Studio Ganzheit

Working hard on environment polish. Filling things in mainly with decals rather than adding more meshes. I built something that lets me type text directly onto walls without creating new decal images each time, keeping memory, performance, and decal resolution in check. But actually placing them — making them visible enough without overdoing it, keeping them relevant to the game — turned out to be much harder than I expected. Once the workflow becomes more of a pattern, I should be able to move faster. At the same time, I’m reinforcing the lighting with bounce light and adding fog to the outdoor areas.

I came across the news that Director Itagaki Tomonobu passed away last year. I loved Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2. That spicy, addictive flavor that keeps you coming back. There was something vicariously satisfying about the way he dressed like a rocker and gave interviews with that unapologetic arrogance. I think I might have seen him once at E3 or an MS party, I’m not sure. It felt very different from hearing about a famous celebrity or politician passing. He wasn’t even that old. A lot of thoughts.