able to push it so far?
Yamamoto:
In MyDearest we are proud to be leading the VR Game Industry in Japan.
Many people think that wireless VR has such limitations, you know, “It’s wireless VR, what do you expect?”
If we look at the past, when the PS2 was replaced by the PS3, the quality of graphics and the visual experience increased dramatically. Same with smartphones 4 or 5 years ago.
Now, if we talk about VR games, MyDearest is going to make a difference.
With Dyschronia, we want to go over those expectations. It'll be just AWESOME.
And it’s not just for the players, it’d also be amazing for the developers.
With Dyschronia we want to surprise the industry, proving the full potential of the Meta Quest 2, creating a new development milestone.
And of course, we want to make all the crazy ideas the Director Matsuoka has in mind real. Those crazy ideas help to push us to break the limits lol
Some last words
Hiyoko:
To end the interview, a few words for our amazing players!
Yamamoto:
Dyschronia is going to be the best creation of MyDearest, a game that will change lifes.
An immersive experience that will bring you to experience a new world that we created giving everything into it.
I really hope you like it, that would make us so happy.
Please, give it a chance and try it!
And that was everything!
Did you like it!
After reading it, why don't you take a second look at the video of the Augmented Dreaming? Now you have more details about how it’s made so you can check the “Bloom” effect or the fishes’ movement.
Please, leave your comments, thoughts and anything else you want to know about!
Cheers!
▼ DYSCHRONIA: CA official web site ▼
https://dyschroniaca.com/en/