DevLog 4 – Exploring the Cathedral

Hello Cultists,

It’s the Byte Barrel team again with another portion of juicy insight on the development process of Forgive Me Father 2! In one of the last DevLogs we wrote about how we create atmospheric environments in our game, and now it’s time to take an even closer look at one particular place, the cathedral.

Let’s start from the beginning. When designing one of the levels, Sanctuary, to be specific, we needed an object that would be the focal point of this place, its heart and soul. And what could possibly match the game’s lore better than a monumental cathedral decorated with Lovecraftian-themed accents?

We wanted the cathedral to be a structure that players simply couldn’t take their eyes off of, even during the fiercest fights. The first impression of the building is designed in such a way that when you go out into the courtyard, the building slowly appears before you. It’s an absolutely stunning view and we’d like to show you how the cathedral came to life. Let’s dive into the creative process, shall we?

Design and Blockout

We knew we wanted to create a cathedral, but what next? The first thing we decided to do was pick an architectural style. After a long, long debate, we decided to go with the gothic style, represented by characteristic ribbed vaults, large stained-glass windows, and pointed arches.

Cathedral, with its scale and distinctive shape, is designed to be the player’s main goal from the very beginning of the level, and at the same time, a landmark around which all the action and exploration take place. When it comes to the artistic vision, it’s supposed to be overwhelming with its monumentality and an aura of dread, so the cathedral is a place where the level’s atmosphere is concentrated in a single building.

With that particular goal, we started creating the first blockout, followed by many iterations, to finally achieve the version that would be fully satisfying while also perfectly matching the idea that we envisioned at the very beginning.

Creating textures and 3D models

As usual, the first order of business is looking for references. During the process, we isolate key factors that build the atmosphere in a given place and prepare textures based on the list of such objects. Then, when they’re ready, we create 3D assets to replace the previously prepared level blockout. While working on a level, we supplement the textures with missing details, create new models, and continually add more and more character to a given location until a satisfactory result is achieved.

Cathedral – interior sneak peak

Let’s go inside now that we’ve covered pretty much everything from the cathedral’s concept to its dark atmosphere and external design. When developing the interior area of the structure, we sought to create not only a visually stunning place, but also an exciting arena where the protagonist will battle eternal evil. What could possibly be more satisfying than blasting through hordes of possessed enemies in the light coming through the colorful stained-glass windows? Besides everything mentioned before, the place has much, much more to offer, including a dozen handcrafted assets like church pews, candelabras, and the majestic pipe organ.

That’s all for now! Thank you for reading and make sure to get yourself a copy of Forgive Me Father 2 if you haven’t done it already and if you did, leaving a review of it here on Steam would be really nice! And don’t forget to drop by our Discord to chat with us and other players!

Until next time,
Byte Barrel team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2272250/Forgive_Me_Father_2/