Thank you for joining us for the 61st edition of our biweekly development briefing, October 6, 2023!
Today, we have a Situation Report via a variety of subtopics that provide a wide view of the game’s current development. Included in this format we hope to show you some of the more nitty gritty details of our development process.
This briefing's subtopics include police “trailer” units, Quality of Life (QOL) improvements to less lethal equipment, level blocking volumes, level overhauls on Farm, and VFX improvements/optimizations.
Furthermore, we are excited to say that we are on track for an expected 1.0 release towards the end of this year based on the incredible pace of our team’s development throughout these past months!
Thank you for all of your continued patience, along with your considerate reception of our recent PSA in Vol.60, regarding still ongoing technical limitations presented by incremental public build updates at this stage. Quality takes time, and we’re fortunate to have had the opportunity and support to continue to use our time efficiently over these months.
Please keep in mind that the development content depicted in this briefing is a work in progress and may be subject to change in the game’s final state.
In this briefing you will also see media that illustrates several of these areas of development below!
Police "Trailer" Units
"This is Entry Team to TOC. Suspect secure."
"TOC to Entry Team. Roger that, proceed with caution, trailers incoming."
These above in-game radio communications finally come to life with the new addition of a physical police "trailer" AI unit that's intended to increase immersion at the end of a mission.
The name “trailer” refers to the fact that these units safely ‘trail’ behind the actions of the tactical team, avoiding tactical interference while providing auxiliary support. Reminiscent of real SWAT procedures, our police trailer units arrive to physically extract secured civilians and suspects to safety after you clear a level, removing them from the scene.
Although in previous testing we had trailers extract subjects during the active scene, it resulted in some rare but awkward occasions where active suspects would incidentally encounter trailer units.
Therefore, in the current state once all civilians/suspects are detained and/or tragically deceased, trailers come in and manage "the level after your SWAT team's actions, [carrying] detained/deceased civilians/suspects and collecting bagged evidence to take back to the bearcat [vehicle].” As a result, “you can actually see them doing their job and walking back to the bearcat, rather than being something that happens off-screen.”
Less Lethal QOL Improvements
We have made numerous quality of life improvements for less lethal equipment by realistically rationalizing the unique niches they fill and the in-game tactics they’re involved in. This is particularly emphasized by our more nuanced approach to the usage of CS gas, the VKS pepperball launcher, and pepper spray to make them more distinct and realistic.
CS Gas from a technical perspective used to perform similarly to flashbangs, statically stunning individuals within its area of effect for a period of time. However, we have changed them to operate more appropriately as area denial equipment.
To achieve this CS gas clouds last longer (~30–45 seconds), no longer emit audio that alerts suspects, and serve to primarily flush out subjects from dangerous areas. The previous form of CS gas also used a tick-based damage system which was unoptimized, where this new system avoids that issue. Lastly, our improved gas logic system allows CS gas to work through 'rat holes' in walls and around corners to a certain extent. This is done by drawing a path from the grenade to the target and then determining whether the target is in range.
With the VKS pepperball launcher you can expect a major change to its ammunition function and a tactical usage change to indirect fire instead of direct fire. The updated OC-balls, referring to oleoresin capsicum (pepper resin) inside of them, are less effective upon direct impact but instead leave small OC powder clouds that last for ~20–25 seconds at an impact. NPCs and players that walk through these clouds are affected by them, allowing you to lay down less lethal suppressive fire or flush out AI in a precise manner.
We found that pepper spray was sometimes too powerful for use against armed suspects in combat contexts. Now, instead of a full stun, suspects who are affected with pepper spray will cover their eyes, experience an accuracy reduction, and have a morale drop. In this blinded state they are still capable of shooting the player up close.
The player’s response to any chemical agents is now less extreme under current changes:
“Instead of turning the screen red and taking player control by making the camera sway all over, it only makes the screen red/blurs the screen as if with tear filled eyes, and the player character makes audible coughing sounds” that alerts suspects as an aggressive noise.
Blocking Volumes
The usage of "volumes" is an invisible yet crucial element of ensuring quality gameplay on a given game level. These volumes come in a variety of forms, including “blocking” volumes which optimize player/AI movement and “vision” volumes which help facilitate fair engagements with AI.
