Demo scene. Concept.

Telegram: Infinity World

Introduction

Any undertaking should start with writing thoughts down on paper. This way, they can help piece together the image we want to bring to life from the fragments of our consciousness. Whether it's abstractions in code or graphical representation, everything requires formalization since our minds are limited.

I must admit, in many cases, I feel tempted to jump straight into implementation without thorough planning. The process of creation is incredibly engaging, which often leads to skipping formalization, even if it results in mistakes. If resources are plentiful, it’s simply a learning experience; if not, it borders on unprofessionalism.

To work through all aspects of the future game and to answer many questions, I decided to create a small demo scene that will feature the generation of a single biome.

Why is it necessary to work on the demo scene right now?

1. Description

As I mentioned earlier, the first step is to outline the idea: goals and requirements, and a brief description of what we aim to achieve. All of this can be written in any text editor, ideally where the game design document (GDD) is also described, so it can be easily referenced, edited, or simply recalled at any time. You don't need to detail every aspect exhaustively, but the description should answer the main questions.

1.1 Requirements

The demo scene should meet the following requirements:

• Cohesive in terms of content and visuals: Cohesion means no areas without content, filling the main layers of the scene, such as basic forms, large, medium, and small details, and maintaining aesthetic consistency (visual coherence or cohesion) of all objects and elements.
• Reflect a near-final art style: The scene should answer many questions about achieving the chosen style and serve as an example for future product presentations when not only concept art or partial examples of scenes and styles are available, but also a tangible example.
• Be as performant as possible: Performance remains a top priority.

1.2 Goals

The goals that should be achieved during the development of this demo scene include:

• Testing the world generator in real conditions and expanding it;
• Defining the biome development pipeline and identifying which tools (Editor) will be needed in the future;
• Determining the content development pipelines for the biome;
• Developing a comprehensive and efficient environment rendering pipeline.

1.3 Description of the Biome

The biome consists of low hills with moderately frequent ridges and cliffs.

• Primary voxel materials: Soil with grass. Vertical cliff surfaces are also represented by soil. Some variability in colors is possible: from light brown, almost clay-like soil, to dark brown, moist earth; from light green to dark green grass.
• Environment: The environment includes medium-sized stones and boulders; several types of trees of varying sizes, from small to medium; several types of bushes; grass with various color patterns; several types of flowers; small details such as pebbles and twigs.
• Animations: Flora animated by the wind; falling leaves; sunlight glints.
• Additional features: A dynamic sky with clouds; post-processing effects; the season is mid to late summer.

2. Concepts

After writing the description, it’s time to create concept art for what we aim to achieve. Unfortunately, I’m not an artist, so at this stage, I use AI to generate multiple variations at once. Each AI-generated image doesn't fully capture everything I’d like: unfortunately, achieving high precision with generation can be quite difficult. However, it still serves as a solid foundation for further work, as key aspects such as shape, scene composition, and so on can be obtained.

I will provide several generated variations.

The first image presents a concept of hills with cliffs that I would like to achieve in the final result. It’s important to note this down to ensure it’s not forgotten.

In the second image, the vegetation is clearly visible: its placement, shape, and the emphasis on the central tree, which has an unusual form. Perhaps it’s worth considering adding similar trees that will partially draw attention to themselves?

In the third image, attention should be given to the stones and boulders, particularly their shape and placement.

Conclusion

This stage is relatively small, though it can take a considerable amount of time. It may take weeks to put into words what’s in your head, find examples from other games, and create or generate concept art.

Moreover, it’s important to note that the described demo scene concept is not final. It will be adjusted and refined at every stage going forward—shape, color, and content will all need further development. Like the game design itself, it’s a living entity that evolves with you.