BLACK STIGMA News

[h3]Greetings, everyone! Do you like MMA?[/h3]


If so, can you find a commonality among the athletes below?


[color]Starting from the left: Yoshihiro Akiyama, Vitor Belfort, Dong Hyun Kim, Ronda Rousey[/color]


What all these fighters have in common is that they are famous MMA fighters who learned Judo.




Judo, as many of you are aware, is one of Japan's signature martial arts.
Since its inception in 1882, Judo has been an internationally recognized martial art that has been an official Olympic sport since 1964.
It is estimated that more than 40 million people practice this sport due to its popularity.




[color]▲Martial arts derived from Judo. Starting from the left: Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo[/color]

Judo focuses on throwing and grappling techniques in close matches, and its effectiveness and popularity have inspired the development of martial arts such as Jiu-Jitsu and Sambo.

Judo was regarded as the foundation for the ground techniques of mixed martial arts (MMA), which eschews the rules of individual combat sports in pursuit of realistic combat. MMA is about realistic situations, and throwing techniques that employ gravity to inflict heavy damage, or grappling techniques that subdue the enemy by targeting joints or vital points, are highly dangerous and threatening.


When it comes to dealing with dangerous situations where guns aren't an option, the characters of BLACK STIGMA rely on their own unique styles of martial arts.

Ms. One, the leader of the all-female organization M.A.I.D., favors tactical and strategic combat. Her interest in chess, another charming quality of hers, also demonstrates her intelligence.
She has been using the close-quarters fighting skills she learned in Judo to protect herself and assassinate enemies. In most people's minds, the word "Judo" conjures up images of bulky, built figures. Therefore, it may be challenging for people to associate Ms. One, who is the brains of AS, and her average figure with this image of Judo.

Then, let's take a look at Ms. One's choice of martial arts: Judo.




[h3][color]< Active Skill 1 : (EN) Hip-Sweep, (JP) 払腰[Harai-goshi] >[/color][/h3]



This is Ms. One sweeping her opponent up on her back and throwing them to the ground.
This skill is a recreation of a real Judo move called "Harai-goshi," or "Sweeping hip throw."



[color]▲ Source : Japan KODOKAN Official YouTube[/color]

Leverage is the foundation of this technique, allowing for even the heaviest of foes to be slammed to the floor with relative ease. To easily flip her opponent over, she uses her waist and hips as a lever to pull their upper body with two arms, and lift their lower body with one leg.



Although Ms. One has honed her skills over many years and is considered a veteran Master, there are definitely physical limitations to her slender physique.
As a result, she employs these techniques when pursuing male targets at least twice her size.




[h3][color]< Active Skill 2 : (EN) Foot-Sweep, (JP) 送足払[Okuriashi harai or Okuri ashi barai] >[/color][/h3]



This is Ms. One's skill, where she runs up to her opponent, grabs their collar, then trips them using her foot.
This skill is a recreation of a real Judo move called "Okuri ashi barai," or "Foot sweep."



[color]▲ Source : Japan KODOKAN Official YouTube[/color]

It is also a clever skill that Ms. One utilizes to overcome her physical limitations.

Falling to the ground during a fight will almost certainly result in defeat. As you fall, you are vulnerable to both your opponent's attack and gravity's, which could result in a disastrous situation.




For this reason, most martial arts masters tend to keep their center of gravity low, both to avoid being caught off guard and to maximize the impact of their attacks when pushing down with their feet.

However, due to the fact that foot sweeps tackle opponents at their feet as their center of gravity is raised, it is easy to knock them down with less force.



When you grab an opponent's collar and lift or sway their upper body, their center of gravity rises momentarily.
If you sweep the victim's legs immediately after, the victim may appear helpless to onlookers.



[color]▲ Source : Olympic medalists Jo Joon-ho and Jo Joon-hyun on 'Hanpan TV'[/color]

Similar uses of this principle have been observed in actual street fighting, where one fighter shifts their opponent's center of mass while sweeping their legs.

