- Location swamp - 20 January 2023
What kind of souls-like is it if there is no swamp in it. But the swamp in Forbidden myths is significantly different from the swamp in Dark souls. In Slavic folklore, it is one of the most dangerous places. It is literally a home for evil spirits and other evil spirits. We want the player to be able to feel all the danger that lurks in the swamps. Therefore, its passage will be a separate test, comparable to the next boss. How does it work? The swamp consists of small islands, between which you will have to make a route. But the depth around the island is different and if you turn the wrong way, you risk drowning. You will have to find the way by touch, carefully checking the depth of the paths between the islands. The path will be complicated by fog, which does not allow you to see further than the neighboring island and complicates navigation. But there are also good sides to this lo…
- The history of drawing a hut on chicken legs. Part 2 - 18 January 2023
Now it was necessary to create a scene. At first, there were several sketches to evaluate vegetation assets. And then the full-fledged drawing of the scene began. Notice how much it affects the fog, changing the background and the picture as a whole. "When it seemed that the work was almost over, I realized that the shadows were turned off." The shadows clearly improved the picture, but it was necessary to refine some details. It is worth noting that with Lumen technology, shadows have almost no effect on FPS. Which is very impressive. Previously developed scenes in Unreal engeen 4 - FPS could fall twice when shadows are turned on. Finally, we will leave you some screenshots from different angles.
- The history of drawing a hut on chicken legs. - 17 January 2023
This model is unique in that it was not drawn by a 3D artist, but by a level designer who is not particularly strong in this. The reason for this is the absence, at the moment, of work from a level designer and a large load from a 3D artist. But first, a little history. Where did the image of such a hut come from? In ancient times, the Slavs made log cabins in the forest by placing them on stumps with chopped roots to protect the tree from rotting — they were carefully scalded and fumigated with acrid smoke. This procedure allowed to expel insects and protect the wood from decomposition. Gradually, the meaning of the word was forgotten, it became unclear why the legs were chicken. Such houses were used not only for living, but also as a warehouse or tombs. It was the latter application that gave rise to the mystical image in modern folklore. A house on a chicken leg is the border of the…
- Rock - 1 December 2022
Mythology In Slavic mythology, there is a creature so negative that Mother earth herself rejects it. It cannot set foot on the damp earth - only on a stone. This monster devours people and cattle, and he dies only from fire. It was said that he himself spews fire. It lives in a mountainous area, all alone Game It is for him that our hero will go to climb a high rock to find and destroy this creature. But in order to defeat him, you will have to master the basics. Location design In addition to the opportunity to climb the rock, it will play an important role in navigation. Focusing on it, you will be able to get out of a dense forest or foggy swamp. And also, climbing on it, you will be able to view most of the map from a bird's-eye view, enjoying the magnificent view. The main thing is not to get dizzy from the view.
- Forest - 29 November 2022
Culture The forest in general and the trees in particular for the Slavs were considered a road to another world, a kind of looking glass. Even a tree was planted on the grave, so that there would be somewhere for the soul to go. Of course, all this did not arise from scratch, because the forest has always attracted our ancestors as an otherworldly and enticing force. They perfectly felt the nature of the forest, and therefore settled next to it. A person's life was also connected with the forest. Not for nothing at the birth of a child, a tree was planted at home. Even modern sayings are echoes of the past, the foundation of life "to build a house, give birth to a son and plant a tree" The forest for the Slavs served as a source of building material, fuel, various products - mushrooms, berries, nuts. It was possible to hunt in the forest, to get a bird or an animal. The forest remained…
- Folklore and mythology - 28 November 2022
When creating lore, we had a small conflict between Folklore and mythology. In Folklore, such characters as Koschei the immortal, Baba Yaga, Viy or Serpent Gorynych are ordinary characters, most often protagonists. You can see them, talk to them and win. But in mythology, all these creatures are gods. Koschei, Viy and Serpent are the children of Chernobog. The main god of Navi, the world of the dead. And Baba Yaga is the daughter of Viya and the wife of Veles, the god of trade. And in the myths, she is not an old woman, but a young warrior. We absolutely did not want to create an analogue of the ghost of Sparta in the Slavic world, but also wanted to preserve the already historically established folklore. Therefore, it was decided to find a balance between it and mythology. Solution If we recall Greek mythology, there were semi-gods there. Children of gods and mortals who possessed supe…
- Mechanics is a reward for perseverance - 24 November 2022
Hard work and patience should be rewarded. Therefore, we have come up with a special mechanic for those who have been trying hard to overcome difficulties for a long time. Forbidden myths is a challenging game. Each boss is unique and requires a different approach. Therefore, many players may take more than a dozen attempts to kill them. And then the modification of the skill will come to his aid. How does it work? When you apply the skill a certain number of times, it will be possible to improve it by choosing a modification at your discretion. Improvements have 3 stages: bronze, silver and gold. Each stage is a stronger new modification, but it is also more difficult to get it. The key point is that the progress of obtaining a modification is preserved after death. Therefore, if you cannot pass the boss for a long time, the game will give you the opportunity to become stronger and mak…
- Svarog - 23 November 2022
The blacksmith God and creator of the earth Mythology In peacetime, he was portrayed as a blacksmith who works in the Heavenly Forge. In a state of war – as a Great warrior in red or burgundy armor, in whose hands was a huge sword made of damask steel. He was valued because of his ability to make tools. He creates with the help of his hands, and not with words or magic like Veles He considers people his children. He takes care of them accordingly: he gave them the Sun and fire to cook food and keep warm in the cold. He taught them how to make cottage cheese and cheese, which were previously considered divine, sacred food. He made an axe for protection from enemies and a bowl in which the sacred drink was prepared. According to legend, Svarog found the Alatyr stone, which was magical. After the spell, the stone increased in size and became snow-white hot. With this stone, the Heavenly Go…
- The complexities of Slavic mythology - 21 November 2022
Unlike Greek, Egyptian or Scandinavian mythology, Slavic did not have time to finally form. This leads to the fact that there is no clear hierarchy of the pantheon. Also, this is complicated by the variety of Slavs. Even nowadays, according to Wikipedia, they are divided into Eastern (3 peoples), Western (6 peoples) and southern (7 peoples), plus 10 peoples with a disputed status. And now imagine that they were all divided into conditional clans, with their own traditions and customs. How many such peoples could live only on one territory of modern Russia? Yes, not only Slavs live there, but it's still a very large scale. And it's good if it just gives more information, but often the facts begin to contradict each other, and you have to think about how to resolve these conflicts. The task is complicated by the struggle of Orthodoxy with paganism. Vladimir I alone destroyed a huge number…
- The main character's weapon - 18 November 2022
When creating the main character's weapon, we tried to observe: 1. Historicity - weapons must correspond to the era and location. 2. Originality - swords are too common, the God of War already has an axe 3. Interesting - so that it would be pleasant to own it, it's a matter of taste, but for us personally, such a weapon as a spear did not fit this criterion. Having reviewed a lot of weapon options. We settled on two options: Shestoper or mace-morgenstern. The six-pointer corresponded well to the point of interest. It was a pleasure to own such a weapon. This weapon was used by the Cold Valley Vord, which Dark Souls 3 fans could appreciate. But this weapon had a problem with historicity. This weapon appeared at a later time. And it appeared on the territory of Western Europe. The club had exactly the opposite situation - it was not so interesting, but it fully corresponded to historicity…
- How the main character's armor was created - 16 November 2022
When creating the armor, we followed the criteria 1. Historicity - the armor should be Slavic. 2. Practicality - armor must fulfill its task, every element of it makes sense. 3. Cost - our main character is not from the rich and could not afford the best armor. This is how the prototype armor looked like. The shield in the middle contradicted practicality and it was decided to get rid of it. Instead, they decided to add shoulder protection. In the end, the result turned out like this, but the problems did not end there. It turned out that we made a mistake when setting the dimensions and the armor began to fall into the body. Another problem surfaced during animation. Some of the textures were distorted when moving. Now the result has become much better. Although there are still improvements left
- Drawing the forest Famously - 15 November 2022
Famously One-eyed Ogre, a character in Slavic mythology. She has disheveled hair, sharp claws and only one eye on her forehead. Famously inhabits the swamp. She has a magical skull that screams for people. When they come close, Famously rushes at them and devours them. Some sources indicate that famously has an eye on the forehead, but we decided to make an eye on the right side, for three reasons. 1. The eye in the middle strongly resembles a creature from Greek mythology - a Cyclops. We want our creatures to be unique. 2. According to mythology, famously knows how to take other people's forms, but there will always be one eye. Therefore, it famously covers the second half of the face with elements of the image. For example, having turned into a young girl, she will famously cover part of her face with a strand of hair. This mechanic will be in the game, and in order for it to look log…
