Torchlight/Diablo style game question

[Rick]

So in these types of games they often have areas of the map that are just blacked out. In this screenshot you can see the sides are blacked out and the black out even overhangs on the right side. How would you go about getting this effect?

 

On the left side you can see there is kind of a top to that wall, but then it fades away into black. How do you suppose one could get this effect in LE?

[Absalom]

I assume that when you are creating the levels, you would either cut off the ceiling (for indoor and underground scenes) or not paint the outer faces of the ceiling. Paint faces for everything else, like those pillars you see in torchlight, and lock the camera to a specific rotation range.

 

Then again, I am no artist so I am just spit balling.

[Absalom]

Here's a video reference to Torchlight that I just uploaded if anyone needs to see what Rick is talking about. I don't have a diablo vid to upload, you can youtube that.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC2jNxIUaDo

 

[EDIT]: Rick, I didn't see a screenshot posted so that's why I posted the vid.

[Pancakes]

Looks like a depth buffer effect to me. The same kind of thing they use for underwater effects.

 

You could tell it to artificially increase the depth value of things that are proportionally distant from the camera or occluded from the character's line of sight. Then cast a foggy effect in areas where the depth value is past a certain threshhold.

 

I think that's what you're talking maybe. If not ignore.

[Absalom]

Looks like a depth buffer effect to me. The same kind of thing they use for underwater effects.

 

You could tell it to artificially increase the depth value of things that are proportionally distant from the camera or occluded from the character's line of sight. Then cast a foggy effect in areas where the depth value is past a certain threshhold.

 

I think that's what you're talking maybe. If not ignore.

 

Well, that sounds better than my idea.