Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter Update: Tech, Weather, and Google+

The latest update to the Shroud of the Avatar website once again puts developer Brandon Cotton — this time accompanied by Loren Hoffman — in front of the camera to explain yet another piece (or two!) of the technology at work underneath Shroud of the Avatar.

The update also summarizes things handily:

As you know, we are working with a hex style map. One of the things we’ve done to streamline content development is to assign hexes with terrain presets, such as swamps, forests or mountains. Each terrain type can then be assigned primary characteristics such as height maps, textures, basic physics, which allows for simplified world building. In addition, the hexes are also meshed to give them a certain unique look and feel. These hex presets allow engineers to take what the designers want and easily translate it into the game world. Whether we want to add an ancient, forgotten desert to explore, or remote island ruins filled with treasures and peril, this tech allows us to change one tile and change the world!

The weather system that the game will now feature also merited some attention:

We want the weather to look and feel real, while also having a meaningful impact on the player. Our weather will be simulated to not only look realistic, but to provide for evolving weather patterns that influence other aspects of the game. Weather, along with the day and night cycle, will be an important part of each scene. For example, perhaps a player can only approach a secured location under the cover of darkness, or maybe there is a rare herb that can only be gathered during a thunderous rainstorm.

It sounds like the world simulation aspect of Shroud of the Avatar is off to a great start.

Oh, and if you happen to be on Google+, the Shroud of the Avatar team will be holding a Hangout at 3 PM (Central Time) today. Questions can be sent to them via Twitter, using the “#LBSotA_Hangout” hashtag.