Steal that look: Skylanders dev shares rendering tips at GDC 2016

As the 2016 Game Developers Conference draws nigh, organizers reveal two more expert sessions aimed at advancing both our understanding and our appreciation for the art of game development.

Both of these talks dig into the nitty-gritty details of good graphical design, though one focuses more on practical tricks to using mixed resolution rendering to best effect while the other revolves around how developers can use severely limited color palettes to create entrancing, memorable games.

Vicarious Visions senior engineer Padraic Hennessy will dig deep into the nuts and bolts of good graphics programming in his talk "Mixed Resolution Rendering in Skylanders: Superchargers." 

Capitalizing on his Skylanders experience, Hennessy will explain how the team optimized the fill heavy effects that established the game's iconic clouds and localized atmospherics. He'll also offer useful insight into best practices when working with offscreen VFX and mixed resolution rendering that you can apply to improve quality and performance in your own games.

What's more, A Crowd of Monsters art director Daniel Candil will be at GDC 2016 to give a great talk on how to achieve eye-popping visual design with a limited color palette -- even if you can only use white, black and red.

In his "Art of Blues and Bullets: Dominating 256 Shades of Grey" talk, Candil will explain the creative methods he and his fellow Blues and Bullets devs use to keep the game's severely limited color palette from becoming monotonous and, in the process, create a unique and striking visual aesthetic.

These are just two of the many exciting sessions that will be announced for GDC 2016 in the coming months.  Stay tuned for more, and don't miss the opportunity to save money by registering for the conference early -- the deadline to register for passes at a discounted rate is Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016.

GDC 2016 itself will take place March 14-18th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more information on GDC 2016, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.

Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech.