How the Visual Effects In Games Actually Work
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- čas přidán 11. 06. 2024
- Support my game design hot takes on Patreon: bit.ly/2SwPWDB
VFX plays a very important role in gameplay but it’s not easy to pinpoint exactly how, so let’s clear that up. Let’s talk about what it takes to make good VFX in games…
Relevant Links
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Twitter: bit.ly/3wGQ1TR
Discord: bit.ly/3wI5ovB
Useful Resources
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www.vfxapprentice.com/
nexus.leagueoflegends.com/wp-...
Visual Effects Bootcamp: Artistic Principles of VFX • Visual Effects Bootcam...
Technical Artist Bootcamp: The VFX of Diablo • Technical Artist Bootc...
Video Contents
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0:00 Intro
0:38 VFX Basis
5:28 The Pillars of VFX
10:17 Practical Examples
Footage Used
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pastebin.com/WESwFE29
Special Thanks
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Twenty - Producer
TraZox - Co-Editor
Anubius - Community Manager
@simonschreibt
Nikola D
Hannes
Thomas
@Tuatara_VFX
Vlader - Hry
This just in, new $1 Patreon tier allows you to support the creation of these videos at a lower price than a shitty discounted game from 2016 :D www.patreon.com/mentalcheckpoint
Thanks for the tip, with those amazing videos I'm glad to support you on your journey
aye thats amazing :D
Btw, you made a mistake with the title of the timing part. (This comment is a joke, if i see any replies, i’ll-
I was thinking that video games, at their core, are art. And then a few minutes later this video appeared when I refresh my feed. Talk about a perfect coincidence!
The closer you look at all disciplines, the more you notice how similar to art they are. Even some areas of Math are a kind of repeatable art
You say coincidence, I say Google knows what you're thinking.
technically everything at its core is art innit, even work
@@cate01a Depends on the job I guess. Technically art is anything that was made using human creativity/imagination and it's primary function is to be appreciated for it's emotional effect on the subject.
By this logic a lot of games are art, but most "mainstream" games are not, since their primary function is usually monetization. Same goes for jobs.
@@cubiss1273 I was thinking working at maccas or such doing crap like mopping floors or doing dishes could be considered art as it is something that can be mastered, and the process of learning and getting near perfect of a skill could be interpretted to be beautiful, magnificent, though provoking etc
my ultimate thinking is art is really pretentious when broad, and thus I get kinda upset when people go "woah this is like art" - I think art is an extremely undefined term that is used to explain and excuse just about everything
As a VFX artist in the game industry, it was such a fun surprise to see something actually digging into all of the challenges that makes our job unique (and fun!). Very well done, sir!
Hey, uhm im interested in VFX artist profession, where should i start?
@@titord6031 To get a general idea you can join the Real Time VFX forum, pretty active with a lot of good resources. There's a discord with professionals there if you have any questions. For courses, if you like hand painted VFX (LoL or Valorant), take a look at VFX apprentice or Jason Keyser's channel! I took the course myself and would definitely recommend!
So, VFX artists are like the magicians in the digital world?
Also, there a typo in the original comment, it's someone, not something
I highly appreciate good vfx design in games, but i still learned a lot from this video, thank you!
BTW, you might want to check your video timelines a little closer when editing; there's this awkward delay after you delivered the word "timing" and it hurts the flow of the video a little. You're welcome! /s
I want to award this comment gold like in reddit😂😂😂
In the Developer Commentary of Half Life Alyx they had a section where they had to redesign the smoke effect since in VR the usual smoke effect didn't work because of stereoscopical 3D
I remember that!
/watch?v=K6O8VcrgyNA&t=126s if you're curious
@@CatCraftYT a shame mobile yt cant copy comments, thanks though for the straight video ID link. the talk is interesting
I appreciated the timing joke before the cut away gag made it even better.
I didn't get it, can you explain, please?
@@Ragnasorcerer basically he said timing before the text timing appears in the video, which is the joke. He missed the timing
12:06 It does have a basis in reality. It's one of the reasons why the deadliest sniper in history, Simo Häyhä, refused to use one.
He was proven right after he located and killed a counter-sniper because he could see the reflection from the enemy's scope.
