Trailer Script

PAUL- Blackout is a first person shooter with RPG and dungeon crawling elements. The game puts the player in the shoes of a character named Joseph Varke, who must embark on a journey to an unknown planet to find his father who has reportedly gone missing.

AARAN- We really wanted to put a lot of character and personality into the weapons
that Varke is using. For example people always remember the BFG in DOOM or the flak cannon in Quake. The way that we achieve this is to give each weapon a distinct look and outline, you can really tell these weapons apart and each one really caters to different people's playstyles.

AARAN- When reducing higher polygon models of our weapons, we found that it gave them a very bulky and basic nature, this was as a happy accident as it tied in with the games art style very well. It really did set the benchmark for the rest of the games style and having a consistent style important within the development of blackout.

AARAN- The modular way of modelling allowed the artists on the team to create variations of the weapons and assets within the Maya world space.

RHYS- With the technology available to us we were able to create an intricate shader within Unreal 4 which we could really cash in on when texturing our weapons and environments.

RHYS- With Joseph Varke embarking on this journey to an unknown planet, we really wanted the player to feel this sense of discovery, but also feel as though they've left their comfort zone the further they venture into the depths of the alien caves. This is represented by the first few areas bearing similarities to that of forests on earth, which slowly change or warp into something more sinister or unfamiliar as the level progresses.

PAUL- Of course with the environment being created, it was up to me to create the enemies or creatures that are to roam them. The creatures needed to fit our blocky art style, but also have the correct anatomy to be believable and very real. So obviously with that extensive research had to be made, how will these creatures stand? How will they attack? How will they move or behave? All of these things required video and photographic referencing.

DAN- Even from an early prototype consisting of red and white primitive cubes, is something that we wanted players to have fun with, and feel a sense of progression and self satisfaction when playing.

DAN- These elements are reflected in the gameplay by having players partake in adrenaline fueled combat by utilising a dash mechanic to dodge attacks, then upgrading their character to deal and take more damage, as well as acquire abilities to assist in combat.