Video games are becoming massive in scope, with RPGs and MMOs at the forefront of creating large, fully realized open worlds. Living, breathing environments that span vast distances while also being incredibly detailed are becoming the norm. We see this in recent releases like The Witcher 3, and in soon to release ambitious projects like Fallout 4. With this increase in breadth of vision comes an equally steep increase in development resources needed, both in people and processing power. When From Software began crafting their impeccably detailed, Lovecraft homage Bloodborne, they turned to innovation to make more efficient use of their resources, specifically the 3D optimization technology of Simplygon.

Simplygon works by automatically generating lower-polygon models that are required for different levels of detail, an optimization process for making games and visual scenes run smoother, at higher frame-rates, and requiring less data. Simplygon helps developers save their resources in instances where artists would have to manually re-create large amounts of content. In From Software’s case, it saved them about 20 man months. They had this to say about the development process:

Simplygon saved the labor equivalent of 20 man months, or in other words, an entire dedicated production team member for the duration of the production. The benefits are clear as we used the tool to reduce polygons in about 10,000 models ranging from 1,000 to 200,000 polygons. The best result is that players can’t see the reduction because the models keep their fidelity at all distances which keeps the players immersed.

 

So by optimizing the lower-polygon process, From was able to drastically reduce the resources needed to realize their wildest eldritch imaginations. This cuts down on development time by automating the more repetitive processes, which gets the game into the gamers’ hands faster and frees up the development team to focus on the fine tuning of the gameplay and atmosphere, among other considerations. A journey into Yharnam confirms this as the game’s Gothic/Victorian cityscape features an attention to detail that far surpasses even richly designed progenitors Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2. Will Dark Souls 3 feature this technology? Early gameplay leaks seem to intimate yes.

This automation process to optimize 3D imaging is becoming increasingly popular in the development of AAA titles and MMOs. Recent announcements have indicated Simplygon’s use in the Far Cry series, Dying Light and Bayonetta 2. It is hopeful that we will continue to see its implementation help creators better realize their creative vision, be they dreams or nightmares.

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