Hey folks,
Sorry about the slow post on these. I actually meant to have the slideshow teasers out a few days ago but I got deep into the editing process.
But today we've got our last look at the Before/After Teasers for Straight!? Revamp v18. This is our last look at the beach sequence and if you played the original, there are some CHANGES here so sit down.
Please.
Keep an open mind.
I did some things but I think those risks will pay off so please hear me out.
So let's jump in and get our last look at the teasers and changes from the original project to the Revamp and lemme pitch why I think these changes are gonna be so much better for the story, visuals, and just the overall emotional impact of this update.
Pic 1: Original Braden Frisbee Catch
Alrighty, first up is a shot from the original game. Quick recap here to catch you up if you haven't seen the earlier posts (if you have, just skip to the next paragraph). Biggest issues from the original were water textures and how the horizon and sky merge together. I also did an extended post on how the changes in landscape that I worked on, allowed for full 360 shots when the original version only saw camera shots from like 3 angles.
In this first shot, the biggest issues to this were the splash you see as Braden is jumping out of the water and the somewhat awkward pose. I've talked before how i wanted splashes and sand being kicked up in this update to help show actual movement and connection with the landscape. Here, we see the splash but there's so little other movement in the water that it almost takes away more than it adds to the image. I'll also quickly note that the frisbee here had lights attached to it in the original to help with visibility. This is because it was somewhat hard to see in the bigger landscapes when the characters were throwing it-- but also, i really dont like the lights because it makes it look like a flying saucer from some cheesy 1960s sci-fi flick. We can also laugh at the bumpy thing in the background because it's not even supposed to be there and I have no idea why I didn't see it before but it's a portion of the background image that somehow got slid up too high (this is also an example of what happens when i rushed updates back in the day. with all the responsibilities it takes to put out something like this, it's super easy for me to miss things when I'm more focused on a release date than the product).
Pic 2: Revamp Direct Replacement
Here's the Revamp direct replacement of that shot. While I used the original pose as a base, a few adjustments made all the difference in the world to make him look less rigid. The updated scene changes that I did allowed for a fresh camera angle that's lower which makes the jump more impressive. With the updated water texture and waves, the splash here looks more realistic and the water itself adds that fun distortion of Braden's shorts that help sell the movement here. Frisbee lights are removed because they're dumb and the color was changed to an oilslick type color (while my ass can't fully see it, i like the concept of oilslick and i have all kinds of stuff irl that are tricked out in oilslick). But since we dont normally see this color in the game, it helps the frisbee stand out against the background easier when combined with depth-of-field to help guide the eye and eliminate the need for the lights. We also have the Braden sunglasses look which is super fun because it changes things up from his normal appearance and I can assure you that even though you can't see his eyes through most of this update, you've spent enough time with him by now to know what's happening behind those glasses which ends up adding another layer of humor into a couple lines that wasn't there in the original. Last up, just to troll myself, i deliberately shot this from an angle that left some bumpy ground poking up on the side there just as a nod to the original shot where the land mass was actually a mistake.
Pic 4: Original Beach Shower
Next up: back to the original again for one of the beach shower shots. This scene has some major goals and purposes to it that i felt could be improved on so this is the start of the major changes so strap in. So not really a lot to talk about in this shot other than sorta set the stage and remind you of what things looked like before we jump to the replacement where I'll explain everything.
Pic 5: Revamp Shower Direct Replacement
Soooo here's the Revamp replacement. Lot to unpack here. Obviously, the biggest change is lighting. The idea here was that the guys spend an entire day out here but the original game had the same consistent lighting through every shot which honestly felt saturated and numbing. The Revamp changes that and shows a progression through the day. This allows for some really cool sunset shots that completely change the vibe of some scenes. In this shot, we already have the sunset so it's darker, which helps sober up the tone here and helps focus us more on the intimacy of the guys. You'll also note Braden's cheeky smile. I wanted to share this shot because smiles (and laughing) are really hard to do without them looking creepy in 3D and i felt like this is one of the shots i got right. his smile is equal parts cheeky and cringy and felt like it really fit this moment and his character here. I also updated the wood texture to match the wood we saw on the fence in the parking lot. It's more driftwood and felt a little more neglected and weathered from the elements which helps this scene feel more private. This scene also takes place in a separate environment that was rebuilt using parts of the beach we've already seen. So in the Revamp, you won't be stuck seeing the same old sand dunes over and over and over no matter if the characters walked away and moved somewhere else or not. Was extra work to build something separate but I think the time investment makes sense.
Pic 6: Original Mikhail Summary Talk
Alright, last set up now. This shot is pretty boring but it's part of a longer dialogue sequence where things sorta get serious and summarized and wrapped-up. The original game had the characters just lying in the sand next to each other. Pretty simple but also... same dune as every other shot in the original and at this point, i wanted this scene to feel quieter and sorta wind things down instead of just bright.
Pic 7: Revamp Mikhail Summary Direct Replacement
Direct replacement. Yeah.... I know... lot different. So continuing with the progressive lighting I talked about in the last set of shots, the Revamped summary scene will now take place at night. It'll allow us to see the beach in a much darker setting where the moonlight highlights the waves behind them. If you've ever been on a beach at night with the moonlight and waves, that felt much more quiet to me. it makes the beach itself more like a background rather than the focus of the update and pulls the story back to the characters. and making it darker helps with the intimacy. I found myself wanting to get closer to the campfire which becomes a metaphor for getting closer to the characters around the campfire and just really fit the tone , goals, and dialogue better. I used a crush black setting here to blend all the darker parts of the image together. This is kinda based on some comic book art where some hero may be hiding in the shadows and the only thing the artist actually draws are the highlights and your eye gets to fill in the rest (for the comic book nerds: some of the batman stories, a lot of todd mcfarland's work so like spawn's cape or even his early run on spider-man, and i think all of frank miller's sin city novels). In this case, it dials up the intimacy and tone a lot in this scene where we have darkness around them with only the flicker of the campfire as the lighting. there's some fun shadows there and it's tons of fun for people that like to think in metaphors.
Ok, so that's it, folks. That's our last batch of teasers for this thing. I promise it's coming soon. I'll drop a separate DevLog post here, too and consolidate where I'm at with things but the short update is that i'm working on reading edits and still have to do music and sound then it's done.