Recently, Shining Name has once again taken the spotlight.
Recently, the female-oriented, cross-platform fashion lifestyle game Shining Name issued a call to the entire industry: “We sincerely invite [all game developers] to jointly explore [game fashion technology] for the next stage of upgrade!” Not only that, its promise of “Winning hearts with strength and technology software” has won the game’s players’ enthusiastic approval and pursuit.
Accompanying this call and commitment is the first six-star ensemble, Porcelain Puppet, representing the pinnacle of global gaming technology and artistry, along with the new Puppet-themed 3.0 tech upgrade version. As a symbol of the beginning of the 3.0 era, the Puppet Chapter of Shining Name‘s latest update is open to players and the industry, ready to be scrutinized in terms of artistic expression and technical prowess.
Naturally, when declaring the arrival of Shining Name‘s 3.0 era, they have already made ample preparations. Six standards and technological breakthroughs make their industry-wide declaration confident.
For dress-up and fashion lifestyle games, the key lies in the intricacy of models and visuals. Players can customize character outfits, hairstyles, makeup, and more, akin to nurturing and dressing up a virtual daughter. Many players liken this experience to “raising a daughter.” Beautiful, big-eyed “daughters” are beloved by all players, especially when experienced on PC or large screens, where model precision directly affects the player’s immersion. This leads to the first remarkable aspect of Shining Name: it is the first in the dress-up game genre, and perhaps the entire gaming industry, to achieve over 400,000 polygons in real-time models across mobile and PC platforms, setting an industry benchmark.
In game development and actual gameplay, the number of polygon faces significantly impacts performance and visual quality. Generally, more faces mean greater detail and realism but also increased computational load and rendering stress, potentially slowing down game performance. To ensure a baseline experience, game companies often choose high-quality models for promotional materials while reducing quality in-game. However, this results in lower graphics quality and occasionally, players complain about discrepancies between promotional material and in-game reality.
In more severe cases, attractive assets are used to entice players into acquiring characters and outfits, only to reveal vastly different appearances in-game, which has become a common ailment in the industry. But Shining Name seems not to have compromised. While the official statement attributes the over 400,000 polygon count of the in-game Porcelain Puppet six-star ensemble to an “error” by the art and production team, one wonders which other company could make such a “mistake”?
The second point of confidence in challenging the industry is the 360-degree, no-blind-spot modeling from concept art to 3D models, which could be called “lossless” modeling. The gaming industry is full of stunning 2D designs, but often, the leap to 3D can result in disappointment. Even in the highly-regarded MOBA game Honor of Kings, characters with impressive concept art have been criticized and sent back for rework due to subpar 3D renditions. However, Shining Name does not suffer from this issue; instead, it pushes the boundaries of detail, going as far as designing even the heels of shoes. Although accessories like crystals and gems are not overly complex, the addition of a double-door mechanism and a delicate flower inside the heel of the Porcelain Puppet six-star ensemble showcases Shining Name‘s exceptional modeling and 3D design capabilities.
After discussing models and design, let’s look at the Porcelain Puppet six-star ensemble as a whole, which represents the 3.0 technology. Predominantly white with red and gold accents, this unique limited edition outfit features a birdcage cutout on the abdomen, highlighting the character’s slender waist. When the cage doors open, the bird gains freedom and interacts with the character, echoing the “puppet” theme. For added texture, the translucent skirt is adorned with metallic patterns.
To optimize the appearance of the ensemble, Shining Name used 148 material shaders and adopted a new physically-based rendering (PBR) technique, allowing the model and art design to visually approximate the volume perception under real-world lighting. Furthermore, the game incorporates physical measurement values, recording how light falls on various objects and materials in reality and replicating these values in-game to achieve a perfect finish.
Even the popular color customization feature, which stumped top MMO title Water Margin, is seamlessly implemented in Shining Name. With support for 15-zone single-part dyeing and a vast color palette, each player’s creation becomes unique, akin to a digital collectible.
Lastly, Shining Name‘s optimized Unreal Engine (UE) adaptation for mobile devices without sacrificing visuals or experience highlights its technical prowess. In advocating and leading the industry towards technological upgrades and graphical advancements, Shining Name has taken a solid step forward. This Puppet Chapter might mark the start of something entirely new, and the actual experience is expected to satisfy upon update and playthrough.
