Environment Design & Inspiration | Devlog

Join me for another Devlog where I go over my design process with an N64 environment for my indie game.
Support the Project: / legend64project

[@neill6585]

There is something very charming about low poly, low resolution art styles. I've thought about it seriously for a while now and what I think is going on isn't nostalgia, it is the participation of the brain in the imagining of the world. In modern games there is nothing left to the imagination in terms of scope or scale in the graphics, its either there or it isn't. But your trees have leaves, even though none can distinctly be seen. The forest is dense, dark, and full of mystery as to its size, even though it's a single plane with a texture. The engagement of the brain in imagining the world is more satisfying that simply showing all of it. For when we clearly see all of it, most often, we are disappointed.

[@Legend64Project]

Absolutely agree. I’ve felt the exact same way for ages.

[@DevUndead]

I agree with you there. I would add that the game design also makes a lot of difference. Why a Legend of Zelda is so good is because you know there's nothing like it. In real life, there are no zora, gorons or fairies. It's fun to explore such worlds, because you don't know what's waiting for you behind the next hill. In modern (AA-AAA) video games, there is too much orientation to existing facts. Except for robots, a few more exotic weapons and movement, they don't dare to do too much. The game has to be suitable for the masses and there they only look at graphics and everything has to be simple, therefore leaning on the real world. Also, the world is becoming more and more irrelevant, as you run from one marker to the next without exploring, as it has no advantages. The "old" gameplay can work equally well in modern video games like Subnautica, Breath of the Wild, Raft, Portal 2, ...

[@Karyonic]

It could also be similar to how the brain remembers things, if you don't have photographic memory, your brain uses your memory of an amalgamation of a thing to recognise a future one of those things you encountered in the past, and this art style with low res/low poly might be how our brains compress information to be able to quickly recognise things. I think it's kind of like how we can interpret sentences of words with jumbled letter order with little effort, as long as the first and last letter of each word are correct, part of our brains has this compressed information that we access to recognise things faster, and this art style directly accesses it along with enabling our imagination to fill in the blanks from our past experiences.

[@phantomarchive]

Agreed 1000%

[@trumtrum5136]

I agree

[@YahyaDanboos]

Love how the ground grass texture and the tree wall texture blend together at their contact points 😁

[@jjrubes1880]

About the kisaragi station thing, I found an archived version of the original 2ch thread and found the line (my Japanese isn't that great either so I had to use the English as reference). Here is the line: 鬼って書いて、きさらぎって読めるのね。。。 The 2 things of note are the kanji is 鬼 (oni) which is more of a japanese style devil, and the station is referred to as きさらぎ, which is hiragana (a phonetic spelling), not as 如月. I would write it in the hiragana if you want to write it in japanese, but if you wanted to use the kanji I would suggest making sure to have the hiragana as well, either as ruby text or just an alternate spelling. Because, as you noted, it's not a normal reading for 鬼.

[@jackhearts9827]

I love how much effort you put into these devlogs, hearing about all the little details and decisions behind seemingly simple parts of the game is fascinating.

[@G7ue]

I've always wanted to make my own game, but asset creation and coding always seemed so overwhelming. My interests and experience lay in level design, and world building. This was actually quite inspiring, as it shows even very basic geometry and textures can make a very compelling environments.

[@carlos_7x]

I'm having a bad day at work, and then this video drops in. This is energy to me, thank you :)

[@TakumiJoyconBoyz]

I love the sound of your inspirations for this game. Seems like it's really gonna bring that mysterious atmosphere that some of the best N64 games have.

[@jamesderaja]

I never expected the final result to be that amazingly. You really are an expert when it comes to environment design.

[@sealsharp]

I love how every era of technical compromise has become a style.

[@sidsthesid]

I’m a 2D background artist for animation, but I’ve been very interested in getting into more 3D art and I just love your passion and skills for your project. It’s so inspiring, you make me want to create something of my own! So happy to follow along your journey, I’m having so much fun seeing the process!

[@BearlyRegal]

BLESS THE ALGORITHIM! Fellow low-poly nerd here - this vid/channel is great! Though, right at the beginning when you said you couldn't talk about your current professional project, the clip of Banjo Kazooie got me very giddy very quickly. That gem deserves a remake. GUH-HUH!

