In the months ahead, we'll offer regular updates (once each full moon - get it?) on the evolution of our game, as well as spotlight features on the vision of our game and studio, along with commentary from the engineers, artists, producers, and designers who are making Darkwatch a reality.Īnd so, that update I mentioned. I've seen gigantic progress recently, which is serendipitous because it allows me to post positive results in this, the first of our Full Moon diaries devoted to the development of Darkwatch. And the closer you get to the end, the more of them you have. And then there are magical moments when the clouds part and you can see it - really see the game - before it's gone again. There are times (most of the time, really) when the vision of your game is only distantly glimpsed, when nothing works, when the simplest things require ridiculous effort, and when keeping everyone organized and pointed in the same direction is like taking your pants off over your head (that is to say, awkward at best). We're hip-deep in development of our first internal title: Darkwatch, a vampire first-person shooter set in the haunted west for PS2 and Xbox. And it's also "magic time," to judge by the results painted across the screens of a dozen monitors here at Sammy Studios in Carlsbad, California. Key team members have developed their "thousand yard stare." It is a world turned upside-down, where engineers lobby for new features, designers say, "No, don't put more stuff in!" artists plunge deep into the gameplay, and producers go off their heads and mutter about switching to the metric week to catch up on the schedule. Pieces of the game are strewn across the floor like the guts of an exploded cartoon clock. This is one of the great times in the development of a video game. We're in a demo drive, trimming up details of the game for our E3 presentation. Demo Drives, Cartoon Clocks, and Cycles of the Moon In the first of a series of monthly "Full Moon Diaries," Paul O'Connor, lead designer for Darkwatch, lets us know how the combination of vampire gunslingers, job confusion, developer blood-lust, and an approaching E3 are leading to exciting times in Carlsbad. E3 is a vital time for any game developer, and so the first two of our monthly diaries will deal with the pressures and excitement that the crunch of preparing for the big show can bring. Every full moon, a key team member will explain the different facets of development, from conceptualization and design to production, programming, and ultimately even the creativity needed today in marketing a game. We'll take you through every peak and valley we experience as we set out to create the first ever vampire western video game. So saddle up and ride along with the cowboys from Carlsbad. Given the magnitude of this undertaking, and the talented people working to introduce a new, truly original game to the world, we thought it a great idea to bring gamers behind the scenes and share the process. Darkwatch means a lot to Sammy Studios, and the opportunity to go all-out to make a mark on video gaming is not lost on Team 1 or the whole of the company. Darkwatch is the first game to come from Sammy Studios' first internal development team, known as "Team 1." Including many development veterans, Team 1 is striving to create a cinematic first-person shooter on a truly grand scale for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |