How do these 1997 Graphics Look This Good?!

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What makes Riven's 1997 graphics timeless? Concepts and tips you can apply to your own art for stunning results! Value, shading, color theory, and digital painting techniques explained.
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[@marcobucci]

I have a NEW drawing foundations book out now! www.marcobucci.com/book

[@elianabastidas3634]

I wanted to buy the book but it’s not shipping to my location in the US 😢. Are there any other links I could use?

[@marcobucci]

@@elianabastidas3634 It's available at Barnes & Noble as well!

[@Maxsmack]

This video has done something incredible for me, something you likely didn't even think about it while making it. I have been searching for the past 4 years to find this game from my memory. Thank you so incredibly much for releasing me from this search. I had a small feeling from the thumbnail this might be the game I was looking for, but I thought it was a million to 1 chances. Only for frame one of the video to show that familiar golden shape. Thank you again so so much, seriously dozens of hours of searching finally fulfilled thanks to you.

[@tharii314]

Hi. I'm just curious on what formats and codecs do you upload videos. I am having this problem where some quality options are missing.

[@mattstroker3742]

Atlantis, Ring der nibelungen, china, Egypt. All by cryo entertainment, ring was from arxel tribe. But those games had even better graphics and not just stills.

[@tb8865]

The 90's pre-rendered aesthetic is awesome. Technical limitations can have great imaginative results.

[@szymonsobczak2307]

hell yeah. I still can't stop gushing over Disciples 2, and it's been two decades. Current estetique can't compare

[@razeezar]

I still prefer the pre-rendered aesthetic of the DKC trilogy on the SNES than its successors. Better light and shade contrast on the sprites, and better overall contrast between the foreground and the parallax background layers. The soundtracks ( _Edit_ : and controls) are much better too, but I digress!

[@evilkidm93b]

"Technical limitations can have great imaginative results" the truest sentence. I went from drawing digitally back to pencil drawing and enjoy it more.

[@xXYannuschXx]

Limitation breeds innovation.

[@matthewwilliams3827]

True, it’s a vibe.

[@bradonhoover3002]

Came for a commentary on 1997 game graphics, received an entire college curriculum on color theory more effectively than the actual curriculum

[@grigorescustelian6012]

And I came for computer graphics but got arts class lecture...

[@snaptiix3926]

@@grigorescustelian6012 same bro, ur not alone

[@Paulog2003]

Exactly 😭was pretty confused

[@thespeculativemusician]

@@grigorescustelian6012yeah I thought it would be about 3D renders, not painting

[@RighteousJ]

It makes a difference when the person giving the lecture genuinely cares about/is passionate about the subject, and simultaneously wants to inspire similar enthusiasm in the audience. Most college professors only do what they do because that's all their degree qualifies them to do, and they're doing it for the paycheck while also hating their job.

[@flamebrindger3984]

Because it's artistic. Under limitations, less advanced technology, and still talked about to this day. It's beautiful and timeless. With all the tech we have today, I wish pre-redendered graphics came back.

[@jmvr]

I don't, because having a non-standard monitor resolution makes it look blurry or obviously pre-rendered. I play a game like Yakuza 0 and all of a sudden there's black borders on the sides of my monitor and the cutscene looks blurry. If it wasn't a pre-rendered cutscene, it would fix my aspect ratio and look sharper. It's inherently not timeless. It may be beautiful, but only if it's played at the resolution it was originally made for: likely 720p or 1080p, not 1440p or above.

[@SMGJohn]

@@jmvr You can use CRT filters like Megatron or CRT Royale, you will be surprised how good it works. Best to do with a 4k display but 1440p can work well with the Trinitron masks.

[@AKi-RiN-DA]

It's not about pre-rendered graphics coming back, it's about the art aspect of graphics that needs to come back. Developers and "artists" nowadays rely almost entirely on new technology. That's why most modern games don't look as good as old ones even though they have "better" graphics.

[@jmvr]

@@AKi-RiN-DA that, I can agree with. Pre-rendered graphics are bad, solely due to the fact that it's a set resolution. Artistic graphics on the other hand are far more interesting and less limiting. It's a concept, rather than actual execution. TF2 graphics are beautiful, despite being unremarkable. Escape from Tarkov is realistic, sure, but it's not that interesting. Wow, a replication of real life, so original and artistic

[@LukasKetner]

Check out the upcoming game Neyyah. Inspired partly by Riven, and with pre-rendered graphics. Should be out sometime this year! (I'm not affiliated, just looks good)

[@hex_1733]

The way you paint lighting is seriously jawdropping. You capture it perfectly.

