User:Doc von Schmeltwick/Projects/Particle effect

Obtaining the Power Star in Bob-omb Battlefield in Super Mario 64

Puff effects occur when Mario collects the Power Star, followed by shine effects as he shows it to the camera.

A particle effect refers to a type of visual effect that denotes movement, weather, or other sorts of occurrences. They are primarily used to indicate when an action has taken place or to increase the immersion of the work's world. In video games, particle effects have been in use to varying degrees since the medium's infancy; within the Super Mario franchise, an early example of particle effects in play is the splashing effect in Mario Bros. that occurs when an enemy is knocked off-screen. Particle effects are most often two-dimensional and billboarded towards the screen in 3D games, though occasionally they may be textured onto basic 3D shapes.

Particle effects include, but are not limited to the following:

Puffs and clouds of smoke, mist, dust, and other gasses
Flames
Weather such as rain and snow, as well as other examples of drops
Wind and currents
Lens flares and rainbows
Splashes and bubbles
Electrical sparks and beams
Explosions
Text popups
"Pow" shapes
Glow effects
Shines, sparkles, and twinkles
Distant background creatures, such as birds and fish
Rubble from destroyed objects
Magic
Fireworks
Emotion symbols

Not all visual effects count as particle effects; for instance, a stagewide fog effect is often instead controlled by making objects not appear until they are close rather than covering them with a separately rendered graphic.

Examples

Background creatures

Sometimes, background creatures are portrayed through particle effects. This is most common for distantly flying birds, such as seagulls in Mario Kart DS, though other creatures may be portrayed this way too. Up close, it is sometimes used for small flying insects. Otherwise, closer creatures are often rendered through basic models.

Bubbles

Bubbles often appear underwater, tracking movement and other notable aspects in a similar manner to puffs above water. They are also often scene on the surface of liquids such as lava.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario 64

Clouds

Clouds are sometimes rendered as particle effects, usually ones that move or otherwise change form. Examples include the 2-dimensional clouds that surround certain planets in Super Mario Galaxy and Foo's clouds in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Many other times, however, they are instead rendered as models or scenery tiles, particularly in instances where they function as terrain.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (airship)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (airship)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (boss defeated)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (boss defeated)

Emotion symbols

Various emotion indicators, such as sweat, hearts, and dizzy stars are typically rendered as particle effects surrounding the character they pertain to.

Super Mario Bros. 3 boss sweat

Electricity

Electrical effects often surround charged enemies like Amps as well as the player when electrocuted. Lengthy electrical effects are used for electric rails and other obstacles. They sometimes may also surround lightning, which itself is sometimes rendered as an electric particle effect.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Donkey Kong Country 3 for Game Boy Advance

Explosions

Explosions are very commonly rendered through particle effects, though extra-large explosions may instead use an expanding sphere model surrounded by particles instead.

Super Mario Bros. 3 enemy explosion (land) (alternativesMedia:SMB3 Explosion flash diagram.png)
Super Mario Bros. 3 miniboss explosion (fortress) (alternativesMedia:SMB3 Explosion flash diagram.png)

Fireworks

Fireworks are almost exclusively rendered with outward-expanding particle effects. While early games sometimes had them look the same as explosions, later games often made them more colorful and broken apart to properly simulate show fireworks.

Super Mario Bros.
Golf: Japan Course

Flames

Flames are often used as a particle on torches and other objects. They are among the particle effects that often doubles as a hazard. In more graphically robust games, flames often put off particles of their own, such as cinders and heat distortion.

Fog

Fog is sometimes rendered as a particle effect, particularly when it is mobile and whispy, such as in the Cap Kingdom of Super Mario Odyssey, or the poison gas in games such as Super Mario 64. Consistently colored distance-based fog effects are not done via particles, however, as that is a transparency and draw distance trick.

Ghosts

Transparent ghosts are sometimes rendered via prerendered sprites displayed as particle effects, particularly in areas where there are a large amount of them, such as Banshee Boardwalk in Mario Kart 64. The Mini Boos seen in Super Mario Galaxy also use this.

Mario Kart 64

Glow

Glow effects are commonly used for low-lit areas or as beacons for far away points of interest; notably, they surround Power Stars in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 when they are distant.

Lens flares

Lens flares are large, radiating shines that usually appear when the camera is looking close to the sun. They are most often asterisk (*) or ring-shaped.

Magic

Magic spells often emit a colorful sparkling haze that mixes several types of particle effects together.

"Pow"

One of the most common action-related particle effects is the serrated attack bubble, or "pow" shape. It appears when an attack collides with a target.

Super Mario Bros. 3 tail attack effect (alternativesMedia:SMB3 Tail whip flash diagram.png)

Precipitation

Rain is very commonly rendered through a particle effect that covers the camera and surrounding areas with small downward animating graphics. Snow is similar, though due to how snow moves, it is more commonly rendered in a way that keeps track of its location relative to the player's movement. Stationary water drops in caves are sometimes rendered by having them slide down an otherwise-invisible flat texture that travels from the ceiling to the ground.

Puffs and related

Puffs and similar particles are among the most commonly used particle effects. They can be used for objects magically appearing, disappearing, or transforming; travelling along certain surfaces; and smoke from fire, lasers, electricity, and vehicle exhaust; among many other purposes.

Golf (bunker)
Stroke & Match Golf (bunker)
Golf: Japan Course (rough)
Golf: Japan Course (bunker)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (title screen)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (changing form)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (enemy or White Block disappearing)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (cannon firing and item appearing)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (fireball or hammer disappearing)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (laser firing)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (Bowser's flame spawning)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (map)

Rainbows

Rainbows sometimes appear in a similar capacity to lens flares in wetter or more fantastical areas. Note that static, less accurate rainbows, such as the ones in Rainbow Ride, do not qualify as they are considered a part of the terrain rather than a visual effect.

Rubble

Rubble commonly appears from destroyed objects, especially Brick Blocks.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (land)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (cave)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (fortress)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (Bowser's Castle)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (flashing, land) (alternatives)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (giant)

Shines and related

"Shining" effects are often used to denote something glittering or magical. They usually resemble small four-pointed stars.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (coin and card)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (arcade fireball)

Splashes

Splashes occur when something drops into water, most commonly the player.

Golf: Japan Course
Super Mario Bros. 3 (normal)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (Statue Mario)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (Hammer Mario)
Golf for Game Boy

Splatters

Splatters such as those of Bloopers in the Mario Kart series and Inky Piranha Plants elsewhere are an example of particle effects used to conceal the screen, acting as a hindrance.

Spray

A fine mist of water sometimes occurs around waterfalls and other sources of water, such as when F.L.U.D.D. sprays in Super Mario Sunshine.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (type 1)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (type 2, normal)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (type 2, Statue Mario)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (type 2, Hammer Mario)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (type 3)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (type 4, normal)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (type 4, Statue Mario)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (type 4, Hammer Mario)

Text popups

In certain games and circumstances, text appearing is used as a particle effect. This includes point markers, 1up markers, and Game Over markers. In later games, these are often not particle effects anymore due to instead using the same font and text system as standard dialogue rather than premade sprites specifically for that context.