Visual Effects sits at the intersection of Art, Design & Engineering.
Like all Art, it’s about communication of ideas.
What are you saying with your Visual Effects?
Understand the design problem you are trying to solve before you start making content.
Focus on the final target through research and concept art - not the constraints of your current technology.
Build in stages and focus test often to fail early and fast before you've invested too much.
Match the tone of the game with the style of your visual effects. Light-hearted, animated, gritty, etc.
The impression the player gets from the visual effects forms their feeling, which is the main way of communicating tone.
Influence the players perceptions of the game design in a beneficial way. Visual effects is a huge factor in the player understanding the game design.
Avoid saying no based on your knowledge of how this problem has been solved in the past.
Don’t be too married to technology or process, they change and are the means to the end goal only.
Know what the player sees most and how spend your time where it makes the most impact.
