DoppleDanger · Graphics R&D / DEVLOG 02
Graphics R&D: weather, atmosphere and water
DoppleDanger graphics R&D: experiments with weather, atmosphere and water across three test labs.
Pre-production continues on DoppleDanger, with research and development focused on the game’s visual and atmospheric foundations.
The environments shown in this devlog are graphics test labs, not final areas of DoppleDanger. We are building and testing the components that could later help us create the game’s environments.
Building the visual foundations
PSX+ is our current name for the visual direction we are exploring for DoppleDanger. It is not simply a retro filter, an arbitrary limit on polygon counts or a literal recreation of the original PlayStation’s technical constraints.
We are looking for a recognisable retro identity through textures, colour choices and some of the visual artifacts associated with that era, while keeping room for detailed geometry. Modern lighting, fog, rain, water and volumetric effects can also have a place when they contribute to the atmosphere.
These experiments should help us balance atmosphere, readability, visual consistency and performance. A technique is only useful to the project if it supports the game’s art direction.
Climate Lab V2: pushing the atmosphere
This iteration explores deliberately extreme weather: heavy rain, an overcast sky, reduced visibility and a stormy atmosphere. The scene is dark and harsh.
One aim is to explore how far we can push the atmosphere before readability suffers too much. This is an experiment, not an approved setup for the game.
Climate Lab V3: observe, adjust, repeat
The next iteration explores a wider range of atmospheric conditions in a scene that is generally easier to read. Relatively calm weather gives way to shifting cloud cover, a heavier atmosphere and rain.
That is the process behind this R&D: test an approach, observe its shortcomings, make adjustments and test again. V3 lets us continue those comparisons; it is not DoppleDanger’s final weather system.
Water Lab: isolating a problem to test it
For water, we are working in a dedicated lab rather than directly in an actual level. A controlled environment makes comparison and correction easier, without immediately introducing all the challenges of a complete scene.
The prototype explores several scenarios: calm water, wind, shallow water, rain, storms, lightning reflections and river currents. The aim is to study how water behaves in different contexts, beyond a single look.
This research is relevant to the waterways and some lakeside areas planned for future environments. The approaches being tested are still open to change.
What still needs work
R&D is ongoing. We still need to run further graphics tests, see how these systems work together and check how well they fit the PSX+ direction.
We also need to assess performance in more representative environments and decide what is worth keeping. Some approaches may be modified, replaced or dropped if they do not contribute enough to the visuals.
The techniques we retain can then gradually move into actual DoppleDanger environments. For now, these videos document work in progress and the questions we are trying to answer.