Ms. One is aware that it is difficult for her to lift a larger and heavier opponent with only her strength. Since she is too weak and lightweight to make her opponents stumble, her strategy consists of sprinting towards her opponents to push them back, thereby creating an opening to sweep their legs while their center of gravity is momentarily elevated.

Although she chose Judo to overcome her weight class with intelligence, she is hesitant to use certain skills on missions. Those are "grappling techniques," which include pins, chokes, and joint locks.




Successful grappling techniques can overcome a weight class difference to some extent.
However, Ms. One uses them sparingly. This is due to the fact that they typically do not work against opponents who are significantly heavier or more muscular than her, and can result in counterattacks.




After accumulating a vast amount of combat experience, she had reached one conclusion.
Her formula for winning is to use Judo techniques to quickly take down her opponents, then finish them off with a gun.



Did you enjoy reading about Ms. One?
As one of the most intelligent members of AS, you can't help but notice how methodical she is, even in close combat.

Likewise, each of our characters has a theme that draws inspiration from or pays homage to real fighting techniques.
Stay tuned for more martial arts stories from our other characters following Ms. One!



The Climax of Killer Action
BLACK STIGMA Team

Hello, Masters. I'm Kwon Dae Ho, the Producer of BLACK STIGMA.

As I promised in the first Dev Note, I would like to share the development progress and the ideas that we considered important in the process of creating this game.



[h3][BLACK STIGMA's Development Progress][/h3]

We are in the process of completing the milestone set for July 30.
After we reach that milestone, we are planning to proceed with QA in August, and if there are no big issues, we will announce the dates for the testing.

There will be multiple changes in this update.
There will be 6 additional Master characters and 10 additional handguns, where each handgun will have 4 variations with a different combination of compensators, silencers, scopes, and magazines.
Additionally, as mentioned in the previous Dev Note, we are planning to showcase new, stage-based PvE content, “Challenge Mode,” apart from Training Mode.
A “Spectator Mode” for content creators (streamers) has also been developed and is scheduled for QA.
The overall UI is being renewed as well. From the Lobby to actual gameplay, we are preparing neater, higher quality visuals.

We aim to complete the build soon and announce the testing dates and changes to the game through Dev Notes.



[h3][Changing the BLACK STIGMA Logo][/h3]

Along with the changes being made to the game, we are also in the process of re-designing the logo, which serves as a visual representation of our game.

Our AD went through quite a bit of trouble as they joined the team, but as the current B.I. (Brand Identity) was rushed during the development of the alpha version, the logo wasn't a perfect representation of our game.
Therefore, we are in the process of creating a logo that will better represent our game, and the AD is putting a lot of effort into designing a unique, memorable logo that reflects the theme and atmosphere of the game.


[color]< Rough concept artwork for BLACK STIGMA BI >[/color]

We expect to showcase the new logo in the next Dev Note.



[h3][The Origin of the Name "BLACK STIGMA][/h3]

We didn't have a chance to explain the origin of the name "BLACK STIGMA" yet.
During the last test, we noticed the definition of “Stigma” had caused some misunderstandings for some of the players.

BLACK STIGMA's name has to do with the world-building of the game.
The Killers in this world are given “Stigmas,” which represent their organization and themselves. “Stigmas” are flat, golden plates that can be used like stamps.
Killers get tattoos of their Stigmas or carry accessories based on them, and sometimes they leave their “Stigma” symbol on the crime scene after successfully killing their target. The purpose of this action is to enhance the reputation of their organization and themselves.
From time to time, Killers are tasked with eliminating another Killer or a tough opponent. In this case, they would send a letter marked with the seal of their Stigma, using black ink, to their target as a warning. This comes from the act of throwing down the gauntlet, which is how medieval European nobles challenged.
Someone to a duel. Killers started calling these seals a stigma of death (black), which led to the name “BLACK STIGMA.”
However, the true meaning of “BLACK STIGMA” is disclosed to only a select few individuals within the world, and the secret will gradually be unveiled as the story progresses.

With this backstory in mind, players might also find joy in looking for BLACK STIGMAs on different body parts of Killers in-game.



