Landon Voss

Day 22 — Watering Can VFX, Tool Feedback, and Plant Interaction Effects

Written by

Landon

in

Context

Today was all about adding visual feedback to core interactions. While the underlying systems for tools and farming have been functional for a while, the moment-to-moment experience still felt flat. The goal was to bring life and clarity to actions through VFX and polish passes.

Watering Can Integration

I finished bringing the watering can fully into the game. This included:

  • Applying its final material
  • Confirming the mesh aligns correctly with the animation system
  • Integrating it into the tool-handling and item pipeline

With this, all core farming tools now exist in their basic functional form.

Tool VFX

To give each interaction more impact, I added VFX for every major tool:

  • Grass Cutting: Grass now sprays upward when cut instead of simply disappearing.
  • Watering: Added a light spray effect beneath the watering can.
  • Digging & Filling: Added particles, though I’m still not satisfied with how this looks. I may revisit it later.
  • Pickaxe on Rocks: Added impact sparks and debris bursts to sell the force of the hit.
  • Axe on Trees: Added bark-and-wood chip particles that match the feel of chopping.

These effects help actions read more clearly and make the world feel more reactive. help actions read more clearly and make the world feel more reactive.

Plant Watering Loop (Inspired by Animal Crossing)

I added a subtle looping effect for plants when they’re freshly watered. It’s a small, ambient animation/VFX cue, but it goes a long way toward making plants feel alive—very similar to the visual language used in Animal Crossing.

Next Steps

  • Revisit digging/filling VFX once more assets or references become available.
  • Begin polishing the placement preview visuals.
  • Add tile-based effects for the other farming stages.

Summary

What I accomplished:

  • Fully integrated the watering can.
  • Added VFX for grass cutting, watering, and hole interactions.
  • Implemented a watered-plant loop inspired by Animal Crossing.

What I learned:

  • Even simple VFX dramatically improve interaction clarity.
  • Farming tools benefit from strong visual language to reinforce player feedback.
  • Some effects (like digging) need iteration and reference material to get right.

More posts