[@marcobucci]

Thanks!

[@PopFictionVideos]

I was one of the lead 3D artists on a 1996 game called "Bad Mojo". Our approach was similar. We created lots of pre-rendered game screens. We used Form Z and Electric Image on a Mac, and did a lot of touch up painting Photoshop. It was a small crew and we spent almost 2 years in production. Great memories!

[@EmergencyChannel]

The roach game! I remember being disgusted by that game as a kid when I played it, mostly by the dead rat screen.

[@Superabound2]

Literally one of the strangest games of all time. Congrats!

[@arandompasserby7940]

Oh hey, I bought that game on GOG because I like old-school PNC games, but have never played it. I might have to install it and give it a whirl tonight!

[@Omega9935]

You did a wonderful work. Bad Mojo was one of my favorite game as a kid. I liked killed rats and bugs. Nothing disgusting to me. 😂

[@ncapone87]

That game freaked me out!

[@AdobadoFantastico]

Didn't know you were a Riven fan. They understood what good values were and made it work. Very admirable project.

[@everdinestenger1548]

And not to forget Myst

[@henryglennon3864]

Nice! I'm an architect and digital painter, and I often do painting studies off of stills from Riven. On top of the excellent shot composition, design, and lighting you mentioned; Riven is especially good for painting studies for one other reason: Becsuse the game is from 1997, the pixel count is very low compared to a contemporary 4k image. So when you paint bigger, your brain has to add a little more detail, and you can't get easilly overwhelmed by tiny details in the original image.

[@jichaelmorgan3796]

I've thought about doing studies from movie stills, but from a classic game like Riven is genius!

[@marcobucci]

Agreed. I had a segment in the first cut of this video about the game's limited resolution and dithered images, but I had to cut it because I felt it would bore too many viewers

[@yanisvizulis449]

@@marcobucci I ,for example, would love to listen. Our brain can fool us so much that we no longer want to draw at all (or the learning process will drag for years). My brain, like probably many people's, begins to get hung up on small details if there is an opportunity to add them (even if you dont need them). I spent a lot of time trying to overcome this habit while drawing. Still trying, to be honest.

[@AxionSmurf]

@@marcobucciI wish you hadn't cut it.

[@Panzer_the_Merganser]

Added detail in 4k remasters of games have been less than stellar for that exact reason, in my opinion. Monkey Island I & II suffer badly from this: the extra detail needed was not in the original art (at least in the scanned images), so sketched nonesese was added as filler, much to the detriment of the overall image. Myst was perfect for its time, and left a lot to the imagination due to limitations to what LOD could be rendered. To me each ‘update’ to Myst removes that mystery and vagueness, with more bright light and fewer spaces to let the mind wander. The trees on Myst island, for example, have dwindled down from a cool, dark stand of evergreens, to a spare few.

[@alejorag]

I'm a software engineer with a passion for videogame development and computer graphics and clicked on this thinking it would be related to those topics and not art itself (since I'm not an artist) but, let me tell you, I was thoroughly entertained lol. It's incredible how Riven still holds up so beautifully and how you were able to passionately explain and capture some of that beauty on this video, will look forward to more of your content.

[@Le5sterleCheMiDevi]

Since they didn't have Global Illumination with mental ray in 1997, they had to simulate the bounces from the sky, with Ambient Light, you can even see that in the Riven Making Of video, where the preview render has a blue tint on the shadow areas. So, they had to know what they were doing to get photorealistic renders.

[@marcobucci]

Exactly. I remember emailing Josh Staub, an artist on Riven, back in like 1998, asking if they used global illumination (which was a very new feature in Mental Ray then, and like you said - probably not yet available when they were actually rendering Riven.) Josh wrote back and said he took it as a great compliment that I'd asked that question about global illumination, as it was all lit with regular ol' lighting, and they could only dream of using GI in production. If I remember correctly, Josh said they used lots of area lights for the ambient/shadow stuff, and a directional light for the sun. They also had some custom Mental Ray plug-ins written for things like atmospheric perspective, lens glare, light spill, and underwater atmospherics. Probably a bunch of post processing, too.

