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Thursday, December 28, 2017
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Friday, April 14, 2017
Hellblade Development Diaries
Really cool development diaries from Ninja Theory about their latest game Hellblade. They cover several areas of production, like design, story, animation, FX, modeling, etc.
I would recommend anyone interested in how video games are make to have a look at it. They are very enlightening.
I would recommend anyone interested in how video games are make to have a look at it. They are very enlightening.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
My thoughts regarding the Mass Effect: Andromeda animation issues
First, some links regarding the animation issues in Mass Effect: Andromeda
This from Jonathan Cooper on Twitter (if you're not following him, then you should start doing it)
https://twitter.com/i/moments/845012187231895552
And this one from the AnimState site, which includes some very savvy animators like Gwen Frey, Simon Unger and Tim Borelli.
http://www.animstate.com/round-table-mass-effect-andromeda/
Both links pretty much sum up what most game developers will tell you: Animators alone are not to blame. I understand (in a way) why most gamers do this: They have no idea all the systems involved in a game of this scope and that's not excuse though to justify insults towards people, so let's be clear on that subject too.
For me, this game reminds me of Assassin's Creed 3. It was a game that tried to do too many things, with limited time and not enough resources, though that last part is weird given how Ubisoft tend to do their games (multiple studios come in to help if needed).
Both games lacked a lot of polish and that, in my opinion is the root of all this trouble. I think at some point, producers and decision-making people should have sit down in a quiet room and ask themselves an honest question: What do we need to cut in order to make something else better? It is a difficult question because it implies (in a certain way) defeat, but is a question that at some point you need to ask to yourself and your team if you see that your game is full of bugs and there's not enough people to fix them.
Simon Unger said it best in the AnimState round table linked above: Focus on what the people will see most. Personally, for a game like Mass Effect, that's the main story and combat gameplay. Additionally, you need to be sure that your tools are working properly. This is especially true given that ME:A changed from one engine (Unreal) to another one (Frostbite).
Once that's done, focus on less important stuff. For example, have less side quests. Or remove some parts of the background story that are not important. Multiplayer? Who needs it when the story is so compelling that you want to replay the game just to try a different ending?
And if you're worried that some people might complain for the lack of content... Seriously, people will always complain about something, but I prefer that people say "This game doesn't have procedural side quests!" instead of having tons of videos of weird facial expressions and funny walk cycles.
Mass Effect is a huge franchise, with a huge fanbase. And every time there is a new ME game coming out, there are HUGE expectations. I thought at some point that the gameplay trailer that was shown last year increased the hype of the game from what it normally is, but a friend of mine told me something that I agree 100% with: The hype for a Mass Effect game is always there.
Finally, I honestly think that issue with the game is not exclusive to the animators (as most people think), or the designers, or the programmers (though every single person that worked on the game has a share of the blame when a game doesn't meet expectations). If I have to point my finger to one department in particular, it will be the people doing the planning. Those are the people that need to ask themselves the tough question of what to remove in order to make the overall experience better. If they don't, you will end up with a half-made huge game that people complains about, not because the lack of content, but because the lack of effort.
DISCLAIMER: I have no idea what the planning was for ME:A. What I've put in this post are my opinions on why I think the game failed to meet expectations. And for the record, I have nothing against anyone at Ubisoft, but ME:A reminds me so much of AC3, that it's difficult for me not to make comparisons. Cool thing is though, after AC3 came AC4, which is a hell of game! So, I hope the next ME game will be incredible! :fingers_crossed:
This from Jonathan Cooper on Twitter (if you're not following him, then you should start doing it)
https://twitter.com/i/moments/845012187231895552
And this one from the AnimState site, which includes some very savvy animators like Gwen Frey, Simon Unger and Tim Borelli.
http://www.animstate.com/round-table-mass-effect-andromeda/
Both links pretty much sum up what most game developers will tell you: Animators alone are not to blame. I understand (in a way) why most gamers do this: They have no idea all the systems involved in a game of this scope and that's not excuse though to justify insults towards people, so let's be clear on that subject too.
For me, this game reminds me of Assassin's Creed 3. It was a game that tried to do too many things, with limited time and not enough resources, though that last part is weird given how Ubisoft tend to do their games (multiple studios come in to help if needed).
Both games lacked a lot of polish and that, in my opinion is the root of all this trouble. I think at some point, producers and decision-making people should have sit down in a quiet room and ask themselves an honest question: What do we need to cut in order to make something else better? It is a difficult question because it implies (in a certain way) defeat, but is a question that at some point you need to ask to yourself and your team if you see that your game is full of bugs and there's not enough people to fix them.
