Posts by Kedhrin

  • Your Game Design Workflow?

    when it comes to level design i always start with paper


    i have a weird 'artsy' way of doing things... its almost like i let the level dance in my head a bit. That sounds really bizarre, but when i'm doing balance and layout it usually works out.


    when doing game design, i'm stuck in a document for a long time. it may take me a day to write a single paragraph, because i always search for new ideas that are fun, realistic to make within the budget, and make sense to other people reading it. I'll usually start with a table of contents so i know what bases i need to cover, then i'll branch from there. I've written so many different game designs at this point that i couldn't even tell you how many... i've never once considered any to be bad (except for the ones i was doing when i was like 14 or 15), if they aren't being made, they are more or less sitting on the back burner.


    Although i do recommend playing a game as quick as possible, i think if a designer is drastically changing the game non-stop from a document, they just aren't a document designer - which can be a really bad thing, depending on the situation. I'll generally play the game i design in my mind enough times to know if it is good or not, and trust my gut instinct - it usually works out - there's definitely shifting around, but i think if you're completely rewriting or gutting entire systems you're not designing properly. I generally design at a higher level, implement, then fill out the guts. But i document enough to paint a picture and stick to it. I'm not the type of person that makes my team prototype a million things, throwing them out the door and starting over before committing to something.


    i really - really - really dislike vertical slices. It can force people to rush for a hacky rush job like making an E3 Demo over and over. It's can really be a stress fest and leaves people cleaning up the hacky mess after the vertical slice is achieved. Some of the people we do work for hire work for do vertical slice work a lot, and it usually always ends up with people crunching at the end... especially because i can't seem to get away from projects that are always reinventing the wheel or dealing with some wrecked technology that causes headaches across the board. Sure it can give you a preview of what the full game looks like, but usually at a steep cost.


    Although i definitely use grey boxes for maps, i don't stay in that area too long. Certain games require very precise levels, like counter-strike, which can tip the odds of gameplay dramatically real quickly. Other games have a lot less emphasis on the inch-by-inch game play. It all varies.


    While people may say don't do art during your blue room, i think it is only half true if you are making a game that heavily relies on reflexes (like counter-strike). You need to worry about the colors, lighting, and micro detail you are going to be using in your map. It can change everything. A player blending in with the environment can radically alter the layout and experience a player will have in the level. A layout is dictated by the speed players move through the flow. I think it is important to get a good enough hint of those elements in your level before you move on from your grey room phase.


    Thats just me and what i generally expect out of my guys here... it's really hard to describe, because there is no absolute "solution" and every project big or small has been different..

  • New way to send a cover letter

    i hate videos and i hate cover letters


    i care about these, in order

    1. Portfolio

    I don't read cover letters, and i definitely close videos unless someone is a VFX artist or an animator.


    i usually don't even read emails.


    If the portfolio impresses me, i'll read the email, then i'll read the resume just to see how long someone was at a company to see if they were bouncing around a lot* (lol multitasking)


    that's just me though, but i wouldn't put it past other people in my position that feel the same way. If a studio is lucky enough to have a hiring manager, they can filter people for them. With how busy i am though, people are lucky enough to even get a response from me. I'm not trying to act like i'm on a high horse or anything, that's the brutal and unfortunate truth of the situation. If i was responding to everyone and watching videos people submit me, it would seriously take me all day - every day. We get flooded with entry level position applicants... and the only thing i have time for is the initial 5 seconds of looking at your portfolio to be impressed or not - then i'm out. better make sure that first image is a good one!


    Short, blunt, simple, in-and-out - thats where you want to be.

  • GTA V

    I'll probably play GTA V sometime next year...


    i'm probably one of the only people thats just "meh" about it. Haven't played all the way through any GTA yet. i did 100% Mafia and Sleeping Dogs though (for sandbox games). But something about GTA has always just 'meh' to me. Dunno what it is, maybe the hype ruins it for me.


    also this is funneh.


    [Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/XF7hIdk.gif]

  • Procedural City Generation

    LOL their analogy of crunch is hilariously bad.


    I love the thought of this stuff. But he was wrong when he said "artist can just focus on the creative stuff" - when this procedural shit takes away the control from the artists and forces them to make bad looking art most of the time.


    I've yet to see anything that looks very good using 100% procedural techniques, there are shortcuts with hybrid procedural+traditional, but the press easy button == look like ass button. This setup could be a great 1st step to produce stuff then an artist comes in and makes it look good. The volume editor is really cool.


    Not to mention having to deal with the groans of making sure it can work with your engine and the performance specs.


    good video though, i'd love to see how far you can customize the very specific and unique details - most of the problems lie on edges and corners, the lack of trims/chamfered edges is the think that makes it look like butts upon butts. I could see it being really beneficial for us if we could integrate it into CryENGINE (lulz) for Revival.

  • Martin Colith - Level Designer

    the banner is doing you harm


    get rid of cantrip if it doesn't link to something


    your images take a minute for me to make them bigger... not sure if this is your ISP or mine (atm at least), but if its a common issue i'd recommend another hosting company.


    good implementation of youtube videos.

    simple to navigate, straight to the point, i like that.


    the site certainly could be prettier, but i'm not judging your webdesign skills.

  • Alistair Hill - Level/Environment Artist

    please get rid of the flash. simple is best. the only time i like flash is when an image grows on the screen (with no animation), i don't like open and closing tabs.


    your portfolio should be the first thing that comes up, i probably wouldn't read your blog.


    i had a hard time navigating your site, i would've almost instantly looked over you because of this. i'm not sure what i'm looking at, i'm not going to spend time looking at your research - i want to see your levels, screenshots and layouts - keep the overly complex stuff as sub options.