Drake: The Golden Hind Story - News Block #8

Greetings wanderers, thanks for your coming.

Dwarves

What about dwarves of Hind? All that we know can be placed on one little scroll. And all of this have no stereotypes which we know from the legends and tales. You think that dwarves it's a midget guy with a long white beard, which very love the gems and who use the axe like a god? Don't worry, - in past I think so too. Before I’m made visit in world of Hind.

On the first look this is a classic dwarf. Broad shoulders, heavy beard, short stubby figure, but... no axe's in hands, no bag, no colored cap on head and no pickaxe… instead of this dwarf have old and seems that powerful rifle with three rifle shells, gun attached to the right leg and helmet looks like anvil.
Who this guy? What’s happened with classic gnom from typical fantasy world? I hate this artist! I hate him! Who made this damn concept?
Oh… wait a moment. This guy it... it's me? Immediately bring this “me” to me in my office. I be recommend to fired this guy. World it's a cruel place.

It's a dwarf. Dwarf from Hind of course. Forget all you know about dwarves earlier. If you can't - it's a wrong world for you. Since ancient times of this world, the dwarves are considered a really good marksman. Personal Guard of Queen consists of few dwarves (and mechanists too).
In one old case, when current queen ambushed by one of seven Darkness Barons this guys help her win the battle. And it's happen. With help their bodyguards. Twelve dwarves and seven mechanists stopped a hundred enemy warriors. Three of them died on battlefield and another two die of wounds, in city. Their names always burned in the Memory Stone on the streets of Queens Valley of Hindale.

Skills doesn’t enough to win this skirmish, so many enemies attack they. And Guardians been defeated if not for one detail, - Dwarves have a special weapon which Elders give for every dwarf when he was born. Even Darkness Barons have no power on this weapon. Because each rifle has only one owner. When owner die - rifle die too. Like a living being.

Look at dwarven helmet. What's you can see if you look at it? He remind the queen's crown, but only because dwarfs made this crown. Something else? Anvil? Yes. And mechanists born the gossips about these helmets, that dwarfs like rogues - all that they have always carry in bags and pockets and even on the heads. In every joke there is a grain of truth. On the battlefield dwarfs often use helmet like anvil.

You may notice that helmet also remind the bird of prey. Like vulture or eagle. If these words been written by mechanists - bird absolutely exactly change name on vulture or maybe something worse. In many different book and scrolls, even in everyday speech we always seen root of ancient feud between dwarves and mechanists.

Helmet stylized of eagle give to us suggests that in past dwarves lived at Earth's surface. Just because in the Hind never been eagles. Birds yes, but no one bird which remind the eagle.

Mechanists

Strange race of Hind which have a knowledge of creation steam powered and more complicated mechanisms. If queen's fleets so far fly on steam zeppelins equipped sails then mechanists travel through the sky on the more difficult devices. It's a wooden and metal monsters which moved with help of large propellers... and... m-m-m...
...i have no idea how it's flying. Seriously. I'm not a mechanist. As soon somebody of mechanists tried to explain the principle of work this devices to me - I fell asleep. All i know and understand that these devices have a valves, screws and cylinders with systems of pipes and pumps.

Maybe in next life if I was born in body of mechanist and I can reach the secrets of this devices. But now, sorry, i say only that i know.

Mechanists first who use gas and paralyzing cannon-shot in the Great War. Many thousand of dwarves died on the first days of the bombing. I say earlier - lower levels of the Hind are very dangerous place. That gas still poisons the earth and can kill anyone who breathes it.

Note: Images in this article – just the images. Please do not form opinions based on the simple images. Mechanists like you and me - not a one man. It's a nation. With a lot of different peoples and different specializations. On images you can see personal queen guardian after battle. Coat on this man is heritage of old war. This is official war uniform of all mechanist's in those darkest days. They ask queen save the ancient uniform and permission been granted.

There is a legend that in ancient times the mechanists been a part race of dwarves. But with injuries at the birth. No legs. No hands or fingers. With different defects. When dwarves going on great deeds they left them home, where they were engaged small deeds like cleaning, repair, etc. In one moment "defectives" mutinied.
From the cradle to the grave they research and mastered devices which can help others injuries dwarves. Generation after generation. And time to be free is come.

