Reviewing for Finals

We’ve been showing off the Jungle island schoolhouse a lot recently, because its one of our fastest-progressing assets. The work in here is now entering the “review” phase, meaning that it’s pretty much all done – just needs a few tweaks here and there. We’re pretty confident that what you see here will be at least pretty close to what the final area will look like. Check it out!

(Beware, these files are pretty high-resolution)





24 Responses to “Reviewing for Finals”.

Team members' usernames are in red.
  • John Drake Says:

    WOW! Awesome! Incredible!
    I could speak in superlatives all day, incredible work guys…

  • Vincent Says:

    I think it’s the first time we actually see a quasi final rendering, that’s very interesting. Can’t wait to see the lake village.

  • CrumpyCarrot Says:

    [Moltar voice:] Oh man…I’m in love.

  • Cory Says:

    $500 for the game? Yes. Yes, I will pay that much!

  • Anthony Says:

    (Beware, these files are pretty high-resolution)
    Should read, “Beware, these files are pretty full of high-resolution awesomeness”

    The Unreal engine is really giving this game some justice. Can’t wait to see more work!

  • derbederis Says:

    I cant stop imagining all this in VR.
    We are going to visit Riven in a couple of years (hopefully!)
    Dreams do come true after all!
    Thank you guys!

  • Mozalbete Says:

    The only things I don’t like are the low resolution wall textures and the low amount of polygons for the metal circles

    • Yali Says:

      Yeah I agree about that. Just check out Cyan’s oil lantern for Obduction to see the realism Unreal can produce. Riven is also a game ALL ABOUT little details and furnishings. Myst games are perfect for interior decoration/industrial design fetishists like myself. This is the utmost thing to get right in my mind to capture the artistic spirit of Riven.

  • buddha Says:

    Excellent texturing work!

    May I suggest to make the general wall-texture about twice the resolution?
    Because the wood paneling looks much more detailed and in effect makes the walls look less detailed.
    The more detail = better.

  • buddha Says:

    But it really looks phenomenal. Will you also add flies going on the lamps?
    I just love little details and Riven is the game made for such.

    I once made that lengthy suggestion post about various weather phenomena some 2 years ago.

  • Qr Says:

    Do you guys have an oculus developer kit? and do you design the game with VR in mind? Many people from oculus are helping indie devs with their games (even financially). They ask developers to contact them if they are making a game suited for VR.

  • Eric Says:

    I’m sorry. I’m looking at these, and looking at the originals, and these just don’t look as real as the originals to me :-/ Maybe it’s the lighting, or maybe it’s the textures, maybe I’m the only one thinking this.

    • Vincent Says:

      No you’re not. The floor is also pretty blurry.

    • Oliver Says:

      The only issue I really have is that the lighting in this version feels too bright/harsh/clinical, whereas the original has a warmer quality. That’d probably come down to ‘a few tweaks’, though.

    • Gorobay Says:

      They don’t look as good as the originals, but they aren’t done yet. For example, the shadows say “Preview” and the lamps don’t say “In Gehn we trust”. They will definitely fix those, and they might yet address the resolution and polygon issues.

      • Tim Says:

        Indeed we will! Everyone makes very valid points. The walls are indeed at about half resolution right now. That’s on the to do list, as is the floor. The lighting is an approximation right now, but will be requiring a certain level of faking and tweaking to get the softness of the original. What you are seeing here is a pretty quick lighting setup directly in unreal without any occlusion or shadow bake or anything yet.

        We do sincerely appreciate these kind of comments, as it’s important for us to know what is important to other super-fans of the game, as well as what things stand to be improved. It’s also just very helpful to us to have extra sets of eyes 🙂

  • Ryan Says:

    Did anybody else notice the letters in the shadows of the lamp poles? Once I noticed them I couldn’t unsee them in the pictures.

    This is amazing though, seriously my childhood coming to life before my eyes!

  • The green butterfly Says:


    (There are not enough words to describe the awesomeness of these pictures)
    :p

  • Mozalbete Says:

    Oh, I will also add that some parts (legs of pieces of furniture) seem to lack ambien occlusion

  • Shai Says:

    I was just in this room the other night, replaying Riven via Steam. These renders are excellent. I also see a few places where a bit more polish and resolution could be put in, but ultimately—wow! So wow. So well done. I am really looking forward to seeing more.

  • buddha Says:

    me again. Looking at these pictures, reading comments, watching original renders.

    I suggest adding at least 2 layers to the textures. The diffusion one and then add stains and dirt over everything as second layer. It’s gonna make everything look way better.
    And the lamps need more orange color, there is a great deal of ambient occlusion in the original. So you see a shimmer on the wall near the table etc.
    Thank you!

  • Jehon Says:

    Looks pretty good! But as others have noted, the lighting is a bit off. Also, the lamps are missing some ornamentations, including a D’ni inscription: t’gen pahnet (in Gehn we trust). Check the “From Myst to Riven” book if you have a copy, page 77.

    The notepad seen in the second screenshot also had some interesting D’ni scribblings on it in the original.

  • Andross Says:

    I agree with what some of the others have said here, and I also feel that the markings on the wood feel too much like they are floating over the top of the wood, rather than having been painted on. They need some slight wear, and to sit into dip into the crevices more. But great job! All the major pieces are there!

  • Eric Says:

    One specific thing that’s bugging me: the “bump maps” or whatever you guys are using to add bumps to the walls and other surfaces look a bit off to me. Like the bumps are too large and smooth or something. I just like how that specifically looks better in the originals. Could be just my personal preference though.

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