[@twomur_]

when you layered the moss over the stone wall then started drawing it in it was so satisfying

[@yveltalsea]

So glad this video got pushed by the algorithm, your attention to detail is AMAZINg

[@Loganator4551]

10:53 made me laugh so hard. Really funny and also a good representation of how stuff like making textures goes. Respect for this video.

[@thejakery]

I almost never actually laugh out loud when watching videos alone, but that made me burst out laughing. Fantastic timing

[@eszesfilms1651]

I like when a game would like to looks like a game and not reality. Good job.

[@gogurtbogurt]

I think this is one of the few games that properly emulates that n64 ocarina of time and banjo kazooie style

[@nightwing36s]

Love the choices of classic n64 tunes throughout the devlog

[@ssddsameshtdifferentdragon6188]

You brought back good memories and made me laugh. "I hate it." Subscribed.

[@game-enjoyer13]

Been following this project for a while now. And every updates inspires me every time. Keep it up, my good man

[@SkemeKOS]

The visual style is perfect.

[@lanefaulhaber875]

Thank you so much for your videos on Legend 64! I am 25 years old and have only a minor in computer programming, but I am trying to learn how to make my own game for the first time as well! And videos like yours are super helpful and inspiring.

[@issacdotson9204]

after browsing through so many channels. Yours is by far the best. The explaining thod is so great and detailed even complex stuff is

[@ZephaniahNoah]

10:50 so relatable xD Too many times have I put a lot of time and effort into something just to scrap it.

[@aarorissanen930]

That long doc of all the hard work and then the disappointment is very relatable.

[@Shikigami6]

I felt the "I hate it" part so much :D The feeling of putting hours into some creative work just for it to not come out as fancy as imagined.

[@turbo6223]

I love the ideas you come up with, I really believe if you make a full length game it will gain lots of traction I don't think I've seen anyone make their own fully fledged N64 game before.

[@99brickstudios]

I saw gameplay of the ps1 Harry Potter game recently. And the forest textures in that game were BEAUTIFUL. Really impressive how much they got out of the low resolution.

[@HY0]

Your devlog videos are always so fun and insightful to watch! You completely nailed the style and the game is looking extremely promising. Always excited to see your next video!

[@lemonke8132]

Really amazing stuff! I love seeing how you approach the environment as a professional artist

[@MrCheeze]

Always love to see an update on this project, and interesting to see you branch out into a somewhat different type of video. The real-world arch definitely has a strong game-like feel to it, I'm not surprised you took inspiration from it.

[@PapaSage]

I love how you started playing Sims 1 building music when you started your blockout.

[@Legend64Project]

It seemed appropriate :)

[@KlareAudio]

This is absolutely fantastic! I love how you leveled up the production on these videos and bringing us outside. It’s also interesting hearing about your backbround

[@TheGimGamer]

Awesome video as always! Great to see your creative proses when making such cool areas! Also you totally capture the N64 vibe it's insane

[@TopherBlairMusic]

Was looking into N64 graphics and found this channel. Working on an N64 style Shmup and this channel is a treasure. Keep up the good work.

[@FunnyThingsWeekly]

I am really enjoying this series. The game and all of it's contents are looking incredible. I've always been a fan of retro graphics and have only recently gotten into incorporating them into my art. Thank you so much for the wonderful content and inspiration.

[@jumbledfox2098]

Just discovered this project, your content is so good!! I was expecting like at least 50 thousand views with this kind of quality

[@johannkeaton1452]

These are so inspiring. I love your approach to environment design.

[@Domarius64]

Just a few seconds in and I can tell you, you smashed the look, amazing. I see so many "PS1 style games" and people exaggerate one or 2 features of the system like pixellation and ignore everything else that was distinctive to that look, but you captured so much of what makes an N64 game look the way it does.

[@1ChilledDude]

Love the N64-esque aesthetic. Look forward to seeing more and the progress of this project.

[@petamcwaff8849]

I would love to keep seeing these devlogs of Legend 64, Even If I haven't played any old titles games like Legend Of Zelda, I find old games like these nostalgic or cool for how they're able to make games in the first place. I love Level Designing, but I often sometimes lack the motivation to keep going, but when I found these videos on your youtube channel, it inspired me and gave me more knowledge about the old ways Level Designers had to detail each level. Hope you have a great day and keep on game creating👍😁

[@joevillarreal192]

Every time I watch a new video, I get a new idea 🥲 Awesome work, and thanks as always for sharing!