Blocking volumes are used to optimize movement through a level by guiding the player and AI around obstacles, enhancing immersion by providing smooth navigation around them.
Note: The “player capsule” refers to the collision boundaries of a player’s movement that interact with the game world.
(GIF below: [Before:] A pillar without blocking volumes around it, causing the player capsule to get stuck on the pillar’s edge)
(GIF below: [After:] A simple blocking volume like this will allow the player capsule to automatically slide out of this corner in close quarters, which is more natural for general movement.)
“Other than movement optimization, blocking volumes are also used to keep players and AI away from climbing certain props that would in most cases get them stuck.”
(Images below: [Before] “The navigation in this area is very uneven and bumpy which would result in AI getting stuck on these trash bags.”)
(Image below): [After] Volume blocking optimized for terrain, so we can solve both collision and AI navigation issues.)
Visibility volumes are used in areas where the AI is able to see the player, yet it is excessively difficult for the player to spot the AI. These areas are often darkly lit with plenty of visual concealment that gives an AI aiming system too much of an advantage compared with a player.
(Image below: “In this example, in Coyote we have some wood planks that have some tiny physical gaps in them, which are blocked with visibility volumes”)
(Image below: A view of completed level volumes on the level, Dealer)
Farm Level Overhauls
Farm is one of our many pre-existing levels that have undergone significant improvements to better suit our story and widespread gameplay intentions, both of which we will discuss more in the future. For now, you can see a variety of these changes subtly manifested within the construction of this eerily beautiful compound, where detail creeps in every distant crevice.
(Image below: The main garden of the compound is inhabited by humanoid hedges and quiet picnic tables) (Image below: Portraits are placed amongst the leaves) (Image below: Greenhouses for self-growth) (Image below: Sunlight spills around a garage’s parked white van) (Image below: The depths of the corridors provide further refuge)
VFX Improvements/Optimization
At the same time while we’re making improvements to the fidelity of visual effects, we are also optimizing our related systems so that they run as efficiently as possible. Among just a few the VFX improvements we’ve worked on are muzzle flare, explosive effects (including increased performance for C2 breaching), new vehicles, and increased granularity of our existing vehicle destruction plus optimization.
For optimization we are generally trying to reduce the number of "draw-calls." Draw-calls are what occurs when your computer performs instructions to render (draw) a given graphical element and how to render it.
(Video below: Updated effects for muzzle flare, [new] oxygen tank explosion, optimized C2 explosion, and the updated CS Gas effect which has improved performance as well) Keep in mind that due to in-engine performance demand of development tools overhead this footage capture is at a decreased resolution, and that development build performance is generally worse than in a shipping (meaning eventually intended for public) build.
(GIF below: Showcasing many of environmental art's new vehicles that have been added to the game, destructible, customizable by color, and more)
(Video below: The upgraded and optimized vehicle destruction system, with the added ability to destroy all review mirrors, gradually shatter windows, lights [with improved alarms], and even doors.) Lastly, improper scaling of vehicle size has been fixed and we’ve optimized static “vista” vehicles to avoid draw-call drain. Vista vehicles are those that are outside of the playable space, which now use just one material type, rather than non-vista destructible vehicles that have texture meshes specific for each door, etc.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this broad look into these various aspects of RoN's development progress as we near our expected 1.0 release towards the end of this year. This briefing is by no means an exhaustive list of the changes being made to the game, and in the coming months we can't wait to share even more of what our immensely talented development departments have done.
Speaking of which, reporting an APB that we're officially now in the season to double check your corners and watch your team's six during this particularly spooky month. Stack up and stick together, officers! We might just have some small after-shift treats for you and your teammates, on us.
In fact— here’s a sort of treat now, before we sign off.
(Image below: Cosmetic options to choose from such as a version of a SWAT officer's impromptu Rapid Response 'uniform,' next to the "BDRTAC" uniform, a U.S. Special Operations unit intended to conduct high-stakes operations in scenarios similar to Coyote.)
This concludes our 61st development briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!
Thank you Zack for the gorgeous photos of Farm, Tiša for providing the level/vehicle media, Vman for much of the VFX media, and to all of our many developers who contributed pieces of their hard work and knowledge to this briefing!
