Fading Echo News

[p][/p][p]Just like building a car or a house (I assume…) it’s important to ensure there is a good foundation before starting production. Different industries use different names for this, but within games we call this Pre-Production.[/p][p]An important component of a successful pre-production is to know to answer questions without finishing features. It’s not about having things perfect, instead about ensuring that we know roughly how long something will eventually take and what components we need to consider ahead of time.[/p][p]For us, that was six weeks where we answered a lot of questions like:[/p][p]Which enemies will we need, and how many?[/p][p]What will the realities look like and how do we make them within our budget?[/p][p]How versatile is One, can she deliver all the emotions of the storyline?[/p][p]And the million dollar question (seriously, it’s been expensive) – how will we render One’s hair?[/p][p][/p][h2]Enemy Types[/h2][p]During pre-production, we focus on how the enemies will work more than how they would look. We start with core mechanics and ensure they are working and fun and only then can the concepts begin. Here is an example of the original pitch of the Ranged enemy. We discussed which attacks could be fun and how they could connect to elements.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Art Pipeline[/h2][p]Knowing that we wanted to have multiple realities meant we had to be very smart on how we built assets. We knew we couldn’t afford to make three completely unique realities without reusing content. We started with really simple tests like changing the colours of a rock to see if it could look different enough.[/p][p][/p][p]Not only was this an efficient way to create multiple items from one, it also helped us figure out how we would represent that the game has different realities, as opposed to alternative worlds.[/p][p]In this image, you can see that a test of swapping out a few assets (highlighted in orange) and a different arrangement of coloured rocks look similar enough, but still with changes in the aesthetics and feeling of the space.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Tone + Emotion[/h2][p]During this time we were working on figuring out our tone and how our characters would show emotions. We always loved the over-the-top reactions used in many anime and manga, so we tested how extreme One’s face could go without looking broken.[/p][p][/p][p]We wanted One to be able to be very serious and intense but also very silly and comical so we were very pleased with these results.[/p][p][/p][h2]Fluid Rendering[/h2][p]We knew water (and other elements) were crucial to our game, so we spent a lot of time doing Research and Development of various solutions to see what would make the most sense for us. Comprehensively going through different pre-made solutions as well as prototyping our own solutions.[/p][p]Investigations included tools like FluidNinja Live and VFX, Niagara Fluids as well as in-house options like materials with ripples or baked mesh animations.[/p][p][/p][h2]Island Theming[/h2][p]This was a really interesting and complex problem to solve, figuring out what the themes of the islands would be. We knew we wanted a semi-linear experience where the player could choose any direction and should have a unique feeling. We have to confirm things like:[/p][p]Does each island make sense within the Bible/history of Fading Echo?[/p][p]Could we explain their stories in narrative and environmentally storytelling, without being too complex?[/p][p]Were they unique enough from each other but not so different we couldn’t re-use content between them?[/p][p][/p][p]There was A LOT of back and forth here and many loops of validation – and still quite a few changes since this document was made back in April 2024.[/p][p]Taking the time to discuss the HOW, WHEN and arguably most importantly, the WHY, ensured we could start the Production phase of the game in the most efficient and exciting way… but more on that next week 😉.[/p][p][/p][p]The Emeteria Team[/p][p][/p][h3]🌊 Flow with us[/h3][p]✨ Wishlist Fading Echo[/p][p]Steam | Epic Games Store | PlayStation Store | Xbox Store[/p][p][/p][p]💬 Join the Echoverse on Discord[/p][p]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p]

[h2]Hey Legends![/h2][p]Since the reveal, there’s one thing you’ve talked about a lot: the soundscape of Fading Echo.[/p][p]So today, we’re pulling back the curtain on the person shaping all those eerie vibes and soaring themes: our deer composer, Maxwell Sterling.[/p][p]In a game where atmosphere and emotion do a lot of the heavy lifting, music had to be more than just background noise: we tried to make it a core part of the experience. So we sat down and asked Maxwell about the creative process, the challenges along the way, and how he turned the mood of Fading Echo into sound.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][hr][/hr][h3]How did you approach the atmosphere and tone of Fading Echo through music?[/h3]

[p]I was blown away from the earliest screen captures and images of Fading Echo as well as the brilliant text documents and bible. [/p][p]As a composer, the more information about a project I can get before I start writing, really allows me to go full detective mode and dig deep into what the sound of a world, character, and tone could be. It felt interesting to play with genres and context of certain musical styles and popular culture, as a means of subverting them or reimagining them to amplify One’s view point and the full ecosystem of Fading Echo.[/p][p]My style of writing mixes classical music with heavy digital manipulation and analogue synthesis, all of these ingredients I wanted to draw upon for the score. Take the theme for The Quarry as an example: here it felt right to almost evoke a western style of music but mutate this and push it into a new futuristic dimension to match the epic visuals. Taking instruments like pizzicato strings and putting them through resonators, Karplus-strong delays, and feedback allowed me to paint a more vivid sonic picture of what that landscape feels like.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Were you given a clear direction, or did you have creative freedom from scratch?[/h3]

[p]For me, it was the best of both worlds :). I was given a stellar direction from the team as well as lots of visual material to inspire me, but ultimately I was allowed to explore openly in terms of my approach. This made the experimentation process super fun and rewarding! [/p][p]We sometimes found that one idea that was originally intended for a certain environment might actually be better suited for a different one, if we just tweaked certain elements and balance. I was really encouraged to push the envelope with the music, which felt like such a breath of fresh air and allowed me to try and match the singular vision of Fading Echo and its characters.[/p][p]Having not done a ton of scoring in the game world, the team gave me all the encouragement to be me and guided me along the way to make sure that the music was fitting the collective vision.[/p]

[p][/p][carousel][/carousel][hr][/hr][h3]What challenges did you face while composing for the game?[/h3]

[p]The main challenge (which was a good one!) was crafting the music to work for gameplay as opposed to a film or other media.[/p][p]Initially we built the music to be more loop-based and to be triggered to certain actions, however this didn’t yield the best results so we had to explore another route… We landed on having each theme of music be continuous, not looped, but how this becomes interactive or iterative is by the addition or subtraction of layers. [/p][p]This was a fun challenge as it pushed me to write in a different style. With loops, you can more easily change a key, let’s say from major to minor, or from F to F#, however with our approach we had to think more continuously and think about how emotion and action is achieved through the collaging of layers.[/p][p]To me, it reminds me of when Miles Davis moved from Bebop to Modal jazz - a change in which he described moving from vertical to horizontal - in the simplest of terms, making music less about big bold harmonic changes and more about implied melodies, changes in frequency, and rhythm.[/p][p]The balancing of tension and calm was fairly straight forward as we quickly established that for most pieces of music we should have a “calm” base layer and then have several “tension” layers. The most exciting of which was creating the sonic identity of the Corruption. For this, I was encouraged to delve deep into distortion and how that can be used creatively. There are so many flavours of distortion, not all of which are heavy rock guitars, but some are more like static interference, low bit rate and sample quality. For me, the latter of these has a cool psychoacoustic effect on the gamer/listener and can help create a sense of change or WTF feeling.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]What was your favorite track or moment to compose for Fading Echo, and why?[/h3]

[p]The whole journey has been super enjoyable, and each composition has informed the next, it’s been quite linear in that respect. [/p][p]But my favourite would probably have to be all of the cutscenes :). These are being written after most of the main themes, so I’m able to pull in ingredients from, say, the Bastion or The Big Tree but really ramp up the drama to fit the narrative climax of the cutscenes. [/p][p]Because the cutscenes feature some stillness in the characters themselves, I feel that the music can go that extra bit nuts to amplify their actions, therefore these have been the most creatively pushing I would say :)[/p]

[p][/p][carousel][/carousel][hr][/hr][h3]What do you hope players feel when they hear the music in Fading Echo?[/h3]

[p]I would hope that the music for Fading Echo helps the player instantly feel a sense of place and environment, almost like a compass of sorts.[/p][p]My aim was to create a kind of psychogeography of these beautiful dystopian vistas that the team has created - when the player hears a certain note or tone, they instantly know where they are and have an almost kinaesthetic feeling of the locale. [/p][p]My hope is that there is not just one emotion that the players feel, but many. The system we created, by having multiple emotive layers per track, hopefully allows for the player to quickly latch on to the theme but be guided into the different shades of that state: calm, distress, combat, low health, winning, etc.[/p]

