Dark reds and blacks are colors we try to avoid in-game when making competitive maps, however, this was a unique opportunity for the art team to try something new while keeping our high gameplay standards. Gameplay is our top priority, and Starwatch pushes the boundaries of what we can do with our environments. It's really satisfying to me to be able to repurpose it in such an epic and fun way.” The Horizon: Lunar Colony map has always been one of my favorites because of its unique narrative that connects so many things in the Overwatch world. “This event had to be special for both our veteran and new players to remember, especially because we're resurrecting one of our classic 2CP maps for a new purpose. However, this event became an opportunity for me to experiment with moodier lighting that would be exciting for our players,” said Peter Tran. “Usually, we keep bright lighting in our maps, even for our night settings. In-Game View of the Infinite Galactrius From Overwatch to StarwatchĬhanging the story from a ‘bright and hopeful future Earth’ to a much darker space opera was a huge undertaking. Lighting Paint Test for the Infinite Galactrius Finally, additions of new elements like the turrets that serve the Infinite Empire and the dangerous Gravity Implosion Barrels create unique traps in the environment that help set the stage for a galactic brawl. That was the moment we started to feel we'd found something we wanted to pursue.” The color palette changed from sterile greys and tans to a classic sci-fi evil empire look by using blacks, whites, and reds. “We made a test lighting concept painting to see how far we could push the vision. With the exteriors of the former moon base adjusted, associate art director Peter Lee turned to the interiors. Then, once the team placed a small spacecraft outside the window, the overall map started to feel like a massive starship. First, the moon terrain was removed from the map to make it feel like you are deep in a faraway galaxy. For the event, the team wanted to make this place more sinister and darker to help deliver a story of a rebel cause fighting against a galactic regime. The original Horizon: Lunar Colony was a friendly and fun map built to show the potential of a scientific moon base. This, along with the lighting overhaul, provided us with a big win early on.”Ĭreating a New Experience with New Challenges “With such big ideas for a dramatic environment transformation, Starwatch became an exercise in ‘resurfacing’ the existing geometry with new materials. When it came to changing the actual look of the map, senior environment artist Tim Wasson also had a clear vision set in mind. At some point, I realized that simple lighting wouldn't do it justice, and that’s when we doubled down on the darker, moodier lighting for this event.” “Initially, I wanted to keep things relatively simple but while iterating on the lighting for this event, it became such an awesome and exciting passion project for all of us. When first approaching the design for the starship, senior lighting artist Peter Tran already had a vision for the map. ![]() The new mode takes place on the Infinite Galactrius, the flagship of Galactic Emperor Sigma, leader of the Infinite Empire. So, we transformed this map from a lunar colony into a starship that sets the stage for an epic space opera adventure. ![]() Horizon: Lunar Colony was a perfect fit because it already has a very sci-fi feel within its design language. With the launch of Overwatch 2, we removed Assault (2CP) maps from the core game mode lineup-meaning there are some amazing maps that aren't currently being used in game-and we saw this opportunity to bring back Horizon: Lunar Colony. The first step was to design the interior of a starship. Starwatch takes place among the planets and stars, so ensuring we could deliver an environment that felt like a space opera was important. Starwatch: Galactic Rescue is live, and the fight for the universe is on! Have you been fighting with the Watchers in their rescue mission, or do you serve the Infinite Empire? Only time will tell which side prevails, but in the meantime, we’d like to share how the team built this new world within Overwatch.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |