Scorched – Video Game
Project Manager, Lead Lighting Artist, Lead VFX
Scorched – Gameplay
(Unreal Engine 5, Houdini 19, Maya 2023, Adobe 3D Substance Painter, Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, August 2023 – December 2023)
Scorched is a linear runner video game meant to spread awareness about wildfires. The Player plays as a fox trying to escape the clutches of a wildfire. The style of the game was inspired by impressionist paintings. For this project, I was the Project Manager, Lead Lighting Artist, and Lead Visual Effects Artist. This game was created by a team of five in 2023.
The full game can be found here on itch.io : https://the-mars-bars.itch.io/scorched
Team: Talyssa Garcia, Nadia Generes, Peyton Johnson, Peyton Oliver
Lighting and VFX – Wildfire Atmosphere
(Unreal Engine 5, August 2023 – December 2023)
For this game, I was in charge of creating a lighting atmosphere that conveyed a wildfire and enhanced the impressionist painting aesthetic of the game. To achieve this look, I referenced real life wildfires, and then used Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen to make the lighting a vivid red to further push the aesthetic of the game. At the end of the level, the player jumps into a bright square of light to mark the end. This was a simple shape plane that I made emissive and then turned collision off for. This gave the player the illusion of jumping into pure light.
To enhance the environment, I made a fog simulation and ember simulation. I made both of these VFX systems using Unreal Engine’s Niagara. The fog was faint but enhanced the level by adding clear atmospheric perspective when looking through the trees of the surrounding forest. The embers added to the urgency of the situation as well as helped guide the player through the preset path of the game.
Visual Effects – Forest Flames
(Maya 2023, Houdini 19, August 2023 – December 2023)
This game required stylized fire to serve as physical obstacles for the player. To achieve this goal, I used Houdini 19 and Maya 2023. I created a base model in Maya that served as the geometry base in Houdini to make the flames. I animated the fire to jitter like a real flame and then added polygonal smoke emit from the top of the geometry. The flames were colored using a color ramp. The effect together in the environment gives the effect of the flames being painted and low-poly. This was in line with the low-poly impressionist aesthetic the game was trying to convey. Three different variations were made to give variety to the environment.
