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Still thinking about how Vagrant Story had incredible lighting despite having no kind of lighting engine whatsoever.
All of it was done by artists shading the environment through vertex colors. Every aspect of its lighting and shading was done manually. A PS1 game!! (1/2)
All of it was done by artists shading the environment through vertex colors. Every aspect of its lighting and shading was done manually. A PS1 game!! (1/2)
Here's a comparison to show how much the lighting artists transformed Vagrant Story into a painterly work of art despite it being a PS1 game.
This is the same environment with and without vertex colors. Look how the artists managed to simulate buildings being deeper underwater!
This is the same environment with and without vertex colors. Look how the artists managed to simulate buildings being deeper underwater!
Here is a GIF comparison to show how dramatic the change is and how much detail the lighting artists put into Vagrant Story.
One more GIF for good measure
Alright one more because I'm having too much fun.
This Vagrant Story area is where you fight Sydney Losstarot in the introduction sequence. It's a highlight of the game and I think a lot of fans will appreciate how they managed to convey a strong atmosphere through lighting
This Vagrant Story area is where you fight Sydney Losstarot in the introduction sequence. It's a highlight of the game and I think a lot of fans will appreciate how they managed to convey a strong atmosphere through lighting
I used this tool to check the environment. You can also check 3D models, equipment and also animations through this. You just need to have the game files. It's incredibly insightful.
https://rawgit.com/morris/vstools/master/index.html
project site: https://github.com/morris/vstools/blob/master/README.md
https://rawgit.com/morris/vstools/master/index.html
project site: https://github.com/morris/vstools/blob/master/README.md
I also made a big thread about what the game achieved and did right for its 20th anniversary months ago if you want to learn about more stuff like how the sound programmers did not use any samples for the sound effects. They just...manipulated waveforms https://twitter.com/dreamboum/status/1226610123000467457
Also, @OneWinged_Engel has recently released a Piano Album of Vagrant Story that is incredible and can be listened for free on Spotify! I highly recommend taking a listen considering the sheer quality of it all. https://open.spotify.com/album/58FLwPictIOgOEKosgd5AI?si=as7Ml5iiRea8zwTN60_tyg
