The Neverwinter site has been updated with an extensive developer diary to reveal the design of Barovia, the main location coming in the Ravenloft content expansion. The post explains three key steps the team has gone through to bring Barovia to life: Artistic intent, iteration on the original ideas, and optimization and choices made before shipping.
One of the main jobs of an environment artist is to help establish the mood of the level. Color, light, and shapes can all be used to help give a level a certain feel. A harshly lit red desert with sharp, angular rocks has a very different mood than a sea of moonlit sand dunes dipping into the overgrown oasis. As time goes on during the project, I can reference back to my AVP and make sure that I’m still on track. Deviations from the plan are okay, though, as long as they are made with intent. A zone is a big feature and it’s important not to get locked into a plan just because it was the first one you made.
Read the full post on the Neverwinter site.
