That transparent sprite technique sounds like it should get around that shadow clipping problem, although I guess you could see the player through it if it walked behind it. The problem with using all geometry is it interferes with establishing a style that is unique. The go-to feature for style these days seems like "shaders, shaders, shaders." I don't want any part of that, and it has been illustrated time and time again that they aren't needed to establish a style that is appealing even in this day and age. They have their place, but not in my work (at this point in time).

If you look at A Vampyre Story, it's all in realtime but the levels are all handpainted. It doesn't feature any actual geometry other than the hidden collision hull, parallel planes for the background layers, and the interactive entities. Most of the images on that site are from an old, 2D tech demo (there are a couple with the 3D Mona...do you think one can actually do this with a 3D only level? And, don't mention Okami. ), so it takes a little bit of using your imagination to wrap your noggin around what they're trying to do. If you've ever seen the old Disney short "The Old Mill," (YouTube it) that's what they're trying to do in regards to the layering. All it is is old school parallax scrolling, but it has that extra bit of DOF-like blurring when the camera zooms in or moves away from or towards the viewer.

This is the EXACT aesthetic I've been experimenting with for years. I have old WIP levels using it but lacking the DOF blurs. This effect is not apparent in any screens I've posted, but if you're familiar with your early Disney then you know what it is. The WIP Limbo game also uses it, although that's a different genre, plus none of what's in the trailer is realtime...it's all proof of concept and prerendered/preanimated: http://www.limbogame.org/

I don't want to use any DOF shaders, but I have a theory regarding animated sprites that contain blurry and non-blurry frames that activate depending on player position relative to the sprite's parent camera. It's similar to what is accomplished with this camera code only using individual frames in an animated sprite instead of a camera. I don't know if it's even possible to manipulate an animated sprite like what I'm wanting, but it's an idea I've had but never bothered attempting. It's easy to trigger the transition if the player crosses a certain coordinate, but basing it directly to position may be tricky and even unnecessary.

Anyway, to steer this back on topic....stencils on none surfaces and/or invisible blocks is my simple request, so I can better realize an aesthetic like this. I just want this title to look different than your average 3D game and/or game period. This has been another ranty novelette brought to you by Orange Brat Shenanigans™.