Production Week 8

No, it's not a time warp. The teams enjoyed a partial break between summer classes during the week of April 27th up to May 18th. But just as the game development industry never rests, neither does Cohort 5, and those weeks were spent making major improvements, additions and changes to the games. This week marked the return of status reports and with that we continue our series of updates with some major content. The clock is ticking with only 5 weeks left before the games need to be 95% finished to be used during interviews for internship positions. July 6th will begin the interviews, so both teams are working toward that as a deadline for a playable, bugless release.


The first major addition to the game has been the exhibits, with over 30 pieces added to create the "Instruments of Death" collection that's currently on display. The interior has been slightly redesigned with a new bridge crossing from one side to the other in the upper level, new textures, and better lighting. To create the proper lighting the environment had to be split into 12 separate pieces, each uniquely lit with over 80 individual lights to bypass Gamebryo's lighting limits. The resulting effect is stunning and not ambiently lit like most environments. The lighting is also being reconfigured within the Maya models, as it needs to be lit properly for use in the cinematic as well.

New interior shots of the remodeled museum, fully lit and textured

With the Voltron rig ready to assemble, the artists have been working on many texture variations on the geometry used to create 3 unique NPC body shapes - Agnes, Maria and Howard. With 4 pieces to each rig and multiple versions of each piece, there's a huge number of combinations that can be created by the design team using the Character Builder tool. Currently, the design team loads the tool, flips through the various pieces until they build a model that looks correct, and can save it as a unique NPC.

Pieces for use in the Voltron rig and the Character Builder tool

Then, using their Path Builder tool, they can assign that NPC a unique path within the environment, including pauses and animations, essentially creating non-repetitive, natural looking crowd interactions to further add to the need to blend in with the museum-goers in order to avoid detection as a Drifter. To better create all this content, "strike teams" have been created to handle pathing batches so no one person is burdened with doing all the work.

The Path Creator tool with pathing diagrams

A new user interface has been created for the main screens using an exterior shot of the museum. No longer a static image, the new UI is animated and has effects as the user interacts with various menus and choices.

The new menu screen

The four Drifters are shown on the character select screen and they are starting to get personalities of their own through new animations and designs. The team's most recent mocap session produced over 40 new animations for combat, some unique to each Drifter and some generic.

John provided some great combat moves for the mocap shoot

The Drifter models have also changed, no longer a skeletal-armor style, but now they resemble more of a full body suit.

The new look of the Drifter form

Drifter Vision has also received an overhaul with a new temporary glow map serving as a base for the final product. Instead of just desaturating the environment, the altered perception resembles glowing runes on the walls and objects, with the glowing accentuated on Drifter-related items within the sight of the player. The Drifter form of their character is also shown, and their animation for walking changes slightly to a stalking motion.

The new Drifter Vision concept

In regards to the previously mentioned cinematic, the shot lists are done, layouts and camera placement is in progress, and the script recorded. As soon as the environment is ready and everything finalized, production can begin with a mid-June target set for completion. A final voice acting session is wrapping up this week, with most of the already recorded dialogue in the cleanup stage.

In the non-visual realm of things, the programmers have been hard at work refactoring their code to produce version 2.0 of the game's build. Many of their changes allow for smoother networking and easier integration between the values created from the producer tools and the game engine. In testing, users are now able to input a player name for the multiplayer, join or host a game, and wait in the lobby to see other players. The tools are all working with XML, allowing live changes to be made during gameplay. An internal script was also written to control the number of NPCs and their starting placement at the initial load of the game. Another major addition to the control of the NPCs was the inclusion of a behavorial steering script which will detect when 2 NPCs are going to collide and adjust their paths to avoid each other.

With the programmers hard at work finishing their internal overhaul of their code base, the artists churning out great designs for the characters and museum exhibits, and the producers developing the audio and NPC behavior, Drifters is shaping up to be a highly immersive game experience.



Showcasing spiffy painted peripherals fully functional with the game controls, the Sultans team delivered a great post-break presentation. Promotion-wise, their website is ready to go live on Friday with a final team photo shoot scheduled for that afternoon. Over the break they were busy with weekly scheduled play tests every Friday, during which their workroom was filled with the sounds of hip-hop and thumping feet.

Tons of new artistic content was shown off, including more concepts for environment props like speakers, a new dancer/dj combo, and DJs for the 2 current dancers. The new dancer, the "sexy clown" is partially modeled and being textured while his DJ counterpart, "Godzilla Man" is concepted and ready to be brought to life in Maya. The current dancers now have DJs of their own, the Tiger girl having a similar-looking girl, her sister, as her music maker, while the original dancer has a DJ that enjoys his sense of asian-inspired style. One thing the team had been debating on and decided to go ahead with was the mocapping of a female dancer for the 2nd dancer model, and they've scheduled that shoot to complete their animation pool.