[h3][Various combat moves by the Killers in BLACK STIGMA][/h3]

Following the name of the company, "BoldPlay Games," our objective was to create a killer action game that was intensive and daring.
It is a crucial aspect of the game that the Masters (Killers) you will be playing have realistic combat skills based on real-life martial arts.

As the action is the core identity of the game, we collaborated with the most brilliant stunt coordinator team in Korea, "BEST STUNT TEAM," as soon as the project began.
BEST STUNT TEAM is a group of very talented stunt performers, and they promote their dynamic performances through various movies and TV shows.

[color]< Motion capture progress stills of the Best Stunts >[/color]

Being the professionals that they are, BEST STUNT TEAM gave us the advice that we needed, and acted out outstanding stunts.

First, we had a meeting with the martial arts director and went through the process of explaining and understanding the synopsis, game style, and the characters (Killers) of the game. Based on that information,
BEST STUNT TEAM created some preview action videos, and through a meeting with both parties involved, we were able to decide on a list of necessary martial arts moves.
We prepared a list of actions for the game, attached the appropriate motion capture equipment to the actors from BEST STUNT TEAM, and started recording the various martial arts moves we were planning to implement in the game.
Not only did we acquire outstanding martial arts moves through the collaboration with BEST STUNT TEAM, but we also received recommendations for more types of martial arts and skills. It is thanks to the team that we were able to elevate the Killers' action moves to a more impressive and realistic level.


[color]-How Mr. Parabellum's " Throwdown Kick" was created-[/color]


[color]< Real martial arts motion capture scene >[/color]


[color]< Extracting motion capture animations >[/color]


[color]< Applied Game Screen >[/color]

The unique martial arts moves that were implemented for each Master will allow the players to experience diverse gameplay and will give them the opportunity to discover a character that fits their playstyle.
We suggest all players experience the different martial arts moves each Master has in the upcoming testing.


[color]< Main melee techniques that are available in the current version of the game >[/color]



[h3][Movie-like Action][/h3]

Melee combat techniques aside, we also focused on making our game more realistic compared to other games. One aspect of it is the difficulty of handgun shooting.


In the case of a handgun, it becomes very difficult to hit the target from a distance.
This is because many elements necessary for precise aiming were sacrificed for the handgun's portability.

A prime example would be the fact that it is very difficult to shoot in quick succession due to the lack of parts to shoulder the gun.
Even so, could a martial artist charge into a crowd of handgun-armed individuals, dodging bullets, and take them down using close-quarters combat?
That seems very unlikely.



The recent development of bulletproof vests has made it more difficult for armed individuals, even skilled ones, to quickly subdue the enemy.
Hence, shooting techniques that subdue the opponent with a handgun, like the “Double Tap” and the “Mozambique Drill,” have been developed.

We believe that BLACK STIGMA has found a good balance between the pros and cons of “handgun shooting” and made it entertaining in the game.


However, we believe that the way we implemented handgun shooting in the game felt uncanny to players who were more accustomed to typical FPS shooting games.
We observed that the recreation of semi-automatic pistols was executed well, but it appeared strange to players who were used to the rapid-firing of automatic guns.
This strangeness was amplified because the close-quarters combat animation did not meet expectations at the time.

After going through four alpha tests, we have come to the following conclusion.
“Aim for movie-like action with the addition of realistic details.”

As of now, we've discovered a point where one can experience the fun of killer action games.
We are balancing out the game for more synergy between shooting and close-quarters combat so that players will be able to play as if they were the protagonists of an action movie.


[color]< A still from the John Wick movie series >[/color]



[h3][Lastly...][/h3]

When a game is revealed to the public, that game is no longer the sole property of the developers.
It becomes the players' game.
Since the game has not been fully released yet, we believe this to be a crucial time where we can share our development concerns with the community and go through numerous trials and errors.


We are putting everything we have into making a killer action shooting game that you've never experienced before.
We value the playerbase's feedback in the development of this game.
We hope this will be an open game that we create with the community. And we aim to keep improving the game with your feedback.

We eagerly await your interest and participation.
Thank you.



