New screenshots! Have a look at Raedric's Hold!

[Azmodiuz]

 

When abouts was Raedric's Hold implemented during development? The art on the walls makes it look like it was later on.

 

I also hope he gets up out of his seat and fights.

 

Towards the end of the project. It was a fun level to design and was truly a team effort. I'll give you a briefish rundown of how the process worked. It kinda went like this...

 

 

1. One day I walked into Josh's office and was like... "Hey Josh, I want to design a big-ass gothic castle level. What do you think?". Josh responds with a silent emphatic head nod.

2. I then go to Jorge Salgado, one of our level designers, and say something along the lines of "Yo, Jorge. I'm gonna come in this weekend and design a big ass gothic castle level. You in?" I'm paraphrasing here, but he replied something like "F%^$ yeah!". 

3. So we came in on a Saturday and I explained how I wanted the level flow to work (being vague so I don't spoil it). We then started tossing out story ideas for the quest. After an hour or two, we were both happy with the idea and Jorge drew some layout ideas for the exterior on the whiteboard in our office.

4. We bantered a few times, refined a few things here and there and called it a day. I then assigned block out duties to Jorge. 

5. Later, he blocked out the exterior and interior areas. The early blockouts were sick, but needed some refinement. I had Jorge make some level flow adjustments and various tweaks to the blockout. Early on it was a little easy to get lost in this place.

6. Once I approved the blockout revisions, the levels went off to level art. Sean Dunny worked the exterior, while Hector Espinoza and April Giron worked the interiors.

7. Once the first pass art was in, Jorge implemented the first pass of the level content, including quest and dialogue.

8. Once we had a playable level, I played through the level multiple times and wrote notes.

9. Next, Rob Neslor (Art Director) and I got together and reviewed the first pass art. We made dozens of notes (which included new props needed) for a second art pass.

10. At this point, Jorge needed to move on to work on Twin Elms. I assigned Olivia Veras, one of our newer area designers, to take the level home. She and I worked closely to refine the quest content, level flow, dialogue, combat pacing, loot, balance, etc. She did a fantastic job finishing the level and making it shine. She worked closely with Eric Fenstermaker and Carrie Patel, the narrative designers on the project, to make sure the narrative of the area blended well with the critical path elements of Gilded Vale.

11.Then, the finishing touches (like the lit stain glass and scripted interaction art) we're put in and polished. John Lewis handled the various visual effects in the area, while Kaz supplied the SI art. 

12. Finally, Justin Bell and the audio guys worked their magic on the music and sound fx of the area.

 

 

This is obviously an abbreviated rundown of how we make levels, but hopefully it gives you guys a little understanding of how a level can come together. Sometimes there is a ton of planning, writing documents, and waiting months before the work even begins. Raedric's came together quickly. It certainly helps when it is closer to the end of the production cycle and we can more accurately project how long things will take. This is because the developers are used to the workflow and tools their using, we have a library of assets to draw upon and the team is more or less working like a well-oiled machine. 

 

But, its broken ! There are visual bugs that we can see already, that are slightly putting people off, like windows that are ..well..what's the term, asymmetrical, and some shadows and lighting seems to just not feel right, like as if the whole viewing angle is from a different perspective.  You have light in peoples faces but the light sources are all behind them, or guys who are all dark but standing infront of a light source. 

 

My concern is this, if people can easily spot this, with the low resolution of our browsers, never mind the 4k viewers once we get ingame and are really zoomed in...and playing, what other bugs and glitches and visual mistakes are we going to come accross?  Some of the most refined area's (from our perspective, the Beta we have access to, too ages to fix some of the smallest noticeable bugs, and when playing through the area at first) - there was tons of things broken. If this area was rushed through, relatively quick, it makes me worried we might not get a great experience from it.

[rjshae]

It's more than close enough to be quite satisfactory for 99% of the audience, I think. I've seen minor graphical errors in virtually every game I've played, but it wasn't ever the graphics that ruins the experience.

[Mazisky]

The asymmetrical windows are barely noticeable to me (i really don't care about it), the only thing it's pretty evident is the lack of shadowing on the guards in front of the main entrance

[Striped_Wolf]

Holy crap that looks good. Echoing footsteps and character voices sure would be sweet in the larger halls. Any word on sound effects like that? 

