38-second fictional game trailer built entirely in code
By Paruchh (@theparuchh). Model: GPT-6 Astra. Posted Oct 4, 2026. Original post: https://x.com/theparuchh/status/2106824464092770455
Create a cinematic trailer for a fictional game, 35–40 seconds long, with the production quality of a reveal at The Game Awards MAIN RULE Everything the viewer sees and hears must be created by your code: geometry, materials, animation, lighting, particles, titles, music, and sound No premade models, textures, HDRIs, images, videos, audio, or logo fonts from the internet System fonts are allowed TOOLS - Blender (headless, Python/bpy): procedural generation using Geometry Nodes and shader nodes, animation using keyframes and drivers - Rendering: EEVEE Next (bloom, volumetrics, motion blur, depth of field), use Cycles only for 1–2 hero shots if time allows - Audio: synthesis in Python (numpy/scipy) or SuperCollider for music, ambience, impacts, whooshes, rumble, and a deep BRAAAM at the climax - Assembly: ffmpeg for editing, color grading, grain, 2.39:1 letterboxing, and audio mixing STEP 1: CONCEPT Invent a game: its title, setting, conflict, and one memorable visual hook, such as a world with floating mountains or a gigantic creature beneath the clouds Write it in CONCEPT.md STEP 2: STORYBOARD Plan 8–12 shots with timecodes in STORYBOARD.md For each shot, describe what is in frame, camera movement (dolly, crane, orbit, FPV flythrough, slow push-in), focal length, lighting, and sound Structure: - 0–8 s: quiet and atmosphere, dawn, slow wide shots - 8–20 s: increasing pace, transition between day and night (time-lapse sky and shadows), first signs of a threat - 20–32 s: climax, fast cuts on the beat, epic scale, particles, bursts of light, a creature or an event - 32–35 s: impact, black screen, animated game logo - 35–40 s: “Coming 2027” and a quiet final sound STEP 3: WORLD AND ANIMATION IN BLENDER - Procedural terrain (noise + erosion), procedural vegetation or ruins using instancing, water or volumetric clouds - At least one complex character or creature animation: a bone rig created through code, procedural walking or wing flapping, secondary animation (tail, cloth, dust particles) - Dynamic sky: Nishita sky or a custom shader, sun moving along an arc, stars at night - Atmosphere: fog, god rays, dust in light beams, particles (sparks, ash, leaves) - Camera: smooth Bézier curves, easing, subtle noise-driven handheld shake in dynamic shots, no linear movements - Logo: 3D text or a procedural emblem with an assembly animation and an emissive shader STEP 4: AUDIO Synchronize the music with the edit: tempo and impacts must align with cut timecodes Layers: ambient pad, pulsing bass, percussion during the climax, sound design for specific on-screen events Final mix: stereo, normalized to -14 LUFS STEP 5: QUALITY CONTROL - First render a low-resolution preview of each shot and 3 still frames per shot, inspect them yourself and honestly assess composition, lighting, readability, and whether it looks expensive, rework weak shots - Only then perform the final render DELIVERABLES - trailer.mp4: 1920×1080, 24 fps, H.264, AAC - Source folder: .blend file, all generation scripts, audio script, assembly script - build.sh / build.ps1: one command that rebuilds everything from scratch - README.md: concept, storyboard, description of techniques, render time SUCCESS CRITERION Someone watching without any context should believe this is a real game trailer rather than a technical demo Priority: atmosphere, lighting, and rhythm matter more than object count Choose the technologies yourself within these constraints Work autonomously until the finished result is ready