Refused to use what? A scope? It's dead easy to make a mesh or something that blocks light from bouncing off, without blocking your view...
@@williamrutherford553 Refused to use a scope. He no-scoped 542 Soviet soldiers.
@@williamrutherford553 modern scopes all have a cover for that, but during ww2 they had not invented that yet. so in a modern shooter setting, the scope would in deed not have a reflection on it.
@@aurin_komak Sorry kid, your father got 360° Noscoped and your brother got 720° Tomahawked
@@aurin_komak The TRUE Best MLG Player of all time
7:40 i love your channel ok but i have to say, this, timing was. actually kinda odd, i see your videos and, they seem all so planned and polished and fleshed out and, perfect. but this time it's actually wrong the. timing is wrong.
actually i really loved that part. thanks
My god this channel is underrated
12:55 - I also think in single player, unintrusive delay can make the explosions seem more impactful
Razbuten did one on that
This video was really eye opening, especially the point about animation pace in relation to human heart beat. Also loving all the diablo 3 references and spells featured!
yeah that was also my favortit bit of the video
Great video!
Request:
I wish you had the game name under every video.
I recognize every game in the video, which one do you want to know?
@@Allen-ie4sy There is a footage used link in the description
Me too
honestly very good video i liked hearing about how to use VFX very useful to a dev like me who does not really know a lot about game development.
making games feel good is needed for your game to be playable of course like in the start i litirally could not take it, it looked so bad. anyways very cool.
After playing a little prototype of my game I noticed how the explosion and laser vfx did not really feel right they were to spiky for pixel art so I made it more round an for the laser I changed it to a smokey one as well. If you want I can upload it (once I fix it) tho for now use your imagination
Edit. I should also thank you for 20 likes this is the most I've ever gotten 😊
Oh yeah, the relationship between visual size and hitbox size is extremely important. I play a lot of bullet hell SHMUPS, and they almost always have tiny hitboxes. In Touhou games, the part of bullets that has a hitbox is white, while the part that doesn't is colored and translucent. I was playing a fangame a while ago, where some large bullets had accurate hitboxes, and this was conveyed by making them doughnuts. As in, the food, with hard, opaque edges. This made it clear that the whole thing had collision.
Love the sound effect at the end. Great video.
Was the pause intentional at 7:41?
I don't think so.
No probably not
Idk kind of weird timing.
Thanks a bunch for this video, it really is an amazing look into the role of VFX and I agree ... ... ... ... Timing is critical! Great video, and the amount that VFX can help Gameplay and Game-Feel are really very deep. Never thought about it deeper before
Oh hey, I recognize you.
Nice to see you here also.
Hey!
I wanted to let you know that this is a criminally underrated channel!! As a CZcams addict there is no question in my mind that with this quality of content and production value, your channel will explode rather sooner than later. So keep the great work!
I would personally love to have some content about the programming side of things. I know you've said that is not your main area, but you also mentioned in your First Video maybe brining in fellows from the industry, so there goes an idea 😃
Thank you very much
The very first question of this video instantly brought me a childhood memory: being mesmerized and observing for hours a plant that closed its leaves when i touched it. Also, there was a kind of micro bee that would do some type of nest made of clay, i closed the entrance and spent hours looking then open it, distorting the clay little by little and escaping. And the first effect i added to my game was the ground dust that went up when the character walks. So yeah, 100% spot-on!
I love how data- and systems-oriented your videos are! Honestly think you are one of the best game-analysis channels on yt today, and the amount of polish you have is insane. Hope folks start noticing!
I really hope you do SFX eventually, it's crazy how much that can add not just to games, but everything.
That ending was pure gold
To the last second: as I can see, you're doing with your life pretty good) At least you have a things which are constantly make you want to make them
I wish I had or see more such things in my own life :\
I checked the videos on your channel and it seems that you're doing some pretty cool things! you should keep that up
:)
Finally a VFX video with examples and best practices. Thank you for looking into this, I'd love to get into VFX but ressources are hard to find. Your video is a treasure!
Nice job on diving into the discipline! VFX is fun, interesting and challenging. Also I greatly appreciate you using the pastebin to show all of the references you used in the video.