Are you a content creator on YouTube or Twitch looking for new games? We've got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Link up with our Lurkit campaign here. Make sure you follow Ready or Not on Steam here.
Keep your feet on the ground. VOID Interactive
Vol.60 - Ready or Not Development Briefing - Special PSA
Attention Officers,
Thank you for joining us for the 60th edition of our biweekly development briefing, September 22, 2023!
Today, we have some important details to cover in the form of a Public Service Announcement regarding the game's ongoing development process, and technical reasons for a lack of public build updates as our many departments work effectively towards delivering you all the 1.0 version of the game. In this process we will describe avoiding development crunch, maintaining efficiency, and a technical perspective that represents the challenges our currently rapid and all-enveloping development progress presents for releasing incremental public updates.
It's all about forward momentum rather than perpetual Early Access, and we will see this project through to meet you all at its many future successes and a mature, complete stage. We are incredibly pleased with the progress we’ve made so far, and although we're sorry about the absence of recent incremental public build updates, we appreciate you all continuing to stick with us so that these exciting game changes can be released together once 1.0 eventually arrives.
(Note: The term “incremental update” refers to a public build that is released as an update in-between major milestone development versions of the game. These public builds contrast with development builds of the game, which are not yet released)
As we discuss examples that illustrate this development topic, you will also find substantial new work-in-progress content throughout this briefing!
All-Enveloping Development Progress and You
Ideally, we'd love to provide you, our playerbase, with as many public builds to play as possible. However, due to our current progress there are currently interconnected and inseparable challenges with doing this based on our status of a rapid, all-enveloping game development focus over this period in preparation for the 1.0 release.
Examples of some such interconnected challenges that result from this progress are outlined in the section below; the main point is that we are in extremely rapid development of many different interdependent systems across the game, and to ship an incremental update would require effectively halting, reverting, and synchronizing fragments of our forward progress at a critical moment winding up to the larger 1.0 release.
An All-Enveloping Example
In this hypothetical example, let's say we plan to release a public build as an incremental update that contains the new level, Coyote, for you all to play.
As previously mentioned, we've been working on every single aspect of the game— from revamped SWAT AI (to be showcased at a later date!) to extensive UI/UX overhauls/additions. They're not compartmentalized into any "group" where we can just cleanly export them to a public build in isolation from the rest of the development build features.
This means that at this stage of development from a technical perspective, adding the new Coyote level would require us to also add all these other features in some form:
- First of all, we need to provide you with our new AI spawn system and AI improvements. This means a lot of polishing, subsequently taking time away from our current pre-content 'lock' focus and therefore delaying full release. This sort of content-lock roadblock taking away from our current development priorities is a trend for all the remaining bullet points below. - ("Pre-Content lock” refers to a point in time where we solidify existing features, stop adding new ones, and polish them for a new release).
(Image below: A slice of Coyote’s current WIP version)
(Image below: Some of Coyote’s WIP AI points of interest)
- We would need to provide you with all our new Coyote level characters, most of which are still pending character rigging, and one or two are still being developed in the art stage. - If we don’t do this, we would have to use generic models as placeholders, which would create a dull experience without the desired character variety. (Image link below: WIP new character models for various levels) https://imgur.com/a/S24iKZC
- We also need to provide you the new Quantum Sound System, without it, audio would not work properly in the public build
- We need to provide the new level select system. (Image below: a WIP example of the new level select system)
- We'd need to provide you with the new customization system, weapon select system, Station Lobby, audio tracks, and items that are tied to each system. Many of these are still in the later stages of development, yet they are by no means ready for a public build. (Image below: views of just a couple areas of the new Police Station)
- Furthermore, we’d need to provide the briefing menu, interactive tablet, briefs for each level with voice acting, maps, and media details. (Image below: tablet view of a new map)
- Next, we'd need to revert all other changes specific to this development build, and then fix any issues related to linking old systems with new systems (e.g., all the new UI code gets reverted, but code that has already been written in for that purpose in other areas also has to be rewritten and fixed).
- Lastly, we would need to then spend at least several weeks ensuring a solid Quality Assurance pass has occurred, testing an adhoc game build that will be almost entirely different from its intended proper state in 1.0.
