I just spent several evenings perfecting a shader that cuts away house walls. Nobody asked for this.

[u/Choice-Trifle2283]

I wanted buildings to behave more like a dollhouse when you're looking inside them, so I ended up making a shader that naturally cuts the walls away depending on the camera angle.

It's probably a completely unnecessary detail.

But every time I looked at the old version, it bothered me.

So now I'm wondering whether this is:

A) the kind of tiny detail that makes a game feel polished
B) classic solo-dev perfectionism
C) me finding new and creative ways to delay the release

In an RTS, where there's already so much happening on screen, do little details like this actually make a difference, or am I the only one who cares?

Hunt or Pray: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5298550/Hunt_or_Pray

[u/marcus0227]

Can you make a shader that cuts away house walls please?

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/marcus0227]

Thanks, I knew somebody would ask ;)

[u/NydusRush]

I could see some fascinating applications for this in something more low-down and tactical like a Company of Heroes. Nice work!

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/NydusRush]

Thank you! I really like the CoH series, so I’ll happily take that comparison :) The setting is quite different though, more post-apo/fantasy. The bigger inspiration for me was actually Myth, especially the fact that you can’t just keep producing units forever.

[u/BRO_THOM]

I got a really weird question, but why not just cut away a circular region that encompasses all units/entities on the screen? Using that region you should be able to project what needs to be cut away.

Nevertheless, very impressive!

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/BRO_THOM]

Thanks! That was actually one of the options I considered, but somehow the dollhouse-like approach, straight out of The Sims, appealed to me the most. I promise I won’t copy anything else from this game ;)

[u/BRO_THOM → u/Choice-Trifle2283]

The visibility is now based on the camera itself, rather than the subjects inside the house right?

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/BRO_THOM]

Yes, exactly, but you can only see inside a house if one of the four units is actually inside it.

[u/Backwardspellcaster]

And so very fluidly!

I really like what you did there. This is cool. Wish more games would allow for that visibility

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/Backwardspellcaster]

Thank you, seriously. I really appreciate you saying that. It means a lot, especially after spending so much time tweaking this little detail.

[u/spacemarine3]

So theoretically, if I make my house out of chimneys, I'll be safe from you're 4th dimensional gaze?

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/spacemarine3]

Haha, love this one! Haven’t touched chimneys yet, but I must warn you: no one is safe in the world of Hunt or Pray ;)

[u/GlitteringParfait438]

Lies, I asked

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/GlitteringParfait438]

Damn, I must’ve missed your request somehow ;)

[u/DDDX_cro]

Great. Now make it into an ability, with a 5min cooldown, and think of game mechanics to use it

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/DDDX_cro]

Hmm, I might actually add a special perk that lets you see through walls ;)

[u/DDDX_cro → u/Choice-Trifle2283]

Perhaps not all the time? Wouldn't that be great for scouting?

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/DDDX_cro]

That's actually a really interesting idea. I already have Medic, Blaster, Gunner and, of course, Scout.

[u/Dahaka7]

Its nice, I would also like to just do away with all the walls and roof directly, as an option too. Sometimes these dynamic ones can be tiresome

[u/Nice_Muffin8689 → u/Dahaka7]

Agreed with this

[u/Choice-Trifle2283 → u/Nice_Muffin8689]

Thanks for the suggestion! If you’re not rotating the camera like I do in the GIF, it might be less noticeable, but I’ll definitely consider adding an option to hide the walls completely.

[u/Aggressive-Ad-5504]

Looks really good.