Simon Unger said it best in the AnimState round table linked above: Focus on what the people will see most. Personally, for a game like Mass Effect, that's the main story and combat gameplay. Additionally, you need to be sure that your tools are working properly. This is especially true given that ME:A changed from one engine (Unreal) to another one (Frostbite).
Once that's done, focus on less important stuff. For example, have less side quests. Or remove some parts of the background story that are not important. Multiplayer? Who needs it when the story is so compelling that you want to replay the game just to try a different ending?
And if you're worried that some people might complain for the lack of content... Seriously, people will always complain about something, but I prefer that people say "This game doesn't have procedural side quests!" instead of having tons of videos of weird facial expressions and funny walk cycles.
Mass Effect is a huge franchise, with a huge fanbase. And every time there is a new ME game coming out, there are HUGE expectations. I thought at some point that the gameplay trailer that was shown last year increased the hype of the game from what it normally is, but a friend of mine told me something that I agree 100% with: The hype for a Mass Effect game is always there.
Finally, I honestly think that issue with the game is not exclusive to the animators (as most people think), or the designers, or the programmers (though every single person that worked on the game has a share of the blame when a game doesn't meet expectations). If I have to point my finger to one department in particular, it will be the people doing the planning. Those are the people that need to ask themselves the tough question of what to remove in order to make the overall experience better. If they don't, you will end up with a half-made huge game that people complains about, not because the lack of content, but because the lack of effort.
DISCLAIMER: I have no idea what the planning was for ME:A. What I've put in this post are my opinions on why I think the game failed to meet expectations. And for the record, I have nothing against anyone at Ubisoft, but ME:A reminds me so much of AC3, that it's difficult for me not to make comparisons. Cool thing is though, after AC3 came AC4, which is a hell of game! So, I hope the next ME game will be incredible! :fingers_crossed:
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Links, enlaces et liens - GDC 2017 Edition
www.animstate.com/free-gdc-2017-animation-talks/
A list of all animation talks from GDC2017.
http://www.animstate.com/animation-exchange-2017-recording-feedback/
The link above contains links to each section of the excellent #ANIMX talk that was held during the latest GDC. Below is the full stream (8+ hours!) in case you want to watch the whole thing (as I did).
Watch live video from TwitchOffice on www.twitch.tv
Friday, February 10, 2017
Links, enlaces et liens
http://boutique23.com/
Some cool rigs on sale!
https://vimeo.com/groups/gameanimFollow this group for some cool demo reels!
http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/deadpool-visual-effects-breakdown-by-atomic-fiction/
Nice breakdown from the Deadpool film
http://ryanwoodwardart.com/animation/
I think I've shared this before but it doesn't matter, still worth the reshare! :)
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2016/ENU/3DSMax/files/GUID-75E03BAB-0D94-43E0-B281-3AE3299BD2B9-htm.html
Some alternative options for those that are using 3ds max
https://www.iamag.co/features/disney-real-time-skeletal-skinning-with-optimized-centers-of-rotation/
Cool tech for skinning. From Disney, nonetheless :P
http://thinkinganimation.com/new-free-rig-mr-buttons/
Free rig!! Check a test run done by Kyle Kenworthy below...
Mr. Button's Bow Tie from Kyle Kenworthy on Vimeo.
Some cool rigs on sale!
This is the gif we should be showing new maya animators pic.twitter.com/AnQUunl2j0— Janel Drewis (@the_jan_man) March 15, 2016
https://vimeo.com/groups/gameanimFollow this group for some cool demo reels!
http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/deadpool-visual-effects-breakdown-by-atomic-fiction/
Nice breakdown from the Deadpool film
http://ryanwoodwardart.com/animation/
I think I've shared this before but it doesn't matter, still worth the reshare! :)
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2016/ENU/3DSMax/files/GUID-75E03BAB-0D94-43E0-B281-3AE3299BD2B9-htm.html
Some alternative options for those that are using 3ds max
https://www.iamag.co/features/disney-real-time-skeletal-skinning-with-optimized-centers-of-rotation/
Cool tech for skinning. From Disney, nonetheless :P
http://thinkinganimation.com/new-free-rig-mr-buttons/
Free rig!! Check a test run done by Kyle Kenworthy below...
Mr. Button's Bow Tie from Kyle Kenworthy on Vimeo.