- - -
Further Meaning and Forward Momentum
Metaphorically, releasing incremental updates during this phase of the development cycle is like tearing down a house, rebuilding it halfway with improvised parts, furnishing it, and then tearing most of it down again to rebuild the ‘final’, largely different house that we are working towards.
Releasing updates when this massive, interdependent development is going on creates an unsustainable strain on the team, effectively causing us to crunch and redo old work just to release an update.
Our goal is to release a strong product that we can continue to update post 1.0. Making sure our team is working effectively, love what they are doing, and love what they are working towards is something we see as critical to our process.
That's important, and we’re doing it with the technical limitations for public builds and momentum in mind. Our ultimate goal is providing you all with a complete experience that will enhance the game’s quality, replayability, and will naturally keep you coming back for more as we push new updates post 1.0.
Conclusion
We have tons of great content and fixes in store for you all, but we hope this briefing paints a better picture of the technical limitations for why we cannot release it in incremental public builds while we work spanning every area of the game towards the 1.0 release— to the end of Early Access.
Before we go for now, here's a glimpse at a new level with the image below: a beachfront home where the events that may take place contrast the pleasing, cosmetic view of a distant pier and rolling waves.
This concludes our 60th development briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!
Are you a content creator on Youtube or Twitch looking for new games? We've got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Link up with our Lurkit campaign here.
Welcome to the 59th edition of our biweekly newsletter, September 8th, 2023! Have your heads on a swivel, because today we'll be taking a look at brand new motion capture from a recent major multi-week motion capture shoot. For this mission the team made a wonderful visit to our friends at Bohemia Interactive and their mocap facilities. Our development team here at VOID is thrilled so far with the results of this marathon of studio time, and we're sure you will be too!
Ambition Through Animation
Some major reasons for this specific motion capture session are the expansive scope in which we want to take our game and the high fidelity variety of animations we wish to include, all with the consistent direction of law enforcement operators. Our expectations are best met by the affordances of optical motion capture, with subsequent attentive tweaking to suit cinematics or gameplay.
This is a massive team effort, and the VOID Animation Team will be giving a more in-depth look into the entire process throughout this newsletter for what this brand new haul of animation data contains, and what it means going forward. This is not our first time working with motion capture so we already knew quite early what we wanted to achieve. To ensure the highest quality we had both cinematic and gameplay animators at the mocap stage to oversee the entire shoot.
Glimpses of just a slice of content from the past weeks of mocap are presented throughout below!
Dramatic Cinematics and Tactical Realism
“Trained [operators] performing what they have been doing naturally in their jobs, on stage, [...] to make the entire experience more authentic and immersive"
This new motion capture data will be represented via compelling cutscenes, gameplay animations, and future trailers that will help bring Ready or Not's gripping storyline to life.
Among 6 dedicated individuals who simultaneously donned their mocap suits for this shoot were severallaw enforcement professional stunt people with up to decades of Close Quarters Combat career experience, including tactical team leadership.
In close collaboration with our VOID developers we aimed to act out scenarios that are grounded in tactical realism and fit for integration into the game. The combination of trained stunts and CQB experience also meant we had a unique opportunity to capture dynamic animations that will see a wide range of potential use. It was especially a game changer and a humble learning experience to be able to “consult with [the operators] directly on stage, learning everything regarding CQB and SWAT tactics” during the shoot.
Video below: A tactical team climbing into an overwatch position.
With improved tactics shining in mocap performance for SWAT operators comes revamped arrest animations, allowing you to safely secure subjects with confidence using 20 variations of trained officers making arrests. It goes without saying that all of their other movements as well were recorded and will find places across countless areas of SWAT portrayal in-game.
Also in the expected changes are improved variations between animation types such as Suspect AI fake surrenders, melee, hostage taking, and more.
Video below: Suspects engaging in bladed combat.
True to Life
Although our previous animation captures in-game were serviceable, we wanted to raise our standards even higher. To scratch some of the surface, in this mocap session we recorded over “100 new death animations,more than 25 new movesets, and 90 or so new world building animations” to ground you in the gameworld.
Video below: SWAT is en route to the scene.