As a lead vfx artist who worked on a few of the games noted here, this is a great video. And yes, we definitely need a lot more vfx artists in the industry!
You are legend among men for creating these amazing VFX. Although I wonder how long does it take create most the most complex VFX?
I think the more stylish VFXs that an artist took the time to be less realistic actually tends to stick more with me and a lot of other people. I can’t imagine how much of a pain in the arse it is to make every particle work naturally so big props to those who dig through with photorealistic games.
I love your videos every time I see a game I know I just get so happy realizing that what you just talked about totally applied to my playthrough
That's pretty well done and quite informative. Thank you for all the effort you put in this.
I like these videos very much. Thank you for making them!
Such a fascinating video to stumble on.
Thank you such much from providing all this insight in such high production value packaging!
I seen what you did there ... and I giggled; I giggled even harder when you put the disclaimer afterward xD
It goes to show how many hidden concepts go into each aspect of game design. The layman (me) may see some pretty lights, but the effect is subconsciously informing me about multiple streams of data. I have started to improve my VFX recently, but the main pillars have shown me I still ignore a large number of them.
This may be your best video yet, MC. Inspirational!
Another golden video. This is just a gold mine of great videos! Great work!
The timing bit was on spot 👏🤣.
This is one of the best game design videos I've ever watched.
ps. good sound effects at the end
man, the production quality of your channel is just superb
thanks for spending your time to make this video!
Your vfx on these videos are insane!
Comprehensive yet simply explained. Beautiful. Helping me understand why some elements gave me those associations was a small blip of eureka. Great vid :)
Also: anyone who touches on the multiple brilliances of Devil Daggers instantly earns my respect. +sub
Your channel is so good, I'm not actively developing right now (switched focus to voice acting), but your videos are nonetheless incredibly insightful and interesting!
That note about using less/more speed than heartbeat for timing is fascinating
Thanks! You should totally critique my narration
@@MentalCheckpoint You're doing great, a bit of sibilance but nothing overly concerning.
Pace and pronunciation is great, energy/enthusiasm is on point and your noise floor isn't noticable to me
Great video. And MAD props on your jokes. Loved both the timing and loop audio jokes.
The ending is brilliant!
One of the best videos I've watched whole week. Amazing information
1:28: Heh, that looks like the demo scene from the Feel package. I started using it a while back, amazing asset. Great video!
It is! Used that footage since it expressed well what Nick was talking about :)
Wow Xelu, this randomly popped up in my feed and when you mentioned MoD I realized it's you. Remember playing MoD in alpha backstage at a con (forgot which).
Anyway, felt the need to comment and tell you that this video and this channel is beastly(translation joke) and it's right up my alley. I'm blown away!
Great video, this pretty much sums up what I found out about VFX in my 2 years of indie game dev ;)
your videos are always like a goldmine, i´m currently try to improve my game feel, and dive more into vfx so this one comes really handy!
Hi! Pretty cool video, just on the note in movies you can have sequence wide effects that have to look good in many shots at the same time
13k views, the hell man... ;( The edits and content are gold
Very insightful, thank you for sharing this.
this was amazingly informative, I'm gonna use this as a base reference
You said on ~ 7:30 that there are endless possibilities for the pond but actually there are only 16,777,216 because of the limitation of our RGB monitors.
* if only solid colors and no blendes are used.
thanks my dear friend, it was very helpful! I appreciate your efforts.🤘
Love the Control thumbnail
I love your videos! You're the best, keep up the good work!
While the info in the video is great. I just want to say I love your gags and little jabs that bring a chuckle out of me.
I really liked this video, I'm a student artist for the video games/cinema industry and with my friends today we wanted to start making an 2d animation and we started doing random sound effects that would match the visual stuff that would happen in the animation. Funny coincidence imo :)
I’ve learnt more from this channel and your GDC talk than the entirety of my computer science class in high school
To be fair, computer science class doesn't teach game development
@@maxemore yeah lmao
@@AcridDragoon also highschool computer science sucks
@@be7256 Fr stupid classes
First time on your channel, fantastic video. In another life I would've gone down the path of CGI or VFX artist for movies or video games, but that time has passed (I think). Anyway, looking forward to more of your stuff.
