2D vs 3D and Unity vs Unreal - Devlog 03

The initial plan for Depths of Ascension was to develop it in Unity, completely in 2D. However, a turnaround occurred when Unity's monetization policy changed, introducing an installation fee. It wasn't just the fee itself that made us reconsider the engine choice, but the unpredictability associated with future contractual changes. The sense that Unity could retroactively modify contracts, as they attempted the previous year, made us rethink our decision.

Development was scheduled to begin on November 5th, a commitment established with the management of the grant that funded the production of this vertical slice. We had a short time to decide which engine to use and learn how to use it. We opted for Unreal due to its visual capabilities and decided to adapt the project to 2.5D, with 2D characters in a 3D environment.

As we explored the transition to a 3D environment with 2D sprites, we faced significant challenges with shadows. Initially, we tried to have 3D walls and 2D sprites, but the sprites, positioned at a 45° angle to the camera, caused clipping through the walls.

To work around this, we decided to turn the walls into 2D sprites, aligning them with the characters. This solved the clipping issue of the walls but introduced a new obstacle: the 2D sprites continued to cause clipping on the 3D floor. Despite attempts, we didn't find a viable solution to render the 2D sprites above the 3D elements properly.

Faced with this impasse, we considered making the game entirely in 3D. However, this option was initially discarded due to the lack of a 3D artist on the team. Fortunately, we were able to hire a 3D artist, which allowed us to revisit this decision. We then decided to migrate the project entirely to 3D, believing that this would solve the shadow and clipping challenges we were facing.

This change represented a significant milestone in the development of Depths of Ascension, and we hope it will allow us to progress more smoothly and effectively in the future!

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