Character selection scenes and armor rendering

Scars of Honor presents a reworked character selection screen built as a dynamic in-engine scene rather than a static image. The new approach gives each race its own themed environment, with examples shown for Humans and Undead. The Human scene is framed as brighter and more conventional, while the Undead scene uses darker architecture and moonlit lighting.

The new presentation is tied to a broader overhaul of character visuals. Armor materials are shown with reflective metal surfaces, and the system is intended to support visible gear progression, with equipment changes remaining visually important to character advancement.

Race-specific character scenes

Each race is planned to receive its own dedicated selection scene. Because the scenes use the same world-style rendering approach as the game itself, background elements such as clouds can move dynamically. This allows the presentation to feel closer to the in-game world rather than a menu backdrop.

The Undead scene emphasizes darker lighting and architecture. Moonlight is used to highlight the character model and armor materials.

Character and armor optimization

The character rendering system is described as having been rebuilt for performance and storage efficiency. Earlier versions reportedly treated many visible equipment parts as separate meshes, which increased rendering cost. The revised system instead aims to fit armor to races through a shared base approach with attachments, reducing the need for large numbers of unique meshes.

The team states that a character can now be drawn with a single draw call, with the character using one mesh and one material setup (with two textures mentioned). This optimization is presented as important both for PC performance and for the planned mobile version.

Visual progression and material layers

The armor shown is described as a test set used to stress-test the system before broader production. Individual armor pieces are said to support up to four color layers. These layers are currently used for material distinctions such as metal, iron, gold, and leather, but the values are described as adjustable.

Reflectivity is also configurable per material. The discussion implies that this system is intended to support broader appearance variation in the future, though no full feature list is confirmed in the captions.

Source

• Recording: Live Gameplay Preview | Scars of Honor - September 2024
• YouTube: Watch on YouTube
• Published: Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 9:00 AM UTC