Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Turning low poly graphics into art
Intheearlydaysof3Dgames,thenumberofpolygonswasamuchmorecriticalissue
than today, even in such delicate domains as mobile devices. The calculation power
of hardware was pretty limited. This means that game developers had to adjust the
overall number of polygons in a scene to a specific minimum level. Each game object
should have the lowest number of geometric faces for the game to run smooth and
fast. For example, a character in the original Quake from id Software, published in
1996, was constructed using 200 polygons (many modern games spend more than
ten thousand tris). Game designers always tried to make games as realistic as pos-
sible because the craft of 3D modeling was based on two opposite points: an eco-
nomy of polygons and an ambition to make the 3D model look fine.
To find the correct balance, various tricks in 3D modeling and texture design were
used.
Nowadays, this intention has successfully transformed into a form of art. The past
was reinvented for creative purposes. Low poly graphics are not only a technical need
anymore, but additionally, an approach to present 3D models in an interesting visual
way, thus brandishing polygons. The most obvious analogy is the 8-bit-like graphics
in many indie games that are not about the hardware or screen resolution, but only a
question of visual style. The graphics look sharp, minimalistic, and clear, having some
pleasant connotations, talking about a past that we are all recalling with some warm
feelings. It can be considered as a story fused in artwork. Low poly models, in a sim-
ilar case, let some players drift back for more than a decade, switching on memories
about the night spent playing Quake, Heretic II, Half-Life, and so on. This experience
cannot be forgotten because for that period of time, each 3D game was a real break-
through and the graphics were a symbol of the technical revolution. That is why, from
a semantic point of view, low poly graphics are perceived by the audience to be more
3D-ish than any complex 3D model made up of thousands of polygons; simply put,
a rough wooden taboret expresses the idea of woodenness better than any elegant
cabinet made of redwood.
