[img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/d636f2785c8ab30b0fcf0d4a3ac87e58224d3dfa.png[/img] [h1]SHOWCASE[/h1] “Would you want magically-generated waste entering the water table, the septic system, or even a deep, dark hole underground? You'd require a very specialised sewer indeed to ensure that your flushes don't come back to haunt you. Welcome to the Acroamatic Abatement Section of Site-02. [b]We[/b] are that sewer. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/86b365b47b8435da5f70a65c2f47127bda5a5d6e.png[/img] Site-02 houses several ectoentropic objects — objects capable of generating matter that violate the laws of physics. How does one dispose of materials touched by SCP-106? Is it safe to simply incinerate interdimensional corrosion? Where, precisely, would we be able to sprinkle the interspatial ashes? SCP-049, on the other hand, introduces a problematic number of necromantic remains. What does the facility do with the corpses? Not to mention the countless infectious anti-enthalpic hazards that the Overseers might one day arbitrarily decide to transfer here. Where would we even dump those xenospatial materials? These are the questions our department answers. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/2f87bdea5aca8acfe9520c678406d49fd7c7cdca.png[/img] Here in DSS-08 (that's ‘Disposal System Section’, for the curious), our vast, cutting-edge subterranean facilities churn endlessly in the dark, transmuting toxic insanity into toxic mundanity. Come, and witness the fruits of our labour as we work tirelessly to neutralise the noxious esoteric slurry which threatens our world with an ecological catastrophe like nothing seen before. Mind your step, though. Diving into this river of liquid miasma could be detrimental towards one’s health. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/b1f87807d7340a7b772bf6a0f3a5403800679722.png[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/8738315b59202ae8d374a4db005a1c0e2a7bed3f.gif[/img] While your duty is above, we stay below, battling the ever-increasing load of supernatural effluence we’re deluged with day by day. If we don't clean up its mess, no one will.” Excerpt from “Welcome to Acroamatic Abatement” seminar by Professor R. Keane, PhD. Applied Occultism / Acroamatic Abatement Section [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/d636f2785c8ab30b0fcf0d4a3ac87e58224d3dfa.png[/img] [h1]DEVLOG[/h1] Hi there, I’m the editor, and the above was a short introduction to one of the hallway variants that our level designers and artists are hard at work bringing to life. These new environments will be explorable in our upcoming update, ‘Heavy Duty’, and feature unique geometry that will provide a more exciting gameplay experience. In this half of the post, I’ll be guiding you through an abridged version of the studio’s pipeline of completing a new room, from start to finish. But before that, let’s discuss the elephant in the room. [b][h2]Why are we working on the Heavy Containment Zone?[/h2] [/b] Many have inquired as to why we’ve funnelled many of our resources into the development of HCZ and not other zones such as the Entrance Zone. The HCZ update initially started as an experiment to see if we were capable of handling a full-zone overhaul in the first place. Results of those experiments seem to lead to a resounding yes. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/53cb0a43b09b9b53482deb21cfd0b85a2cce6d18.png[/img] Our work into the new Heavy Containment Zone has laid out the benchmark for all our future plans related to zones. We’re proud to say that this will be our standard for environment design moving forward. Still, why HCZ? Aesthetically, Heavy Containment Zone is a very industrial area. Most of our creations were made with reusability in mind, which could potentially expedite the development of future projects by integrating the new textures, props, and mechanics. These include concrete textures, weathering effects, cleaning supplies, fire extinguishers — to name a few. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/3baaf3109515931ae3a92959efe885961183a88e.gif[/img][i]Procedural Concrete Damage (August 6th, 2024) [/i] We’re very happy with how the Heavy Containment Zone is looking so far. The most valuable takeaway we’ve gotten from this venture would be experience. With the experience we’ve gained, on top of the time, effort, and passion we pour into our work, we’re certain that we can deliver something that we can truly be proud of. And, who knows? Perhaps our future zone updates will look even better. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/d00fecaed48b541fbbcbaca4fceac284c0bb3299.png[/img][i]First ever screenshot of the Heavy Containment Zone update. (January 15th, 2024)[/i] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/d636f2785c8ab30b0fcf0d4a3ac87e58224d3dfa.png[/img] [h2]LEVEL DESIGN[/h2] [h3]Quotes from Soup (Level Designer) and Cross Conception (Lead Game Designer)[/h3] While creating a new room, level designers follow a well-established pipeline in order to innovate, improve, and find creative opportunities to provide unique experiences for players. A group effort is required to create a room, involving not only level designers, but also environment artists, sound designers, game designers, VFX artists, narrative designers, quality assurance testers, and more. The first step of the level design process is conceptualisation. A level designer may have an idea for a brand new room they wish to create, whether from a stroke of genius or inspiration from playing Mirror’s Edge for eight hours straight. Once an idea is formulated, the level designer will consider what kind of gameplay or visual benefit this room could contain, which will greatly affect the final product. This usually involves a certain specific goal in mind, which could range from “I wanted to make interesting SCP-specific paths,” to “I think it will look pretty cool.” [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/edb925e4e4ecd70f57570889b651ea55a8046581.png[/img][img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/1d6f6d7013400883272933b7ca6a4936dcf07e71.png[/img] When building a room, very simple geometry is used. This is a process typically known as a greybox. This approach allows for the quick establishment of important environmental pieces that will be carried over to the final room. Considered in this step, among other variables, are how sightlines are presented, hiding spots, and traversal opportunities. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/53bee4e65fa3b9f9f35f4c4788a1b2eba5c03596.png[/img][img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/ff7ba25edf4b979c90f1c63b76f90eabacfc950c.png[/img] The Acroamatic Abatement Section (or the ‘Waterfall Room’, because Acroamatic Abatement is a mouthful) is designed to reduce the routes available to the player to one linear path that passes all 4 doors. This means, upon entering a room, a player does not have an equal (or near equal) distance to travel to every other door in the room. This layout creates opportunities for more interesting gameplay, as a player may need to decide whether they wish to pick a closer door that could lead to an unfavourable position, or choose a much further door at the risk of being exposed for longer. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/41cd4b6090f772358979373cea85de3763442348.png[/img] During the greybox phase, the room is assessed through several iterative processes by the level design team in order to receive feedback and establish any required changes. For example, the Waterfall Room used to be absent of any cover, creating a massive sightline across the chasm. Through iteration, a series of pipes were installed at the railings in order to create sightline blocking geometry. [i]“One of the most important aspects that I considered when designing the room was the unique linear pathway through the room. While with a normal X intersection you can hug the closest wall, in this room, you are forced to cross the entire length of it in order to reach the other side. From there, I focused on implementing micro shortcuts for skilled players to utilise, such as jumping up on the railing to then jump over the gap onto the bridge. After that, I made sure that the generator in the room was out in the open, making it as difficult to camp as possible for both Humans and SCPs. Finally, one of the most important elements of the room was the cover, making sure that it blocked line of sight into the opposite room by using the pipes. Obscuring unfun sightlines is a huge factor that is taken into account when designing rooms. During development, one of the aspects which was changed the most was the lighting. Originally, when I was designing the room, the lighting and mood of the room was much darker and gloomier. However, after consulting the art department, we made the room brighter to make it easier to plan around and to make the room feel more “worked in.” The art department has been amazing throughout the room’s design process, from creating the water shaders for the waterfall to making the room fit the theme of Heavy Containment.”[/i] - Soup [i]“I was the one who originally designed the layout of the room, which included the U-shaped linear layout as well as the deep pit in the centre. However, due to more important concerns, I had to shelve the room. When we started hiring new level designers for the Heavy Containment Zone Overhaul, I tasked one of the new level designers to work on this room, giving them the general gameplay principle and then leaving them free to work on it however they pleased. It was only a few days later when I checked on the project, and saw the room on a 45 degree angle with a waterfall and river. The room had taken on an entirely different vision, and after some feedback and iterative development, we ended with what we have now. While the final product is vastly different from my original expectations, they did an absolutely excellent job, and I am glad to have more designers on the team.”[/i] - Cross Conception For those curious about the earlier room design that Cross mentioned, here’s what it looked like: [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/f2780526c6c18ab7c6edfa493c9dc3cf94816291.png[/img] It has indeed gone through a lot. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/d636f2785c8ab30b0fcf0d4a3ac87e58224d3dfa.png[/img] [h2]IMPLEMENTATION[/h2] [h3]Quote from Moranatol (Art Supervisor)[/h3] Once the greybox is complete, it — alongside a design document — is relayed to the art department to undergo an art pass. The design document contains information pertaining to the specifications that the art team may need knowledge of while populating the room. In the art pass, the greybox is decorated by the art team through the addition of textures, props, and visual effects where required. Here, environmental artists go back and forth with the level designers in order to ensure consistency that reflects the level designer’s initial vision of the room. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/075c709febf82bcd1bb059d4c2c0b98a34cbfe82.png[/img] Sometimes, new rooms call for new props. This room necessitated a new prop in the form of a control panel for the bridge connecting the two halves of the room. Then followed the usual art process of conceptualising, modelling, refining, and texturing. Thank you, Art Team, for your stellar efforts at making the game look pristine. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/9dc0a7335c6bc715e686896bab5fc17c6a28a0e0.png[/img] Once the art team is finished and the room appears nice and polished, it’s moved over in-engine and worked on by a programmer for implementation. Implementation involves inserting the new room into our facility generation system, as well as ensuring the collisions work as intended. Lastly, a build with the fully implemented room is made and sent to the Quality Assurance Team for testing. QA Testers ensure that the room is bug-free, void of any scummy exploit spots, and that everything is working properly so as to not allow players to fall through the floor into the depths below. When a bug is found, the programmer will immediately be notified to squash the bug. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/cebc092fd601e683a6def8a848d5a2b0f307960a.png[/img] [i]“When a room's level design is confirmed, I take their layout and I start correcting the main mesh. I fuse, divide some polygons, connect some edges,then I implement it inside the engine, and I'll add rough lighting based on the global HCZ look. I then apply UVs and choose the textures to be applied on the walls and all. Once this step is done, we work closely with the Level Designer responsible for the room and apply props based on the lines of sight and objectives the Level Designer was aiming for. Sometimes, it's also a way to revisit some parts of the room, since theory doesn’t always work, so we move some props and lights in order to adjust obstacles, lines of sight, or indicate specific areas of the room to the player. The room gets revisions and goes through several iterations. Finally, we start adding subtle details to it such as particles, light animations, and very specific props to the room. It's a huge team effort with LD to stick to their original vision for their room, and with Acroamatic Abatement, while we did deviate from the original design over time through iterative development, we are all very happy with how the room turned out.”[/i] - Mora [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/d636f2785c8ab30b0fcf0d4a3ac87e58224d3dfa.png[/img] [h2]Narrative Design[/h2] [h3]Quote from x3j50 (Lead Narrative Designer)[/h3] [i]“Hi everyone, I’m x3j. You might recognise me from a Memorandum post or my work in the marketing department. I’m not a writer in the traditional sense. While I indeed write, most of my time on HCZ has been spent ensuring ludonarrative harmony, a state of synchronised interaction between gameplay and in-world context. In order for an environment to feel like it belongs, there needs to be an effort in ensuring that whatever gameplay purpose a room serves is also complemented by story-telling that cements the room to be a believable part of the world. A hyperbolic example would be how the Heavy Containment Zone would not have a shopping mall inside of it. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/bfec688fb602c7baa6805d0a5b10ac9ae4276893.png[/img] The Acroamatic Abatement Section was a fun challenge to complete. What started out as only a water management plant, became something much greater and more representative of the insane world of SCP. Site-02 produces a large amount of anomalous waste that needs processing. From SCP-173’s faecal matter, to the processing of amnestic gas from SCP-939, to the dead SCPs that require safe disposal… Integrating a waste disposal facility into Site-02 makes the entire facility feel more grounded and functional, allowing the player to see the facility as an actual place that exists instead of a maze of hallways. We communicate that through a myriad of different methods, from simple signs for world-building, to trailers like the recent 14.0 teasers.”[/i] - x3j50 [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/d636f2785c8ab30b0fcf0d4a3ac87e58224d3dfa.png[/img] [h2]Conclusion[/h2] In conclusion, there are a myriad of conditions involved in making something as seemingly simple as a new room for the game. It’s a collaborative effort that requires several developers working together in unison to deliver only the very best to our players. When all is well and the Game Engine wills it, the room can then be declared as complete and ready to be packaged for release in an upcoming update. This is, of course, not the only project we're working on, as there are far more developers throughout the studio all hard at work bringing other features to life — from the human models, to the experimental weapons, and the respawn overhaul. We're all working in tandem to ensure that 14.0 will be the best release it can possibly be for you, the players. Let us know if you have any further questions for the teams behind the Acroamatic Abatement Section. We’ll try to get some dev replies out! Otherwise, take a look at our Patreon for more updates regarding our new and improved Heavy Containment Zone. We just released an exclusive post a few weeks ago showcasing another new room being worked on, as well as some fascinating level generation we’ve been experimenting with. Join in on the discussion on our official Discord or the Steam Forums! We’d love to hear your thoughts. One final point: ‘acroamatic’ means ‘esoteric’. I could have told you that right at the start, but, well, you might not have read the rest. Thank you for your ongoing support. Stay tuned, and until next time, we’ll see you in the dark. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//31380022/d636f2785c8ab30b0fcf0d4a3ac87e58224d3dfa.png[/img] Based on [b]“Acroamatic Abatement”[/b] by [b][i]“HarryBlank”[/i][/b]: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/acroamatic-abatement