Speaker concepts

The "Sexy Clown" concept sketch and model

Leopard Girl's model

One of the major updates to the environment has been with the layout of the user interface elements. The dancer notes are now light bars streaming down screens on either side of the dancer, while the DJ notes appear on a panel between the on-screen turntables. Everything has been re-laid out and scaled so the dancer is proportionate, and even the turntable on-screen reacts on a 1:1 ratio with the turntable controller's movements.

Two new environment-related game elements have also been introduced, the "environmental response" and the "pass-the-spotlight" which both activate based on the success or failure of the players. The environmental response focuses on the club's elements to reward good player performance; the speakers will animate and thump with the music, the central spotlights will activate and put on a light show. Pass-the-spotlight is implemented on the back end and soon to become available in-game; a major spotlight will pass from DJ to dancer as they cooperate by hitting the white "synergy notes" in time with each other.

Some other things in the works on the visual side would be the concept and base construction of a 2nd environment, a warehouse. One of the most requested environment types during the focus groups, the warehouse has been sketched out in various designs and a basic model constructed in Maya, getting ready for preliminary textures.

Warehouse concept sketches

Modeled warehouse environment

The main game menus, static at the moment, are planning on being transformed to an interactive 3D menu system designed to look like a record shop. Users will select their music track by flipping through a record box, and character selection will be done by picking a pair from the customers in the shop. Low-polygon models for the crowd members are being modeled, textured and tested within the game. Currently, 23 models can be placed within the scene before any lag is apparent, so there's going to be quite a crowd to impress in-game!

The programmers have been putting in a lot of work on the back end of things, prepping systems to be implemented within the next few weeks, updating current tools, and working on the functionality of the controllers. Both input controls work completely within the game, although keyboard controls can also be used. The tools for note placement have been updated for ease of use so the songs can now easily be prepped for in-game play.

About Drifters

1. Introduction

Drifters is a third-person multiplayer hunt game in which you take the role of an ethereal being. You are tasked with eliminating other Drifters in your environment, and will do so by possessing and drifting between Non-Player-Characters (NPCs), engaging in close-quarter combat, but more importantly using survival and scouting tactics in order to win and be the last one standing!

Drifters combines popular multiplayer technology with innovative game design, a unique environment and characters, as well as high production value (using the Gamebryo engine) to deliver a distinctive game experience that may be enjoyed time and again!

2. Basic Information

Genre: Third-person Multiplayer Hunt Game
Number of Players: 2-8
Release Date: August 07, 2009
System Requirements: To Be Determined

3. Game Synopsis

3.1. Story

Drifters is about ethereal beings that possess the ability to pass between different human hosts. These beings have lived amongst us undetected for thousands of years. Much like a human, they remember very little about their early years and how they came to be. What they do know is that their life form consists of a concentrated energy that binds them all together. This energy can never be destroyed, but one Drifter is able to absorb another’s energy, abilities and powers by eliminating their target's host. Natural selection and this lust for power have diminished their numbers from the hundreds to four very powerful Drifters. They are drawn to the people of influence and power. Possessing and controlling such peoples’ decisions and fates have made their actions the stuff of legend.

Recently they can feel their power being siphoned away. Their ability to stay inside a human being has become so weak that they can only stay in one body for a few minutes before the host begins to suffer physical ailments. The four Drifters are drawn to the place they feel their energy collecting and find themselves at the grand opening of a museum, all in the same place for the first time. Crowds of people pass through, looking at exhibits and artifacts, providing plenty of places for a Drifter to hide. The Drifters all find this place oddly familiar and many recognize pieces on display as items owned or created by humans they possessed over the years. They sense the energy that drew them there scattered throughout the artifacts while another, less familiar force seals their exit. Each one recognizes that the only way out of this is to eliminate the rest of their brethren to regain their lost power. What they don’t realize is that there is someone pulling their strings, and everything is going according to plan…

3.2. Core Mechanic

Drifters is a third-person, networked, multiplayer hunt game. The tone is dark and gritty, with a constant sense of paranoia. Players will select one of four playable Drifter characters, each one with different stats that affect their drift radius, how long they can hide their true form, and Drifter Vision. Once gameplay begins, players will be placed into random NPCs in a crowded environment. The goal of the game is to hunt for player-controlled characters displaying tells that they are different than A.I.. At the same time, players must be conscious of tells they are giving off to any observing players and do their best to blend in.

