Howdy hunters,
It’s Thursday again and it’s time for another status update. Today we’ll be mostly talking about Its Majesty Bison, let me just go through a couple of things before we dive into that: so, on Tuesday we released Tobii Eye tracking integration which will literally let you play the game using your eyes; if you missed that, you can update yourself here. Some players have been running into problems with the latest patch, if you are one of them, installing vcredist 2012 from here should help. In the meantime we’re working together with Tobii on resolving the issue that cause this and will keep you updated on the progress. Our apologies for this inconvenience!
Yesterday we also released the new Canada Goose decoy – the lighter and more efficient version with flapping wings, ideal for those who like moving their set-ups around and enjoy flexibility. And yes, there is also a bundle with those, offering a nice discount.
Now, let’s cut to the chase. A lot of speculations about the bison have been circling in the community since the announcement of this species, so I’ve been bugging the devs here with the questions for the promised behind-the-scenes. Our game designer Daniel, artist Simone and animators Ryan and Dick, who have working with the bison the most, have been really helpful (save an occasional grumble ;)) and generously shared lots of top notch information – read on for some great stuff, including WIP images and even some animation videos!
Behind the scenes – Bison
Daniel, game and level designer:
Q: So, why bison? Why was it chosen as the flagship animal for the new sub-arctic reserve?
A: Because it is such an iconic animal. We wanted to add a bovid to the game for a while and seeing that is was one of the most wished for animal types in the latest survey we decided to go for it with this new reserve.
Q: Did you have any concerns about introducing the bison?
A: Well, the history of hunting bison is perhaps one of the worst examples of overhunting in history and many still associate hunting bison with mass slaughter. Because of this we thought that the choice might be very controversial but so far we have only received positive feedback. Bison hunting is done in North America (although under very controlled circumstances), so we have no ethical qualms with this choice, but we are happy that the decision was well received. Besides, the Evergreen Hunting Reserve is after all a fictional place.
Q: Which species is the game design based on?
A: The design is mostly based on the Plains Bison but, like with many other species in the game (Moose, Reindeer etc.), it borrows a little from other subspecies. In this case that subspecies is the Wood Bison. However, in the game it is simply called Bison.
Q: Will there be something unique about hunting bison?
A: Bison are ill-tempered and fearless. Bring First Aid Kits on your hunt.
Q: Some community members are eager to know whether it will be a herd animal, like a reindeer?
A: No, it will not migrate through the reserve like the Reindeer but behave more like Elks do in the game.
Q: Can you already show us how the bison looks in the environment?
A: Here is a WIP screenshot of a small bison group pour vous: 
Simone, 3D Artist:
Q: Where did you take the inspiration when modeling the bison?
A: I took “inspiration” mostly from photo references, the first thing I did was searching on Google for high resolution photos in order to understand the anatomy, proportions and so on.
Q: What was the main challenge?
A: The main challenge was the fur. The bison has at least 3 different fur patterns, short, clumpy and long, all of them are really difficult to replicate with our current tech.
Q: This is the first animal in theHunter with “real” fur, can you tell us more how you’ve managed to achieve this?
A: I used what we call the alpha plains technique. Basically, I use a pre-made Photoshop texture containing all the hair style I need and then I apply that to the alpha plains placed on the bison’s mesh. Obviously, I didn’t place all the polygons (alpha plains) one by one (not all of them), I took advantage of a tool in Maya called XGen to groom them.
Q: Are there plans to “dress” the existing animals, such as bears, into the fur?
A: I can say that we are experimenting with different solutions to address that problem and the new sub-arctic reserve with bison is a good playground for us in this matter. We are working on a better rendering quality and improved pipeline in order to get it done in a decent amount of time. I think, once we’ve figured out how to do that in the most efficient way we can consider applying the fur to the old models as well.
Q: Can you share some very first mock-ups of the model?
A: Instead of box modelling in Maya I usually make my mock-ups in ZBrush because I can shape the overall shape quickly having a decent result. So here you go (the images are work in progress):
Ryan and Dick, animators:
Q: When working on animations, was there something particular you wanted them to communicate about the bison?
A: The great thing about bison is that they have a powerful presence about them, but under their seemingly calm exterior lays a wild and fickle temperament. When working with the bison it was important to convey both their grace as well as their menace in order to represent this unpredictable nature.
Q: What was the most challenging thing of animating the bison?
A: When working on the animations for the bison the most important thing to consider is their sheer bulk and strength. Bison are massive, powerful animals, but despite their lumbering presence they can actually be quite fast and agile.
It was important to convey how heavy they are without it looking like they are struggling under their own weight.
Q: Can you share a sneak peek at some animation?
A: Here you go:
Hope you’ve enjoyed this short sneak peek at how we work on the new species. In the meantime, please don’t forget that we’re still collecting suggestions for the reserve name here. The thread will be open until the end of August, 31st.
Happy hunting!
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