As someone who is digging into shaders and visual effects this video is really good to sumarize almost everything related to theory, and i recommend checking the GDC talks and some vfx channels or portfolios to get a good grasp of what's the standard you should aim to get into this. I'm still learning, and i don't know a lot of technical things but this is such an interesting topic to me because i think that gameplay can't hold the game itself without good SFX and VFX. Of course there are exceptions haha
For the past two years i'm the solo 3D artist for a whole startup, i can't say what we're making but we are making an interactive app, since i'm the only one, I do VFX as well, and BOY is it complex, one of the main things that made me say: screw it, i need to learn how to code to get this looking right.
Best game development analysis channel there is.
This quality is damn good
7:53 That was some pretty good *_timing_* to censor "fu-"
Your video so good its making me want to learn game development
Team Fortress 2 really did a good job on that aspect. Every VFX is so memorable and easy to recognize who caused it and what weapon.
Hey man! these videos are soo good!!! will there be any for environment art too, pleaseeee
What!? No outro? That's the best part!
Your videos are amazing!!
In the last few years one of the most beautiful games were UNSIGHTED and core keeper which i now understand better why
Twisting nether animation is fire
The editing here is just... wow.
can definitely feel traz's source background in this :D
heh :)
That last advice. I'll remember that.
Timing
I'm kidding xD
Nice video MC! :D
15:47 The descent into madness has truly started
Great video 👍🏻🔝
xonotic on ultra looks really nice and runs so well my laptop fan barely makes noise
VFX contrast might be one of the reasons why i enjoyed FFXV so much. The game feels really grounded most of the time so the phasing abilities feel really special and magical to use and watch
Dude this is awesome tysm
This video is accurate. Thanks for putting in the research hours. I know this was work-- work well done.
Great video, thank you!
3:54 this caught me so off-guard, I couldn't continue listening for a moment. And while I couldn't find this particular animation, I stumbled upon a cool Link dance (Specialist by JuleHyrule) and a different Zelda dance (Zelda Shuffle Dance Animation by w3bz).
Did you start dancing as well?
@@MentalCheckpoint I may have started slightly moving some body parts in a rhythmic fashion.
1:30 i actually really liked the second clip, maybe even more, because suddenly you could see the really good looking grass moving and also it wasn't so cluttered. And I'm not a fan of screenshake.
as for me i also liked the second clip better
but i also prefer some screen shake to go with it
7:41 good one!
This is sooo good!
I think the audio cut out at 7:47, you might want to check that.
*Looks at own hands in despair*
Am--- Am I a VFX artist?
Jokes a part, I've always been mesmerized by water, fire and much more in my life. When I was a teen I used to spend more time preparing my chocolate milk than drinking it because I'd keep distracting myself with how it would dissolve, the movements of the vortex, the change in color, how the spoon altered all those dynamics... And so on and on. Fire? Yep, I could watch it for hours. Sand falling through a sand clock. The dripping of water on a puddle. Snow falling. How the wind affected everything about how the dropplets on the car window would behave. How a river would flow... I think I should give VFX a try! :)
great vid !!! but i couldn't help but notice that there is a weird pause at 7:40 , maybe it was an editing mistake? , either way it's a good video
Excellent, as always
I heard that bit at the end. lol
That's the first time I've seen Temtem since release
awesome video!
2 titanfall clips within the first minute? instant like and sub
aww he didn't do an outro for this video 😔 that's one of the best parts
How do you make your transitions, they look great!
first time i was abel to catch one of your videos within 3 minuttes.
P.S. great video bye the way.
12:50 nice hitbox
A lot of what you said in the first half I think applies to a lot of the artistic disciplines in games. I'm a technical sound designer and used to work on films. That 'orders of magnitude' comment you made hit home for me. Not only am I designing a sound but it needs to sound good in the mix no matter when it's triggered, it all needs to work dynamically, and I have to implement it using code or visual scripting.
I think it's a bit disingenuous to say that VFX is the hardest discipline though. I'm of the opinion that every discipline in game development is the hardest version of that discipline, compared to any other medium I mean. I don't like comparing difficulty levels between disciplines. Creates rifts between people.
I will also say that as a sound designer my favourite thing is getting dope VFX and adding that last layer needed to sell them.