We anticipate that player-controlled movements will stand out from A.I. paths if the player is not careful. Animations such as a twitch when you possess a body, or a person shaking their head, regaining their bearings when you leave their body will also help hunters locate their prey. Furthermore, we want to use the Drifter true form often to create a memorable replica and personality for each character. The longer a player stays in one body, the less powerful he becomes. Drift radius will begin decreasing after a certain time period to a much smaller radius. Once the radius is at its lowest point, a Drifter’s silhouette will begin to glow after a certain amount of time. It will also appear if a player is jumping from body to body too often and during kill sequences. Ideally, players would be struck with a sense of panic when they see themselves exposed out in the open, contributing to the overall tone of the game.

Making use of the power-ups within the environment will be crucial to aiding your ability to hunt, defend against, and trick other players. These power-ups exist as concentrated masses of energy scattered throughout the museum’s artifacts. Players will be able to pick up any ability they see in the environment even though each artifact will correspond to a particular Drifter and each one of the abilities will correspond to the artifact in which it resides. These energy masses go unnoticed by the naked eye and can only be seen and acquired while using Drifter Vision. Using this Drifter Vision, players will be able to see things on a different plane, allowing them to scout the location for power-ups or to avoid traps set by opponents. However, Drifter Vision may also come at a cost when used thoughtlessly, as certain tells may be given off.

Abilities will be placed sparingly throughout the environment so that there is an even greater risk trying to obtain them. A player may choose to scout out artifacts they know contain power-ups waiting for others to reveal themselves, creating a sense of paranoia when trying to collect these valuable abilities. Upon starting the game, each player will have an empty ability slot. Defeating an opponent will give you an additional ability slot (up to a pre-determined maximum).

The combat in Drifters is planned to be relatively simplistic with only two main forms of attack. Stealth kills will be the quickest means of eliminating a foe, but comes with a risk. Killing an enemy while there is an NPC in their drift radius will force their energy and control into that NPC. Attacking an NPC who is not possessed will have no affect other than leaving the NPC confused and the surrounding crowd panicked. The second combat option is the grab-and-execute. Grabbing a player from behind will scatter the crowd and ensure that your victim will not drift into an NPC. The risk lies in the ruckus drawing unwanted attention to you.

4. Drifter Characters

4.1. SID

Likened to a human psychopath, Sid takes glee in causing pain, both physical and mental. If he possesses a host, he will walk the human in front of a moving bus to experience the last moments. If his host is caught for murder and put on death row, he would jump out of the body and into the executioner just before the walk on the last mile to witness the anguish. If he arranged a suicide pact, he would jump into each and every individual to make sure they had their share of the Kool-Aid. Sid is as close to the definition of evil as can be conceived by man.

4.2. LUTHER

The Wiseman. Luther's existence is driven by the pursuit and preservation of knowledge. He is likened to a renaissance man, exploring all scientific and artistic fields. To that end, he is drawn to the museum for the opportunity to meet with the Sovereign and learn the secrets of the Drifter realm.

4.3. GIDEON

The Judge. For Gideon the 'Drifter Code' is life and law. His unique interpretation of it has condemned his fellow Drifters to his judgment. This makes Gideon one of the few Drifters without ties to the others, his name is one whispered and feared; his visage means death to those that see it. Ironically, it is this lack of contact with his fellow Drifter that has led him to devote his life to the Sovereign, and his belief that all who do not do the same are guilty. Gideon is likened to a puritan judge; all crimes against his beliefs, from stealing a loaf of bread to murder lead to the same result, the noose.

4.4. LENORE

The Puppet Master. “Behind every great man is a great woman.” In many instances Lenore has been that woman. Lenore is one of the few Drifters who has not succumbed to the vices of the mortal realm, and in fact uses them to her advantage. Taking the role of advisers, wives, and consorts, Lenore cultivates and reaps many of the benefits of power while not suffering the consequences. Lenore's cloak and dagger tactics, while making her one of the most long-lived of her kind, also make her ill suited to a head on confrontation.

Programming 2 final project

FIEA programming graduate students spend 2 semesters making a game engine. In the first semester, they create the architectural infrastructure, including an event system, networking, a language and a virtual machine. (They add graphics, physics, AI and animation in the second semester.) At the end of the first semester, they have to make a simple multiplayer networked text-based game, just to exercise the engine. This video shows what cohort 5 made in Spring of 2009:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9o2oG8Dlgs