To hide some of the harsh map-edges, we've implemented a global fog system. It's separate from any particle effects that accompany props/characters and specific map elements, but it helps to set the tone for each area.
In the animation above, we cycle through a few coloured skyboxes, settling on a sunny-day scene for the cottage. We then apply the skybox colour to a global fog. The fog tapers out to full transparency as is rises up, and its vertical start and end can be altered to match each map's scale. In the end, only a small amount of fog is allowed to seep through the ground of our cottage to subtly soften the area as a whole.
The fog is also useful for tapering off the bottoms of the maps, especially vertically-oriented ones.
As shown above, the fog gradient can recede to full opacity and cover the bottoms of the walls and columns. Combined with some billowing particle clouds that replace the level-editor grid, the scene becomes a bit less abstract and more loosely defined at the edges.
Community
