Tsarevna News

[p]Transparency is one of the most complex aspects of rendering. Particles, smoke, magic effects, and glass don’t follow the usual lighting rules. Making them look natural is a challenge — even for large studios.[/p][p]In TSAREVNA, we use a system called Translucency Lighting Volume (TLV) — it allows light to interact correctly with translucent materials without turning the GPU into an oven.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Transparency Problem[/h2][p]Most modern games use Deferred Rendering.[/p][p]In the first stage, the engine builds a G-Buffer — a set of textures that store information about the scene’s geometry: normals, depth, materials, albedo, and so on. Lighting isn’t calculated yet; it’s applied later, all at once, to the finished buffer.[/p][p]This approach works perfectly for opaque surfaces — but not for transparent ones.
The reason is simple: transparent materials can’t be properly written to the G-Buffer because the background is visible behind them. That means they have to be drawn on top of an already lit scene, without participating in the main lighting system.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Solution: Translucency Lighting Volume[/h2][p]To make transparent objects look natural, we use Translucency Lighting Volume (TLV).[/p][p]The engine creates an invisible 3D grid around the camera. Each cell in this grid stores lighting information — direction, intensity, color, and reflected light sources (for example, the red glow of a torch or the blue shimmer of a magical portal).[/p][p][/p][p]When a transparent object is rendered, it doesn’t calculate lighting from scratch.
Instead, it simply samples the nearest TLV cell and uses the precomputed lighting data.[/p][p]This greatly reduces GPU load, especially in scenes filled with particles, smoke, magic effects, and post-processing.[/p][p][/p][h2]Quality Settings[/h2][p]The resolution of the TLV directly affects the quality of transparent lighting:[/p]

• [p]High resolution — used in cutscenes and cinematic moments for maximum precision and light depth.
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• [p]Medium / Low resolution — used in combat and gameplay for better performance without noticeable visual loss.
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[p]In TSAREVNA, this system powers the glow of spells, scattered magical light, and semi-transparent materials — from ethereal fog to shimmering enchantments.[/p][p]We’ll continue introducing similar technical improvements as development goes on.
Stay tuned for more dev diaries — there’s plenty of visual magic ahead[/p]

[p]Asset creation is one of the most important and mesmerizing stages of development. [/p][p]At this stage, cubes, planes, and primitives gradually transform into walls, columns, and entire spaces, bringing the world of Tsarevna to life. [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Every detail goes through a journey from a simple technical shape to a living part of the world. Step by step, we fill the game with architecture, meaning, and story. [/p][p][/p][p]Follow our dev diaries. There’s still plenty of behind-the-scenes magic to come in the making of Tsarevna 👑[/p]

[p]We have decided to make the playtest even more exciting and larger in scale to get the most out of our interaction with players![/p][p][/p][p]That is why, while we are preparing an expanded version for the playtest, it will be closed for the time being, with individual access for streamers. If you want to immerse yourself in the Tsarevna universe soon, have a blog or stream on your channel, then send your application to 👉 [email protected], tell us about yourself, and leave a link to your channel. We will definitely consider your participation in the first playtest.[/p][p][/p][p]We have already received 14,657 applications to participate. Standard distribution of access will begin later. We are aiming for the end of November. Stay tuned for news![/p][p]
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[p]Similar to Plushes, we will soon be launching the first Tsarevna playtest. You can apply on the project's main page by clicking the “Request Access” button.[/p][p]
[/p][p]The playtest is scheduled to launch on October 28.[/p][p]
In honor of the playtest release, we have updated the page design: now you can enjoy new screenshots and GIFs that better reflect the state of the game than the previous first drafts.[/p][p]
Share your thoughts on the new design in the comments and add Tsarevna to your wishlist so you don't miss any news 👑[/p][p]
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[p]We calculated everything in percentages![/p][p] [/p][p]Each clash is not just a fight, but a real challenge. Because you know: in our game, ballet is not just aesthetics. It's magic. It's power. It's style.[/p][p][/p][p]To convey this magic accurately, beautifully, and professionally, we invited Bolshoi Theater prima ballerina Alena Kovaleva, a world-class artist, to join the project! Alena not only inspires us, she also takes an active part in creating mockups, thinking through the heroine's movements, and advising the team. Thanks to her experience, we can show ballet in battle—graceful, precise, expressive.[/p][p]TSAREVNA is the first game where elegant ballet meets fierce slasher action. And all this in one body, one heroine.[/p][p] [/p][h2]21% of the magical world[/h2][p]From enchanted forests to the ruins of ancient temples, every corner here breathes fairy tales.[/p][p]In our world, it's not just swords and magic that matter, but also symbols that nourish memory and faith.[/p][p][/p][p]Perun is the god of thunder and protector of people. In The Tale of Bygone Years, his idol is described as having silver hair and a golden mustache — a sign of wisdom and fire born of a lightning strike. In his hands is flint, a symbol of heavenly power, about which Maciej Stryjkowski wrote.[/p][p]We carved Perun's amulet from oak, a sacred tree associated with thunder gods from the Slavic Perun to the Baltic Perkunas. The face is surrounded by nine patterns: rhombuses, associated with the human head, and zigzags, symbols of thunder and “Thor's axes.”[/p][p]This is not just a detail of the world, it is a conduit of power and protection.[/p][p] [/p][h2]33% charismatic heroes[/h2][p]Tsarevna, enemies, allies — each has their own character, voice, and goal. Some will save you, some will betray you.[/p][p]We don't just invent monsters, we pull them out of the depths of myths, legends, and fairy tales. The enemies in the game are not ordinary opponents, but archetypes familiar from fairy tales, but translated into a new language. Each of them is a reflection of the myths, fears, and meanings woven into our culture.[/p][p][/p][p]The horse, for example—the eternal companion, and therefore given a special place in mythology.[/p][p]In many cultures, it was horses that carried the sun across the sky:[/p][p]For the Greeks, it was the god Helios in a chariot drawn by four fiery steeds. For the Hindus, it was Surya with seven horses, like the colors of the rainbow. For the Scandinavians, it was the goddess Sol with Arvak and Alsvidr, symbols of day and night.[/p][p]And for the Slavs, it was the god Khors and his solar horses, which changed color throughout the day: from white in the morning to black at sunset.[/p][p]According to legend, when the sun sets in our world, it rises in the underworld. Thus, the eternal cycle is complete. But in the world of TSAREVNA, the cycle has been interrupted. The sun horse has burned out. It is enraged. And its reflection is now more frightening than the light it once carried.[/p][p]  [/p][h2]15% dark secrets[/h2][p]What is hidden in the heroine's past could change the future of this world.[/p][p][/p][p]TSAREVNA is a new myth that has grown out of cultural roots. We took archetypes, rituals, and symbols and used them to build our own universe — frightening, beautiful, and full of mysteries.[/p][p]In TSAREVNA, even darkness tells its own story. We create concepts not just as images, but as pieces of a fairy-tale puzzle. Every silhouette, every glimmer, every architectural element is part of a world that comes together to form a single, magical canvas.[/p][p] [/p][p]Add TSAREVNA to your wishlist to be the first to see it all come to life in the game![/p]