At the moment, only a slight part of Face Noir`s development takes place in its head office – we are mainly talking about finishing touches that require a direct contact among developers.

Most of the work is in fact realized through online collaboration. The main disadvantage in such a working method is that one can`t give an immediate response to what is being done. Let`s make an example: when a Model Maker – the one who realizes tridimensional models – creates a character, he has to send it to the Editor. When such model has been inserted in the game, it is necessary to send everything back to the Model Maker and, obviously, to the Project Manager, in order to check if the in-game result is suitable.
I think it`s clear enough that a lot of time is thus wasted from a step to the next, and let`s also say that it`s quiet infrequent that everything is acceptable in one go :)

In order to reduce development times and keep the good quality of the game, we have created three different application programs – or tools – which use the same engine of the game.

The first one is a 3D models Viewer in Microsoft X format. In brief, it allows seeing how a 3D model – a character for example – is going to be seen in the game engine. This way, it is possible to test various animations and settings, loading a screen directly from the game – both the 2D background and the 3D model for an exact 2.5D rendering -, moving inside the 3D model and create particle effects such as rain, snow, fog etc.

As regards the second tool, I can`t really enter into details. It deals with some particular settings of the inventory that I hope we can show you soon.

The last “born” regards the creation of videos that you will be able to see in-game. It allows us to insert images, texts and visual effects as rotation, zoom and so on, as well as set their times.
It`s clear that, despite these three tools, it is impossible to replace fully a direct work on the game engine. Nonetheless, they allow Graphic Designers as well as the Project Manager to see immediately the final result and correct possible mistakes. The result is that a great part of the material I receive for the assembling procedure is already final or needs minor retouches. A thing that saves us a lot of time :)

P.S.: Here http://forum.dead-code.org/index.php?topic=3490.0 you can find a non-updated version of the model viewer tool.

There are several possibilities to make a scene dynamic. Except for the common technique regarding the inclusion of some characters – such as passerbys – inside it, it is possible to create some quick videos showing, for instance, a moving shop sign or lights turning on and off in the scene.

Other two excellent ways to create more ‘lively’ locations are: the use of fixed images managed by scripts and the particles effect.

In the video up here, showing a scene of the game located in a street of the Lower East Side in New York, it is possible to notice the use of both the aforesaid techniques – the falling rain, the rain on the sidewalk, the lightning, the mist.

The use of particles consists in creating the image of a particle, such as a snowflake, smoke haze, or in this case a drop of rain and ‘serve it up on a platter’ to a particles emitter. This emitter is able, through a considerable series of parameters – and believe me, it’s really CONSIDERABLE ;) – to multiply the single particle, to enlarge or reduce it according to the depth of the scene, to vary its colour, manage its speed, regulate its running time… and I will spare you all the other details and options.

The overall effect is excellent for the graphic return as well as for the efficiency of the game.