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Our hero stands by the campfire at night in the snow, the warm light casting a long shadow
Picture of the day

Just a Little Lighting Tweak: Campfire, Lanterns and Shadows at Night

We only wanted to tweak the lighting a little

You know how it goes. You plan something small, just a tiny thing, done in five minutes. That's exactly what happened to us with the lighting in Call Me Human. In the end we were looking at the same spot in the snow, but it felt like a completely different game.

Here's what it looked like before: bright snow, daylight, everything equally bright. Nice, but a bit flat. Nothing casts a shadow, nothing glows, and the evening looks exactly like noon.

The same spot before: bright snow in daylight, no lighting and no shadows
The same spot before: bright snow in daylight, no lighting and no shadows

When night falls, it gets cozy

Now night really falls on the planet. The snow turns blue, flakes drift down, and suddenly every light source matters. The campfire in front of the house throws a warm orange circle into the cold, and whoever stands next to it gets a long shadow. The cover image at the top shows exactly that moment.

Lanterns hang along the paths. Walk between them and your shadow moves with you, first to one side, then the other. It sounds like a small thing, but for us it makes all the difference: you instantly want to just go for a little walk.

The hero walks between two lanterns at night through falling snow
The hero walks between two lanterns at night through falling snow

Painters have played with light and dark for centuries to create mood. If you're curious, Wikipedia has a great article on chiaroscuro. In pixel art it gets especially exciting, because every single pixel counts and the light still has to feel soft.

You're not alone at night

Sometimes something is waiting for you in the dark. During our test a crystal spider came at us, right in the light of a lantern. Three hits, then it was quiet again. In the lantern light you spot it just in time, and that's exactly how the night should feel: beautiful, but with a little respect.

Fighting a crystal spider in the lantern light
Fighting a crystal spider in the lantern light

And then we drew a heart

At the end I (Marko) couldn't resist. On the fresh field the hero leaves footprints, so I kept walking in circles until they turned into a big heart. Completely unnecessary, but we both had to laugh, and it shows nicely how alive the world feels now.

Footprints slowly draw a big heart on the field
Footprints slowly draw a big heart on the field

The video

We turned all of this into a short video: first the old version in daylight, then the new night with the fire, lanterns, the fight and the heart. Honestly, the editing took longer than expected. At first the hero kept hopping around in the frame, then the before part was too short, then the wind made the sound hiss. After a few rounds we're happy with it now. You'll find the video on our YouTube channel.

What's next?

We're still experimenting. How bright can a campfire be, and how dark can the night get while you can still see everything? Let us know which version you like more, day or night.

You can read more about the world of Call Me Human™ on our story page. And if you want to be there at launch, join the waitlist on call-me-human.com. That way you'll be the first to know when it starts.

See you soon,

Tini & Marko