The updated performances brought by this motion capture will allow us to better convey the diverse array characters you will encounter in the game. Run animations for different physiques, for example, will better portray each individual character rather than adhering to the basic running animation cycle we had in the past. Some new flee animations are even motivated by a bit of safe method acting… through chases involving a sizable sledgehammer.
Video below: A stunt wire gag portrays an explosive level impact.
On a more serious note, the personal experiences of our officers will be better represented across the animation rigging, with some having more military experience and also the continued inclusion of female operators. SWAT AI in-game who have lore describing particular military training may be expected to act out traces of animation behaviors that we found unique compared to those more purely steeped in law enforcement conventions.
“A big change in gameplay that will happen with all of the new data [is how] it will make the game more natural and smooth— the enemies and SWAT will actually visually reflect all of the training and military experience they went through, [whereas previous animations were] a rough estimation based on real reference.”
Video below: Some smooth weapon transitions of a trained operator.
Conclusion
All in all, as a result of this mocap session you will see massively overhauled character animations across all areas of the game. We want the immersive experience of our gameplay to be as fully reflected and facilitated by how you move through it. With over 4 TERABYTES of spectacular data from this motion capture shoot alone, there will certainly be plenty to pull from as we forge ever forward achieving our ambitions.
This concludes our 59th development briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!
Are you a content creator on Youtube or Twitch looking for new games? We've got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Link up with our Lurkit campaign here.
Welcome to the 58th edition of our biweekly newsletter! Today, we will introduce yet another highly anticipated feature, the upcoming Suspect AI in Ready or Not.
Please note that what is presented is a work in progress, and final results may look or play differently from what this newsletter represents.
Introduction
Our AI Design team is always looking for ways to enhance the gameplay loop, making the game feel even more realistic and challenging. Today’s newsletter will discuss the Suspect AI systems and how we aim to throw a spanner in your perfectly laid-out plans.
Join us as we speak about the suspect AI system and how our AI Designer, Bradley, tackles the challenge of making suspects behave more naturally toward player actions.
The Gameplay Loop
At its core, Ready or Not thrives on immersing players in a realistic, challenging, tactical first-person shooter environment. However, this comes with challenges:
‘How do we make the gameplay loop feel stable and challenging while still remaining fair?’
The answer to this is quite complex, and to properly immerse the player, we are exploring many ways that AI can interact and react to certain situations.
Suspect AI: Freedom of Movement
Many FPS games with enemy AI may set an 'optimal' combat distance when fighting the player. This makes AI (AKA ‘actors’) in those games have potentially undesirable behaviors on some levels, such as leaving rooms with the player at awkward moments.
In Ready or Not, though, we strive to give our AI freedom to improvise and re-approach situations and face players with the challenge of controlling that chaos.
"Something I think [Ready or Not] has an advantage over others in that department is we're able to embrace chaos. In traditional shooters, linear ones anyway, when level designers place down actors in a scene, it's generally with the intention that they work within the area they're placed in. In RoN, we only care about this in precombat, where we keep them constrained to the general area they spawn in.
Once the AI is alert, their interaction with the area will dictate how fights feel. So, for instance, in the Agency map, it's not uncommon to have more drawn-out intense gunfights in the lobby due to it having multiple interconnecting entrances and covers for the AI to attack from. Conversely, if you push into the hallway past it, they often duck into one of the rooms to flank you or wait for you since they can't find a good spot to take cover. Honestly, I really like that I can lean more into "chaos" in the game."
However, Bradley also describes the following new system intended to address crowded or empty AI spawn areas, allowing for an optimal gameplay flow on each given level:
"One thing we did recently is add a spawn grouping system. This will allow us to ensure specific parts of the map don't get too crowded or possibly too empty by setting a min/max desired number of characters to spawn within a certain group. This lets me do stuff like set a bunch of possible spawns in an area, then limit the group's max number to like 2 guys. So there could be ten possible spawns, but we won't have to worry about 10 guys in there."
See Below: Neutral AI moving in a set area before player interaction
Suspect AI: Decision-Making
“Suspects have unfortunately been seen as targets you have to stun or kill because they'll inevitably shoot at you once they become aware.”
One of the challenges we are tackling is to ensure that suspects behave more naturally. Based on player actions, we want to ensure that the suspects will act accordingly. You blow a door open; some suspects will act surprised and cower, and others may hold their ground. This aims to reinvigorate scenarios; players will never know what to expect when tackling obstacles.
