Developer Insight - Making of the Shredder
Last year, the Shredder made its debut as Hunt’s first ricocheting sawblade weapon, and along with it came plenty of chaos and destruction! The Shredder is one of the special Scarce Weapons we have brought back with Post Malone’s Murder Circus Encore—but this time with some changes! We are excited to bring you a behind-the-scenes look into the design of the Shredder, as well as the balance changes that were made. We spoke with some of the team and got an insight into the design, inspiration, and the balance changes made. Read on for more!
Where did the design of the Shredder come from?
The weapon was inspired by one of the circular saw blade tattoos that Post Malone has. The idea to do a saw blade weapon was floating around in the team anyway, so this was the perfect opportunity to integrate Post Malone’s style as a weapon in the world of Hunt. We started the first draft by combining a rifle, a saw blade, and a crossbow into one idea. After trying out multiple drafts of the weapon, the Shredder was born!
What requirements did you have for the weapon and why did you decide on these?
With the Shredder, we first listed the requirements for this weapon. It needed to be semi-automatic and have a magazine, so we implemented a retracting arm with a magazine and an internal mechanism to wind and store energy. The blades must be visible so players can see what type of ammo they have—and also see if the weapon is ready to fire—so the top has an open framework. We also added a winding mechanism in order to prep the weapon for firing. The team wanted down sight on the weapon for precision aiming , so we combined an iron sight with a push button on the top to return the blade into the magazine.
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was implementing all the requirements that were equally important in our eyes. In order to do that, we somehow needed to prioritize the list for a starting point. We were stuck in this starting point for a while, until we established that the blade itself was the most important element of the weapon, and from then on everything fell into place. The criteria that then fell into place was the blade needing to be visible: it spins and has repeat fire, so you need to see what ammo type you have and if it’s spinning or not, to see if you can fire the gun or if there are any blades left. The blade—the heart of the weapon—is sharp and it spins, so we needed to take this into account to make it realistic. We designed a frame and cage to hold the blade, similar to how CDs are held in their cases, creating a central spinning blade suspended within a floating cage. This cage protects the weapon from touching the wielding Hunter or interacting with other elements. After we had this breakthrough, we went straight into making a 3D concept prototype where different shapes, functions, intersections, and movements are tried out. The strings that launch the saw blades were safely and easily attached to the cage without being in the way. The weapon needed to be automatic too, so we rapidly pulled back the cage after launching a saw blade in order to load the next one. The central mechanism also spins and powers a small gear that rotates the saw blade. Additionally, we designed a mechanical arm to pull back the frame, which connected to mechanisms hidden in the gun's main "column."
Interestingly enough, the original intention of the weapon was a crossbow, but during this process we needed the gun to feel more powerful and sturdy. Therefore, we changed the mechanism into a pulley and spring system so it reflected more of a harpoon.
Additionally, we developed a complex mechanism for magazine loading and unloading: releasing the loaded blade back into the magazine, the spring inside the magazine, stoppers that release blades one by one, and small arms that press on them.
Once this design process was done, we could now move into production, and we started closely collaborating with Hard Surface Artists, Design, Animators, and Tech Art to elevate the concept further and make the Shredder what it is today!
What changes have you made to the weapon from last year to this year?
Last year we had some feedback that the weapon felt unbalanced. We heard you on that topic and have made some tweaks . These changes focus on making the Shredder fit better into the arsenal, sitting next to other Scarce Weapons.
Firstly, the bounce adjustment has been removed, which means that the blades will never try to target Hunters or AI. Instead, they will now rely on natural physics. Additionally, the blade projectiles can no longer pierce through Hunters or AI, and will now stick into bodies like Bolts and Arrows, allowing you to recover your blades more easily.
Another interesting change is that the loaded blade will no longer spin indefinitely. Instead, the blade will wind down slowly over time and eventually stop. If it does stop, you will need to manually spin it again yourself; this can also be done while it's still spinning so you can keep momentum up.
Did you adjust the fire rate on the new Shredder?
Yes we did—the fire rate has been reduced significantly. This is primarily because the weapon now needs to be spun up between each shot. This works like other bolt-action and pump-action weapons in the arsenal, where after each shot your Hunter will charge the handle automatically. However, if the spinning stops by itself or you interrupt the charge animation, you will need to manually spin it up yourself.
How does equipping/unequipping work now?
On the subject of equipping the weapon: unequipping it will no longer stop the blade from spinning, and instead it will spin while it’s on your Hunter’s back. This means that this version of the Shredder is ready to fire quicker from unequip, as long as the user keeps it spinning. It is also no longer auto-charged by being equipped.
We hope this has provided some valuable insights from the Weapons Team about the new ways to play with the Shredder. Jump under the big top now and experience Post Malone’s Murder Circus Encore today!