[Sensuki]

They should be able to fix those glass panes easily enough unless they were painted on (doubt it?)

There's a larger issue with the towers/walls in the exterior which are very poorly designed. I'm surprised they didn't pick up on that.

In the IE games if a Castle had a wall, there was a door that led to the wall, and you could walk on it ... and there was often content on them.

[Striped_Wolf]

To be fair, the Candlekeep walls looked absolutely terrible compared to this
De Arnise keep from BG2 however, was very well made.
 

Edited March 10, 2015 by Striped_Wolf

[Sensuki]

Yeah, De'Arnise Keep is what I was referring to.

 

Candlekeep, The Friendly Arm Inn and the Baldur's Gate walls had sensible battlements and towers though, there's two spots at least on Raedric's Hold where it looks very odd. The part directly above the main gate, and one of the towers on the left side or something.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Sensuki

[Sensuki]

There's a larger issue with the towers/walls in the exterior which are very poorly designed. I'm surprised they didn't pick up on that.

 

In the IE games if a Castle had a wall, there was a door that led to the wall, and you could walk on it ... and there was often content on them.

In hindsight this is a terrible post on the internet and it makes me look like a ****, and I have a feeling that it may have caused some offense - sorry Sean!

 

I was actually thinking of the STRONGHOLD walls, not Raedric's Hold walls - that look like you can't actually walk on them. There is actually a door going to one of the sections of the walls in the screenshot in the OP. There are actually only two places I think could have been done better. One of them is the windows that don't match the ones above it, and the section above the gate - other than that it is a wonderful environment.

 

This is the bit I was referring to

 

 

Herp derp me

 

Edited March 10, 2015 by Sensuki

[sdunny]

No harm, no foul.  Neither you nor anyone else should be afraid of posting critiques about something you feel passionate about.

[Luckmann]

 

When abouts was Raedric's Hold implemented during development? The art on the walls makes it look like it was later on.

 

I also hope he gets up out of his seat and fights.

 

Towards the end of the project. It was a fun level to design and was truly a team effort. I'll give you a briefish rundown of how the process worked. It kinda went like this...

 

 

1. One day I walked into Josh's office and was like... "Hey Josh, I want to design a big-ass gothic castle level. What do you think?". Josh responds with a silent emphatic head nod.

2. I then go to Jorge Salgado, one of our level designers, and say something along the lines of "Yo, Jorge. I'm gonna come in this weekend and design a big ass gothic castle level. You in?" I'm paraphrasing here, but he replied something like "F%^$ yeah!". 

3. So we came in on a Saturday and I explained how I wanted the level flow to work (being vague so I don't spoil it). We then started tossing out story ideas for the quest. After an hour or two, we were both happy with the idea and Jorge drew some layout ideas for the exterior on the whiteboard in our office.

4. We bantered a few times, refined a few things here and there and called it a day. I then assigned block out duties to Jorge. 

5. Later, he blocked out the exterior and interior areas. The early blockouts were sick, but needed some refinement. I had Jorge make some level flow adjustments and various tweaks to the blockout. Early on it was a little easy to get lost in this place.

6. Once I approved the blockout revisions, the levels went off to level art. Sean Dunny worked the exterior, while Hector Espinoza and April Giron worked the interiors.

7. Once the first pass art was in, Jorge implemented the first pass of the level content, including quest and dialogue.

8. Once we had a playable level, I played through the level multiple times and wrote notes.

9. Next, Rob Neslor (Art Director) and I got together and reviewed the first pass art. We made dozens of notes (which included new props needed) for a second art pass.

10. At this point, Jorge needed to move on to work on Twin Elms. I assigned Olivia Veras, one of our newer area designers, to take the level home. She and I worked closely to refine the quest content, level flow, dialogue, combat pacing, loot, balance, etc. She did a fantastic job finishing the level and making it shine. She worked closely with Eric Fenstermaker and Carrie Patel, the narrative designers on the project, to make sure the narrative of the area blended well with the critical path elements of Gilded Vale.

11.Then, the finishing touches (like the lit stain glass and scripted interaction art) we're put in and polished. John Lewis handled the various visual effects in the area, while Kaz supplied the SI art. 

