Weekly Report #125
Before we start the report, we would like to share a reminder that Chernobylite was nominated by the Polish section of IGN to fight for the title of "Best Polish Game" of 2021. All nominated titles have a chance to win an audience award in that category. Please vote for Chernobylite! The voting lasts until June 5. Thank you for all your support!
[h3]Hello Stalkers![/h3]
In the last post we elaborated on how the Chernobylite world was born and what was the origin of the idea of dividing it into several areas. Today we will explain why we put the open world idea aside and what it has to do with technology. We will also share how dividing the map into smaller parts benefits the player.
You need to understand that in Get Even we had more freedom when it came to creating the world, unlike Chernobylite, where we had to reflect the real world. Additionally, the world presented in Get Even was closed and very linear. This means freedom of arranging the levels according to our will, but also the necessity of dealing with many complex technical aspects, like: how to open these levels, how much physical space should we give to the player, etc. In addition, we had to somehow make moving through endless corridors more attractive by putting some items here and there, adding events. We also needed to figure out how random they should be.
In the case of Chernobylite, we focused on a semi-open world. Why didn't we put the entire Zone into the game right away? Because it is way too big. People associate this place with photos and videos that show the most interesting places in the Zone, and these are only a fraction of the whole area. A big map means big problems. Preparing all this content so that running from one end of the map to the other would be interesting would require a lot of work. We preferred to focus on a few specific and most characteristic places and refine them to such an extent that they would look amazing and be fun to explore.
We have a lot of materials from the Zone itself. For some time we even had a problem sorting them properly, there were so many of them. We had entire walls covered with photos to feel the atmosphere of those places. We also had scans and videos. Thanks to all this, we were able to capture the atmosphere of the Zone, so it almost felt real.
Okay, we've divided the Zone into several characteristic places. But how to encourage the player to explore them? In this case, we've done our best to ensure that the player has several paths to choose from, no matter where they are on the map, and each path leads to something different. From one path the player will see a building they can enter, another one is in an alley, and elsewhere they see a powerful radar in front of them. It encourages the player to progress and explore in search of all the things that we have hidden on the map. We can almost guarantee that every time the player visits, there will be something interesting for them to find. It can be some resources to collect, an event, or perhaps a scary opponent.
This way, the player is rewarded for their decisions and wants to continue exploring the map. Each piece of the level has been designed with the player in mind, so that exploration makes sense.
You already know the reason why we gave up the open world from the design perspective. Now, it's worth clarifying this issue from the technical side. Making games in the open world is expensive and requires a proper approach to gameplay. We wanted our game to be more intimate. Additionally, you have to remember that Chernobylite is a game created by a very small team, even many times smaller than the one that worked on Get Even - the size of 30 people! The downside is that you have to make compromises. A lot.
Making an open world game requires a lot more attention to the optimization and performance of the game as a whole. If we decided to give the players the entire zone, large pieces of it would probably have to be generated longer. We know this because we tried to do it, but in the end the quality did not satisfy us enough to go this way. That is why we preferred to achieve maximum quality rather than forcibly create an open world. In other words: it's better to create something small and have full control over it than to create a huge project that will be buggy or not working at all.
Whether or not we made the right call, in the end will be decided by the players.
[h3]That's it for today![/h3]
Take care, Stalkers!
[h3]Will you join us? Let us know in the comments or on Discord.[/h3]
[h3]Follow our official channels to stay up to date:[/h3]
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1016800/Chernobylite/
[h3]Hello Stalkers![/h3]
In the last post we elaborated on how the Chernobylite world was born and what was the origin of the idea of dividing it into several areas. Today we will explain why we put the open world idea aside and what it has to do with technology. We will also share how dividing the map into smaller parts benefits the player.
You need to understand that in Get Even we had more freedom when it came to creating the world, unlike Chernobylite, where we had to reflect the real world. Additionally, the world presented in Get Even was closed and very linear. This means freedom of arranging the levels according to our will, but also the necessity of dealing with many complex technical aspects, like: how to open these levels, how much physical space should we give to the player, etc. In addition, we had to somehow make moving through endless corridors more attractive by putting some items here and there, adding events. We also needed to figure out how random they should be.
In the case of Chernobylite, we focused on a semi-open world. Why didn't we put the entire Zone into the game right away? Because it is way too big. People associate this place with photos and videos that show the most interesting places in the Zone, and these are only a fraction of the whole area. A big map means big problems. Preparing all this content so that running from one end of the map to the other would be interesting would require a lot of work. We preferred to focus on a few specific and most characteristic places and refine them to such an extent that they would look amazing and be fun to explore.
We have a lot of materials from the Zone itself. For some time we even had a problem sorting them properly, there were so many of them. We had entire walls covered with photos to feel the atmosphere of those places. We also had scans and videos. Thanks to all this, we were able to capture the atmosphere of the Zone, so it almost felt real.
Okay, we've divided the Zone into several characteristic places. But how to encourage the player to explore them? In this case, we've done our best to ensure that the player has several paths to choose from, no matter where they are on the map, and each path leads to something different. From one path the player will see a building they can enter, another one is in an alley, and elsewhere they see a powerful radar in front of them. It encourages the player to progress and explore in search of all the things that we have hidden on the map. We can almost guarantee that every time the player visits, there will be something interesting for them to find. It can be some resources to collect, an event, or perhaps a scary opponent.
This way, the player is rewarded for their decisions and wants to continue exploring the map. Each piece of the level has been designed with the player in mind, so that exploration makes sense.
You already know the reason why we gave up the open world from the design perspective. Now, it's worth clarifying this issue from the technical side. Making games in the open world is expensive and requires a proper approach to gameplay. We wanted our game to be more intimate. Additionally, you have to remember that Chernobylite is a game created by a very small team, even many times smaller than the one that worked on Get Even - the size of 30 people! The downside is that you have to make compromises. A lot.
Making an open world game requires a lot more attention to the optimization and performance of the game as a whole. If we decided to give the players the entire zone, large pieces of it would probably have to be generated longer. We know this because we tried to do it, but in the end the quality did not satisfy us enough to go this way. That is why we preferred to achieve maximum quality rather than forcibly create an open world. In other words: it's better to create something small and have full control over it than to create a huge project that will be buggy or not working at all.
Whether or not we made the right call, in the end will be decided by the players.
[h3]That's it for today![/h3]
Take care, Stalkers!
[h3]Will you join us? Let us know in the comments or on Discord.[/h3]
[h3]Follow our official channels to stay up to date:[/h3]
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitterhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/1016800/Chernobylite/