SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The lead VFX
artist from Galactic Frontline, Zhang 'Abel' Shaoyong was
invited as one of the speakers to deliver a presentation at GDC
2018.
Galactic Frontline is a real-time sci-fi strategy game
developed and published by NetEase Games. Featuring realistic 3D
graphics and cutting-edge visual effects, the game takes players to
the heart of a galaxy on the brink of war. The action revolves
around three races fighting for supremacy across the galaxy: the
Terrans, the Zoltarians and the Ensari. Players can select a race
and create a character before either taking command of their fleet
in battle against other players, or by exploring the galaxy, and
its vast cast of characters, in story mode. By building up their
fleets and strategizing, players and alliances can make their bid
for galactic domination.
Abel specializes in the design of visual effects and holds
degrees in Computer Animation, Digital Visual Effects and Film
& Television from Sheridan College.
He's worked in the industry for more than a decade and enjoyed a
successful career that has taken him around the world.
While working on Galactic Frontline, Abel and his team
members were tasked with creating innovative VFX that would bring
the beauty and mystery of a sci-fi galaxy to life. Translating the
scale and dimensions of space to mobile devices proved challenging
and the artists' imaginations were pushed to the limit. Abel
researched scientific phenomena and the history of space
exploration extensively to get to grips with creating galaxies and planetary
storms, as well as unobserved wonders such as black holes. The
result is the mesmerizing, boundless galaxy that we see in
Galactic Frontline.
Thanks to Abel's creative use of flow-maps, the visual effects
in the game are sometimes precise movements and, at other times,
random, subtle motions that hint at the vast complexity of the
cosmos. Abel's expert manipulation of flow-maps has given the
game's visuals added layers of intricacy and depth, creating an
unforgettable experience for the player.
Abel's GDC presentation is titled "Applying AAA techniques to
mobile games: Understanding the flow-map and its applications." He
will explore the basic concept of flow-maps, take the audience
through a 14 node flow-map shader demonstration and share his
experiences of using flow-maps to create VFX for Galactic
Frontline.
Abel will also touch on the pros and cons of using flow-maps in
mobile development and how VFX artists can achieve the best results
with them on a wide variety of mobile devices. The presentation
will prove useful for artists and designers with little or no
coding experience and will offer a glimpse of the endless
possibilities that can be created by using flow-map textures.
Galactic Frontline is currently available for download in
the Philippines,
Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Look out for the
global release of the game very soon!
About NetEase
NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) is a leading internet technology
company in China dedicated to
providing online services centered around content, community,
communication, and commerce. NetEase develops and operates some of
China's most popular PC-client and
mobile games, advertising services, e-mail services and e-commerce
platforms. NetEase work hard to
provide the highest quality experiences for their players and
constantly provide updates to their games ensuring all new content
for their extensive library. In partnership with Blizzard
Entertainment, Mojang AB (a Microsoft subsidiary), and other global
game developers, NetEase also operates some of the most popular
international online games in China. For more information, please visit:
http://ir.netease.com/.
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SOURCE NetEase Games