Playing with fire
Hello and welcome to a new Ghost of a Tale update! I have recently implemented fire interaction in the game. It’s something I was thinking of for a while but hadn’t come to work on yet.
In this GIF you can see it’s never a good idea to jump into a brazier. I’m pretty sure Tilo would agree with me… 🙂
You’ll also notice that the banner catches fire when Tilo runs close to it. Some objects can be set on fire this way, although not everything in the game is combustible of course.
Anyway as we’ve seen in a previous update there are much safer ways to burn things (usually any open flame will do the trick). No need to set yourself on fire!
But if it comes to this Tilo can put out fire by jumping (or hiding) in a water container (basin, barrel, etc…). Also some items you’ll find in the game offer varying degrees of protection against fire.
On the topic of performance optimization (but still related to fire): in the picture below, center frame at the end of the corridor you can clearly see the stages into which a torch comes alive.
(Please note that for the purpose of this demonstration I have drastically lowered the distance settings on that torch in order to clearly display the different stages)
- Stage 1: The torch flame is not visible at all.
- Stage 2: Only the particles become visible. No “real” light involved yet.
- Stage 3: Light is on but it doesn’t cast any shadows yet.
- Stage 4: Light now casts “dancing” shadows.
You’ll be able to set the light distance in the game’s Graphics options menu. People with a good gaming PC can use higher values while those with a more modest rig can lower the distance at which lights appear. It can make a big difference performance-wise as Ghost of a Tale doesn’t use any baked lighting; it’s all “real time all the time”… 😉
And that concludes this update. As usual, please don’t hesitate leaving your comments and/or questions below!
Uleertel
June 22, 2015 at 5:55 pmTrès sympa tout ça, l’interaction avec l’environnement c’est vraiment important pour l’immersion.
Quand aux réglages graphiques c’est bien pour convenir à toutes les machines même si j’espère pouvoir tout pousser à fond pour profiter d’un jeu qui s’annonce magnifique!
Seith
June 23, 2015 at 6:22 amMerci! Oui, dans l’ideal l’optimisation ne sera pas trop necessaire pour les gens qui ont un gaming PC digne de ce nom, mais il ne faut pas oublier les autres… ^^
Duck
June 22, 2015 at 6:43 pmLooks great! Poor Tilo. Can’t wait to play the finished game, Keep up the hard work!
Seith
June 23, 2015 at 6:24 amThanks! Well, it is a dangerous world he’s going to explore. Better learn that sooner than later! 😀
DinkyMouse
June 23, 2015 at 11:14 pmI absolutely LOVE how he reacts to being caught on fire. Hothothothot and dances around trying to put it out plus his expression is priceless.
fRaveschoot
June 24, 2015 at 9:05 amCa a l’air magnifique tout ca!
J’ai toujours eu a l’esprit d’eviter de mettre du feu, mais la ca commence a prendre forme! On peut imaginer des ombres tres “soft” avec un biais qui communique une soure de lumiere large et diffuse pour ces torches? Je me rends compte que c’est toujours plus lourd, mais je vois rien d’autre pour parfaire l’illusion.
Bon courage pour la suite!
Seith
July 6, 2015 at 2:50 pmMerci! Je tweake constamment ces valeurs mais bien evidemment ce n’est pas une situation de mi-journee qui met le mieux en valeur le feu! J’aurais du y penser avant de capturer l’image… 😉
Dan
June 24, 2015 at 11:35 amthis game is on my radar and will keep an eye on it, looks great so far from what Ive seen!
will the game have a linear adventure, or more open exploration (like dark souls) ?
Seith
July 6, 2015 at 2:52 pmThanks! A little bit of both. The main quests follow a linear path and have to be accomplished in a certain order for the story to make sense. But you’re free to explore whatever locations you manage to reach. The game very much encourages exploration.
evilkinggumby
June 24, 2015 at 2:15 pmaww this is going to teach a bad lesson to all the kids… guess Tilo never learned stop, drop and roll!!!
or does that require a button press? it’d be awesome if you could do that and tilo would tuck and roll across the ground to put it out. 🙂 is there going to be a “singed” tilo model ?
Seith
July 6, 2015 at 2:55 pmYour best chance if you ever catch fire in the game is to rush to a water point and jump in to put out the fire (letting out a little steam). As to a singed Tilo model it’s not yet part of the plans… 🙂
Alexis
June 24, 2015 at 3:21 pmImpressionnant ! Hâte de poser mes mains dessus !
Bon courage pour la suite.
Seith
July 6, 2015 at 2:56 pmMerci Alexis! Il faut continuer a s’armer de patience… 😛
Jimmey
June 25, 2015 at 12:59 amThe fire effects are lovely and the animation is classic… But I do hope he’s got some insurance for that lute!
Daniel
June 25, 2015 at 1:47 amAgree with DinkyMouse, the animation is perfect! I really can’t wait for this game, every update makes it look like more and more fun.
Zelta
June 25, 2015 at 5:34 pmAh ah !
L’animation quand Tilo se brûle me rappelle celle de Spyro : The Dragon ^^
Est-ce une inspiration ou une coïncidence ?
En tout cas, c’est toujours aussi plaisant à lire ces petites news 🙂
Merci de tenir au courant.
Bon courage !
Osmozh
June 28, 2015 at 8:28 pmParfait! Bravo Seth. Toujours ce souci du détail dans les animations. Si tu es aussi pointilleux sur tout les aspects du game-design, le jeu va être fantastique.
Petite question, le jeu est toujours prévu pour 2015 sur xbox one?
Seith
July 6, 2015 at 3:01 pmMerci Osmozh. Malheureusement je n’ai pas encore de reponse officielle a ce sujet. J’evoquerai la date de sortie dans une des prochaines updates ou j’annoncerai la couleur.
TC Weidner
July 2, 2015 at 1:52 amI have been watching this development of this game for some time now, its just coming together beautifully. I cannot wait to play it. The atmosphere and graphics revile those of the big studios, you should be very proud.
Seith
July 6, 2015 at 3:03 pmThanks TC! Well it’s definitely a lot of work, so I certainly appreciate the compliment!