Dev Diaries: the Winter Biome

Murrlandia is a great, fractured world that once united various biomes. After the Cat-A-Strophe, some biomes changed, giving rise to new, previously non-existent locations. The Winter Biome is one of these new worlds and has become a key part of our project that our developers are actively working on.

Beginning of Development

Work on the Winter Biome began at the earliest stages of development. During the prototyping of the visual aspects of the islands, we had numerous sketches of various biomes and experimented with the mood of the locations. Some of these ideas have already been implemented in recent updates, while others require more time for thorough development.

We periodically revisited the Winter Biome and even planned to start its development simultaneously with the Summer Biome. However, we realized that it required more time and attention to achieve the desired level of quality.

Inspiration and Concepts

For the visual concept of the Winter Biome, we drew inspiration from northern regions with their natural features, adapted for a sky-floating world. The concepts for the Winter Biome included elements of such landscapes but with a magical and mysterious touch characteristic of Murrlandia.

Atmosphere Through Graphics

Creating the atmosphere of the Winter Biome through graphics was a challenging but exciting process. Besides the snow covering the ground, we used many new and unique effects. The air temperature in the frosty region affects everything around: clouds become heavier and denser, weather effects change, and sunlight takes on a special hue, creating the feel of a cold winter fairy tale.

Asset Use and Content Development

The winter islands in the WorldShards universe are part of the overall world, so we prepare a lot of new content and adapt familiar objects that have spent a long time in the new region. On the winter islands, players will encounter familiar Wargs, who have set up their camps and outposts in an unusual environment for them.

We also continue to work on remastering existing content, which will gradually be replaced with higher quality and more detailed versions.

Challenges and Solutions

Creating a true winter atmosphere was not an easy task. Simply painting the ground white to create a snow effect was insufficient. We studied the visual impact of snow from the observer’s perspective and developed a special shader that gives the snow all the necessary soft shades, regardless of lighting, with a magical shimmer.

Weather Effects

The Winter biome will feature corresponding weather effects on certain islands, providing a dynamic and engaging atmosphere for players to explore.

We have a method for creating and testing various weather effects, which we plan to significantly improve in the future. We can’t disclose all the details yet, but stay tuned for updates.

Difficulties

One of the most challenging aspects of development was correctly assessing our capabilities and choosing the most important and necessary elements from a multitude of ideas. Each task is a challenge for us, and for each, we learn and apply new knowledge, approaches, and methods.

The development of the Winter Biome continues, and the team eagerly awaits the opportunity to share their achievements with players (trust us, it’s coming soon). We continue to improve and develop this cold world so that every player can feel the beauty and magic of the Winter Biome of Murrlandia!