Sincerely, Producer Kwon Dae Ho

[h2]Here Are the Original Costume Modelings and Illustrations for the Three Members of AS:M.A.I.D.![/h2]



[h3][Illustrations][/h3]




[h3][Modelings][/h3]





The Climax of Killer Action
BLACK STIGMA Team

[Character Introduction]

• Codename: Ms. Twin (Affiliation: AS:M.A.I.D.)
  
• Role within the organization: Spy agent at M.A.I.D.
  
• Real name: Lottie [Free Woman]
  

She is a school uniform and general uniform enthusiast, with long limbs and a youthful face. She lies about her age and currently attends high school. Her specialty is infiltrating by changing uniforms based on the mission situation. Because she enjoys wearing uniforms, she volunteers for the spy missions in M.A.I.D.

[Position]
- Infiltrator

• As soon as the mission begins, she moves swiftly to the objective point to gain a tactical advantage.
  
• Twin's long limbs and athletically trained legs make it difficult for her opponents to maintain a comfortable distance from her.
  

[Specs]

• Age: 28
  
• Height: 176cm
  
• Weight: 66kg
  
• Physique: Slim / tall, long limbs, model-like figure, quick reflexes, agile, lightweight
  
• Sport: Track and field (Sprinting)
  
• Rival: Ms. Nano
  
• Associate: Hardworker Zero
  
• Likes: Running, riding bicycles, uniforms
  
• Dislikes: Old souls, beasts, binge eating, plans
  

[Character Attributes] "I don't put myself under stress. I just do what I want. Hehe!

• She loves to explore around her school while riding a bicycle. Being very social, she's the kind of person who'll talk to anyone on the street.
  
• "Lottie" is derived from the French term for ""free woman."" Her parents chose this name for her so she could live as free as the wind. She loves her name very much.
  As a young girl, she focused solely on track and field and was unaware of her own beauty. However, since joining AS, she has become interested in enhancing her appearance, as if to compensate for her life thus far.
  
• Aside from contract killing, she enjoys school life, to the point where she would lie about her age and enroll in school. She is obsessed with the uniform-wearing school life she never had because of her complete dedication to track and field. This is also probably why she has a hobby of working part-time in occupations where she can work in a uniform. She collects costumes and accessories that will make her look like a teenager, in addition to wearing uniforms.
  

[Personality]

• She gets infuriated when someone tells her that she appears to be in her late twenties, which is her true age.
  
• She is the most sociable and energetic person at AS, but her temper is unlike any other when she is angry.
  
• She treats everyone she meets for the first time with kindness and affection.
  
• She enjoys living spontaneously and despises planning.
  
• The traumatic experience of having been kidnapped and almost sold by human traffickers at the age of 16 revealed her latent desire for violence and murder.
  

[Relationships]

• Generally, she is very outgoing.
  
• She has a history with Hardworker Crush. Of all the people in both AS and AB, Crush is the only one who seems to know everything about her past.
  
• Twin is usually kind to everyone, with the exception of Hardworker Grasper. He occasionally visits the fast-food restaurant Twin works at, and she frowns every time he walks in.
  She expresses her distaste for him in petty ways, like getting his order wrong on purpose or intentionally serving his food later.
  

[Physical Attributes]

• Brunette with doll-like features.
  Her emerald-green, cat-like eyes make her look even more attractive.
  
• Stands at 176cm, with long arms and legs that make her proportions look even better.
  
• She didn't give much thought to cosmetics when she was in her teens, instead concentrating on track and field.
  However, she must have stunning physical features for a modeling agency to want to scout her
  
• Her carefree personality and impeccable fashion sense demonstrate how French she is. She also enjoys wearing various school uniforms as the foundation for her fashion, despite being in her late twenties.
  

[Character Object]

• Old running shoes with sand
  
• Old running shoes she used to wear during her track and field days. It symbolizes her passion and determination.
  
• Bicycle
  
• Represents her desire to experience a ""normal teenage life"" she never had. She uses it to ride around her school.
  

