作者：Sergei Babaev

目前我们公司正在开发两款项目：科幻MMO游戏《Metal War Online》和基于东方蒸汽庞克背景的网页策略游戏《英雄崛起》（简称ROH）。

在撰写不同资源日志的过程中，我们得出这样的结论：不在这些材料中谈论整个开发过程，只谈论若干元素会更有趣、更适合。因此我们整理出简洁但包含丰富信息的资料。着手《英雄崛起》日志时，我们更是坚定上述看法，决定不基于水平地面制作内容，而是继续“艺术风格历史随笔”之类的主题。一个常见问题是，“为什么选择东方蒸汽庞克？具体外观是？如何将其完美地落到实处？

下面就来回答这些问题及若干其他问题。

如何开始

2011年末，我们权衡利弊关系，决定着手另一内部项目。《Metal War Online》的开发已得到批准，我们只能呈现正确的战略决策。那就是开发基于网页的游戏作品。这出于很多原因，其中一个就是，避免孤注一掷。此外，我们在网页游戏领域获得积极反馈也非常重要。

说到做到。最初工作主要集中在概念、创意和讨论内容上。通过广泛集体谈论，我们选择将策略作为项目的题材。我们的决策存在主观性——多数座谈会成员都深深着迷于《Evony》、《创世纪之王》之类的著名游戏。就如你知道，最好是制作自己真正喜欢及了解的作品。

修改若干观点之后，我们开始组建团队，在一个原本就已扩充的团队中将细节内容落到实处。

关于背景的争辩

坦白讲，这部分内容的小标题相当有欺骗性。老实说，几乎没有什么辩论。新团队中有人推崇纯粹的硬核蒸汽朋克风格，主张融入伦敦、阴暗及蒸汽机之类的元素。还有人提倡更复杂的背景，遵循《波斯王子》之类的东方风格。奇怪的是，所选平台的这两种背景都不是非常泛滥，各方都积极描绘他们对于未来项目的美好蓝图，因此我们折中结合两种方向。

经过系列处理后，我们确立如下命题：

* 基本风格源自东方文化，但没有同具体子类型绑定。当然还有些众所周知的元素，不要过分多彩，但整体美术水平要非常复杂；

* 蒸汽朋克是子类型。构思非常复杂，但具有可行性。仿佛关键时期的东方文化会重蹈蒸汽技术的覆辙？我们希望在游戏中体现它给我们带来的影响。

* 没有硬核蒸汽朋克或东方主义标记。

需注意的是，第二点内容非常复杂，但在接受时，我们已有适当的游戏设计先决条件，能够将其落到实处。《英雄崛起》及众所周知的作品《文明》都涉及国家的探索和发展，扩充财产等内容。潜入ROH玩家世界后，你会看到他们的建筑呈现更复杂的外观，因为其中存在持有步枪、手枪、单片镜及其他有色属性的新角色。

图1：马厩让玩家能够接触骑马设备，以及它给所聘用战士的速度和参数带来影响。正如你看到的，各画面的视觉效果得到逐步提升。《英雄崛起》中的所有建筑都以这一方式设置，旨在呈现国家由传统模式发展至早期的东方蒸汽朋克样式。最后一个马厩效果最佳，在此小型货摊转变成大型建筑，配备有自动饲料供给装置，机械通风系统及Marwari（游戏邦注：军用马种）的宽敞住所。

图2：主角是个女刺客。不要低估她。她虽然不适合打持久战，但有很强的耐力和耐性。她和她的团队会在最恰当的时刻出现，给予唯一的致命一击。

最初样品和艺术指导

确定背景构思远远不够。你还需要恰当将其落到实处。这里的首个难题是选择优秀的艺术总监。关于艺术总监应具备什么条件，我们有很多约定俗成的看法。他需要给项目做出什么贡献，他的生产效率要求。在非标准观念看来，艺术总监是无需作图的管理者。我们不要基于这类曲解观点。

在我们看来，艺术总监需要回应及配合有关美术内容的决策，循规蹈矩，让心怀不满的员工闭嘴，绘制10.05万张草图，提供600份参考资料。此外，他还要能够轻松向任何反对者解释为什么选择东方蒸汽朋克风格，“这是我的具体绘制方式。”我们不认同这样的情形：枯燥乏味的艺术总监，将美术内容外包给其他美工，然后积极解释项目背景的具体外观。如果他自己无法起表率作用，那么他如何将内容托付给下属，甚至是外包商？是的，完全不可能。整个美工团队会绘制只吸引主管眼球的内容。

