I’m responsible for the paper design and scripting of several levels in The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, as well as some general design duties. This covers everything from early level design and planning to actually assembling the levels in the game environment.
Paper design is an early stage of level design in which we map out the general game space and plan the player’s experience in various sections of the level. We’ll go so far as to specify enemy types, special props, and combat setups. This stage of level design is really exciting because in our heads we start to see the levels and the surprises they’ll hold.
Scripting involves actually implementing the things we call for in paper design. We use an in-house tool that works in conjunction with a 3D authoring tool to place elements in the level. We’ll place enemies and plan their movements as well as placing animated doors, bridges, catapults and other objects the player can interact with.
One really exciting aspect of The Return of the King is the co-operative multiplayer (co-op) gameplay, which I’ve been working on. I wrote the documentation for co-op play, and I’ve been testing new co-op features as they come online. We built a special level just to show off the multiplayer action, and that level was featured in the demo at E3.
Players will be able to fight co-operatively against hordes of enemies as they make their way through the game. They’ll have the ability to choose characters that complement each other’s fighting styles, and we’re even discussing the possibility of offensive combo moves and defensive back-to-back positions that players can deploy together. Players will also be able to help each other out by picking up power-ups that boost the other player.
We’d also like to have certain props in the game that both players need to work together to activate, such as large gate winches and powerful projectile devices like ballistae or catapults. However, since we know a lot of siblings are going to play the game, we decided that some objects that are activated by one player should be able to inflict damage on another player. This will lead to some good “gotcha” moments and slightly competitive gameplay.
I think co-op gameplay will have a tremendous impact on the game’s “fun factor.” It will allow players to truly immerse themselves in the experience—because they will not only “live the movie” themselves, but also share those moments with friends. It’s certainly a hit with our team. It’s been a treat to see other team members shouting and laughing as they play co-operatively and fight off swarms of Uruk-Hai. They’re obviously having a good time, and the experience is only going to get better and better as development continues.
I hope you found this informative. It’s always a pleasure to share my work with the people who love it, and to generate some excitement for a great project like this. _________________________________ Stay tuned for next month’s design diary!
My name is Glen Schofield and I am the Executive Producer on The Lord of the Rings™: The Return of the King™. I’m here to tell you a little about what I do and the work we’ve done on the The Return of the King demo that was shown at E3.
My responsibilities change from time to time but right now I am directly responsible for getting the game levels designed and completed. The process we go through to create levels starts with a great design and then continues with pre-production for each level. We recently finished designing the levels and are starting the process of building them.
Here’s an example of the steps we take to build a level. First, we look at the movie script and determine what the highlights from the film will be for that level. Then we determine what mission or missions will be included and how much action we want for that particular level.
Once we’ve determined what elements will be in a level, we sit down and have many brainstorming meetings. After throwing around a lot of ideas, we determine the main bullet points for the levels, design a map, create many drawings, and grab all the references from the movie. Based on these ideas and references we create an animatic for the level, which is like an animated storyboard showing the level’s key moments. We try to do as much design as we can on paper so that when we get into the building phase we have most of our questions about the gameplay answered. This also allows us to troubleshoot a lot of problems in advance.
Right now, the biggest challenge we are encountering is just trying to match the breathtaking look and feel of the movies. The movies are so grand and beautiful that we need to create something just as spectacular to do the films and Peter Jackson, the movie’s director, justice.
The focus on movie authenticity has been challenging because it enters into all aspects of the design process. Because of this, we’ve been working very closely with New Line Cinema, getting the actual reference photos, drawings, models, and other props from the movie and using those as our guide. We go so far as to get lighting studies and motion-capture data from the creators of the movie themselves. We even hired the same stunt doubles from the movie to help us render the most realistic movements in the game. We are always trying to outdo the work we did on the last game.
Our work on the E3 demo was difficult, but rewarding. Like I said, we are always trying to create a bigger, better game experience than ever before. For E3, this meant that players got to see even cooler moments, more expansive scenes and levels, incredible explosions, a brand new lighting scheme, and a state-of-the-art camera design. I think we blew people away.
This year the E3 demo featured six playable characters instead of three. We have added Gandalf as a playable character, complete with his own range of magic effects and weapons. We have even added a two-player, cooperative mode. These new features, we expect, will be huge, and we’re definitely very excited about them.
Obviously we hoped to impress any E3 attendee that experienced The Return of the King demo but we also hoped that attendees walked away from the demo thinking we have created one of the most spectacular games they have ever seen. For us, the hours are long and the work sometimes seems endless, but everyone knows the rewards are worth it.
Well that’s about it from my end. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about this fantastic game we are building and the steps we took to bring fans the exclusive demo for E3. Stay tuned for next month’s designer diary!
The official site has announced the specific features on the 4-disc package to be released in November. In addition to all the goodies below, the Platinum Series Collector’s version will also contain an awesome Gollum statue from Sideshow/Weta Collectibles!