[Habits]

• She has a habit of leaning on one leg and concealing her weapon behind her back as combat begins.
  

[Hobbies]

• Cosplay, collecting school uniforms
  
• Collecting various uniforms from part-time jobs
  
• Watching slasher/horror movies"
  

[Character Introduction]

• Codename: Ms. Nano (Affiliation: AS:M.A.I.D.)
  
• Role within the organization: The next successor of M.A.I.D.
  
• Real name: Элина (Elena)
  

A flashy and acrobatic woman who confuses her opponents with irregular behavior patterns that resemble parkour and gymnastics. She likes using her dagger for quick slashes and her small, fast, throwing knives to get the job done.

Her twisted character was the result of a childhood filled with complicated relationships. As her relationship with her father deteriorated, her personality got worse.

She is considered the organization's troublemaker due to her unpredictability, cynicism, and irritability. However, she is an expert in regard to her ability to carry out operations.

[Position]
- Striker

• When engaging in combat, she favors firearms and daggers. Daggers are a great way to complement her short reach and lack of strength in close combat.
  
• In situations where firearms are difficult to use, she resorts to throwing her hidden knives to restrict the enemy's movement before closing the distance and going for the kill.
  

[Specs]

• Age: 23
  
• Height: 165cm
  
• Weight: 40kg
  
• Physique: Slim
  
• Sport: Ballet
  
• Rival: Ms. Twin
  
• Associate: Mr. Parabellum
  
• Likes: New luxury items, fashion, daggers, the scarlet color of blood
  
• Dislikes: Physical touch, chatting
  

[Character Attributes] "Ugh, dammit! Hey, you!! Stop being such a nuisance and die already."

• Elena is the name of a character in a book that Zero enjoyed reading as a child. When Nano was a newborn, he would sit next to Nano's crib before sunrise and read the novel. It was then that he decided to name Nano after the novel's protagonist.
  
• She has tried on almost every dress and accessory that exists in the world.
  However, she detests dresses that make her seem like a princess and prefers dresses that accentuate her figure.
  
• She satisfies all the criteria to be considered beautiful, although her cynical and irritable personality makes others question her capabilities as an assassin. On the one hand, she strongly disapproves of being assigned missions in which her beauty is used as a weapon. On the other hand, she enjoys wearing flashy makeup, accessories, and outfits that highlight her figure. Others find it difficult to deal with her unpredictability because of this dichotomy.
  

[Personality]

• She has difficulty improvising in different situations, and she expresses her emotions as they are.
  
• Her normal expression screams annoyance and irritability, but she switches to a blank face before each murder, revealing her true motivations to onlookers.
  
• She sympathizes with the sick and dying. She tries to hide it, however, by looking annoyed and speaking cynically.
  

[Relationships]

• Her father, Zero, abandoning her when she was a child has always been a source of trauma for her.
  
• She is worried about meeting her father again because they might one day cross paths as assassins instead of having a happy father-daughter family reunion.
  
• Her traumatic experiences with men stem from the emotional wounds inflicted by her father. When she meets someone for the first time, she is harsher on men than on women.
  
• Her father's absence has made her needy. So, once she has given her heart to a man, she will lavish him with love. It is interpreted as her way of compensating for the love she did not receive from her father. When it comes to romantic relationships, she is the polar opposite of Twin, who sees men as more of a toy than a person.
  
• Men surround her like moths to a flame, yet she still feels empty and lonely. Despite her feelings, she is always assigned missions involving men and is therefore discontent with everything. Nonetheless, she still gives her all when she begins work.
  

[Physical Attributes]

• She is a petite Russian beauty with luscious red hair styled in loose waves.
  
• She has a well-toned, voluptuous figure.
  
• She takes pleasure in accessorizing herself with bright jewelry and figure-flattering outfits.
  
• She modifies rapiers into daggers and wears hidden knives on her thigh.
  

[Character Object]

• Bouquet: Flowers with traumatic memories of her father.
  

[Habits]

• She frequently tidies her hair and tucks it back.
  

[Hobbies]

• Reading women's fashion magazines"