Environment Creation Guidance as Like Reference for 3D Game

I was working on a 3d game and I am almost complete about my gameplay but now I want to work on the visual appearance of my game.

So I checked different games and from those, I like this way of gameplay presentation.

Though I have different gameplay - I want to create an open environment for my game wherein the background I want to show mountains and a more natural environment like the above reference video.

If I want to create something similar environment then what I require to do? I can't able to figure out the exact solution for this.

I have these questions in my mind:

1. Whether its a skybox with mountains and ground?
2. Is it an image applied to a plain 3d object?
3. Are there 3d models for the ground and mountains and skybox used too?

Maybe these are noob questions but honestly, I don't know the answer

 

Since the mountains/ground don't move at all, I'd assume they're just a single, static background image. No skybox, no models, just an image in a canvas. If you like how the above looks, that's probably all you need to do.

The next step beyond that would be to have multiple background images layered, which move slightly with parallax, to give a fake sense of depth. You'll see that in tons of 2D side-scrollers. But that effect only works if the camera is moving across the background. In this game, there's no movement at all, aside from forward, which doesn't really look great with parallax. If you wanted the background to scroll past in this kind of endless runner game, I'd probably make the "background" a full 3D world, so that as the camera moves forward, you actually move past all of the background objects.

 

Thank you for your suggestions and I grab many things for this
Now let me discuss further into this so I can ask more questions those I have arise now.

In my game, the player and the camera are not moving, they remain at the same place all the time so in the background environment I want something static.

Please share your thought regarding these points:

1. below the gameplay, there is background too, in the reference game - do you think I need to background one for the front side and other for the downside?
2. what if I create one 3d sphere model and inside that wrap the whole background environment and then place whole gameplay inside that sphere? will it create the same look like the video?

 

Without seeing a screenshot of your game, it's hard to know whether a single background image would be enough. It depends on the angle and field of view of the camera. Maybe post a screenshot of your game.

As for the 3D sphere, what you're describing is already built into Unity. You're basically describing how a Skybox, or HDRI sky, works. You can google HDRI sky, and get a bunch of 3D sphere images which can be used to create a 3D background for a level. So, that should be pretty easy, as long as you can find an HDRI sky that fits the visual style of your game.

 

This is my overall gameplay screenshot where player and camera both remain at the same place


I want to set up some dark space theme for this game so I was searching for some short and efficient way and suddenly came across the above reference game.

Now please share your opinion regarding this.

 

You have a pretty wide FOV here, at least vertically. The background at the bottom of the screen would be looking mostly downward, while the background at the top is looking mostly straight ahead. You could probably use just a static background, but it would probably need to be hand-drawn to look like it has curvature to it. It's very similar to the video you posted. Notice in that video that all the backgrounds are broken into two sections: There's the mostly vertical object off in the distance, like pyramids. Then there's the mostly horizontal ground leading to it. That gives the feeling of depth to the background. You'd want to do something similar.

As for using 3D objects for the background, you can do that too, and it would probably fine as well. It's more work than making a single image for the background, but you could end up with a feeling of movement is you either move the background or move the camera.

So, I'd say either would work, and it's up to the style you want to achieve.

 

I don't know what exactly you are saying!!
Basically at the bottom of the gameplay board, I need some environment and at the front side, so I require to place two planes at both places and overlap with curvy designed texture.
Another option is to design a 3d oval object and map a texture inside it.

Because if I use two planes with texture then it will create an angle at the edge.
What do you think??

 

I agree that using two planes with textures on them probably would not look very good.

It's probably easist to use a single background image that has a combination of horizontal and vertical parts to it. For example, look at this tall image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1...faWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=645&q=80 Half of the image looks vertical, and half looks horizontal. That's basically what the GoGoRush guys are doing with their background image.

You could make a round 3D object with a texture. It's a little complicated, but it might look fine. I think the image would still need to be a tall image like the one above.

 

Well it seems that the background is just a static image. Just place a plane or canvas in world space far away with a background image.
The movement in the video is achieved by a speed line effect. There are some assets in the asset store to do this.