In Coup de Grass, Overgrowth sometimes takes over a building and stops it from working. Cutting it back earns resources and Thorns for upgrades, but the next takeover is stronger. Stonekeep made it for the game's Overgrown Field.
Stonekeep’s first version grew along paths they placed by hand on each building. They could vary the number of branches, their thickness and sway, but the vines still looked too orderly. After getting feedback on Reddit, Stonekeep rebuilt the effect around a messier web of branches.
"Overgrowth" taking over building in my Godot game, updated based on your feedback
by u/stonekeep in godot
For the new version, Stonekeep made a tool that maps a building’s walls and roofs, giving the vines a surface to grow across. They choose where the main stems start and which way they head. The tool adds offshoots as those stems grow, then lets the offshoots branch again.
Stonekeep runs the generator many times, each with a different seed. The tool limits sharp turns and extreme speeds, and rejects branches that disconnect or grow at the wrong time. Stonekeep picks a pattern they like, adjusts it and saves the seed so they can use that same pattern in the game.
They then save the vine geometry and each segment’s growth timing in the building’s scene. The stems are cylinders and the thorns are cones, drawn using two MultiMeshes.
In the game, a shader starts each stem segment at zero length and stretches it out when its turn comes. An offshoot waits until its parent reaches the split, and the thorns grow a little later. Because the paths and timings are already saved, the game doesn’t need to generate a new web while the vines appear.
Later offshoots are lighter to make them look younger. The boss version has thicker, purple vines. Unlocking Briar Ward, the final upgrade for this Field, triggers a takeover of three random buildings. Clear all three, and the ward activates, stopping further Overgrowth from spawning.
You can find the game and see how the effect changed here:
- Game: Coup de Grass on Steam
- Earlier version: Stonekeep’s first Overgrowth post
- Updated version: The Reddit post featured above
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