Star Citizen Live Gamedev: Mood Lighting

About this video

• Video Title: Star Citizen Live Gamedev: Mood Lighting
• Channel: Star Citizen
• Speakers: Jared Huckabee, Chris Campbell, Zach
• Duration: 01:00:58

Overview

This video features a Star Citizen Live Gamedev session focused on "Mood Lighting." Host Jared Huckabee is joined by lead lighting artist Chris Campbell and junior lighting artist Zach from Cloud Imperium Games. They demonstrate the process of creating and implementing interactive lighting states within player habitats (habs), showcasing how lighting can transform the mood and atmosphere of in-game environments. The discussion also touches on technical constraints, artistic considerations, and the iterative nature of game development.

Key takeaways

• Interactive Lighting in Habs: The primary focus is on adding player-controlled lighting states (like "low power" or "nighttime") to player habs in Star Citizen, allowing for more player interactivity and environmental customization.
• Lighting Artist Role: Lighting artists are responsible for translating the art director's visual targets into the game environment, considering performance, technical limitations, and gameplay needs like player guidance.
• "Light Groups" and Switches: The implementation uses "light groups" which can be tied to player-interactable switches, enabling dynamic changes in lighting states within the game.
• Iterative Process: Creating lighting states is an iterative process involving defining default states, adjusting auxiliary states, and carefully managing transitions between different lighting moods.
• Performance and Budgeting: Lighting has a significant impact on performance. Developers must adhere to lighting budgets, managing factors like the number of shadow-casting lights and overall light complexity to maintain frame rates.
• Artistic Freedom vs. Constraints: While developers strive for creative expression and unique lighting moods (like "sexy time" or "red alert"), they must balance this with technical limitations and performance budgets.
• Showcasing Unsung Roles: Star Citizen Live Gamedev aims to highlight aspects of game development and roles that are often overlooked, emphasizing that games are made by large teams, not just a single visionary.