In their upcoming adventure, Silence - The Whispered World 2, Daedalic Entertainment, for the first time, makes constant use of the camera projection technique to create their game's world. How a 2D-painting is turned into an atmospheric 3D environment is shown in a video released today.
"One of our main goals for Silence - The Whispered World 2 was to capture the spirit and atmosphere of the first part's 2D-artworks and transfer them to a 3D-environment. If you think of the first The Whispered World games as of a playable cartoon movie, Silence is like a playable CGI animation movie", explains Marco Huellen, the game's writer and lead artist. The developers achieve that by using camera projection and with a lot of detail work.
First, a detailed 2D-painting based on various sketches and concepts is created. Single clippings are taken out of the finished picture and are virtually allocated and projected to the screen's 3D objects and layers. Then, further elements like light, shadow and moveable details are added. For the developers, camera projecting means a lot of work but also allows a wider range of staging options. Tracking shots or cutscenes with a variety of elaborate animations are much easier to implement - until now, those had to be drawn picture by picture and left very little room for experiments. Also, effects like weather, leaves or mist can be implemented more conveniently and thus contribute to a deeper atmosphere.
Silence – The Whispered World 2 follows Noah, who is about to lose his little sister Renie to the perils of war. He barely manages to follow her and finds himself alone, back in Silence; the world he once traveled as Sadwick the clown. And even here war ravages the land. In search for his sister Noah joins a group of rebels who fight the false Queen.
Featuring completely new 3D visuals, Silence - The Whispered World 2 will offer many novelties to players. Sadwick’s and Renie's quest will lead them to a visually impressive and emotionally investing adventure, with many mysteries to unravel around Sadwick, his sister and the world of Silence.
Silence – The Whispered World 2 will be released for PC and Mac in early 2015.