[@Le5sterleCheMiDevi]

@@marcobucci Yeah, Area Lights to simulate bounce light, or to add a rim light to certain objects, were still used in production in the late 2000 too. Jeremy Vickery explained in an old video, when working for Pixar on WALL-E, they had to render the frames fast, and Global Illumination was not a viable option, so they implemented all the tricks to have the scene rendered the best lighting possible with the least amount of render time, also, doing it manually gives you total control on how the scene will look. Because, you can't just place a directional light and pretend it will lit correctly your interior shot with only a window as your light source. There was also another trick to simulate photon bounces (now with Unbiased renderers I doubt it's still used), they used an Ambient Occlusion shader applied to the material's Ambient Color, which practically lit the object on its own. I always felt like that the "screens" on these old games with prerendered graphics were like a painting, every scene is meticulously framed and the player is led into looking at right path to take with lighting or the environment's shape itself.

[@russbuss98]

They were painting bros

[@benin8or]

Riven is gorgeous. It's crazy how they were able to get that kind of crazy good graphics back then. Myst was incredible too from a couple years earlier.

[@barrett2020]

look up the new game is even more unreal

[@arandompasserby7940]

@@barrett2020 Ehhhh, I'm not really a fan of the new remake of Myst. It went for a must dusty, dried-out look for the main island, and I definitely prefer the more lush look. And besides, for me, those old pre-rendered 90's backgrounds hold far more emotional weight for me - maybe it's just because I grew up with those visuals, but to me they're more captivating than all the polygons the latest Unreal engine can render.

[@h8GW]

@barrett2020 There seemed to be a systematic lack of attention to detail in the remake that had a sabotaging effect on the game. Take a closer look at the maglev rail alignment and the rope work on the wooden door leading to the revolving room if you don't believe me.

[@alperozgunyesil]

For me, those games were Grim Fandango and Sanitarium. In an era of limited options, pre-rendered visuals were a blessing for us. Again, amazing video Marco- thank you!

[@pw6002]

Grim Fandango is one of my favorite games ever ! But regarding graphics, my real « epiphany » was the release of King’s Quest V some years before, with all the background graphics relying for the first time on hand painted pictures and fully using the new 256-color VGA-standard of the PCs.

[@samkedwards2032]

Riven was just released in VR (as was Myst a couple years ago) and it looks every bit as stunning. It's incredible to see it 'in person'

[@doltBmB]

There is something magical about the old SGI renderman workflow. Things changed when the VFX industry moved to maya, and never really recovered.

[@Fridelain]

Can you expand upon this?

[@doltBmB]

@@Fridelain basically CGI in the old days was largely done on silicon graphics (SGI) workstation computers, using often a particular combination of software such as alias poweranimator and pixar's renderman. the whole process has a unique flavor that produces oddly realistic if not entirely accurate images.

[@Fridelain]

@@doltBmB So like flash animation, crayon or ms paint drawings being instantly recognisable as such?

[@giornikitop5373]

??? the first editions were a bit rough but renderman worked just fine with maya. most of pixar's animations were maya+renderman.

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

We still used PR renderman well after the SGI boxed were gone. Even the old implementation was very flexible, very scalable. We learned a lot while writing our own renderer, mental ray, although we started RnD as early as 1985.

[@monsterrun]

Art direction > graphics complexity.

[@Lissbirds]

This game blew my mind back in the day. The graphics were unlike anything I'd seen, and they still hold up. Every frame is a painting. Rand and Robyn are true artists who put so much thought into their craft. The Myst novels have drawings they created to go along with the story, and the artwork is very skilled. Those pencil drawings always stuck with me, because they were both expressive, simple, and efficient all at the same time. Also, if you can get your hands on the Riven art book, you can see the thought and beauty in the artwork for the game.

[@arandompasserby7940]

You've probably seen it, but I *HIGHLY* recommend the Ars Technica interview with Rand Miller on the making of Myst.

[@jeanlundi2141]

Don't froget Richard Vander Wende. He's the main responsible for the look of Riven.

[@thomascleveland]

So funny. I clicked onto this video absent mindedly, Started watching this thing about a retro video game, and I was about to tell you that your voice sounds exactly like my favorite art teacher marco bucci

[@marcobucci]

😆

[@fastertrackcreative]

Funny that

[@falcongamer58]

Same

[@erik_carter_art]

I loooove Myst and Riven. Such extraordinary artistic accomplishments.

