ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses observing how things are and applying the rules of nature and architecture to develop game environments. It examines fundamental map design, followed by terrain design, using camera effects for professional-looking scene rendering, and finishes up with the creation of some simplistic but highly effective weather systems. A recurring mistake that newbie map designers make is in the scaling and detail of an environment and the objects within it. Depth of field is the term used to describe how an optical lens focuses on the surrounding environment. It describes the distance between the closest and the farthest objects in view that appear in sharp focus. Motion blur is an effect used to make something look like it is moving rapidly or to give the player a dreamy view of the environment. Bloom is the glow effect seen around light sources that extend into the environment.
