Chornobyl Liquidators News

[h2]One of the most interesting things about the game design is the existance of concept arts - the main topic of the current dev-log.[/h2]



Creating concept arts is a very delicate and crucial process. It is the moment where development team cooperates with artists and generate ideas - sometimes a whole lot of them - all for the sake of finding that one (or few of them, depending on the project) that would work in the best way with the rest of the project. What you might not quite know is that at this stage there are many ideas that sometimes get cut from the game and you can never quite witness them in the form they were initially created. Concept arts evolve and elevate the whole team to higher levels of understanding of what the project will be about.



It's not simply about creating a picture and saying "yes, that's it, good job". You often start small, humbly only to work out the final vision between involved people. After all many people have to agree sometimes even on a singular piece of art. Sometimes the vision of the artist can get shot down by the technical difficulties or lack of historical accuracy. And sometimes being historically accurate tends to make the things worse. That's why at first you start with a simpler concept, as you can see on the right in the picture above and then you finally turn it into something you can see on the left.

From left: "Base model" / "Protection against radiation" / "Higher reach" / "Better ergonomy" / "Easier to catch"

Sometimes even if you have a concept art ready and approved - ready for 3D graphics to model the in-game object with it in mind - you will still want to introduce some changes or improve it in some way. Sometimes you simply want to explore the idea a bit further becasue you believe there might be something more to the concept than just the initial thought. This way many people come across great inventions or even better ideas. Becasue if we have one grapple tool, like the one shown above, why not create many different versions of it? Even if you will not use all the ideas that does not mean that that time was wasted. Ideas have this little fantastic tendency to be quite flexible and if not now - perhaps they will be used in a different project or in a slightly different way.



That's all for the technical side of this devlog however we have one more very important thing to address.
In the name of the whole CLS Team we would like to wish you all great and wonderful Christmas. We hope that you will spent them with your families, around the Christmas table and near the fantastically prepared Christmas tree. At the same time we would like to remember all of those who will not be able to join us at that time - our thoughts and prayers stay with them.

Thank you for supporting us and see you in the next devlog!

Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/

[h2]This time we would like to give you a glimpse into flats and rooms of people living in Chernobyl that you will be able to see in-game. [/h2]



A subtle dimness encompassing the corridor of this flat illuminated by the light of the moon makes it a real visual treat to walk through this apartment at night. In Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator you will have more than one chance to visit houses of people that used to live in the area and witness the conditions in which they went about their daily life. We have tried our best to reach out for different references and real life photos to make sure that those very conditions are as close to the original as possible and we hope it shows.



At the same time - while maintaining historical accuracy we want to make the visuals in game our own very touch, something that will make you instantly think that it was us who created those areas. We strive to do that by the creative usage of shadows, lights and shades, colours and their lack of. We believe that you can tell a story simply by using art - albeit we have to be deliberately careful and not overdo it. In the picture above you can see as the light ever so lightly illuminates the objects in the room. This particularly underlines the atmosphere of the game - peaceful but at the same time full of secrets.



We have mentioned that once before but we're trying to make sure that even simple objects will tell you a story or stimulate your imagination. In the case of screenshot above we want you to tell us what do you think. What happened in this room? Why is it in this particular condition? Who lived here? What kind of stories might have been told in these 4 walls? When was this room last used? If your imagination whispers answers for those questions - let us know!

That's all for today and see you in the next devlog!

Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/

This time we have a different kind of news for you but we are sure that you will like what we have to say. While you may still look forward to our weekly devlog - because we love seeing you react to our work and learn from your comments - we have a great opportunity for you to try the game before it is fully released.

As that is the case we are happy to announce that we are starting beta test sign-ups!



Starting from now on you will be able to sign up for a beta test on the main page of the game on Steam. In 2021 we will randomly select a few participants that will have the chance to test the game simply by playing through it. We are hoping to gather as much feedback from those lucky fellows as possible - all for the task of making our game the best it could be!

As it is a beta test you need to remember that some of the things might be still not fully implemented or might work in an inappropriate way. Please do remember that it is the nature of beta tests to find out what is working well and what is working… not quite as good. We’re hoping to hear back from you about any issues you might encounter during tests as we will be closely monitoring your suggestions, opinions and feedback. Your words are what matters the most!

While not everything will be available to you in the beta tests it will still be a first opportunity for you to take a mantle of a liquidator and walk through the world we’ve created. We hope that this experience will be valuable - both for you as a player, and for us as game developers. We count on you to provide us with as much feedback as possible - after all that is the purpose of this test. Thank you!

Don’t wait - sign up for the beta right now!


Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/

This week we would like to tell you a bit more about one of the tools that are going to be available at your disposal in the game. As you probably guessed from the title of this devlog - it's Dosimeter DP-3B which is a real piece of equipment that have been used in the life of liquidators in the past. It is also a tool that can be said to be invaluable when faced with the threat of radiation.

Right off the bat we need to say that we have not spared any pain or expenses in order to make sure that this particular piece of equipment has been recreated faithfully to its original. We wanted to create it in order to evoke a special feeling in our players, feeling of participation in something "real". Graphically speaking - we really hope that you will like the model we've created. It is very important for the gameplay too!



Some of you might want to say that "this particular piece of equipment has been attached to a tank" and you wouldn't be mistaken. However in the first moments after the catastrophe the selection regarding the equipment wasn't very wide. Liquidators took what was available - even if that meant using a very heavy piece of equipment that wasn't initially designed for manual use. This particular sentence, unfortunately, is true for many of tools that liquidators had when they fought the effects of the catastrophe. In this case you might even see that this particular dosimeter that you can use in-game was produced in Poland. It even has Polish instructions written on it!



The dosimeter itself will be able to warn player's character before entering a radiated room or area. As you can see it consists of two very heavy parts - the main unit and the probe that you will have to use and walk with detecting the potential dangers before it gets too late. The alarm lamp of the DP-3B used to alarm liquidators about incoming danger by rapidly blinking that got even faster if they were entering areas that were radiated to a higher degree (and if you want to read more about radiation in the game - take a look at one of our previous devlogs for some extra insight that is still absolutely up-to-date).



The dosimeter itself was built to be very durable and while it was able to detect the radiation, it was also prepared to be able to resist it. The sturdy construction made it possible for this tool to withstand vibrations and temperature fluctuations. However it has been reported that the rubber that was partly used to make the probe had the tendecy to snap, damaging the whole tool. Unfortunately - equipment malfunction was always something that had to be taken into an account.

That's all for today and see you in the next devlog!

Treat your equipment well - it will treat you well back!

Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/

There is an old saying and rule - show, don’t tell. We are quite fond of that little sentence because it encapsulates our approach to these devlogs. While trying to show as much as we can we always make sure to cover a variety of topics when talking with you. This time we want to come back to audio and show you something new.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As you can see (or hear!) in this particular devlog - we have few examples of how we are going to set the mood in the game through sounds, noises and different kinds of ambient we have prepared for liquidators venturing to various locations in the game. Combining that with atmospheric music that will be our companion during the tasks we need to perform will create an audio experience that will enhance the gameplay and set the overall mood of the game.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

For the task of making this experience as realistic as possible we have used a special system managing different types of ambience sounds. What you will be hearing in certain places might be a little bit different each time you visit them. Why? Because a lot of the sounds will be generated procedurally. That means that our system will find appropriate noises that should be played in particular locations and will add them to audio tracks you’ll be hearing in game. You’ll be hearing quite different sounds depending on whether you’re currently going through a dark and wet tunnel or through a relatively peaceful room. The system will intelligently craft the experience for you from different parts it possesses.

To quote our developers - what you actually hear in game is the combination of three distinct elements that make up the ambient sound-scape in our game:

• Static music track (library of which we grow steadily).
  
• Dynamic ambient system which is composed of spatial emitters spawning in the 3d space around the player and playing randomised ambient samples based on weight.
  
• 3D-sound changing volume which affects stuff such as reverb, echo and other parameters responsible for how the audio is being emitted.
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Helicopters flying, dogs barking or even wind howling louder or quieter - hearing them will completely depend on that system which will carefully find appropriate moments to insert into our audio experience which we’re trying to weave seamlessly into our story. More precisely - thanks to the system wind that you'll be able to hear up on the rooftop of any building will be much more pronounced than something you could hear over the window. It’ll be much more possible for you to hear dogs barking in the habitable areas than in dark tunnels. Those audio cues will also have different parameters - loudness is one of them but we are also incorporating many effects into them to make sure that they sound as natural as possible. Don’t be surprised when you’ll suddenly hear echoing sounds in places where those are absolutely feasible.

Let us know in the comments what you think about the examples we prepared for you. Do you feel the atmosphere we’re trying to create?!

Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/