[@unknowjlm]

Oh man, you managed to solve all the questions I had about the soulful 3d renders of the 90's AND teach me stuff about landscape painting!!

[@berthold64]

*Sovlfvl

[@daanvaessen7723]

As an art teacher: wow what a superb video on color theory! Especially the flow chart, great stuff and how you link it to the great compositions from the game. I’m looking forward to the book!

[@Jefferson-ly5qe]

I'm not an artist at all but so interesting to learn about this stuff! It's amazing to see these colour concepts really bring the finished piece to life, certainly an impressive skill

[@WGSeries_Bulgaria]

0:12 It felt like Thousand Needles Vanilla WoW to me for some reason. I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard took some inspiration from this game or similar games to create their worlds.

[@definitelynotjasonmomoa]

Not really....

[@WGSeries]

@@definitelynotjasonmomoa So, you've worked on the creation of wow back in late 1990s and are aware of how blizzard operated back then?

[@W3R3W00F]

WOOHOO! As someone else said, one of my favorite artists is a fan of a seminal game from my yoots! Love to see this video today!

[@viceroybolt3518]

Also worth noting, they *did not* have the color range we have now. Myst and Riven were made for 256 colors, which was impressive for the time!

[@NicholasBrakespear]

Would also recommend the old GDC talk "The Importance of Nothing" - about the use of negative space, and discussing why the original CTF-Face map from Unreal Tournament in 1999 remained unbeaten, why multiple attempts at "modernising" it failed, and why improvements in graphical technology in the 2000s did not actually result in improved clarity/visual language/artistic value.

[@vlodek69]

1:07 How did a game from the 90s manage to impress a huge nerd? I can't imagine

[@vast634]

Even in games (with manual light setup), I see smaller teams forgetting that a blue sky has a noticeable influence on shadowed areas, giving them a blue tint. The ambient color is often just darkened, but for getting to add a light blue hue.

[@jegr3398]

I remember when I first played Myst as a 12 year old kid in 1993, it was in computer class at school, we all had those old black and white macs (those had a lot of cool games too) but there was a color computer in the little office room attatched to the class, we also had one power mac in the class. The teacher had a copy of Myst and he'd let us play it a little bit, it was such an incredible game at the time. It wasn't until I was a few years older that I bought my own copy and beat the game. I still have never beat Riven 😅

[@MatrixEvolution17]

the original Oddworld game also released in 1997 and that had some amazing pre-rendered visuals for its time

[@DreadfulDrummer]

"Hello"

[@earthlingjohn]

​@@DreadfulDrummer '' Follow me ''

[@KooolaBe]

@@DreadfulDrummer follow me

[@127Kronos]

@@DreadfulDrummer "Hello"

[@DreadfulDrummer]

@@127Kronos fart 💨 "heeheehee"

[@vezonialithium4474]

omg riven has been a hugeee reason I became an artist ever since I was very young lol sparked so much imagination n the mystery vibes it gave. would spend nights figuring out the puzzles with my parents, and all the transportation rides was so fun lol amazing to see one of my fav artists also loves this masterpiece of a game!

[@GandalfWithAPipe]

Wow this video phenomenally explains value structuring. Such a complex topic to truly wrap your head around but you broke it down beautifully!

[@KelciaMarie1]

I knew it was Riven from the second I saw the thumbnail. I used to watch my dad play it all the time when I was tiny. Good memories. 🥰

[@krakenmahboy]

Why the HECK is this like, mini master course level? Amazing that you fit this much info in under 14 minutes. Thank you!

[@caiosantana6889]

This is so nice I would recommend including timestamps in the video description so it's easier to navigate between specific bits later

[@johnniefujita]

Impressive how a simple image encode so much knowledge to a talented professional. Much respect!

[@UndergroundGamer]

I'm not really an artist with paint but I am a musician, so I found your explanation of composition was relatable and the video was very relaxing. I enjoyed your overall presentation and subscribed!

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

Love Riven. was so proud when I figured out the base 5 numbering system all by myself

[@fallobst315]

4:48 oh my dear Lord what is that

[@SianaGearz]

Back in that era around 96, secondary/bounce lighting usually wasn't light propagation computed but hand placed by artists as spotlights. But that would change very soon afterward.