上面我们谈到若干常见问题，它们妨碍我们将项目背景和杰出图像传递给美工。结果，艺术幻灯片基于特定模板，忧心忡忡的经理谈论这些构思如何杰出，其落实方式如何糟糕等。事实上，问题只有两个——或由于经理的糟糕说明，或由于艺术总监的错误认知。你最好选择这样的经理和艺术总监：至少能够在语言上达成协调和共识。

Glorios Bogdad

早期阶段耗费我们很长时间。结果，我们找到理解且热爱我们未来项目的完美团队。就在我们开始真正绘制图像前。我们决定从最耗时的内容着手——城市。

先将这部分工作暂搁一旁，这里我们选择构建方式及对城市形成基本把握。《英雄崛起》中的城市令人回想起带有占位符，想要创建特定建筑类型的经典“英雄”。玩家还能够完善建筑，观察他们的视觉变化。

首先，我们编辑系列会在城市中出现的建筑，替美工描绘出整体目标。目标：绘制包含合理视角、组成要素及合理比例物体的城市草图：

紫色和橙色表示建筑海拔高度，以便在进行设计时算出相对高度和尺寸。

下个阶段——更为具体的画面：

在着手这一草图时，我们发现，美术内容开始偏离我们的原始计划。首先，目标被名作Academy。建筑看起来更像是奇幻风格的内容，而非东方风格，通过一定程度的更新，将其同蒸汽朋克元素结合起来似乎是个不可能的任务。其次，整体构成层次过多，看起来缺乏生气。

在就建筑的设计做出调整前，我决定着眼于最常见的组织和图像风格。更新制作资源，从另一端着手，我们将看到如下画面：

什么原因促使我们对它持坚信态度？我们很快发现，美工脑中已有最终画面，他清楚我们心中怀有的期待。他因此意识到自己的内心想法，还从中获悉要如何划分情境，在何处放置各类型的建筑等。这一认知并非一蹴而就，但最重要的是，布局设计不仅扮演建筑集合的角色，还是一个成熟的城市模型。建筑的总体构思在此显而易见，层次和规划的自然间隔也一目了然。焦点转移至中心，玩家权力和财富的象征——Citadel。

我们不假思索地停留在此草图，试图研究建筑本身。以Academy为例。首个版本看起来像是白色的魔法塔楼，这和背景严重不协调。在新版本中，我们立即添加主题圆顶、螺旋梯，均基于“东方天文台”风格：

在最初创建各物体的过程中，我们绘制出最高级版本，同时融入若干降级选项。显然水晶更便于塑造整体画面。

渐变体现在所有建筑中。城市处于持续发展中，呈现新形式，符合我们之前隐藏的理想外观。它们最终达成优质效果。

在布局图中放置建筑及做出若干细微调整之后，我们得到如下画面：

就如你看到的，有些建筑被进一步回收利用。这部分源自于Citadel的出现。巨大的正面楼群被移除，但前面的建筑被留下，如Tower of Babel。图7呈现的其他物件几乎没有什么改变。

整体制作过程

素描者持续创造新元素，最终内容逐步被植入游戏当中。这是描述选项顺序最简单的方式（游戏邦注：无需技术准确性，而更多注重组织性）：

* 城市目标的草图基于最大版本

* 这个草图转移到制作物体和基本纹理模型的3D美工手中

* 包含各种高度和差异的城市基础元素转变成平行3D模型

* 与此同时素描美工负责缩减这些建筑，制作这些故事板：

* 这些出自3D美工手中的物体将被转移至2D美工手中，以完成建筑的手工绘图。结果如下：

美工确定和调整素描物体（也是通过手工操作），这些物体源自城市架构；

* 情境由各层级的所有建筑构成，随后会添加灯光背景

* 最终渲染形成

* 从某种程度上看，各层级的建筑及它们的动画就已完成

完成各建筑的所有循环及最终缩减过程后，我们得到满足所有团队成员预期的最终结果。

需再次注意的是，许多过程都是平行进行，否则开发过程将持续许多年，美术内容就会过时。有时3D建模者需要节约时间，基于粗糙草图着手工作。有时则相反——素描美工需要投入众多时间，绘制“具体内容，美观且富有东方风格的图像”。所有这些需要耗费一个工作流程，但当结果恰如所有人最初设想的那样时，你就会明白所耗时间完全值得。

总结

此开发日志只记录少部分的工作内容。有很多心思主要放在界面和角色风格上。我们有意不在单篇文章中描述所有要素，否则可能超出负荷。就如开头提到的，我们将侧重描述一般前提，尽量保持简洁性，并希望本文内容能够给读者带来帮助和启发。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Rise of Heroes: a process of creating the in-game cities.

by Sergei Babaev

Hi everybody!

I will start from a distance and repeat a little bit. At this point in our company is developing two projects: Sci-Fi MMO Metal War Online, and browser-based strategy in the setting of the Eastern steam-punk – Rise of Heroes.