DISCS 1-2: THE FEATURE
FEATURE (approx. 214 minutes) A new version of the second installment in the epic trilogy! The film includes over 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film, made especially for this video release:
— Widescreen (2.35:1) version of the Special Extended Edition
— Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound
— DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound
— Stereo Surround Sound
— Four audio commentaries by director and writers, the design team the production team and the cast featuring more than 30 participants including Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom and Academy Award® winners Richard Taylor, Howard Shore, Randy Cook…and many more
Two discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries and design/photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers:
DISC 3 — Adapting the book into a screenplay & planning the film
— Designing and inspiration for locations in Middle-earth
— Storyboards to pre-visualization
— Weta Workshop visit – See sculptors in action as they create the weapons, armor, creatures and miniatures from the film
— Atlas of Middle-earth: Tracing the journey of the Fellowship
— An interactive map of New Zealand highlighting the location scouting process
— Galleries of art and slideshows with commentaries by the artists
— And much more!
DISC 4 — Sending actors to battle – preparation for sword fighting
— Principal photography: Stories from the set
— Digital effects including motion capture and “Massive” (a program to create armies of Orcs)
— “Bigatures” – A close-up look at the detailed miniatures used in the film
— Galleries of behind-the-scenes photographs and personal cast photos
— Post-production – editing it all together
— Sound design demonstration
— And much more!
DVD-ROM CONTENT: Includes access to exclusive online features
Remember, pre-ordering through TheOneRing.net sponsored links will help TheOneRing.net stay online and pay our bandwidth bills coming December! Thank you in advance!
The One Ring. The most powerful of the Rings of Power, forged by Sauron in Orodruin with one charge: to dominate all others. The Dark Lord let much of his original power pass into the Ring and with it he secured the foundations of the Dark Tower and subjugated the possessors of the nine rings to his will. It served as a focus for Saurons power, and yet, by infusing the One Ring with the bulk of his power, he had also devised a way for his enemies to destroy him.
The Rings of Power were created in collaboration by the smiths of Eregion and Sauron. Did Sauron get the idea of rings from the elves in the first place? Why was Celebrimbor immediately aware of Saurons plan when the One Ring was made? Did Sauron bring it to Numenor? Was it simply an extension of Sauron or did it have some measure of self-determination?
During the Third Age, Sauron took physical shape again and grew slowly back to full power. How could he do this withouth carrying the Ring? And perhaps the most frightening question of all: what would have happened if he had regained the One? How powerful would he have become? What would have happened to the bearers of the Three?
Join us in #thehalloffire as we discuss why the making of the Rings of Power was both Saurons greatest triumph and his greatest mistake.
Suggested reading:
Silmarillion – Of the rings of power and the third age
Upcoming discussions: July 5/ July 6 The Importance of Trees in Tolkien
Times: Saturday Chat: 5:30pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 3:00am (03:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast CET = Central European Time, Central Europe AET = Australian East Coast
Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net.
I’m sure many out there already know this information, but a few of you will probably look at the inscription on Andúril from the Teaser poster and wonder what it says – and maybe wonder if it’s the same as the inscription on Narsil.
I recently got in touch with elvish expert David Salo and asked him.
I showed him a blown up version of the image above of Aragorn with Andúril, and asked if he could try and translate it.
He replied: I can make out on the right hand side “…l meletya telchar” and the whole inscription should start on the left-hand bottom of the triangle.
This is part of the full inscription, which reads: “Narsil essenya macil meletya; Telchar carnéron Návarotessë” (My name is Narsil, a mighty sword; Telchar made me in Nogrod).
There’s also a full translation and explanation of the characters inscribed on Narsil (and other weapons used in LoTR) on Elvish.org here.
Update: I also noticed just before that the hilt length of Andúril in the teaser poster is far shorter than in other shots we’ve seen. In fact, Andúril’s hilt looks like a one-handed sword in the teaser poster, as opposed to the much longer two-handed hilt in the picture above.
I guess it’s possible – likely even – that the designers mucked about with the perspective. Or that they even digitally lopped out a bit of the hilt to make everything fit the constraints of the poster – and to make everything *look* better/perfect for the poster.
In the end, it’s not earthshattering, but the obviousness of it seems very surprising to me.
Images from the Middle Earth returning to Forll at the request of the city council that was impressed with the number of visitors during the successful exhibition there last December.
A journey through the Middle Earth with more than 100 works of art by the most important illustrators of “The Lord of the Rings” from around the world, including Angus McBride, Ted Nasmith, Roger Garland, the Brothers Hildebrandt, Alan Lee, Stephen Hickman, Lode Claes, Donato Giancola, Rob Alexander, Angelo Montanini, Luca Michelucci, Capucine Mazille, April Lee, Stephen Walsh, Randy Asplund, David Wyatt and others. It is the most complete exhibition on the theme of “The Lord of the Rings” ever put together. Throughout the period of the show there will be various related events, as enclosed.
The show was launched in Riccione, Italy, in the medieval Agolanti Castle during the month of August (3.500 people) and it was proposed again to the Italian public:
In Forll, Palazzo Albertini from 19th December 2002 to 6th January 2003. Visited by over a thousand people during the 15 days. In Rome, Castel S.Angelo from 13th January to 2nd February 2003, under the patronage of the Ministry of Arts and Culture. Visited by over 15.000 people.
In Ancona, Mole Vanvitelliana from the from 15 February to 23 March 2003, Visited by 3.000 people.