[@JayyOceans]

12:30 he's being very mindful , very demure

[@AppleHair]

Yea

[@sarifdeji8639]

playing Grim Fandango for the first time in 2010s was a genuine artistic awakening

[@MichaelHarto]

The main ingredients are good gameplay that draws curiosity and limitations that draws imaginations. With those combination, you get something that is so memorable. It's your perception at that time you play the game that made it so special

[@noiJadisCailleach]

This is why with games, pre-rendered backgrounds/graphics is still king to me!

[@elujinpk]

Dude. Best stealth colour theory. lol. Truly.

[@ShiLofi101]

Imagine telling someone back then that in 20 years you could run better graphics at 120 frames per second in ski goggles that immerse you in full 3 dimensions inside of a huge open world (Skyrim). To them it must sound as mind boggling as artificial dreams now.

[@HMAcademia]

Not even that, 10 years later crysis 1 came out and even tho you needed a monster of a pc to run It at max specs It was a huge jump. I preordered It and even if I couldn't run It that well It still was impressive, It still is.

[@andrea15026]

WOW! What an awesome video! I've always struggled with understanding how to properly execute the existence of light and values in my art, and this is the first explanation I've seen that really "clicked" for me. The demo painting with the diagrams as well was so helpful! Thank you!!!

[@wxwatcher9315]

Riven's predecessor, Myst was groundbreaking and a favorite of mine as well.

[@sophietielemans6034]

Super interesting to see how all those different fundamentals come together into a coherent workflow. Thanks so much, I'll be coming back to this one for a long time

[@nailwind]

Feel like I manifested this video. I was just thinking about how well Heroes 3 has aged as a timeless masterpiece, just wondering how it was made alongside all the games of this era.

[@f0x1ro1]

You taught me a concept that multiple art teachers failed to do in years of studying... Almost makes me want to pick up the brush again, even though i changed professions.

[@monstrousmoss]

3:18 I'm sorry, is that brush the state of Minnesota?

[@donovanberg1599]

Yes, yes it is 😂

[@IkiyouKai]

Wow! I thought this was just a commentary on old vs new games, but this was actually an art tutorial! You effectively covered multiple complex concepts in a simple manner AND made it easy to apply. This is fantastic! Also, I love the artwork from the original Riven and related games, I played them when they were new. Love that you used them for the basis of your explanation! So, now that you've played the new Riven, does it compare to the structured artwork of the original?

[@dovos8572]

i didn't expect to get a lesson on color and shape theory today, but here i am. just learned more than i did in 5 years of art classes back in school.

[@marcobucci]

Glad to hear it (and sorry that your school didn't teach it well!)

[@HanDaimond]

I've never got to play Riven back then, but I was always amazed with the level design, each screenshot looked like a painting, you can tell they've had so much fun creating the world.

[@SavMortem]

Love the Myst franchise and still remember how taken back I was by how good they looked and the sense of wonder you get playing them. Gotta find a way to play them again.

[@YoavKargon]

Cyan has put the work in to make them all available on Steam and run on modern PCs! It's a great time to be a Myst fan 😊

[@SavMortem]

@@YoavKargon Oh sweet, thank you! Last time I checked I couldn't find them anywhere so that's an awesome update 😁

[@cipherbloom]

@@YoavKargonJust saw Rand Miller interviewed in July in Seattle at the @AdventureGameHotspot Fan Fair--he's such an awesome guy. They should have a livestream on their channel if you're interested! What an amazing series of games.

[@stephe1506]

There's also Obduction released only a few years ago by the same studio, with a similar theme

[@SavMortem]

@@stephe1506 I'll have to look into that! Thank you!

[@sixstanger00]

The images in Myst and Riven were not individually "drawn" or "painted." A full 3D model of the island was created and then a virtual "camera' was placed at various locations to obtain the still images.

[@W3R3W00F]

Been so tempted to try this game in VR, haha

[@StubbyPhillips]

DO IT! It's wonderful.

[@gwilli1754]

Thanks for the color theory and integrations, description of how the subject interprets the art, versus how it’s constructed.

[@roloos]

Because it is pre rendered.

[@moxxy3565]

Seriously lol it's more like a series of interactive paintings. It's like asking why The Lion King still looks gorgeous while Shrek 1 looks a bit dated.

[@jensL.]

Because it's artwork.