In the process of writing diaries for different resources, we have come to a conclusion that it is more interesting and appropriate to cover not the entire development process in these materials but talk about some of its aspects. Thus we obtain a sufficiently compact, lightweight and, hopefully, more informative materials. Sitting in a diary for Rise of Heroes, we have taken for granted as described above, and decided not to create on level ground, but continue subjects like “casual notes on the art style history”. One of the most popular questions is ‘Why did you choose Oriental Steampunk? How does it look like? And how do you achieve it’s ideal implementation?”

Well, let’s try to answer these and other questions …

How It All Began

Towards the end of 2011 we weighed the pros and cons and decided to start another internal development. Development of Metal War Online has already been approved and we could only offer the right strategic decision. It was, in our humble opinion, the development of browser-based game. There were many reasons, one of which was do not put all your eggs in one basket. Also it is important that we had positive experience in the field of browser-based games.

No sooner said than done. At first the work went to the concepts, ideas and discussions. As a result of different brainstorms we chose the strategy as a genre of the project. There is subjective element in our choice – the majority of the panelists are deeply in love with such notable projects as Evony, Lord of Ultima, etc. And as you know, it’s better producing that you really love and understand.

Fixing a few points, we started to collect the team to work out the details in already expanded team.

Debate on Setting

Frankly speaking, the title of this section is rather deceptive. To be honest – there was almost no debate. There were supporters of pure hardcore steampunk in the emerging team with the love to London, gloom, steam engines. There were also fans of more sophisticated setting, a la the oriental like in the Princes of Persia, etc. Oddly enough, both of those settings on the selected platform is not very jaded, and each party so enthusiastically described their vision of the future project that we have compromised and combined the two directions.

After some treatments, we obtained the following theses:

* The basic style is taken from the Eastern cultures, but without striking their binding to specific subtypes. Something well-known, of course, not too colorful, but rather complex in terms of overall artistic level, so necessary to produce the wow-effect;

* Steam-punk is subsetting. The idea is complex, but it is quite feasible. As if the Eastern culture in a critical period would have gone the way of steam-technology? We wanted to reflect in the game our understanding of its impact.

* There are no signs of hardcore steampunk or orientalism.

It should be noted that the second paragraph is rather complicated, but at the time of acceptance we had the appropriate game-design preconditions for its implementation. The fact that in Rise Of Heroes, in the manner known to all project Civilization, there is research and development of the state, expanding its holdings, etc. Since diving into the world of ROH player sees his buildings take on a more sophisticated look, as there are new characters with rifles, pistols, monocles, and other colorful attributes.

Pic. 1. Stable offers access to equestrian units, and its impact on improving the speed and the parameters of recruiting fighters. As you can see, each accompanied by a significant improvement of visual transformations. All the buildings in the Rise of Heroes arranged in such a way as to show the gradual development of the state from the classical to the beginnings of oriental culture steampunk. It’s best seen from the last level of stables, where small stall turned into a large building with an automated feed supply, a mechanical ventilation system and a spacious shelter for Marwari (military horse breed).

Pic. 2. The hero is assassin girl. Never underestimate her. A long battle is not for her, but she has the endurance and patience. She and her team out of nowhere appear as shadows at the most opportune moment to strike the only and compelling blow.

First Samples and Some Words About Art Directing

It’s not enough to get an idea of ??submitting setting. You should also properly handle it. The first problem in this way – is the choice of a good art director. There are a lot of conventional wisdom about what kind of art director should be. What is his personal contribution to the project and what is his production efficiency. Sometimes, there were non-standard opinions that art director – is an administrator who does not have to be able to draw. But let’s not focus on this kind of perversions.

In our humble opinion, art director – is the man who in response to, and ideally coordinated with the decision on the choice of art, breaks off his vest, shuts up disgruntled employees, makes 100,500 sketches, and provides 600 references. Moreover he should explain without any difficulties to any opponent why Eastern steam punk is “here’s how I drew it and not otherwise.” And we absolutely refuse to completely understand the situations in which art director for a long time, tedious, and almost with outsource sketches of other artists is trying to explain how the setting of the project looks like. If he himself does not (and will not appear for a long time) this representation, then how he will give it to his subordinates, and even more so to some outsourcers? It’s true – no way! The entire team of artists will draw only those things which could draw their Lead.

Above we identified common problem, which does not help to pass campaign setting and excellent image to the artists. As a consequence – the art slides in the template, distressed managers tell how cool they all of this imagined, and how bad it is implemented and so on. In fact, the problems may be only two – either due to bad explanation of manager, or poorly perceived by art director. You’d better choose such manager and art director who as long as there is no are able to find harmony and understanding in words at least.