12. Finally, Justin Bell and the audio guys worked their magic on the music and sound fx of the area.

 

 

This is obviously an abbreviated rundown of how we make levels, but hopefully it gives you guys a little understanding of how a level can come together. Sometimes there is a ton of planning, writing documents, and waiting months before the work even begins. Raedric's came together quickly. It certainly helps when it is closer to the end of the production cycle and we can more accurately project how long things will take. This is because the developers are used to the workflow and tools their using, we have a library of assets to draw upon and the team is more or less working like a well-oiled machine. 

 

 

That's a great story, and I really hope that you will be able to keep working on this project for a long time, with this engine, and just learn and expand upon this as you go. I would love to see what you people could do today, without the learning curve, and I can't wait to see how the expansion or possible sequels (which I hope will just be about evolution and iteration) turns out.

[Mazisky]

Can u actually walk on the Raedric Hold walls? There are some enemies up there, so i suppose it is an explorable\walkable area, even if i cannot see any ladder or door leading there

Edited March 10, 2015 by Mazisky

[curryinahurry]

 

This one's from polo on the RPGCodex, who is an architect

 

 

 

That? Thats nothing. Explain this:

 

<-architect

 

 

It's done similar to the interior court of a monastic fortress...the main differences being that there should be a forecourt of some dimension and then the more open courtyard (usually with an arcade).  As an artistic interpretation of continental Late Gothic, it's fine.

 

Usually when people think castles in fantasy, they are often thinking of the older style of castles from the 13th century and before.

[Mazisky]

Usually when people think castles in fantasy, they are often thinking of the older style of castles from the 13th century and before.

 

Like the one in the stronghold ui icon?

Edited March 10, 2015 by Mazisky

[curryinahurry]

^ Heh, that's pretty abstract, but I guess so.  The look of the player stronghold is more traditional medieval-esque fantasy fare. But the place is a ruin, so the structures looking of an older time make sense to me.  

[Sensuki]

The point was more to point out that the windows don't match the level above it and it's basically just open floor - step out to your doom.

[Luckmann]

The point was more to point out that the windows don't match the level above it and it's basically just open floor - step out to your doom.

 

I've seen similar things in old castle ruins. Exactly why or if that was really a thing (or just a result of the ruins being ruins) I can't say for sure, but it could just be part of the architecture, I can see some (debatable) legit reasons to have it like that if you want unobstructed access.

[cresentdark]

The point was more to point out that the windows don't match the level above it and it's basically just open floor - step out to your doom.

I can see it now

PC: Alright men it's time to take a brake (walks towards window expecting a ledge/lip to sit on) RIP PC(insert name here)

[StrangeCat]

 

When abouts was Raedric's Hold implemented during development? The art on the walls makes it look like it was later on.

 

I also hope he gets up out of his seat and fights.

 

Towards the end of the project. It was a fun level to design and was truly a team effort. I'll give you a briefish rundown of how the process worked. It kinda went like this...

 

 

1. One day I walked into Josh's office and was like... "Hey Josh, I want to design a big-ass gothic castle level. What do you think?". Josh responds with a silent emphatic head nod.

2. I then go to Jorge Salgado, one of our level designers, and say something along the lines of "Yo, Jorge. I'm gonna come in this weekend and design a big ass gothic castle level. You in?" I'm paraphrasing here, but he replied something like "F%^$ yeah!". 

3. So we came in on a Saturday and I explained how I wanted the level flow to work (being vague so I don't spoil it). We then started tossing out story ideas for the quest. After an hour or two, we were both happy with the idea and Jorge drew some layout ideas for the exterior on the whiteboard in our office.

4. We bantered a few times, refined a few things here and there and called it a day. I then assigned block out duties to Jorge. 

5. Later, he blocked out the exterior and interior areas. The early blockouts were sick, but needed some refinement. I had Jorge make some level flow adjustments and various tweaks to the blockout. Early on it was a little easy to get lost in this place.

6. Once I approved the blockout revisions, the levels went off to level art. Sean Dunny worked the exterior, while Hector Espinoza and April Giron worked the interiors.

7. Once the first pass art was in, Jorge implemented the first pass of the level content, including quest and dialogue.

8. Once we had a playable level, I played through the level multiple times and wrote notes.

9. Next, Rob Neslor (Art Director) and I got together and reviewed the first pass art. We made dozens of notes (which included new props needed) for a second art pass.