[@unseeingeyes]

I'm so glad the algorithm blessed me with this video. I've been making small indie games off and on over the past decade and have always struggled with 3d. Seeing an actual industry professional go through their process of blocking out an area and doing texture work helps me realize what I've been doing wrong and is a big inspiration. Thank you for making this channel!

[@DommoDommo]

God these blogs are the best. I wish you could upload more regularly, because I lose myself in this game. These are VERY inspiring, and I love hearing where you get your references from.

[@ameliemarie]

I love the way your made this video as well as the level! So fun to hear about your inspiration :)

[@derwastl]

I love old 3D Graphics styled games!

[@minitrex4533]

You are literally the best, I've been looking for a tutorial for three days and yours works

[@sabre_plays]

I'm just addicted to your work flow, very much inspiring to me, thank you friend!

[@SomeHumbleOnion]

Really loved seeing your process on environment design! It's something I struggle a lot with and this has really helped inspire some new techniques. Keep up the great work!

[@_tbg]

Glad to see that you're still working on it, looks sick as always

[@Moby41]

Please continue these devlogs! Very inspiring stuff. Can't wait to see more!!

[@Holdsworthands]

thanks for sharing i enjoyed every second of the video, i love this project, your voice is so relaxing too :D

[@DeepFriedOreoOffline]

I can't believe this wasn't recommended to me, this has to be your best video yet! Amazing progress as well :)

[@FlashTheReploid]

very satisfied with your work so far, keep it up!

[@jumpingman6612]

What a treat! It was great to see the process of the stone arc. Truly inspiring!

[@EveBatStudios]

Really enjoyed watching your progress and process ❤

[@TheAbeinG]

omg thank you for this video! it's very inspirational. And somehow it put me in a relaxing mood and gave me new hope for my project.

[@AllExistence]

You can use "walking (or was it flying?) mode"in blender to explore the model as a character ("tab button", I think, turn on gravity) it's just like in game engine, two meter high and has collision. It's because Blender used to have a game engine once.

[@Legend64Project]

Thank you. I appreciate the insightful comments :)

[@danielterry5786]

Just discovered your channel, this looks awesome. I can't wait to play it. I grew up playing N64, Star Fox64 was my favorite, but I put in plenty of hours in OoT and others as well. You have done an excellent job of recreating the style and charm of those games. Keep it up, man.

[@dragonfire23141]

This is amazing. subscribed and hit the bell, can't wait for more content. I hope the channel grows quickly.

[@RetroPlus]

This video is so well put together, your presentation is really inspiring and really makes me want to try N64 style myself

[@VoylinsLife]

Just found this channel, this is such a big inspiration source. Thanks!!

[@grymdylan]

i wouldnt mind if videos like this did go on forever! this was fun

[@kayvolbeda8669]

Amazing work man! really cool to see your project evolve! :D

[@GlamourSwinexXx]

This kind of texture work is SUPER inspiring and informative. Thanks for sharing!!

[@ginmartini]

Very happy I stumbled on this channel. This is exactly the kind of inspiration I need! I'm not replicating 64 per se, but I am definitely influenced by these design principles. Looking forward to keeping up with your journey!

[@popogeejo]

I always find set design for animation really tricky so seeing your environment design process is cool.

[@terrywilliams450]

This forest area really reminds me of Gaul from Asterix & Obelix XXL, I used to stare at the ominous woods for hours as a kid, very awesome work you did here :^)

[@eg4omar199]

Thanks for the motivation. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I might try it eventually.

[@catto-from-heaven]

Cant wait to see this project finished. It looks awesome

[@michaelclark5237]

I do love making trees. Especially the the rotating one I remember from low poly video games.

[@KamranWali]

Awesome video! The game is looking good. Really like the art style of the game. Also they story sounds really good. Keep it up! :)

[@3Rlink]

Love your content and your upcoming game, will sure stick for updates !

[@Moist_Noodles]

I accidentally stubled across these videos, and I am absolutely enjoying them. Not sure why, but it's incredibly captivating to watch!

[@Konspiracie]

Fantastic video. Ever since first seeing your environment work, I've hoped you would showcase the more practical elements of your workflow, and this absolutely delivered.

[@handle.setUsername]

Looks cool. Glad that someone is making oot looking game most of the n64 inspired game I have seen looks like mario 64.