Below: AI surrenders after being stunned.
Use of Force
In line with the above and some other scenarios, a suspect might not act aggressively. Based on what a player does, suspects may choose several actions, including surrendering, cowering, retreating, grouping, and, of course, showing aggression (to name a few).
But what happens when a suspect simply does not open fire? In moments like these, you have to consider the Use of Force Continuum - shooting a non-hostile suspect will have consequences. Proceed with the utmost caution and attempt to de-escalate using less-lethal methods. Though, of course, some situations cannot always be avoided.
“You shouldn't be shooting suspects who haven't shown aggression. So situations where a suspect does not open fire can potentially be more stressful - who knows if other suspects are on the way while you're trying to get him to comply!”
Below: AI Fake Surrender GIF
Conclusion
This concludes our 58th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!
Are you a content creator on YouTube or Twitch looking for new games? We have you covered; Ready or Not has officially partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here: https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not
Welcome to the 57th edition of our biweekly newsletter! Today, we will share one of our community's highly requested topics, the upcoming customization in Ready or Not.
Remember that the following is an early preview of our customization system, and everything that the players see here will look entirely different later. This will incorporate the community's involvement at various stages rather than just during the final touches.
Introduction
The VOID Interactive team constantly uses their brushes and canvases to expand the clothing combinations so you can distinguish yourself easily when approaching the dangerous streets of Los Sueños.
Mery.G (Gerard), an ambitious character artist at VOID, will be joining different parts of our news to share more information about the process.
Presentation: Gloves
Kicking off with a practical but essential clothing piece for SWAT members, the players can choose from a long list of gloves through an available UI. We understand that aesthetics play an important role in an immersive game such as Ready or Not, so you will have the freedom to add or switch parts for your character while combining your favorite colors.
After talking to Gerard, he decided to dive a bit into his key references that make all these assets possible.
"When I started getting into the whole 3D creation realm, I started making content for a competition called 'Make ArmA not War.' The premise was simple: just create content. The better I got at it, the more I realized how simple and fun it is to be able to just replicate things you see or have used in real life, and that just stuck with me. I love anything art, painting, or music, so this is my way of expressing and enjoying myself, and I'm happy we have people excited about and enjoying the things we've released. Also, I love collaborating and working with others and, when possible, helping or teaching them, as I feel like I always learn something new from everyone I meet."
━ 🎨 Mery.G
Above: Multiple images representing some of the many skins when talking about gloves.
Presentation: Shoes
Can't chase Los Sueños suspects without something to support your agility. Originally, this section was not planned for the early preview due to the shoes still catching up with the attention and love compared to the other ones but we believe that this will still give an idea for future reference.
"It's important to us that we tell the stories of those who place their lives in danger to help those in need. No matter how gritty and terrible these scenarios might be, it is part of what makes them realistic.
This feat also finds people utilizing different tools and equipment for the specific jobs, and While I know it might not be as exciting for some to play 'Dress Up' it is a way for us as Developers to offer players their own way of expression within our game, Giving the players the option to choose How the game looks in first person so that the stories and things that develop as they play our game become their stories too."
━ 🎨 Mery.G
Above: A work-in-progress look at something slick and sporty, together with a splash of texture as partial conclusion.
Presentation: Glasses
The department managed to experiment with a variety of accessories as well. As seen in this development update, we are trying to step away from the "choose a full outfit" format since that can automatically block a lot of freedom regarding character customization.
"It's really exciting to work in this area, mainly because I can't wait to see people using a lot of the things we create in their videos or reviews. I'm always humbled to see things I've helped create in people's content; it is quite surreal.
The tools we've been using for a lot of the creative work being done have been things like Autodesk Maya, Blender, Adobe Substance Painter and Zbrush."
━ 🎨 Mery.G
Above: Different color tints and types for one of the accessory sections, glasses.
Presentation: Masks
As an experienced member of the Special Weapons and Tactics team, your duty is to serve and protect the citizens of Los Suenos, placing yourself in extreme scenarios where mere seconds are deemed essential. With that in mind, showing an imposing presence through strategies is not out of the question.
