Hazewalker
I say: Freedom is a form of choice.
And I have chosen.
Even if they judge me for what I’m doing, I’ll walk my way through haze and through the coming storm.
This is not the end, this is the beginning…
And I have chosen.
Even if they judge me for what I’m doing, I’ll walk my way through haze and through the coming storm.
This is not the end, this is the beginning…
Hazewalker is a 3D 3rd person stealth game for the PC in which the player takes control over a thief, who becomes the dark hero of the game.
The game takes place in a medieval city where the player first has to cross the slums (first level), afterward the city (second level) to meet the final enemy at the noble houses (third level).
Concept
I joint the team in my second Semester at Games Academy. The team was already working on the project for one semester. So, first, I had to learn the ropes and get an overview of all the present progress and assets of the game.
After that I fully had to work over the Game Design Parts and had to learn UDK.
The game takes place in a medieval city where the player first has to cross the slums (first level), afterward the city (second level) to meet the final enemy at the noble houses (third level).
Concept
I joint the team in my second Semester at Games Academy. The team was already working on the project for one semester. So, first, I had to learn the ropes and get an overview of all the present progress and assets of the game.
After that I fully had to work over the Game Design Parts and had to learn UDK.
Characters
The Hero: Actually the hero of the game is a thief, but he stands up against the punishment of the Inquisitor.
He has the ability to sneak and is able to subdue enemies from behind. He can climb on boxes and hide in shadows or bushes. He has to be silent and act intelligently to find his way through the guarded city. |
Guards: The guards are lazy, sleepy and drunk in the first level of the game but in the progress their patrolling gets more intelligent and they get harder to defeat. The guards patrol through the level and the KI is based on a field of view and hearing in a certain attention radius. Because of that the Hero has to attack them by sneaking up from behind and has to hide their bodies in order not to alert other patrolling guards and get caught.
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The Inquisitor: The players final enemy is the Inquisitor. A big and hard to defeat enemy. The player has to avoid him during the second level, where he appears first, because meeting him is deadly for the hero and before he can fight him, he has to learn about his weakness. The player gets alerted about his appearance because the rats in the level are fleeing from him. In the last chapter of the game the hero fights the Inquisitor in a quicktime event.
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I have written a short storyline, so we could use it as an intro and outro for the game.
I've designed the levels and build most parts of the level content in UDK.
And, again, I did the music for the game and gave my voice to the actor at parts, where he speaks to himself (as a tutorial expansion).
I've designed the levels and build most parts of the level content in UDK.
And, again, I did the music for the game and gave my voice to the actor at parts, where he speaks to himself (as a tutorial expansion).
Leveldesign
On of my main tasks at Hazewalker was the leveldesign and the building of the level contest.
The slumlevel and the citylevel grew very large and had been a lot of fun building.
On of my main tasks at Hazewalker was the leveldesign and the building of the level contest.
The slumlevel and the citylevel grew very large and had been a lot of fun building.
First I created and tested a whitebox-level in UDK. Afterward I tried first textures.
A Level-Walkthrough Video will follow here soon:
Motioncapturing
All characters in the game where animated with motioncapturing. We had a motioncapturing session at metricminds GmbH.
I took the acting part of the Main Character – the Dark Hero. Sneaking, rolling, climbing, fighting...what a fun!
Above: Pictures in the Motion Capturing Studio
Below: Animated Characters
Below: Animated Characters
Story Intro
I have to tell you a story, written in time and dust. Of a man... Someone they call hero, someone they call villain.
Once he spoke some words, and the words became his story:
"Freedom has become a pale word, fading in the haze.
It hasn’t been uttered for a long time, for whoever speaks of freedom commits a crime.
They say, crime was born from freedom. They say, those who have nothing to hide, need no freedom.
And under their complete control we would be save. Save from ourselves.
When they came, we dreamed of freedom, but what they gave us, took away anything we once were.
The guards of the Inquisition are patrolling the streets. The nights – once vibrant with life – are now silent and empty.
And while children starve in the slums, those who sold our freedom thrive in the houses of the nobles.
An Inquisitor reigns every city and they say, he can see everything. They say, Inquisitors are inhuman – they are the will of a free world.
But it’s not our free world.
Tonight I will put it to the test.
I will become one with night and shadow, a walker in the haze.
Many will condemn me for my deeds. That’s my burden.
Someone must start… someone has to rise and walk in the haze.
Why should it not be me?"
I have to tell you a story, written in time and dust. Of a man... Someone they call hero, someone they call villain.
Once he spoke some words, and the words became his story:
"Freedom has become a pale word, fading in the haze.
It hasn’t been uttered for a long time, for whoever speaks of freedom commits a crime.
They say, crime was born from freedom. They say, those who have nothing to hide, need no freedom.
And under their complete control we would be save. Save from ourselves.
When they came, we dreamed of freedom, but what they gave us, took away anything we once were.
The guards of the Inquisition are patrolling the streets. The nights – once vibrant with life – are now silent and empty.
And while children starve in the slums, those who sold our freedom thrive in the houses of the nobles.
An Inquisitor reigns every city and they say, he can see everything. They say, Inquisitors are inhuman – they are the will of a free world.
But it’s not our free world.
Tonight I will put it to the test.
I will become one with night and shadow, a walker in the haze.
Many will condemn me for my deeds. That’s my burden.
Someone must start… someone has to rise and walk in the haze.
Why should it not be me?"
Our team included one Game Designer, two Character Artists, three Environment Artists and two Programmers.
You can download the Game Design Document (German) here: Game Design Document Hazewalker
You can download the Game Design Document (German) here: Game Design Document Hazewalker