371
The difference between no lighting & baked lighting in my game! (& some post-processing)
r/IndieDev
6/26/2025
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blender | https://www.blender.org/ | 3D Modeling & Rendering | Baked lighting onto textures, fully raytraced lighting |
| Raylib | https://www.raylib.com/ | Game Development Library | Used as game engine (implied by author's confirmation) |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Performance optimization in game development
- Achieving realistic lighting without taxing the game engine
- Mediocre textures making scenes look amateurish
- Difficulty in creating intricate lighting effects programmatically
Problems to Solve:
- How to achieve high-quality lighting with minimal performance impact
- How to enhance visual quality without advanced shader programming
- Transforming basic meshes/textures into professional-looking scenes
Potential Solutions:
- Using baked lighting (e.g., in Blender) to pre-calculate lighting effects
- Leveraging raytraced rendering tools for intricate lighting
- Focusing on art direction and lighting to compensate for simpler textures
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Showcasing visual transformations to demonstrate product value (before/after lighting)
- Leveraging free tools (Blender) to reduce development costs
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Sharing visual comparisons on social platforms (Reddit) to generate interest
- Directly linking to Steam store page in discussions
- Encouraging community feedback through posts
Monetization & Product:
- Targeting niche genres (psychological thriller walking simulators)
- Focusing on atmosphere as key selling point
User Engagement:
- Actively responding to comments and questions
- Sharing development insights to build community interest
- Incorporating user suggestions (e.g., considering full-bright mode option based on comments)