GDC 2025 Session Viewer
Dressed to Quest: Achieving Dynamic, Efficient Characters in 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance II'
Gábor Molnár (Graphics Programmer, Warhorse Studios)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Programming
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: Intermediate
Character customization is a crucial part of every RPG. Kingdom Come: Deliverance featured one of the most sophisticated clothing systems ever created for a video game. However, during development we faced significant technical and artistic challenges.
In this session, Gábor shows how he managed to reduce memory usage, CPU overhead and the number of draw calls, while simultaneously enhancing the visual fidelity of the characters in the sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. The presentation covers topics including material atlasing, ID mapping, material propagation, UV space decals, hiding groups and LODs. Attendees gain insight into our armor layering system as well as the blood, grime, and damage systems. Thanks to new character customization features, a broader range of cultures can now be represented. These features are applied not only to humans but also to animals, improving the diversity of forest environments.
Takeaway
Attendees will learn how to implement efficient character rendering while maintaining high level of customizability. The techniques presented can be applied not only to individual hero characters but also to large crowds and armies.
Intended Audience
Graphics programmers and technical artists interested in character rendering. Knowledge of basic rendering techniques is expected.
