Meet Magnus, First Planet Company’s dedicated World Builder, and Alexander, one of our hard-working Graphics Artists. You might have recently seen their work in the new Cyclops area.
Magnus joined the FPC group in October, after having worked on such games as Battlefield, Terminator Salvation and Mirrors Edge as a Level Designer. He’s been working in the game-industry since 2003, and is now enjoying working on Planet Calypso together with the First Planet Company crew. Alexander has been at MindArk and FPC for two years already, and took part in creating the world as it is today. The two of them are reworking the servers, one by one.
- It’s a daunting task, Magnus says about Planet Calypso.
- It’s a large world. But exciting, he adds.
Logic nature
As a World Builder, Magnus is here to make sure that the overview of Planet Calypso will be cohesive and logical.
- It should feel natural. It shouldn’t be art just for art’s sake; it needs to make some sense as well. You should be able to experience different areas everywhere, but there needs to be some logic behind it also. There needs to be a reason behind why it looks the way it does. That’s what I do, he explains.
The newly introduced Cyclops area by Fort Troy was the first step. It was completely redone, and optimized for performance. The old area now looks twice as stunning, and still doesn’t cost as much power to load as it used to. Magnus and Alexander don’t feel they are quite done with it yet though.
- I still want to add more landmarks. Right now it’s too much same, same. When I have the time, I might get to it. I’d like to add waterfalls and caves for example, and just add on the current look with more distinguished landmarks, Magnus explains.
- There are still many things we wish to do with the area, but there are so many servers to fix, Alexander adds.
He was the person who made the old golf-course which plumaged into the roar of the volcano. He doesn’t miss it though.
- I’m glad it’s gone. Sure I spent a lot of time on it, but when spending such amounts of time there should at least be some sense to it, purpose and usefulness. Because we aren’t getting golf in-game anytime soon, it was only a place which was hard to get around in and filled with foul. It didn’t make any sense, Alexander informs.
Optimized performance
How is it this area is better for performance?
- The value of the view distance has been tweaked, and the undergrowth vegetation such as grass has gotten a shorter view-distance. The lay of the land there is very rolling, so you normally won’t see as far as where it disappears. The trees and so on will still be there, but taking away the undergrowth really helps performance. We have a set target value for how many triangles should be visible wherever you are in order to better optimize the areas, and we’ll work on optimizing the other servers as well, Magnus says.
Does that mean all land will be as rolling and have as heavy vegetation as the Cyclops area?
- No, it all depends on the area and what look it should have. As for Cyclops, it’s a heavy jungle style, so it should have that lush jungle experience. Some fluff is needed to create that feeling. While a desert for example don’t need as much to create the same quality and look. Maybe there’d instead be particles and dust in the wind? It all depends on the terrain, he continues.
Unique areas
Alexander have worked a lot with creating the new fauna for the Cyclops server.
- I created all-new vegetation for the Cyclops area to really get that jungle feel. We wanted lianas and thick tree trunks and that wild feel. Personally I’d prefer it if we kept that vegetation to that area only, and create new flora for each area to further develop that unique feeling for each place you visit. We’ll still remake some of the old vegetation in order to keep that unique Calypso feeling and recognition value, but as it is now its almost easier to make new ones rather than convert the old ones, Alexander explains.
Magnus will, in addition to world planning, have some say in logically planning and designing buildings and cities.
- It should be easy to find your way, at least it should make sense. Proper city planning is important, Magnus stresses.
He lists real world architecture, architectural books, movies and other games as inspiration towards building in game cities.
- You can find inspiration everywhere. Sometimes, I’ll be walking with friends and look up at a building we’re passing. They’ll ask what I’m looking at, and I’ll answer that I think the tiles look really sweet. Then they’ll call me an idiot, he laughs.
Creative environment
Alexander lists making creatures as the most exciting thing to do at work, however as with all creative work he needs variation.
- I really do like making creatures. For example, I made the Eviscerator, that was a fun job. But there’s got to be variation. If you only do vegetation for a while, it’s a welcome break to do creatures, and the other way around.
- Creatures are created mostly straight out of the mind. You get the general idea about the mobs behavior, such as if it should be a small, quick mob or a big brute. Then I just sketch it up and the ideas flow from there. You just got to keep in mind that it should fit with all the others, and that it should fit the special Calypso style.
It’s not always easy to find the peace needed for creative work in an office environment. Magnus has his ways, as does Alexander. Instead of listening to the tapping of keyboards and babbling of co-workers, Magnus cancels out the noise with audio books. Alexander with music. So when asking what they want, right now, the answer comes after a little thinking:
- The next book in “The Wheel of Time” series, please, Magnus pleads.
- More hours in the day, Alexander smiles.
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