Sirocco VFX - Ships
I'm happy to showcase some of the VFX I worked on recently as a VFX artist at Lunchbox. Sirocco is an indie MOBA inspired by a classic Warcraft 3 mod called Battleships.
Developing this game was a real challenge and an incredible learning experience. One of the core design goals was clarity during chaotic team fights — all VFX had to be instantly readable. Each ship ability has distinct colors based on who's seeing it: allies see one version, while enemies see another. Abilities also feature visual augmentations that not only change their appearance but can also alter their mechanics.
All visual effects were carefully optimized to ensure the game runs smoothly across various hardware, making it accessible to more players.
Working on Sirocco pushed me to grow as a VFX artist, especially in crafting effects that balance visual impact with performance and gameplay clarity
Sampan has a solid ability kit that includes speed boosts for you and your allies, speed debuffs for enemies by splashing oil on them, and a powerful harpoon that works like a sniper shot
The vfx for the weapons were made by me and my vfx partner in this project Jack Sharp (@applejuicey). Each weapon features standard attacks and powerful critical hits that trigger after a set number of shots. like poison, slow, blindness, bleed etc.
Piranha controls the battlefield with explosive mines. It marks its opponents and unleashes a great amount of missiles to annihilate them
Stingray is fast and strikes up close. It can easily dive in and out of combat, hitting nearby enemies
Nori is a seaweed-themed ship that focuses heavily on crowd control, trapping enemies and dealing area damage
Oasis plays the role of support, protecting allies with shields and providing healing areas through big bubbles
Zephyr applies multiple buffs to allies and debuffs to enemies. It can also control team fights by zoning opponents with wind explosions
Stalker punishes enemies caught out of position. Anyone within its area of effect suffers from bleeding
Some early concept arts at the beginning of the project to help define the visual style and complexity level for the VFX
A few concept sketches around ship abilities