And one day all changed. Those who do not have hands - got the new hands. Those who had no feet - be able to walk. Сonflict is began. People speak that is a been point of start of the war. Mechanists have no comments on this.

But there is one strange thing. Both nations have the same physique, even massive faces with beards (mechanists shave every day and there is no way of knowing grow the beard or not grow). Both nations - great miners. Both nations - the only ones who understand a lot about the mechanisms. Both nations - know a lot about rocks. Too many "both".

Style of Drake?

Come back to present days. As I say earlier – at this time we do the hard work on the Drake controller. When I polishing animations I made one simple test. Test of one of many art-solutions which we can choose in development.
Here it. You can see on images that Drake can be realized in two various art styles. First in some details remind to us game like "FlashBack", second image remind game like "Legend of Kyrandia", for example.

I look at this two images and fully understand that fact that I want see both of this variants of Drake in the game. And what I can do with that? I don’t know. I have only one solution – made two sets of animation and give gamers opportunity to choose something like a «Drake-skin» by himself.
In ideal variant i want made two art-styles for all game content, but… I think that you think that it’s crazy idea. I think so. But in the dark deep of my soul have a little fire of hope on this way.

Say me please, what you like more? Variant A or B?

I don’t know how I can make the voting, but I’m know that at this moment I have 42 watchers and in this case calculate of votes be easy. If you have time on that of course.

It's funny that when I asked my wife what's best? She asked in reply, "they are different?". Here is a real development. Maybe developers see details which doesn't not important for gamers. It's a like dark side of the moon. Or maybe like dark force of the jedi. If you move in that wrong way you can lose the time and make other mistakes.

Few things about Drake controller

What we have? We have information about dwarves and mechanists, have a two possible styles for Drake and also I want tell you… no, not about end of world (I hate this rumors and network madness) I want tell you about our progress in animations and research of Drake controller.

At present time we stop on FlashBack oriented controller because we want have a smooth movements for Drake. For this task we need to create a logical grid for all animations which we made. Drake be move on this grid and always stop on the good position.
You can see this principle of movement in old games like a Prince of Persia, FlashBack and Blackthrone. Hero in this games never slips (twitches on a few pixels) on surface and if you want made something, maybe jump or crouch, - you always fall on the correct place of world (right or left corner of new tile). I can illustrate it’s. Look at samples please.

You can see that Drake have a step (logic tile or, for example, logic grid cell). When Drake run, - each "running step" take a two basic "walking steps". If Drake jump - move across three basic "walking steps" & etc.
All prepared animations need a some fixes for this idea, its unfortunetely take a time. All that we made take a time (sigh). But how say Joshamee Gibbs when commandor Norrington leave the team - Best not wallow in our grief!

I mean - we have only one way to go next - work.

Our next task to create not only world grid and fix animations under this grid. We must select the camera for Drake. In old games (names of games - vide supra) world is static, only hero and creatures with interactive things can be move.
Even in blessed ancient game... FlachBack, player moving between level screens. But i think that moving camera, which targeted on hero, can be help make process more interactive and give to us opportunity to made game more live. What way we must choose? Answer is clear – only tests can be solve our dilemma.

Steven, Picos and Postman

O… second please… here… it! Yes. Okay. Done. Image for ending of this news block. Guys I know that world of Hind live good in present time. Why I’m so sure? Look at this.
Some from image remind me one of big manias of Steven Spielberg. UFO and green little people. I don’t know about “green”, but I know that on image I see one of the Picos. Little folk of thesmall creatures living in trees near Hindale. I’m sure that Steven just a meet with Pico.
Steven it’s not alien – just a Picos from Hind. Stop do it that. And please, in next Indiana Johnes… please… no aliens… please. Enough.

And the final point in my monologue. It's a "flying birds" of Hindale. World have a rivers, lakes even sea, but many vessels sail through the sky. More room to maneuver, less traffic congestion and ... everyone always dream to be birds.

Postman. Many people wait letters from all parts of the world. This guys make them happy. This is a heroes, and highly respected people in the world. The one who raised his hand on the postman - find a good way to reach a bunch of problems.

(All images in normal resolution you can see in our gallery. All images be added to Drake art-book of release version of “Drake: The Golden Hind Story” in high-resolution)

It's all for now. Hope you liked. See ya Space Cowboys.