[hr][/hr][p]Huge thanks to Maxwell for taking the time to share this creative journey with us![/p][p]We tried to make the soundtrack of Fading Echo something you don’t just hear. Hopefully, it is something you will also feel. From haunting melodies to rising tension in combat, it’s all designed to pull you deeper into the world.[/p][p]We can’t wait for you to experience it more fully the next playable version of Fading Echo.[/p][p][/p][h3]🌊 Flow with us[/h3][p]✨ Wishlist Fading Echo[/p][p]Steam | Epic Games Store | PlayStation Store | Xbox Store[/p][p][/p][p]💬 Join the Echoverse on Discord[/p][p]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p]

[p][/p][p]As I sit here feeling bad about being a week late on delivering a devblog… I realised, why not share WHY I’m a week late? A bit of an explanation but also maybe a bit of healing for myself :D[/p][p]Currently, the team is working extremely hard to deliver the Alpha version of our game – For us, this means the entire game is playable from beginning to end. We know there will be bugs, balancing issues and probably many other problems, but it means we can get a really good sense of exactly how *Fun* the game is, and where the biggest issues lie.[/p][p]But before going into too much detail about that, I figured it would be good to take a step back and explain a bit more about our game development journey – specifically from the game developer lens.[/p][p]Each week there will be another blog released highlighting the different phases of how we’ve been working to bring Fading Echo to you all. So let’s start at the beginning.[/p][p][/p][h2]Making a Prototype[/h2][p]Back in early 2023, the first Fading Echo prototypes were created. There were two big goals; create something very fun, and create something very visually appealing. In order to do both of these sincerely it was decided to deliver two builds instead of one (to rule them all). This came in the format of: A gameplay prototype, and a visual prototype. Both created in Unreal Engine, the team worked together (but also separately) to deliver something special.[/p][p][/p][p]The idea was that if we could make both a beautiful game, and a fun game, then we had a much better chance of making a beautiful, fun game. Seems simple, right? Well, here is a bit more information on how we handled that.[/p][p]Maybe one day we can do a documentary, or an art book, showing how the game has changes over the years. I’m filled with nostalgia and warmth looking back at these old builds (but that could also be the heating and endless tea).[/p][p]Each milestone we would focus on one component of the game and ensure core issues and questions were addressed, they were all documented. (GP = Gameplay)[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]The Gameplay Direction[/h2][p]This was the earliest version of One’s water form, a simple blue square that left a trace of blue circles behind the player. We tested different systemic reactions to see what works; we had to find a way for the reaction to be fun in both exploration and combat.[/p][p][/p][p]To save time, we used the inbuilt Unreal character model and basic shapes for enemies while we prototyped to see what would work. The enemies had to be fun on their own, but also connect to systemic reactions.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Visual Direction[/h2][p]From the beginning, we always wanted to create a world that was beautiful but played with player’s expectations. The world should be intriguing but a bit intimidating. Using Unreal Engine, we wanted to challenge ourselves to really push how we rendered our world and made the game look different in both the assets we make but also the way we represent them on the screen.[/p][p][/p][p]The original art prototype was far more realistic than what we have – we relied on mostly assets we could purchase online as opposed to now where we have hand crafted every aspect. We tried to figure out what the scale of One is in relation to the world. Defining a reality where the character is powerful in her own right, but still a small part of this much bigger world.[/p][p]A big challenge we knew we had to solve was how we would represent the different fluids in the game. Water is notoriously difficult to represent both visually and with physics, so we had to know that we had to solve that before embarking on a multi-year project based that is largely focused on the concept of water.[/p][p][/p][p]Once this goal was accomplished, we sit down and review – is the game we are making worth making? It might seem like a simple question but it takes a lot of reflection and putting aside egos to be sure. Is there a market for it? Is it unique against other games? Is there enough that is familiar? Once we feel like we can confidently say YES to all these questions… well, then… we make a game! [/p][p][/p][p]More to come next week 😉[/p][p]The Emeteria Team[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]🌊 Flow with us[/h3][p]✨ Wishlist Fading Echo[/p][p]Steam | Epic Games Store | PlayStation Store | Xbox Store[/p][p][/p][p]💬 Join the Echoverse on Discord[/p][p]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p]

