Project 245

These two early renders are part of one of the rooms on the Sanctuary Island Age. It’s supposed to be a reference to Layers of Fear - specifically, the Painter’s workshop shown in that game, except cleaner and with less detail.

These renders are an update on a previous post regarding a level based on a Myst clone called “Obsidian”. The environment shown here now follows it closely, but functions as a mine. For a while I considered also placing a huge robot in the middle, like the original game does, but I filed that away elsewhere for the equipment, and replaced it with a control tower mounted on metal girders, since it’s supposed to be viewing all four sections.

Models of the equipment are pending (due to concept stages), but one aspect of this can be seen in the third image, where buckets would travel along a suspended rail through a door embedded in one wall bearing a D’ni number four. In between the numbered walls will be equipment that refines the ore before dumping it into those buckets. A crusher, chemical bathing tanks, a fire-cooker, and a bucket elevator, specificially; similar to Gehn’s bookmaking setup in Riven.

Similarly, the second image, with the D’ni number one, is meant to be one of a four roads for D’ni mining vehicles which will enter tunnels under the arches beneath each numbered wall to extract ore inside. The red light at the top middle marks the main entrance to this room.

The last image is meant to be the door to an elevator which opens in response to your KI, much like in Gahreesen from Uru. The sign next to the door designates where it leads: “< Control room | Conveyor Hub >” though substitutions had to be made for D’ni text.

These are some new renders for the updated D’ni museum, now meant to be a structure on the main Age. The central room is to be a dedicated exhibit to the Art and its elements, much like Gehn’s Gateroom on Riven. The last image will be where models of each of the five “Legacy Ages” will be shown, which have to be consulted for clues to access them. Note that the red one already has its model in place, being a simple maze.

If you examine the first two images, you may also notice the D’ni math machine here as well as a greeting sign nearby.

Further progress on Labyrinth Age. Been experimenting with lighting effects to gain the old retro style seen in the original Myst, along with the creepy aesthetics of the Basement Maze from the 7th Guest. As you go towards the center, the light colors change from white to yellow, followed by orange, then red.

Pardon the static, something’s not right with Blender’s rendering. Minor issue, fixable.

The Labyrinth Age is a triangular maze shown in this nearly-complete top-down view. Designed as a prison Age, this is meant to keep people trapped in a dungeon with no (obvious) way out. The rings in the center must be rotated a certain way for the exit to be revealed, otherwise the hole in the middle leads back to the beginning. Gates will be inside certain parts of the Age, reducing backtracking. Occasionally, as in the 2nd image, there will also be maps marking where you are, and other features.

Each segment of the maze is lit in either white, yellow, orange, or red, signifying how close you are to the center, which may also help prevent players from being turned around.

Note that this particular Age is near the end-game, and will not be accessible until other ones have been solved.

This is a test render of a small puzzle to be encountered in the Labyrinth Age.

First work on another Age. These renders are first models of a geothermal power plant. It’s supposed to be based mostly on the launch bay for the Mazerunner in the Selenitic Age.

I spent the entirety of a Sunday working on the hub Age, Sanctuary. While it’s far from done (ground needs real textures, correct lighting, etc.) I’d say it’s a great milestone.

Two things I’m particularly happy about are the distant, elevated study tower on the highest part of the island, and the cottage on the west side, shown at the bottom. It’s actually modeled on a suburban house I used to live in, although I intend to make it appear more Victorian in the future, inside and out, in order to fit with the typical D’ni aesthetics.

The only thing I’m really disappointed by is the greenhouse behind the clocktower. I went looking for stock textures of ornate stained glass online, and only came out with a couple that didn’t really fit what I imagined - ie: something more along the lines of the greenhouse in J’nanin. Hopefully that’ll be resolved sometime in the future.

An update of the bar scene, with new textures, more rooms, and a complete shelving unit behind the bar. All that’s missing is the bottles and glasses to adorn it, and of course the puzzle.

Most of the assets used came from BlendSwap, and the textures from textures.com.

First render of the “Harmonic Bar”, set in the titular D’ni Age. The chairs and tables in the center area are assets from BlendSwap.com.

Chairs credited to “Sizzler”, tables by “DarthRevan”.

This device is one of many that is meant to teach new players how to understand the D’ni number system; Set in a museum filled with other elements as a tutorial for new players.

These two sketches look at the first and third terminals of the command center. The first one controls the Mine, which digs up ore from inside the mountain it’s situated in. The place is abundant in 6 different ores (Aluminum, Titanium, Iron Oxide-Copper-Gold, Lead, and Silver), and mining devices dig these up to bring to the milling machine in the center. That then transfers them to refining tanks, which then get dumped into a train and sent to facility 2: the Smelter.

This place is where the top personnel of Invention handle the four facilities of the Age. They sit at a terminal that monitors and controls that facility, speaking to the crew inside through an intercom at that terminal. The buttons on each involve selector switches for the different areas of that facility, navigation buttons, a touchscreen with icons for certain functions, and a keyboard that the player doesn’t use. The 5 buttons below the microphones page different sections of the place.

Normally, this would allow instructions from the computer to be placed in minutes, making production very expedient. However, because you’re alone here, instead you have to go from one facility to the next and set them according to the instructions the computer gives you. The center screen will indicate whether you did so correctly or not.