Hi everyone! I’m Chris Degnan, one of the designers of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, and today I have a designer diary! As part of the design team of Dawn of War work with Jay, the head, and with other designers, I can stick their noses in a lot of interesting topics! For me, one of the most exciting aspects of the development process of a game has always been the creative process required to develop the game in full detail and folds. And that is what we will explore in this journal.
The creative process begins with identifying the central ideas and objectives of the game. In this case, we had this great license for Warhammer 40,000, filled to overflowing of warriors armed with rifles and a huge bunch of bloodthirsty enemies, and we also had some very clear about where she wanted to go and we wanted to do with our game real-time strategy. So we took these concepts and the license and provides a set of points that define the essence of our game.

Describe brutal fighting in front of a never before seen in strategy games in real time. Make a game that attracts the player without losing any players to fans of strategy games in real time, nor to the Warhammer 40,000 fans.

Capturing the feeling and energy of the universe deWarhammer 40,000.

Create a fun and exciting resource.

Once we had defined the key concepts, we add different elements of the game and enter the Proof of Concept phase. For the Proof of Concept build a prototype to test the look and feel of our future game, besides seeing if our concepts have been translated well in the game, and that work is play well. The objective of the Proof of Concept is to check that our ideas work in practice before the game to assign an entire team of professionals and a couple of years. We try to make a screen of all the strange things in the game, we test all our fun tricks and recording features that we believe can create problems or that we should spend a little more thought go along depending on the job.
Our prototype was only one of four races that are in the game, the Space Marines, and had only a fraction of its inventory of units and buildings. But even with this handful of units, we were able to implement and test all the basic features of juego.Con Space Marines were able to test as he played with the control unit based on the squad, as could strengthen the squad in field, upgrading weapons (in those days was only a missile launcher) and the combat infantry modal (which is when they use firearms within a certain distance and then draw knives to combat the melee). Our builders built buildings. We tested our vehicles with the basic balance test infantería.Y our new points system for strategic resources to see if it was possible an economy based on the needs of the army.

Considering all aspects, the Proof of Concept was surprisingly good. Armed with a working example of the game we wanted to create, recruit more talent and we set out to build the game of truth. In the prototype, much of what is done is by its speed, and when building the game itself, much of what has been done in the prototype is put aside and must be completely redone for nuevo.Así Making sure that all the artistic features of the game are developed in a proper manner, without the potential limitations of the quick fixes used in the prototype.

As well as the development cycle goes from the planning stage to production, the creative process goes from being an expansive open targets to focus more on solving problems and make the most of our resources. At this point, when the program starts to encode all of the end, artists are beginning to shape the final models and animations to be submitted for final approval. When you are finished artistic features are implemented in the game with surprising results. At this stage, every feature is subjected to careful scrutiny that ensures that our reinforces key concepts and see if we can eliminate the extra work schedule. The creative process is not limited only to the game, including how to build the tools we use to make the game can benefit from a bit of creative thinking.

For example, the editor attributes that make it easy for programmers designers was designed so that they have direct access to information that defines the statistics of all units, buildings and abilities throughout the game. Now, when we have to modify some of the statistics to make the Orcs are best and worst shooting sections, because we do not have to go and annoy anyone, just go and do it ourselves, driven by something which, we believe, corresponds with our vision of the game.

The enormous effort of artists and programmers has managed to see that we can suggest as armed combatants and fly to each other to pieces, before charging into melee combat with swords and axes, with the most amazing special effects and more vicious fatal beating . Warhammer 40,000 fans and new players will experience how the earth trembles when buildings begin to fall from heaven, or as warriors in armor energy collide with horrific monsters and aliens who have been called to battle on the distant frontiers of the hyper - space and come to crush their enemies.

We have focused on a very intense look and feel like the game, but we have never forgotten the tactical elements. You can react quickly against a squad of special weapons to all who enter into melee.