Glorios Bogdad

Earlier stage took us a very long time. As a result, we found the perfect team with understanding and loving our future project. After that we started the actual painting. We decided to start with the most time-consuming – the cities.

Let’s leave that part of the work, where we choose the construction methods and the corresponding basic understanding of the city (if interested, we’ll write game designer diary, in which we tell about it). Just let’s say – the city in the Rise of Heroes somewhat reminiscent of the classic “Heroes” with the placeholders, intended for building a certain type of buildings. The player also could improve buildings and observe their visual changes.

First, we have compiled a list of buildings that wanted to see in the city and outlined the overall vision for the artist. Objective: to make a rough draft of the city with the understandable perspective, composition, proportions of objects, etc.:

Purple and orange colors denote levels of elevation of the building on order to easily roughly evaluate the relative height and size when design is made.

The next stage – specification of some sort:

Around the onset of this sketch, we realized that art is beginning to shy away from our plan. First, the object is designated as the Academy. The building looks more like fantasy than the Eastern, and tie it to the steampunk elements at certain levels of upgrades seemed as an impossible task. Secondly, the overall composition, even with the early stages, is too layering, and this looks like it’s not alive.

Before making adjustments to the design of the buildings, we have decided to focus on the most common style of composition and picture. Updating production resources and holding it at the other end, we will soon have this picture:

What made us to believe in it? We immediately see that the artist has in mind the final image, he understands everything that we expect from him. He realizes what he wants to see himself as a result, and also understands how to divide the scene, where to place each kind of building, etc. Surely, this understanding does not come immediately, but it is important that the layout plays a role of not just a collection of buildings, but rather a full-fledged prototype of the city. The general idea of building is visible here, the natural separation of the levels and plans could be seen. The focus was shifted closer to the center, where was a symbol of power and wealth of the player – the Citadel.

Without thinking twice, we stopped at this sketch and tried to delve into the buildings themselves. Take, for example, the Academy. In the first iteration it looked like white mage tower, or something else, which was a sharp discord with the setting. In the new version, we immediately asked subjects domes, spiral staircases and so on in the style of “Eastern observatory”:

In the process of creating each object first we draw the version of the maximum upgrade, with necessary work on a few more options for downgrade. Perhaps, without further explanation, it is clear as a crystal that it’s more convenient to form the overall picture.

Gradually changes were made almost in all city buildings. The city was constantly growing, taking on new forms and committed to our previously hidden ideal representation. And it looked good enough.

Apart ready buildings on the layout and implemented the minimum adjustment (offset, the choice of heights, easy draw area), we get something like the following picture:

As you could see, some buildings were even further recycled. As, for example, was facilitated by the construction of the Citadel. The massive front blocks were removed while front side was left, a la the Tower of Babel. Other objects, displayed in Picture 7, is almost unchanged.

Overall Manufacturing Process

Naturally, all the time while there were making of the sketchers, incidentally was created the process of delivery of the final content to the game. This is the easiest way to describe the sequence of actions (no claim to technical accuracy, but rather on the organization):

* Sketch of the city object is made in maximum level version;

* This sketch is given to 3D artists who make models of the objects and basic texture;

* City basis with all its heights and differences given to parallel 3D modelling;

* Meanwhile sketch artists work out downgrades of these buildings and make such storyboard:

* These objects from 3D artists are given to 2D artist for manual delineation of the building. The result looks like this:

Sketched objects are set and adjusted (also by manual processing) obtained under the framework of the city;

* A scene consisting of all the buildings at any level, is given to light setting;

* The final render is taken place;

* To the extent the buildings at each level, their animation is worked out.

After finishing full cycle for each building and implementing a final reduction, we obtained the coveted result that satisfied everyone in the team (or almost all, because today it is almost 15 + full-time employees and a lot of outsource employees):

It should again be noted that many of the processes are carried out in parallel, otherwise the development would have dragged on for years, and the level of art could be out of date. Sometimes the 3D modeler has to save you time and begin work on a less detailed sketches. Sometimes sketcher artists have the opposite – to spend much more time to draw “something special, something very beautiful and eastern.” All these costs a workflow, but when the result is that very picture that everybody imagined in the early development, you understand that time is well spent.

Instead of Results

In this dev diary we have described only a small portion of the work. Much effort was initiated to elaborate interfaces, the style of the characters. Separate aspect is a global map, and process of preparation of entourage objects, constructors, mountains, forests, etc. We deliberately did not crumple all these aspects in one material, as  a result it could be  overloaded. As mentioned in the introduction we have tried to describe only the general premises and as compact as possible to formulate the process as an example of one block of tasks. We hope this material will seem to be useful to readers, or at least informative. Thank you!（Source：gamasutra）