Simple Lighting Techniques Used in HyperFast

I'm not an expert on lighting, or anything really... this is just a quick explanation of the lighting techniques used in my game HyperFast, made with Unity.

My approach is fairly straight-forward...

Most importantly, I start by choosing the Skybox, because much of the lighting will be based on that!

For the fog, I select a color that compliments the skybox and blends well with the horizon.

Next, I add a Directional light. I don't use solid white for its color - add some color that's appropriate for the time of day. Brightness, or intensity, again depends on the time of day, but I rarely set the value higher than 1.0.

I set the Ambient light. Usually between 0.5 - 1.0 and use a cool color like blue or purple.

I use the Standard Shader with a black/white Emission texture for the lighted signs.

I'll use Spotlights or Point lights to highlight certain objects and areas of interest within a scene. Usually, without shadows, and baked for better performance.

Sometimes I'll use a second or third Directional light as a "fill" light or "back" light, for more contrast or to mimic bounced light.

Last, I adjust many of the textures and materials so that the brightness and colos are consistent throughout the scene.

Additionally, I'm using Image Effects like "Sun Beams" and "Bloom" to enhance the view.

That's about it!

I'm not using Light probes, HDR, or any advanced techniques.

Related resources:

HyperFast:
https://kreediddy.itch.io/hyperfast
Unity:
https://unity3d.com/
Wikipedia - Key Light:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_light
Unity Tutorial - Lighting Overview:
https://unity3d.com/learn/tutorials/topics/graphics/lighting-overview
Unity Manual - Types of Light:
https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/Lighting.html