10. At this point, Jorge needed to move on to work on Twin Elms. I assigned Olivia Veras, one of our newer area designers, to take the level home. She and I worked closely to refine the quest content, level flow, dialogue, combat pacing, loot, balance, etc. She did a fantastic job finishing the level and making it shine. She worked closely with Eric Fenstermaker and Carrie Patel, the narrative designers on the project, to make sure the narrative of the area blended well with the critical path elements of Gilded Vale.

11.Then, the finishing touches (like the lit stain glass and scripted interaction art) we're put in and polished. John Lewis handled the various visual effects in the area, while Kaz supplied the SI art. 

12. Finally, Justin Bell and the audio guys worked their magic on the music and sound fx of the area.

 

 

This is obviously an abbreviated rundown of how we make levels, but hopefully it gives you guys a little understanding of how a level can come together. Sometimes there is a ton of planning, writing documents, and waiting months before the work even begins. Raedric's came together quickly. It certainly helps when it is closer to the end of the production cycle and we can more accurately project how long things will take. This is because the developers are used to the workflow and tools their using, we have a library of assets to draw upon and the team is more or less working like a well-oiled machine. 

 

Glad you wanted that in the game or decided to create that it looks fantastic!  Thanks for giving a run down on how you go about your guys's routines.

 

Gothic Castle or Cathedral is sacred Geomentry.  Masons incorperated the School of Mysteries with squaring the circle and using the Tripod.  The Tripod is an "in your face symbol against the Religious orders of external God's".  Hence you will always see Three windows, three doors, a triangle, etc.   Higher Reach to a Higher Mind connecting the Divine with in each of us.

[curryinahurry]

The point was more to point out that the windows don't match the level above it and it's basically just open floor - step out to your doom.

 

Actually, what looks most odd about is that the door to the courtyard on the bottom level has a rounded arch as opposed to the pointed arches above.  If they fixed that it would look fine...but I'm nitpicking with that

[Osvir]

Oooh! I took a closer look at two of the pictures and... first off...

This guy! What sort of trickery is he up too!? (It looks comical, 4th wall breaking for that screenshot "Whooops! Got to hide from PrtScr!" haha)
EDIT: Check the original, better resolution on that (I made both pictures into jpgs, bad call )

 

And... new headwear that I didn't pay attention too. A mask and a ninja thing~ correct?

Edited March 10, 2015 by Osvir

[sdunny]

To assuage everyone's OSHA concerns, that section actually houses a spiral staircase, one with a lip to prevent careless guardsmen from falling to their doom.

 

I'm sure Lord Raedric will keep the health of his employees and proper workplace safety procedures in mind when engaging in future construction projects.

[Mazisky]

Someone says a demon face can be seen in the floor texture of the image 3;

that face appeared after a developer (on the art department) purchased his new house and he just discovered it was built over an indian cemetery

[Flow]

To assuage everyone's OSHA concerns, that section actually houses a spiral staircase, one with a lip to prevent careless guardsmen from falling to their doom.

 

I'm sure Lord Raedric will keep the health of his employees and proper workplace safety procedures in mind when engaging in future construction projects.

 

Damn Dyrwoodian government standing in the way of job creators.

[Striped_Wolf]

 

This one's from polo on the RPGCodex, who is an architect

 

 

 

That? Thats nothing. Explain this:

 

<-architect

 

Could be all sorts of reason for this. Perhaps its a storage room of some sort. Hay bales or watherver. The opening allows for effective transfer. There are wooden doors that can be closed along the inside wall. Perhaps theres even a winch that can be folded out. 

 

The wagon outside supports this theory.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Striped_Wolf

[morhilane]

 

The point was more to point out that the windows don't match the level above it and it's basically just open floor - step out to your doom.

 

I've seen similar things in old castle ruins. Exactly why or if that was really a thing (or just a result of the ruins being ruins) I can't say for sure, but it could just be part of the architecture, I can see some (debatable) legit reasons to have it like that if you want unobstructed access.

 

 

Stables and some buildings still have those, but they come with doors. Remove the doors and you get a big window step out to your doom too. They are used to lift things directly to the second floor, might have been the same for those ruins.