Hello to all in the Deicides network,

I am environment artist at Hardwired and you can find me at our Discord channel as PBY.

EVERY BEGINNING IS DIFICULT

It was 1995 when I encountered 3D software for the first time. I was amazed by what Imagine 3d and Lightwave could do.

I spent all my time and effort seeking to learn and practice 3D techniques. We were just a kids but it did not stop me from sharing my experience with my classmate Lukas (LKR). We spent a lot of time tinkering with code and graphics on old platforms like the Atari 800 and Amiga 500+.

Time flew by and with all the ignorance of naive kids we ended up forming a video game company. With a lack of experience and real commitment it ended as soon as it started, but we already had a taste of game development.

Much has changed over the years; life stepped in the way of my dream to make a living as a CG Artist and I moved into IT System Administration. Those were dark years...

Eventually the light came back and I returned to CG, initially as a hobbyist, and then as a professional in subsequent years. So life has come full circle, and myself and Lukas are working together again, on a project I myself would love to play.

TILE SYSTEM

We know that randomly generated maps are one of the "core pillars" of great action RPGs, so before we even started we did extensive research into how other games handle this. Our main goal is to balance randomly generated content and hand crafted areas. We don't want the maps to look too random with lack of style and control, but likewise don't want them to be too streamlined.

It’s no secret that Diablo (though it’s slightly older now) is one of the greatest games regarding style and polish. I really like how Ed Hanes explained their dungeon level design in the video below. It pointed us in the right direction when approaching environment creation.