[h3]Hey Legends![/h3][p]We know it’s been a couple of weeks since our last update. As you can suspect, we’ve been busy planning the next steps following the end of the Closed Alpha Playtest.[/p][p]While we’re cooking up what’s next, today we’re pulling back the curtain on one of the more subtle but visually powerful, aspects of Fading Echo: the hair of our main character. Getting it to feel right took a mix of artistic vision, technical problem-solving, and a whole lot of iteration.[/p][p]Here’s a quick dive into how we approached it, the challenges we ran into, and how we ultimately got the look and movement we were aiming for.[/p][p][/p][h2]🌪️ Our Goal: Hair That Moves Like a Fluid[/h2][p]From the beginning, we didn’t want the hair to just fall naturally. We wanted it to flow to feel almost alive, constantly reacting to the environment like a fluid in motion.[/p][p]To achieve this, we modeled the hair separately and then reattached it to One, allowing us to fully control how it behaves depending on the surroundings.[/p][p]We applied wind forces to simulate that flowing, floating movement, but with an important twist: the gravity acts in reverse. Instead of falling downward, the hair lifts upward, as if it’s weightless or being pulled by unseen energy.[/p][p]This created the unique, ethereal effect we wanted, hair that seems to dance and rise, perfectly matching Fading Echo’s surreal atmosphere.[/p][p][/p][h2]⚙️ Challenges Along the Way[/h2][p]Of course, trying to control every strand came with its own set of headaches.[/p][p]1. Too Realistic, Too Wild[/p][p]Early on, our simulations were too realistic. The hair responded so sharply to the forces that it started behaving like a rigid tube instead of something soft and fluid. We had to fine-tune the balance between physics realism and artistic control, taming the motion until it felt smooth and natural again.[/p][p]2. Gravity That Doesn’t Behave[/p][p]Getting the “anti-gravity” look without breaking the system meant a lot of testing, tweaking, and, let’s just say, a few amusing bugs along the way.[/p][p]3. Performance Bottlenecks[/p][p]Simulating that many strands of hair in real-time is… heavy. It can cause performance drops, especially when the system tries to calculate full hair physics for every strand.[/p][p]To fix this, we focused on simulating only a portion of the strands in full detail — several hundred of them — and then generated additional strands that mirror the movement of those “parent” strands. This technique keeps the hair looking rich and full while drastically reducing the performance cost.[/p][p]4. GPU Compatibility Issues[/p][p]One of the more unexpected problems came when we tested on AMD GPUs. The hair, which looked fine on our NVIDIA setups, simply didn’t appear at all. That issue forced us to rethink some of our shader and rendering techniques to ensure visual consistency across hardware.[/p][p][/p][h2]✨ The Final Touch[/h2][p]After countless iterations, tweaks, and physics experiments, we finally reached the result we wanted: hair that floats, flows, and feels alive.[/p][p]It reacts to wind, light, and movement — but always with that distinct, otherworldly “anti-gravity” vibe that defines Fading Echo’s atmosphere. The end result isn’t just a visual detail; it’s part of One’s identity, reflecting her presence in the world and reinforcing the surreal atmosphere of Fading Echo.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]🌊 Flow with us[/h2][p]✨ Wishlist Fading Echo[/p][p]Steam | Epic Games Store | PlayStation Store | Xbox Store[/p][p][/p][p]💬 Join the Echoverse on Discord[/p][p]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p]

