Time Travel: 2014

Hearing this question, Benito Vasilyevich lost his smile.

Benito Vasilyevich said solemnly: "It's hard to say for the time being. As you know, using a game engine to develop games is like using PPT templates to make PPT.

In this case, if there are many PPTs for comparison, we can guess whether a PPT template was used.

In the same way, if there are many games for reference, we can more accurately judge whether GRAY FOREST has used a game engine in the development process.

There is only one solitary example of "HILL CLIMB RACING", and it is difficult to conclude whether this person relies on game engine development.

It can only be said that GRAY FOREST's use of a game engine is a high probability event, but it cannot be said to be an absolute event. "

Pananin said: "Maybe we shouldn't be too preconceived and follow the idea of ​​​​a game engine. We should think about how we would develop if we didn't have a game engine?"

Pananin then asked: "My old man, if you were to develop the same effect in the game "HILL CLIMB RACING", what would you do? You might as well just use this game to build the roof. Let’s analyze the rain scenarios involved in the map.”

Benito Vasilyevich said: “I have considered several possibilities about this before.

I think when it comes to the scene of rain, the most amazing things are actually three points.

First of all, ‘Rain’ designed by GRAY FOREST is very layered.

Secondly, the rain scene designed by GRAY FOREST does not have the blowout or discontinuity that weather particles often show in ordinary games.

Furthermore, the transitions involved in the beginning and end of the rain scenes in HILL CLIMB RACING are very natural. "

Benito Vasilyevich continued: “The last two questions are a little more troublesome, but when it comes to the issue of hierarchy, it is not difficult to guess how GRAY FOREST did it.

It's nothing more than 3D representation in 2D form, thereby achieving a pseudo-3D effect. "

Paananen's impression is that the 2D form is similar to the 3D performance:

First, set the 3D rendering area in the 2D game scene.

In the 3D rendering area, multiple 2D pictures that you want to express should be placed.

Of course, the 2D pictures are not randomly placed. The plurality of 2D pictures must be rendered into a 3D form of a folded album in which the edges on both sides of adjacent pictures are connected together in sequence.

This is done when the program begins to respond to input information (such as swipe gestures on the touch screen).

The folded album that has been "placed" in the 3D rendering area in advance will be expanded in the direction previously set by the program.

This process also requires intelligently adjusting the arrangement order and picture size in the corresponding folded album pages to determine the expansion position and expansion angle of each 2D picture in real time.

If this process is successfully implemented, each 2D picture can be rendered into a pseudo 3D representation that corresponds to its unfolding position and unfolding angle in real time.

How to understand this process specifically?

Paananin thought of "pop-up books", which are books that can see three-dimensional images when opened.

To a certain extent, the act of setting up a 3D rendering area in a 2D game scene and then displaying multiple 2D pictures in the 3D rendering area is very similar to the operation of a three-dimensional book.

It's just that the process of constructing this kind of "pop-up book" is obviously much more complicated than drawing the pediatric-like pop-up book in reality.

Why do you say that?

Because this process requires layering of 2D game scenes.

The area where the folded album is located in the 2D game scene is set as a 3D rendering layer using the 3D rendering strategy.

The 3D rendering layer should not only correspond to the 3D rendering area, but also avoid the appearance of some defects.

Also set the background area in the 2D game scene to a 2D rendering layer using the 2D rendering strategy.

Then the 3D rendering layer needs to be overlaid on top of the 2D rendering layer.

Usually this override takes the form:

——The 2D rendering layer is projected using orthogonal projection, and the 3D rendering layer is projected using perspective projection.

It’s not just a matter of adding them together.

When it comes to specific performance in the game, the 2D rendering layer must be drawn into the color buffer.

Set the depth of all pixels of the 2D rendering layer to the maximum depth to form the background of the 2D game scene;

Draw the 3D render layer to the color buffer:

The depth for all pixels of the 3D render layer is set to less than the maximum depth.

Make the picture generated by the projection of the 3D rendering layer cover the corresponding area of ​​the 2D rendering layer where the background is located.

Only in this way can the 3D visual effect be achieved on the 2D screen.

This process sounds cumbersome.

Although he does not understand the principle of simplicity, Pa/Na/Ning also believes that troublesome things often mean that problems of this kind may easily occur during actual operation.

Anyway, Pa/Na/Ning feels that this is definitely not the method used by GRAY FOREST.

In front of his old partner, Pa/Na/Ning naturally did not hide anything.

He expressed his idea to Benito Vasilyevich without reservation.

Benito Vasilyevich thought so.

Pa/Na/Ning said: “My old man, you have confused me.

You just said that what GRAY FOREST does is nothing more than 3D expression in 2D form to achieve 3D visual effects.

But you also agree with what I just said - you think that GRAY FOREST does not use the approach of introducing a 3D rendering area to build a 'folding book'.

Could it be that what you want to say is that besides the method I just mentioned, are there other ways to perform 3D expression in 2D images?

In computer games, in addition to the method I just mentioned, there are indeed many other methods to perform 3D expression in 2D images.

But I really can’t think of any other technologies that can achieve 3D effects in 2D images in mobile games besides building a 3D rendering area.

Oh, my dear Benito Vasilyevich, stop beating around the bush and tell me what you really think. "

Benito Vasilyevich calmed down his thoughts, and then said: "First of all, speaking of the point you just mentioned, you and I have the same opinion.

Although it is theoretically feasible to use a form similar to a folding book to achieve the layered picture in the rain scene in the game "HILL CLIMB RACING".

But it's just in theory. This is definitely not the method used by GRAY FOREST in "HILL CLIMB RACING".

If the method you mentioned involves covering the 3D rendering layer on top of the 2D rendering layer in actual operation.

This process requires orthogonal projection for the 2D rendering layer and perspective projection for the 3D rendering layer.

The calculations involved in both projections are extremely large. "