Drakensang – Official Dev Diary #10

13. 07. 2007: Genesis of a Character

What are the stages of development a character has to go through, before
he finally makes his appearance in the game? That is the question we will be dealing
with in today´s entry.

First of all an idea of the character is needed. What does he look like? What does he wear? Which skills and attributes does he possess? Which faults? What is his current emotional condition? Some of these ideas have been delivered by the authors, other types of characters can already be found in Aventuria. But that´s not enough. Many more new ideas are required to enrich the story of Drakensang with interesting characters. Fabian Rudzinski, the Game Designer in charge, has assumed this task.

After the game designer has written the character concept on paper it has to be visualised in the next step. If a new drawing is desired, it has to be kept close to the original artwork, so the excitement of recognition is preserved for the fans.
This is also why we´re involving the well-known and popular illustrators of the original pen and paper works, Boros and Szikszai, who have created a good deal of the archetypes and NPCs for Drakensang in their characteristic style.

As soon as the draft is complete, it will be fit for the TDE style. Not an easy feat, as TDE does not lean towards any specific period in the history of art, nor has it built one consistent standard of its own, so that a 1:1 implementation of the originals would result in quite a wild style mix. Since Markus Koch, our Art Director for Character Design, has been called in on that issue, the drafts are now revised once more and adjusted in shape and colour to create something unified.

As we won´t be roaming through a 2D world in Drakensang, the next step is assembling a 3D model. To preserve performance these characters are only low-poly.
Here we have to take care that they will also be well recognizable and discernable over a distance. This is achieved through emphasizing facial and other characteristics so that noticeable silhouettes emerge, like big horn helmets, pauldrons and more.

What´s still left for the models are the small details that make them unique, such as wrinkles or scars. Thus the character needs a normal map which enriches the object´s detail without increasing its geometric complexity at the same time. This is done through an optical illusion of sorts. The required
information is stored in a texture helping to draw shades on the surface while the actual plane remains unruffled. This illuminating effect creates the illusion of a structured surface for the player.

In order to apply colour to the whole ensemble, the models have to be textured, so that aferwards, when the setup for the animation has been done, the "rigging", we can breathe life into the as yet static character. He will be animated, receiving the motion sequences that enable him to laugh, cry or fight. The finished character will finally be introduced into the game by the Level Design Department and can now be played directly, interacted with or only observed, depending on his intended use.

- Written by B. C. -

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