[p]Hey Legends! We're back![/p][p]For this devlog, we’re doing something a little different, stepping out of the surreal world of Fading Echo, and into the very real one where it all comes to life. [/p][p]Between office moves, broken coffee machines (our true final boss), and epic team lunches powered by an unreasonable amount of butter, this devlog is a small love letter to our daily adventures. You’ll meet some of our friendly NPCs, discover how many croissants it takes to fuel creativity, and get a glimpse of what it’s really like behind the screens. [/p][p]So if you’ve ever wondered what a “Fluid Quest System” looks like in real life… this one’s for you.[/p][p][/p][h2]Something Ctrl+N[/h2][p]In a small, dark corner of a fantastical forest of a majestic medieval town… just kidding! Fading Echo has been meticulously crafted to be surreal, enticing and mysterious; all from our comfy, air conditioned offices of Lyon and Paris. We love bringing you updates about the world we’ve created, but for this devblog we are doing something a little different; here is a sneak peek of the world we live in instead![/p][p][/p][h2]Setting up Multiple Checkpoints[/h2][p]They say raising a baby takes a village, and to be honest, so do video games! It’s not just the game designers and programmers, it’s the cooks at the local restaurants who are always excited to hear our updates and insist we take the time to try their latest dessert. It’s the neighbouring offices full of people who take the time to say hello, to wish us a good day and share a pre-caffeine smile. It’s the office managers who will stop and ask us to see the latest changes because they genuinely care about what we do. To everyone in our village... we salute you![/p][p][/p][h2]One Reality, Multiple Office Moves[/h2][p]While One travels through alternate realities, navigating complex enigmas, our journey from the office on the fourth floor to the seventh floor was perhaps a bit simpler. This blog is written from the top floor (let’s be real, it’s the penthouse, right?) of our castle (office) in a small (third biggest) mysterious town (Lyon). Whilst we all enjoy the benefits of hybrid work, there is nothing quite like a bustling office full of developers moving from desk to desk to solve complex problems, such as ‘who broke the build machine today’.[/p][p][/p][h2]Aether[/h2][p][/p][p]The coffee machine \[insert god rays and angels singing here][/p][p][/p][h2]…More Aether[/h2][p]Being a studio based in France, it would be inauthentic to talk about office culture and not talk about one of the most critical parts: FOOD![/p][p]Part of creating an office culture, but even more importantly, a team, always relies on sharing in moments of joy together; and what brings more joy then BUTTER? .. Well, perhaps butter that has been rolled out over and over and folded into a fluffy, crispy, angelic moment of bliss, the perfect, the majestic (drum roll please) croissant! .. Maybe I should take a break and get some food. Just like Maddock being lost to corruption, I indeed am losing myself to the idea of a croissant. BRB![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Okay, I’m back. In case you were concerned about our diet, here is some proof of us eating much healthier things like Cinnamon Rolls, Raclette parties (cheesecheesecheese) and Galettes (Buckwheat pancakes) and of course, beer![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]How the Collapse and Water Way realities combine in a very unique way…[/h2][p]Just like turning the corner and seeing a bunch of critters blocking your way, it wouldn’t be a creative process without some quirks getting in the way. Here are some examples of what it looks like making a game in the real world:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Making a game is a lot like real life, unexpected things happen and you have to learn to pivot and find the silver lining. For example, instead of saying ‘there is no roof in the toilet’ we can say ‘isn’t it nice getting some fresh air and hearing the sounds of birds?’[/p][p][/p][p]A Very Fluid Quest System[/p][p]It’s important to note that not all the fun and games (ha!) take place just in the office. We have some friendly NPCs all around us that help form our habits and traditions, that help us on our quests. For example, the office mission of obtaining a Chouffe bottle opener; a simple mission really:[/p][p]“If you drink enough Chouffe to finish this keg, I will give you the bottle opener”[/p][p]*Mission Activated*[/p][p][/p][p]*Mission Accomplished*[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]At the end of the day, and this blog, we as a team love the world we have digitally created, as well as the physical one we’ve built together. Whether it’s fighting bugs, corruption or plumbing issues... there is no reality better than this one.[/p][p][/p][p]The Emeteria Team[/p][p][/p][h3]🌊 Flow with us[/h3][p]✨ Wishlist Fading Echo[/p][p]Steam | Epic Games Store | PlayStation Store | Xbox Store[/p][p][/p][p]💬 Join the Echoverse on Discord[/p][p]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p]