Sunday, October 20, 2024
Into A New Dimension
Video
games are often defined by their visual style, from presentation to
mechanics, and visual novels are no exception. Many choose to stick
to the standard 2D portraits and backgrounds for their reliability.
However, some titles want to explore a different dimension of visuals
and so step into the world of the 3D. They do not loose the
fundamental design elements which define the medium and remain
recognisably a visual novel just with tricks which are not available
in traditional presentation. Movement is the most immediately obvious
of these changes as the 3D models can easily be manipulated and can
believably interact with one another. Shifting perspective can be
done in smoother ways since there is no longer a need to switch
backgrounds when the camera could just rotate the look at the new
location. It can also now borrow visual techniques from other types
of games in order to enhance important moments. Of course the more it
pushes into these new design spaces the less like a visual novel it
feels and this is a trade off that is difficult to handle. Are these
advantages enough to justify choosing to be 3D? Let’s uncover a new
dimension and find out.
The Power Of Movement
Utilising
full 3D character models provides the opportunity for a level of
dynamic movement simply not possible when using 2D graphics even with
the options available to Live 2D. The extra dimension results in a
free-form expressiveness where poses and movements can blend into one
another to create a more life like presence than would otherwise be
possible. Part of this is due to the way the models have all the joints
present in the human body due to their rigging and so their poses
feel natural. Exaggerating these expressions is still an option
open to a 3D model and they can play into those anime faces for comic or dramatic effect, but their more realistic
movements keeps them firmly in a grounded physicality. A side effect of
this is these expressions lack some of the emotional power they have
on a 2D model due to the 3D form coming across as slightly off from
what would be expected of their expressions since they cannot commit
to the exaggeration in the way they need to for it to be effective.
The ease at which new poses for an existing character model can be
created is one of the largest advantages of 3D and a number of them
can be developed, experimented and modified in quick succession to
see what works within the context of the tone and content of the
game. Setting all these individual parts up to allow for this smooth
process is not without its own time consuming challenges, but once
the pipeline is up and running it gives a large degree of freedom for
changes to be made as it becomes clear there is a need for something
specific. Transitions between the poses adds some extra development
time to the process as their movement from one to another will be
more closely examined due to their more realistic nature when
compared to 2D. Failing to properly account for this issue can bring
the player out of the experience as they are distracted by an out of
place animation.
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| 3D is a distinctive visual choice with its own movement and expressions |
A prominent example of what this use of 3D looks
like in practice can be seen in Robotic Notes. It departs from the
other entries in the Science Adventure Series by not using the
standard 2D portraits and embracing 3D character models. It is
important to note that other key visual elements like backgrounds and
CGs are not rendered in 3D so the characters stand out in contrast to
them. This merging of the two styles plays an important role in the
framing of the character models through the way their colours,
lighting and movement showcase a dynamic expression of the key moments. A focus on AR and robots helps create an environment
where the 3D characters do not feel out of place due to the game's sci-fi
genre leaning into more pulpy concepts than other titles in the
series. Robotic Notes makes sure to milk as much as possible out of
the movement and freedom offered with the 3D character models to sell
both human and AI as expressive and reactive people who feel
physically involved in the events surrounding them. Playing up this
physicality is at the core of the reason this game can present the
characters as someone who really exists in the mind of the player and
it helps them form a bond which the game can exploit to further
moments of drama and action.
Changing Perspective
Rendering
the backgrounds of a visual novel in full 3D shifts how both
developers and players interact with each scene. Camera control is
single largest advantage of using this style of background and opens
up a lot of possibilities for how to present a scene not open in 2D
art. The most basic of these benefits being the ability to simply pan
the camera to the next location rather than having to load an
entirely different background image. In doing this the game can keep the player's focus squarely on the events in front of them and it adds a layer
physicality to the space since it shows it as somewhere that can be
moved around in. This is especially effective if the game is also
using 3D character models given they fit naturally into setting due
to their common appearance and reinforce the idea of the backgrounds
as actual places these characters are present in. Beyond the simple
use of panning there is a lot of room for more arty and interesting
camera angles for a scene or event that can frame them in vastly
different lights. Depending on the mood a developer is aiming for the
flexible camera positions can be easily and quickly experimented with
to find the exact one they need in a way the 2D artwork’s production
pipelines do not allow.
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| Virtue's Last Reward likes to play with its visuals so 3D is an excellent choice for its flexibility |
Virtue’s Last Reward heavily leans into
this utilisation of 3D for backgrounds alongside its characters for
tonal and dramatic effect. The backbone to this integration of 3D is
the choice of the Sci-fi genre and the mechanical nature of the
setting. Blocky and inorganic shapes are favoured by 3D models and
are easier to create convincingly in a 3D setting. They are also
something associated with futuristic architecture which allows the
game to use the advantages of 3D without having to deal with the
potential issues of it appearing out of place. And take advantage of
it Virtue’s Last Reward does with everything from dynamic movement
to shifting backgrounds. Particularly of note is the way it makes use
of a variety of static camera angles where the scene is framed in a
recognisably visual novel manner and yet intimately putting on display the key
moments. Here the characters or backgrounds are presented
on a pseudo 2D plane and within which the 3D can move around or add
depth, but they will never leave the confines of that defined space.
This allows the game to keep the core design elements of a visual
novel while dipping into flexible offerings of the 3D realm.
A World Of Possibilities
All
the prior discussion has assumed that the developer would be sticking
close to the expected visual novel format. However, what about those who choose go for a hybrid
route with another type of game which normally uses 3D as its means
of presentation? Let’s look at a few examples of this mixture to
see what it offers. Ace Attorney underwent a transition from 2D to 3D
graphics in its later games and this led to a number of
interesting quirks with how it handles 3D. Chief among these are the
exaggerated expressions of the characters many players know the game
for. The new graphics push the expectation beyond what the
originals could by creating increasingly exaggerate poses and
animations making full use of the 3D models. This is the general
trend throughout the game with the 3D graphics trying to embody the
identity forged in the 2D games and push it to the next level.
Sometimes this can be a problem due to it can interfere with visual
clarity as it does where the adventure game elements rub up against
the visual novel ones and the exaggeration can make it somewhat
unclear what information or objects are important at what point.
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| Knowing how to use visual effects is important when getting the most out of 3D |
On
the opposite end of the spectrum sits Fate/Extra with its purpose
built 3D RPG world. Here the visual novel sections take the form of
overlays on top of the 3D space of the RPG which it can bring up as
needed to tell the story before quickly transitioning back. Since the
game has access to a large area in which to present the visuals of
these scenes it can use camera tricks and effects available to the
RPG side of the game and provide them with a new purpose in the
context of each moment. This repurposing of existing parts is a core
strength of a 3D hybrid as it creates an efficient system whereby the
developer can make visual elements serve multiple functions rather
than having to make additional ones for the visual novel. Being a PSP
title meant that Fate Extra had to work under a restrictive file size
limit and so this ability to reuse graphics was especially important
to it.
Conclusion
Stepping
into the 3rd dimension offers many opportunities for
visual novels to utilise the qualities unique to this style of
presentation. Characters can move and animate in organic ways
standard portraits would not allow for and enhance the feeling of
them being believable people. Rendering backgrounds in 3D opens up
new possibilities for camera tricks and angles which can shape how a
player perceives a scene. Of course hybrids are the most influenced
by this choice of visual direction as it puts them more into line
with many other types of games that use 3D exclusively and they can
seamlessly blend together. When creating a visual novel 3D graphics
should be a serious consideration, if they met the expectation of your
genre and audience, given the flexibility and control they offer a
developer.