[@blackholessbm]

As a fellow game dev and freetime unreal engine user I love the series ! really nice :) Love to learn new things ! I never knew you could change the visual size of colliders, or to use a delay for looping stuff for example! But there are a few small things I'd like you to know. (I just got to this video, bingewatching the others. The tips have nothing to do with this devlog in particular) Using shape keys for your main character is a bit of cheating I feel like, since as far as I know this wasn't used in the N64 era. It would be more true to the original to just match the topology of the skirt with the topology of the leg. This way skinning the skirt will not clip anymore. When you're casting something in a blueprint you can save that to a variable (quick tip, just drag out the output and then "convert to variable"). This way you can avoid the big spiderweb of strings coming off of the "cast to gameinstance" node for example and instead use the variable wherever you want directly. On that note, when you cast to something you know will be of a certain type, you can right click the cast and right on the bottom it says "convert to pure cast" this way it doesn't need to be hooked up to the main execute line. I think that's it from me, don't want to backseat develop too much :D keep up the good work !

[@Legend64Project]

That’s a very helpful comment! Thank you for your input

[@tylerhughes192]

Every time I see the texture atlas and how it's used it kinda blows my mind. Good stuff keep up the good work.

[@MrVibeless]

This is epic work mate. If you ported this to the original N64 I would buy it. Take my money my first born its yours!

[@Legend64Project]

Hopefully it won’t come to that, but the sentiment is appreciated!

[@SovereignVis]

"I hate it!" LOL! Best part of the video.🤣

[@mamaharumi]

beautiful work and so is that tunnel you walk through IRL

[@zackbryans4982]

Always excited to see an update on this project.

[@lifeartstudios6207]

repost from patreon: Looking sick my dude! Always excited to see you pop up in my notifications. I'd love to see more texture "tuts". I've been struggling to mimic the n64 texture look. I like the slightly enhanced definition from the 3ds versions due to the actual screen resolutions allowing for more pixel density. Also, because VR let's you can stick your face really close...

[@GabiN64]

You've really mastered the N64 look 😍

[@Hexful]

I love your devlogs, I love your N64 style and general atmosphere! Also the Kisaragi Station intrigued me so much I had to read it, and now I want to make a horror inspired game of it for my school project 😅

[@nahuelpaillapi]

It's always cool to see your content

[@ushtarhasani5625]

What a great video, helps A LOT in the beginning.

[@NaughtyKlaus]

I've been trying to find modernized versions of how older games were built, and this emulates it pretty greatly. I think I've learned a bit from your thought process and I'm going to be experimenting with this. Thanks a bunch.

[@jasondrew6157]

That OOT forest temple music fits so well with the mood board forest pictures you showed. It just comes to show how well that Zelda music was composed, it hits the mark perfectly.

[@pbgamer115]

Would love to see more of these level design videos, it hits right in the nostalgia, with the Zelda music, it’s such a nice video to relax too

[@robrobusa]

1 Minute in - instant sub. :D I looove the Zelda/N64 visuals you have got going on!

[@endie01]

I felt the "I hate it" deep in my bones as a fellow artist lmao

[@EZmodeAl3x]

I've been watching and keeping up with your n-64 inspired project. Indie devs are obsessed with voxel graphics but the n-64 graphics are so much better! So I really appreciate an in-depth video on the environment. Also, I'd love to see an the logic for your fairy!

[@LenardoDivina]

you nailed it the style of the n64 makes me feel nostalgic

[@kellygallagher7148]

This is great example of why you should always do grey-box testing for environments. You can't really tell if your level "feels right" for your gameplay without testing it. They author of the video does incremental testing through-out to make sure everything works.

[@SnowyFoxFox]

What a lovely project! Subscribed.

[@galamotshaku]

Absolutely love this dev log I´m also an environment designer struggling to find work. And I find this really inspiring.

[@LastNight0]

hey from one game dev to another this is awesome content, makes me wanna jam out a old school 64 style game myself!

[@arboonstudio5729]

one thing i would like to say is i like the simple and straight forward thumbnail of this video & the video itself is calm and understandable unlike being an over the top "youtube" video x). feels like you're taking your art seriously. the tree and ground textures really got that N64 look :D this is very cool! ^^

[@kyleboynton2748]

So just want to say, Horizon Forbidden West is MF beautiful! And knowing you had a part in that, just...chef's kiss

[@pwhite102]

very cool tunnel you walk through. Makes me want to go find some cool places to look at too