Second Art Pass

Landscape facelift 

During the second art pass for The Cosmic Vale, I undertook a significant revamp of the landscape material, focusing on more refined and realistic textures. The original material felt too cartoonish and didn't align with the overall aesthetic of the environment, so I worked on creating a texture set that better fit the atmosphere I envisioned. This adjustment brought the landscape closer to the intended look and feel, enhancing the immersive quality of the environment.

Let there be LIGHT!

In addition to the landscape material, I made several adjustments to the lighting, especially the shadowing cast by the level's main light source. The lighting underwent multiple iterations throughout the development cycle, with each pass refining the balance between light and shadow, ultimately achieving a more cohesive and atmospheric result.

More terrain work

Further refinements were made to the terrain, including the addition of smaller gameplay details like falling leaf particle effects and ambient clouds, adding subtle dynamic elements that contributed to the world's vibrancy.

To facilitate the development process, I also added a placeholder element for the first quest giver at the start of the level. These placeholders were invaluable for keeping track of the design process in specific sections of this large zone, helping me stay organized and focused on the project’s many moving parts.