[@Violentic81]

I lost myself countless hours in this adventure. Myst and Riven been great. And with all this incredible graphics today, i miss the art. Some old games put you into journeys through every frame. I really miss this. Awesome Tutorial

[@xRickeyTiex]

Haha Jacob Geller just released a video talking about graphics, and now I'm watching Marco Bucci talk about graphics. seems like a popular topic today.

[@sunumaudio]

I literally went from that video directly to this one, glad Im not the only one lol

[@D4rk4ura]

I love how you start its so pretty to watch you layer colors on

[@Librivore42]

One of my favourite artists is a fan of one of my favourite games?!

[@marcobucci]

Riven is just the best!

[@jaggaboy]

Your painting is beautiful, and the explanation is very well detailed 👏🏻

[@Chinornor]

I broke up with my girlfriend because I got a notification about Marco's new video. She wants all of me but I can't give all, I need some for Marco's valuable contents. I called it off for this video 😎

[@idiocracy10]

good choice

[@deleted_handle]

🤓

[@marcobucci]

lol. Sorry about that!

[@leonoliveira8652]

This video is absolutely beautiful AND educational on color theory and composition. (with a game's art for reference as a bonus) I'm in tears.

[@SinewaveSinatra]

Feels so click baity ngl. "How does it look so good?" Answer, it is pre rendered. I HATED this game when it came out. The lack of Real-time movement killed my joy. The whole point of video games for me growing up was that you had control. First game I played was Super Mario world. If instead of literally controlling Mario, you clicked to move to pre designated places, it would have killed my love for gaming on the spot. Imagine Skyrim with this premise. Even if it looked photorealistic or as artistic as possible, not nearly as many people would care, if they were mindlessly clicking to and fro rather than playing in real time. Sorry to be so negative but it isn't rocket science, and the sacrifice on movement makes me feel like a choose your own adventure BOOK, not a game. To each their own.

[@gymnodinium9]

Chess is a game you know? Riven is a game. Adventure games like Monkey Island, Zork are games. Imagine saying they are not games just because you only can enjoy real time games, jesus christ. Millions of people out there enjoy and admire non real time games and their art. If you need to move in real time to get immersed in a game maybe you lack imagination. Moreover, you move clicking, but you have to interact in Riven, and oh yes use your brain to solve puzzles, that thing inside your head?. Is not a book.

[@SinewaveSinatra]

@@gymnodinium9 I didn’t say they aren’t games, I said I don’t enjoy games where you don’t have direct control over the player. I also made a point that it looks so good due to it being pre rendered. Which in an industry that is known for real time rendering that makes it a bit misleading to point out how good something pre rendered is. If you want to use your imagination btw, maybe you should read a book lol. I play video games to interact in a world. When I want to just go on rails in a pre determined setting that’s where books come into play. But you enjoy what you want man. No need to take it so personally my goodness.

[@VeryRGOTI]

I never realized the fact you were demonstrating while painting it yourself. Your art practice is amazing The video was simple and understandable, but you clearly have a bunch of experience to create such fascinating renders.

[@calingligore]

Graphics? It's a slideshow

[@secondleasegamer8312]

Riven was Cyan's Magnum Opus. Nothing else in the Myst series every felt so inspired, well designed, and intriguing in terms of setting and puzzle solving.

[@blackdog6969]

This explains a hell of a lot in a very simple way. Man, didn't expect to find this gem when I needed it, cheers

[@linolafettatnet]

Thank you again for making another video. Just repeating the information you already shared with different examples really helps understanding it better. Very inspiring and i will apply this to my art. Much appreciated!

[@TheFlyingRonin]

Wow. Awesome video. Thanks for the explanation regarding colors, definitely will try applying what you mentioned here since it was very easy to follow.

[@adammendelsohn8227]

I was expecting a programming and development breakdown of the game but then was surprised at the level of understanding and skill you put into understanding this one game, and that one image. amazing

[@allesdurchprobiert]

I've never heard anyone explaining this way how to paint! Feels as if I've learned something and could actually use it in practice! Awesome! 👏

[@meganmccarthy8114]

Loved this explanation and it's making me want to go back and replay all the Myst games again. I still remember what a leap forward in terms of sheer beauty they were compared to literally anything else that you could be doing on your PC back in the day.

