Crafting the Vehicles of SAMSON
[p]Today, we sat down with Samson’s Vehicle Artist, Damian Ksiezopolski, to talk about the craft behind the cars in the game. From art direction and iteration, to how every speck of dirt helps the vehicles feel truly embedded in the city of Tyndalston.
Interested in SAMSON and its development? Wishlist the game on Steam, and join our Discord to get first-hand updates and be part of the community: https://discord.gg/xPHpQgKUwG
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Which vehicle was the most challenging one to make and why?
The toughest one to make was the very first car we made, which was what we now call the Warner car. It took almost a year to get that one up and running, mostly since you’re figuring everything out as you go. In the beginning, you really don’t know what you don’t know until you’ve tried something out.
We had to create the entire pipeline from scratch for just the art of the car, to then figure out that we need to get the headlights, rear lights and internal lights right. Then, we discussed whether to create the detail through a visual illusion or by building it fully in 3D, to figure out what is cheapest for the engine to handle, and if we can re-use that asset on other cars so that we could save some time. It’s always about trying to plan for a future that is constantly shifting and moving around.
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Warner Car Model
Then there was the question of deformation, how do we want to handle that? We worked closely with our graphics programmer, and he set up a new system, and then we started experimenting with that and found out what worked, and what didn’t. By the time we got to Samson’s Car, the Magnum Opus, all of these things were already figured out, so we could push on and get that done faster. It was the most fun I’ve had working with a car model, because then it’s just a matter of making it look the best it can.
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Samson's car, the Magnum Opus
Did any single vehicle go through a dramatic evolution from first concept to final version?
The original car for Samson was vastly different in the beginning. It was much more of your average Joe type of car – utilitarian and practical. The shape language was very different as well, but eventually we felt like it didn't have the right feel to it - so we decided to make a new one that was much more custom to who Samson actually was. Something with more aggression and strength. \[Magnum Opus] x 2 What’s the one vehicle you’re personally most attached to — and why? Visually, it’s the Magnum Opus. It’s one of the simpler and yet more characteristic cars that we have, it just fits Samson so well, it’s truly an extension of who he is as a person. It has a rugged look, but a friendly face to it. But I also have a soft spot for the Police version of the Tonnere, it just gives me the vibe of “fuck around and find out”.
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The Police Tonnere
Was there ever a moment where gameplay designers wanted something that made you, as a vehicle artist, go ‘please don’t make us do that’?
I mean, we’re like a bunch of kids, if we can get the car to go full Casino Royale, then we’re going to do it. I think for the most part we are pushing each other’s limits to what we can accomplish. If someone says “I got an idea” then we have pretty much always said “fuck yeah, let’s do it”.. And then, sometimes, production has to come in and say “no.”
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In such a grounded city, how did you balance making up cars vs taking inspiration from real world cars?
It’s a tough one honestly, because you have to maintain immersion while making sure the designs don’t feel too close to the brand they’re inspired by - while still paying homage to them. So, it’s walking somewhat of a fine line. All of our cars are our own designs, but of course they’re also inspired by real ones. A lot of the details on the cars are just made to feel like the 90’s. All cars go through era changes, and most of them you can look at and go “oh that one is from the 80’s or 90’s”, and it’s usually communicated clearly through the silhouette or body shape.
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How was the process of getting the cars to fit into the look/aesthetic of the city?
It took a while to get things to the level they are today. Since the city is always changing during development, that changes the parameters for the cars. Making a car can take up to six weeks to get done, so by the time you get to making a third car, the conditions of the in-game world may have changed - so you have to go back and readjust the cars you’ve already made to fit the current state of the city. I would have to sync with our Art Director and see what changes fit. For example, if the roads got an update on how much dirt is lying around, that would have to be represented on the cars. Also, all cars can’t look completely the same in terms of the amount of dirt that accumulates on the sides.
Police cars usually are a bit cleaner, but does it fit the world? So, because of factors like these, there’s a lot of back and forth between me, the Art Director and Technical Artists, because maybe next, we want to make dirt accumulate over time, making it dynamic. Finally, we have to involve programmers to do their thing once we’ve settled on what we want. All in all, making the cars fit into the city has been a long but rewarding process.
