An involuntary display of modern art
Ok, I admit it. Minecraft-like visuals were not exactly the most “interesting” choice. Within a couple of days, I realized it was a terrible idea. I mean, if you’re going to play a “new age” video game on PC or console, dealing with those horrible, blocky graphics feels unfair — and honestly, just plain bad. We deserve more! We crave detailed environments in our open world! We want plot twists around every corner, intriguing surprises at every turn, not dumb blocks everywhere! We need something better. A mix of photorealism and fantasy — yes, that’s it! Not too realistic, but realistic enough to feel immersive. Perfect. OK, decision made! Time to create my assets.
With my vision clear, I turned to Blender. I needed photorealism! I needed stunning assets! No more pure fantasy or pure realism — just the perfect blend. But wait… there was one tiny problem: I didn’t know anything about Blender. How do you even manage assets, polygons, meshes, materials, or whatever else Blender throws at you? No clue.
So, naturally, I did what any self-respecting developer would do — I opened YouTube and started watching tutorials. “Oh, ArcaDone,” I told myself, “you genius! You’ve got this!” And so, after countless hours — ok, seconds — spent glued to YouTube during a grueling week, I was finally ready. I knew everything! Or so I thought.
Time to build my masterpiece: the castle. Yes, the castle! It’s the most important thing, my favorite asset, the beating heart of my game! Let’s do this!
…Except, well, it was a terrible idea. A complete disaster. Why? Because I wasn’t even close to being ready. My assets were a mess — cluttered with unnecessary points, random planes, and polygons out of control. They were unoptimized, out of scale, and so heavy they made my computer cry. Oh, and they looked awful. I’ve recreated that castle four or five times since starting this project, and guess what? It’s still an pixelated monstrosities that made even my GPU weep in shame..
But hey, the show must go on, right?
After endless battles with Blender and my computer, I finally had a castle that was… acceptable. Not amazing, not breathtaking — just acceptable. But hey, progress is progress! Naturally, I had to celebrate this monumental achievement with another short video, and of course, it had to feature the true star of the show: the Ape Car.
But this wasn’t going to be just any video. Oh no, it had to be cinematic, action-packed, and dripping with suspense — the kind of video that would make Hollywood directors weep with envy. The scene was simple yet thrilling.
The camera starts behind the Ape Car, following it as it barrels down the rocky terrain toward the castle gate at breakneck speed. The gate is firmly shut, but does that stop the Ape Car? Of course not. This Ape Car isn’t just a vehicle; it’s a force of nature, an unstoppable juggernaut that’s determined to smash through anything in its way.
Meanwhile, the camera pulls off a daring maneuver. It overtakes the Ape Car, pivoting around it in a perfect circle, keeping the car in focus while revealing the castle in all its blocky glory. The tension builds. The music swells. The Ape Car grows closer to the gate. Will it make it? Will it crash? Will my computer survive rendering all of this?
It was, in my completely unbiased opinion, a cinematic masterpiece. Sure, the textures were rough, the lighting was questionable, and the physics were… let’s say “experimental.” But for a fleeting moment, I felt like a visionary director bringing an epic saga to life.
With that, the video game was ready to embark on a new chapter. Not the right chapter, mind you — spoiler alert! — but a chapter nonetheless. And while things were about to take an unexpected turn, I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.
Read more on my site: https://www.arcadipanedanilo.it/