Gather your friends and let your ideas flow with fresh additions to the tactical masks collection.
"I've been a longtime collaborator with Modding projects and Groups, Red Hammer Studios, and USP. It's always a pleasant experience to see how talented all these artists are. Those who don't know that I source and try a lot of the gear we use as references, and I love going to different airsoft events here in the States like MSW, so there's also that. Shout out to TFM!"
━ 🎨 Mery.G
Above: A few examples connected to headgear that allow the player to have more doors toward preferences.
Feel free to explore a seamless blend of designs as you mix and match across your gameplay. We look forward to showing our members the final versions of this system in the near future.
Conclusion
This concludes our 57th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!
If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.
Are you a content creator on YouTube or Twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has officially partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here: https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not
Welcome to the 56th edition of our biweekly newsletter! Today, it's time for a deep dive into one of the most essential aspects of development: concept art. We will explore a general approach to the creation of these styles for our tactical shooter, Ready or Not. By following the post, we will understand different levels of importance, together with exciting behind-the-scenes graphics.
In some instances, we are joined by one of the many remarkable artists and personalities here at VOID Interactive, Ropolio!
Introduction
Before checking behind the curtains, we must understand exactly what concept art is. To put it simply, it represents the visual design generation of an item, character, or even area that does not yet exist. This automatically creates a story that is able to flourish into something that players are able to personally experience in several projects, including those connected to the gaming industry.
Take a look at the following selection of outfits that precisely represent the Los Suenos Police Department’s progression when it comes to the vast imagination of the artists.
Above: Modular designs for detectives in the police department, or on the scene.
The history and connection to RON
Many of us are no strangers to the classics that owe their existence to this very practice. From iconic titles like Legend of Zelda and Grand Theft Auto, to mesmerizing adventures like Ori and the Blind Forest, all games have historical significance in gaming concept art. It represents an indispensable stage in video game pre-production, breathing life into imaginative worlds and laying the foundation for the experiences that await players.
It’s the same for Ready or Not, where everything must match the immersive environment, whether that be the equipment of the SWAT units, colors, or the next room that may require a tactical breach. The team at VOID Interactive is constantly working hard to bring these ideas to reality, and by using reference points, it can create an arsenal of goals for the project.
Our Police Station rework is a prime example of what thorough early analysis can offer players when they first step into this well-built structure. Together with other design departments, it can easily be said that concept art has the ability to transform into something memorable in the long run.
Above: The memorial area where the shrine can be seen through player navigation.
Giving life to Streamer and Michael
As discussed earlier, reference points play an important role in laying the groundwork for pre-production assets. Looking at our recent cinematic trailer and biweekly newsletter #55, we can easily inspect topics regarding Michael, also known as Milky Toes on the internet.
"Along with photobashing for clothing, I've been integrating artificial intelligence to speed up my workflow, specifically for faces and clothing folds. It helps create a likeness without using a real human's face. When talking about my main inspiration, I researched different youtubers and streamers to assist me in finalizing the necessary looks that created Michael."
━ 🎨 Ropolio
Even with Ready or Not being his first gaming project, Ropolio's talent and attention to detail allow him to dodge obstacles while providing intuitive visions for the project. Combining this with the strengths of other developers, the team can reach its designated goals much more smoothly.
Above: Early preview of the problematic individual himself, Michael Williams.
Extras
Before concluding our showcase, we are happy to show even more ambitious foundations to the community.
A quick look at the Debanco guards, a security group armed with non-lethal equipment such as pepper sprays and tasers, ready to defend their armored trucks from any perceived threat.
Armed with powerful weaponry and still representing style, Senator Forment's bodyguards are no beginners in the art of primary and secondary weapon combinations.
Last but not least, an early yet mysterious preview of the new farm.
Conclusion
This concludes our 56th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!
If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.
Are you a content creator on YouTube or Twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has officially partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here: https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not
Welcome to the 55th edition of our biweekly newsletter! In this post, we will synergize with our recent cinematic trailer, "Streamer", and showcase the in-game environment that our officers should expect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbUREARHH7w
Introduction
Michael, also known as Milky Toes in the online world, is a vibrant character who’s eagerly embraced the latest internet trend to make a name for himself. Shining his unruly and toxic personality in multiple aspects of his day-to-day life, he seldom stops to consider the consequences of his actions.