![]()
Warner Car Model
If you’re interested in the art, process, and problem-solving that goes into building Samson, there’s plenty more where this came from. Wishlist SAMSON on Steam and join our Discord to follow development and go deeper behind the scenes: https://discord.gg/xPHpQgKUwG[/p]
Interested in SAMSON and its development? Wishlist the game on Steam, and join our Discord to get first-hand updates and be part of the community: https://discord.gg/xPHpQgKUwG
The toughest one to make was the very first car we made, which was what we now call the Warner car. It took almost a year to get that one up and running, mostly since you’re figuring everything out as you go. In the beginning, you really don’t know what you don’t know until you’ve tried something out.
We had to create the entire pipeline from scratch for just the art of the car, to then figure out that we need to get the headlights, rear lights and internal lights right. Then, we discussed whether to create the detail through a visual illusion or by building it fully in 3D, to figure out what is cheapest for the engine to handle, and if we can re-use that asset on other cars so that we could save some time. It’s always about trying to plan for a future that is constantly shifting and moving around.
Then there was the question of deformation, how do we want to handle that? We worked closely with our graphics programmer, and he set up a new system, and then we started experimenting with that and found out what worked, and what didn’t. By the time we got to Samson’s Car, the Magnum Opus, all of these things were already figured out, so we could push on and get that done faster. It was the most fun I’ve had working with a car model, because then it’s just a matter of making it look the best it can.
Did any single vehicle go through a dramatic evolution from first concept to final version?
The original car for Samson was vastly different in the beginning. It was much more of your average Joe type of car – utilitarian and practical. The shape language was very different as well, but eventually we felt like it didn't have the right feel to it - so we decided to make a new one that was much more custom to who Samson actually was. Something with more aggression and strength. \[Magnum Opus] x 2 What’s the one vehicle you’re personally most attached to — and why? Visually, it’s the Magnum Opus. It’s one of the simpler and yet more characteristic cars that we have, it just fits Samson so well, it’s truly an extension of who he is as a person. It has a rugged look, but a friendly face to it. But I also have a soft spot for the Police version of the Tonnere, it just gives me the vibe of “fuck around and find out”.
Was there ever a moment where gameplay designers wanted something that made you, as a vehicle artist, go ‘please don’t make us do that’?
I mean, we’re like a bunch of kids, if we can get the car to go full Casino Royale, then we’re going to do it. I think for the most part we are pushing each other’s limits to what we can accomplish. If someone says “I got an idea” then we have pretty much always said “fuck yeah, let’s do it”.. And then, sometimes, production has to come in and say “no.”
It’s a tough one honestly, because you have to maintain immersion while making sure the designs don’t feel too close to the brand they’re inspired by - while still paying homage to them. So, it’s walking somewhat of a fine line. All of our cars are our own designs, but of course they’re also inspired by real ones. A lot of the details on the cars are just made to feel like the 90’s. All cars go through era changes, and most of them you can look at and go “oh that one is from the 80’s or 90’s”, and it’s usually communicated clearly through the silhouette or body shape.
It took a while to get things to the level they are today. Since the city is always changing during development, that changes the parameters for the cars. Making a car can take up to six weeks to get done, so by the time you get to making a third car, the conditions of the in-game world may have changed - so you have to go back and readjust the cars you’ve already made to fit the current state of the city. I would have to sync with our Art Director and see what changes fit. For example, if the roads got an update on how much dirt is lying around, that would have to be represented on the cars. Also, all cars can’t look completely the same in terms of the amount of dirt that accumulates on the sides.
Police cars usually are a bit cleaner, but does it fit the world? So, because of factors like these, there’s a lot of back and forth between me, the Art Director and Technical Artists, because maybe next, we want to make dirt accumulate over time, making it dynamic. Finally, we have to involve programmers to do their thing once we’ve settled on what we want. All in all, making the cars fit into the city has been a long but rewarding process.
If you’re interested in the art, process, and problem-solving that goes into building Samson, there’s plenty more where this came from. Wishlist SAMSON on Steam and join our Discord to follow development and go deeper behind the scenes: https://discord.gg/xPHpQgKUwG[/p]