[@cipherbloom]

Today has been an amazing day in the world of art and games! Thanks a million Marco for this brilliant video--you always manage to demystify another level of colour theory and value for me. Doing so with one of my top 10 favourite games seemed to add another, well, ten levels!

[@aeropajita]

wow, finally some good/intermediate painting advice, the high contrast between families and low contrast within families is so simple and useful. funny that I clicked because I thought this would be a video game history video

[@RemoWilliams1227]

I also love Riven and retro pc gaming in general. How good was our childhood? Man.

[@Evgen13Great]

I thought this video is about game graphics... But it's about color theory!! You fooled me :D

[@Skeffles]

Great video. I loved the details! It's amazing to see how great some older games looked.

[@GabeWilliams]

Great vid, was just watching Simon Andersen’s (snakepixel) stream where he talked about how rpg’s and point and click adventures are some of the hardest games to make (at least if you’re a small dev team)

[@Littlefighter1911]

I see you've done quite some work analyzing the artistic composition of the frames. However I'd like to add, that Riven was likely created using Software Rendering (StrataVision 3D, as Myst used the same), quite possibly using constructive-solid-geometry and signed-distance-fields beneath the surface and at least using a form of raytracing. Meaning the approach for actually "drawing" the scene, beyond composition is more rooted in physical models of light. If you're really interested in the way lighting works, I'd suggest looking at pictures of the different light influences, like normals, specularity (composed of fresnel, geometric occlusion and microfacet distribution), ambient occlusion and diffuse and look at the way they're being blend together. Yes, the mathematical models are complex and hard to understand. But the equations are already made and can easily be tested out with software like Shadertoy or Blender. And the visual results are much more self-explanatory and are useful for creation of 3D assets as well as 2D pictures. Basically, I suggest opening an example scene up and removing a bunch of terms from the equation to see how it looks like, even if you're not much into 3D rendering itself. It offers a lot of insight into how 3D rendering works and can help to decide on how to split layers and setup meaningful blending modes within 2D drawing software. (A very stupid example is multiplying the ambient occlusion with diffuse color) Doing so with the Physically Based Rendering approach over the more accurate radiosity or raytracing should give a better understanding, that's more suitable and beneficial for an artist.

[@ElegantHope]

I didn't expect a Marco Bucci video on Riven. But I am very pleased. :D

[@nikluz3807]

I don’t know a single thing about art, but I really enjoyed your explanation of the “science” behind art (color theory?) and really enjoyed the video. Thanks!

[@TKEnvironments]

This was an excellent presentation, great break down of very useful art concepts!

[@SincerestSawa]

wow, for some reason back when riven came out i never considered they were just still images because the environments were so detailed, also because i had very little understanding of how games were made at the time. The first game Myst was actually recreated into a vr game. your demonstration of using value shape and color properly was really amazing to watch the scene come to life.

[@Mainyehc]

Extremely interesting content. I already knew how Myst was done and suspected what the technical answer was the same for what turned out to be the sequel, but you managed to hook both people that knew and who didn’t and make the jump to composition analysis, paired with awesome painting skills.

[@SaintEve1105]

I could tell this was Riven from the thumb nail. Amazing for its time and still looks good now. Such a memorable series. I hope people don't forget about it

[@mothwaltz4163]

Thank you for the beautiful explanation and the gorgeous artwork!

[@LokaVision]

I came not knowing what to expect. Stayed until the end, very amazing work in explaining and teaching, as well as your creative ability.

[@saimontoppo4082]

RIVEN's aesthetic is basically high res hand drawn bump map galore.

[@Jelenjas]

This is an insane explanation of detail of an artistic field I don't know about and I love it.

[@RBVJnt]

Came for a technical analysis and left with a graphic design degree lmao

[@dustsky]

Marco, your lectures are always a treat-a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration.👍

[@HowlingMoonCinemas]

Such lush, vivid color in the hyper detailed graphics of that beautiful game.

[@protonjones54]

The music for Riven was also pretty good 😉

[@prunabluepepper]

I love Riven to this day. Also Uru. Didn't know they revamped it 😮 ❤ your explanation was very very good!

[@aryantiwari7105]

Wow what a great video changed my whole perception on making art pieces

[@beeryye]

Somehow this gave me ideas for adjustments I'm going to make in my photography. Cheers for that

[@Bryce-rh2fp]

Didnt think Id be learning this much about art and shades and shapes today but it was really cool to learn