Shortly into one of his streams, a prank call was placed by his live audience; SWAT made haste to breach and secure the apartment complex. What they discovered was not only the disturbance created by Michael’s arguments with his mother but an awaiting truth that will hopefully be solved with time.
Above: The apartment exterior, presented through a floral aesthetic. To Stream or not to Stream
While this may seem like a typical day for everyone, Michael’s group rarely shies away from his place. Even if the combat expertise may not be the same as the level of a professional, his friends would do anything to protect the active operations happening behind closed doors.
Above: A colorful bedroom depicting the main area of what looks to be the streaming activity.
The situation revolves around expecting the unexpected. The deployed squad will have to meticulously inspect every corner and potential hiding spots to ensure nothing is missed in the operation. Every encounter can be critical; sometimes, even a basic perspective can turn into a wide-ranging investigation.
Above: TOC to entry team. Proceed with caution.
Conclusion
This concludes our 55th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!
If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.
Are you a content creator on YouTube or Twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has officially partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here: https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not
Get Ready or Not 20% off in the Steam Summer Sale!
🌞 Calling all summer-enjoying units!
Ready or Not is participating in the official Steam Summer Sale with a 20% discount!
With the warm sun watching over your shoulder this time as well, Los Suenos Police Department is eager to see you pass the recruitment phase and join us on the field.
Make sure to grab this exclusive deal between June 29th - July 13th, and secure your game copy before the price increase upon our highly anticipated 1.0 launch!
A silly prank, an illegal crypto mining activity, and a young individual that learned about life's consequences the hard law enforcement way.
Introducing Streamer, our ambitious upcoming map that will be available with the arrival of the 1.0 release.
Volume #54 Ready or Not Development Update
Attention Officers,
Welcome to the 54th edition of our biweekly newsletter! This week we’ll be talking about our upcoming map, Sins of the Father, our new Devlog that will be dropping monthly alongside our newsletters starting next month!
The First Sin
Taking place after the attempted assassination of a US Lawmaker by a group of disenfranchised Veterans, Sins of the Father brings the team to an devilishly opulent penthouse suite packed to the brim with some of the toughest hostiles that the LSPD has come up against yet. This a very dangerous proposition when the LSPDs past victories include a squad of well equipped ex-military veterans, a large complex filled with deadly paramilitaries, and an incredibly well-entrenched ex-USIA officer.
Above: The long halls offer little cover from very aggressive hostiles, make good use of shields and doorways.
The Sinners
The capabilities of the hostiles contained within Sins will show from their rock solid morale, meaning the bodyguards will be some of the hardest suspects in the game to peacefully restrain, requiring the entire team to carefully clear, contain, and cuff each suspect with great care. This combined with their powerful weapons and individual uniforms purposefully selected to resemble the civilians within the map means Sin will be a tough nut to crack.
Above: The golden inlays, furniture, and decorations betray a level of wealth only attainable by either the incredibly lucky or the incredibly dirty.
Currently, to add an ever deeper layer of challenge, we are experimenting with giving the AI on Sin the ability to deploy non-lethal throwables. The exact same types that the LSPD bring to bear on particularly ornery suspects when the need arises, adding yet another sound that a team will need to carefully listen out for.
Though there is a silver lining to the increased capabilities of the hostiles, their conventional training means that they will not hide under beds or in closets and will not crawl through the available through-fares on the map, freeing any responding officer to direct their attention elsewhere.
Video Devlogs
Starting next month we will also be aiming to release monthly video dev logs detailing subjects that would be poorly served by a static newsletter or vastly improved via a video format. The coming video will mainly feature information relating to the mocap for all the characters in Ready or Not with the intended release date being July 17th. Above: Our mocap artist Aaron starting the session with a T-pose for the first set of new mocap shoots.
In addition to the monthly Devlog videos that will be uploaded to our YouTube channel, we will also be delivering more news about the state of the Supporter Edition going into the future, and a much more clear picture of the future of the game that our team has worked so hard to build and our community has worked so hard to nurture.
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Conclusion
This concludes our 54th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!
If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.
Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here. https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not
