Ian Maclure
@fearian
🎇 Lead VFX Artist @ Beffio ☁️ Recently shipped LOST SKIES ☁️ ☄️ Indie developing, on and off. Mostly off right now.
I didn't really take any photos at Develop this year, so glad to find one taken by the GI Biz photographer. @andrewfray.dev, was introducing me to James Adey here, who then gave us an emphatic pitch for www.aiandgamesconference.com. (They should give him a commission because I am genuinely sold.)
There goes another Develop. Always a good time catching up and meeting friends of friends of friends. It makes the UK games industry feel like friends all the way down.
I'm too old. This no longer feels like "Oof my wallet!" It just feels like: "So I'm just never going to a bunch of these games I guess." I barely have time to get into one game about every ~2 months. (And sometimes that game is replaying an old favorite).
I love that the Illugen team is in that special place where they are very dialed into developer feedback, trying to make the best tool for #RTVFX. Any time I have a question, someone promptly offers me help in the discord. And if it was a small suggestion, then I find it in the next release!
There's a guy who drives around my town with one of these from the 60's! He uses it to make firewood deliveries, and when I saw it, I instantly had to ask to take photos! He keeps a spare engine on the back, because it's that temperamental!
I hung a disco ball for my daughters birthday the only way I know how! ...Would not whip. 😏
How I have celebrated my (and Mewtwo's) birthday so far: - Wake up to 2ft long Ole and Steen cinnamon pastry meant for 8 people. Eat half of it. - Lie in till 10 - Play some CS 1.6 on a nostalgic whim - Solve a weird puzzle along with a Cracking the Cryptic video - Tidy for guests - Go climbing!
I know I said games twitter is too negative, but I can't let AAA Trailer season go by without my bi-yearly rant against Temporal Anti Aliasing- I DON'T WANT PERFECT HAIR RENDERING I JUST WANT VISUAL STABILITY AT NATIVE RESOLUTION! *incoherent motion blurred babbling*
6. UNO: I helped the team on the Show em No Mercy DLC, which is an rules variant so fun I went and bought a pack IRL, and play it with my family. I made a halftone shader for comic style effects, word art generator, and escalating impact effects for long card combos. #vfx #realtimevfx #rtvfx
5. Last Lost skies post: Gooey splash assets for enemy attacks. Cave bugs would spit acid at you, and had clusters of eggs that could be popped. I'm genuinely very proud of the technical stuff behind this, and previously promised a breakdown. There's no VAT or flipbooks! #vfx #realtimevfx #rtvfx
4. Lost Skies: Boss attacks. There's so much effects on the Heralds that I'm genuinely not sure where to start. I was never super happy with how the "orb attack" shipped, but there's cannons, cloud trails, weather effects... Here's an early video of an energy orb going pop! #vfx #realtimevfx #rtvfx
3. Lost Skies: This repair effect that was used on drones, the players own repair tool, and even a gravity gun type tool in a later prototype at the studio. The drones got a rework later, and looks nicer in motion, but I think got broken after I left. #vfx #realtimevfx #rtvfx
2. Lost Skies: Gathering tool mechanics for mining and tree chopping. This went through several iterations and things changed even after the vfx was done. You break off rock, collect ore, and try not to detonate the core. #vfx #realtimevfx #rtvfx
This is a choice paralysis induced post. I also need to put up the Christmas tree! I'm going to post some WIP captures here on Bluesky, and see if you guys can help me pick something to showcase. Ready? 1. Lost Skies: Chests and Item pickups with rarity level effects. #vfx #realtimevfx #rtvfx
Ahhhh! I did this last year for a work-bench. It was like the craziest UV unwrapping puzzle! I even made a 3d print mockup, with model storage boxes that the desk was designed around.
Starting to wish I had bought a second RAM kit back when I was "trying to save money" because what the fuck-
*slaps the roof of an old coolermaster 690 with the front bays ripped out* This bad boy can do a parity check in 56 hours- *server clicks rapidly from the slap* uh-oh
We got rained out yesterday, but the sun peeking though this morning is stunning!
I spent this afternoon driving through the cloud covered Scottish highlands, along rainwashed winding back roads, listening to the Heavensward soundtrack. Just a perfect pairing.
about 15 shard bundles of tools to take down this tank! 3 Bosses on the map, and 2 enemy rooms (High Halls and Deep Docks) left to clear.
And speaking of loose threads... Savage Beastfly round 2. Pimpillo for the adds, just one cogfly at a time to keep the poison ticking.
Pimpillo and cogflys feel super strong, so I guess I shoud finally kill Moorwing.
Well the tasks are much simpler. Fixing mistakes is more of a pain without a git history.
Halfway through: Dense world building makes the opening of the book rather chewy, but insanely intersting character dynamics keep you hooked. Somewhere between Denzel Washington's character in Training Day, Judge Dredd, and Special Circumstances. Juicy revenge plots abound.