My inspiration comes from Where Winds Meet, a Chinese wuxia open-world MMORPG. The game’s environments are not just realistic ancient Chinese settings. They also mix in fantasy and elements from Chinese myths and folklore, giving each area its own unique style. Inspired by this, I want to create a similar environment that combines ancient Chinese aesthetics with fantasy and mysterious elements.
In Where Winds Meet, each region and its bosses have their own unique environments, closely tied to the main story and the bosses’ backstories. You can learn a lot about the world and its stories just by looking at the environment.Sometimes, the game also uses abstract and symbolic elements, using certain images to represent specific people or places. I’d like to explore this approach in my own scene as well.
I want to create a scene that can tell a story in a similar way, allowing players to discover its history and secrets through the environment itself. Since a whole themed environment would involve too much information to cover, I want to focus on a boss arena instead.
Ideas for the Environment Theme
- Ancient Chinese Astrology
The ancient Chinese believed that the sky and the human world were connected. Changes in the sky were often seen as signs of events related to politics, war, farming, natural disasters, and the emperor.
For example:
- Comets: People often saw them as signs of war, political trouble, or big changes.
- Solar and lunar eclipses: They were sometimes seen as signs of an imbalance between Yin and Yang or problems with the country’s order.
- Mars near the Heart constellation: This was seen as a bad sign and was often linked to the fate of the emperor and the country.
- Unusual stars: The sudden appearance of a new star or a change in a star’s brightness could be seen as a sign of war, a change of ruler, or major events in society.
2. Legends of Gu Poison in Miao Culture
The Miao are an ethnic minority in China with a long history. They mainly live in Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, and other regions. They have a rich culture, including traditional clothing, silver jewelry, embroidery, music, and festivals. Many Miao villages are built in the mountains and have a close connection with nature.
In Chinese folk legends, Gu is believed to be a mysterious insect or supernatural power. According to the stories, people put different poisonous insects together to create a special kind of Gu with unusual powers. People believe that Gu can make others sick or bring bad luck. These stories are often linked to Miao communities, but they are legends and do not represent the real Miao culture.
Traditional Chinese legends describe several types of Gu:
- Insect Gu: Stories about poisonous insects kept in jars and mysterious breeding places.
- Medicine and Poison Gu: Legends about secret mixtures used to heal or harm people.
- Love and Curse Gu: Stories about controlling emotions, creating illusions, or bringing bad luck.