Hey folks! Back at it again with your monthly update about Rivencliff and everything this silly bull is up to!

Back to pre-production

After being in the production of Rivencliff: Sunset for a while now I have noticed that the world all Rivencliff stories plays in hasn't really been fleshed out as much as it should. The environments felt rather anonymous, with nothing that would make them recognizable.

That didn't sit right with me. I not only wanted to build some forest or some meadow, I want to build Rivencliff. With what has been worked out so far (especially in the main story, its characters and locations), I feel like Rivencliff deserves better, which is why I decided to go back to the drawing board.

Building a World

Now my experience with this is honestly quite limited. I do have some experience building some small scale 3D environments, but never have I done something this big, so I had to sit down and think about how Rivencliff is really supposed to look like.

Above you can see the original key art of Rivencliff, and I still think it still does a decent job communicating the "vibe" of Rivencliff, but I don't think that, given the story of Sunset and the main story, that this is how Rivencliff actually looks like.

So, how does Rivencliff look like?

Art by Czepeku Scenes. Their mention does not imply endorsement.
Used for reference only. They do not depict final design.

Rivencliff is a peaceful town nestled within a lush valley near some coastal cliffs.

The nature surrounding it features a forest with dense trees and lots of undergrowth, but also secluded areas (Sunbath). 

There are forest paths to these as well as open meadows with tall grass from which you can see the town (Sunset).

The town itself is medium sized and quite an active one! A hotspot for merchants and trade, with a diverse population (in both species and sexualities). It has a main square in which merchants set up their their wares on wagons, carts and cloths spread on the ground. Some side streets here and there from the square which is also filled with some more questionable vendors too of course.

Art by BK-Prod

Some more key locations include a public bathhouse, a large tavern with a garden outside and of course Buru's house.

I will be sitting down with some other artists to get a hold on this, but basically the process is:

• Gathering Inspiration (References you can see above)
• Sketching the Blueprint (Where do the different areas connect? How does Buru move through it throughout the VNs? Where are the key landmarks?)
• Building the Foundation (Jump into Engine, start shaping terrain / landscape)
• Placing the big pieces (Houses, Large Rocks, maybe unique trees etc.)
• Stitching it together (Blending & Texturing; Smooth out the seams where different terrain areas meet so it looks like on continous landscape)
• Adding the character (Detailing & Set Dressing; Add details like bushes, flowers, fences, barrles, etc. anything that gives the environment signs that people live here)
• Creating the mood (Atmosphere & Lighting; Set up sky, add main lights (sun), add effects like fog (i.e. near the ocean / cliffs), adjust color grading, maybe add weather effects depending on scene)
• Rinse and repeat.

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Again a lot of work ahead, but I think with some extra help from people it's doable! New job also turns out to be quite managable, so I think some good process can be done this month!

Alright, alright. That's it for now. Tune in next week for the April #2 devlog available to patrons where I can hopefully share some first details about the world blueprint! Have a great weekend! Sincerely, Buru!