NEW VISUAL EFFECTS IN DUAL UNIVERSE

[NQ-Deckard]

 

We recently introduced the first wave of an ongoing effort to enhance the visual effects (VFX) in Dual Universe, thanks to the integration of PopcornFX, a middleware solution for creating stunning particle effects. 

 

Players celebrated the difference when the first VFX improvements debuted as part of the 0.25.8 Hermes update on June 18th. This video showcases just some of the cool new effects, from ‘sparklier’ particle explosions to ‘glowier’ holograms. 

 

 

The Novaquark Art and Rendering teams took a few moments away from their visual ventures to talk a bit about the PopcornFX implementation and what it means for the DU community. 

 

Q: How will Dual Universe players benefit from the new visual effects? 

Our primary goals have been to improve immersion and increase the wow factor. Being an MMO, immersion is key, a layer of life added to our game. For that reason, we are always exploring different ways to improve graphics to make the world more believable and give it a sense of spectacle. Our new VFX are made with PopcornFX Editor. It gives us full control and makes it easy to experiment and iterate new versions that will improve the player experience.

 

Q: Why did Novaquark choose PopcornFX?

Dual Universe is being developed with Unigine, which we like since it allows us to do heavy modifications to achieve the desired results; however, those modifications have also prevented us from being able to benefit from Unigine’s latest visual improvements. PopcornFX is the perfect solution to fill that gap. It has exactly what we need technically for its implementation, top-notch visuals, and excellent performance results. (We promise they didn’t pay us to say this!)

 

Q: Considering the proprietary technology behind DU, implementing off-the-shelf technologies can be tricky. What technical difficulties had to be overcome with this integration?

It required several iterations and cross-team collaboration to ensure that integration was working properly so that it would be in an acceptable state for rollout to players. It first took the effort of the Rendering team to have the main pipeline working, from loading an effect file, launching the particle simulation, getting the buffer data back, and directing them to the right places and the right shaders. We’ve been able to build onto this and support more and more features requested by the Art team. We also worked with the Gameplay and Tool teams to supply a clean integration with variables from the game to provide a deep connection between the effects and the game itself by exposing all the parameters VFX artists can use.

 

Q: Which VFX are we currently focusing on and what is the roll-out plan for future VFX updates?

Our most recent update, Hermes, included a long list of our first PopcornFX-generated graphics. 

 

• Tools: harvest, mining, directional detector, scanners, deploy ground element, refuel, maneuver, flatten, build mode tools.
• Industries: assembly lines, refiners, electronics, chemical, refiner, glass furnace, smelter, honeycomb refiner, printer, metalwork. 
• Decorative constructs: plants, holograms.
• Miscellaneous: Arkship effects, elevators, an element explosion.

 

Our goal regarding VFX is to apply them in almost every aspect of the game; sometimes they may be quite noticeable and others may be so subtle they are almost imperceivable. The layering is what adds that necessary depth of flavor to be well-rounded. 

We will continue to introduce new VFX to enhance the gameplay experience, for example the piloting experience and the PVP experience, and to breathe more life into some older elements that need it while introducing new elements along the way, too. We’ll also give some motion to the HUD and our complex interface that we know can really improve the immersion.

 

Q: In addition to the VFX improvements, what other visual enhancements can players look for in the coming months? 
Since we began using PopcornFX, we've been seeing the game world through a new lens, brainstorming the possibilities and prioritizing all the improvements we want to make. The stellar views within the universe will be even more stellar as our ‘biome beautification’ efforts continue. The compliments we’ve been receiving from the community have been inspiring and encouraged us to take DU’s visuals to the next level.