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Convergence: A League of Legends Story reimagining Zaun

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My name is Eric Angelillo, I’m the Creative Director and Co-Art Director for Convergence: A League of Legends Story. I also co-founded Double Stallion games 10 years ago with a mission to create vibrant & transcendent experiences with players all around the world. I love making bold action games with vibrant stylized visuals inspired by the very best of animation and comics. I believe great games are made when art and interactivity perfectly intersect.

From the start, our goal with Convergence was to showcase Zaun not just as the dark, polluted metropolis it’s usually portrayed as, but rather as a vivid, lively city teeming with colors, characters, and wonders waiting to be discovered. By seeing Zaun through Ekko’s eyes, we aimed to reflect his own perspective on his home – a city of progress and a playground for adventure.

Our unique approach to the Art Direction was informed by framing everything through Ekko’s perspective. We expressed this through 3 core art pillars; BOLD, ELECTRIC and VIBRANT. Riot Forge provided guidance on portraying technology, fashion, and other elements, but we were ultimately able to express our own creative vision.

Staying true to Zaun’s technology and architectural style was a priority, but we pushed the envelope with colors, design shapes, line art, and more. Comic books served as a significant source of inspiration, leading us to incorporate heavy lineart, black inked shadows, and color halftones. The use of halftones not only posed an exciting challenge but also helped make foreground elements truly pop.

Centering the experience in Zaun, Ekko’s home, we sought to explore its diversity by creating a variety of exciting locales – streets, sewers, factories, carnivals, gardens, and more. The Cultivair, a large enclosed garden from League’s lore, offered a refreshing change from the urban settings and became a focal point in the game.

Drawing from short stories and comics about Zaun and its Champions, we featured environments like Factorywood, which was mentioned in a story about Ekko, and created new locations like the train-like Chaincrawler. Convergence presented an excellent opportunity to expand upon Zaun’s environment, which had not been fully explored in the MOBA.

As the city of Zaun is home to so many amazing champions, we sprinkled in easter eggs throughout the game that reference the undercity’s most famous denizens. We hope fans will enjoy discovering these hidden gems.

In order to make Zaun feel like a bustling city, we prioritized having multiple layers of parallaxing assets in our 2D game. This allowed us to create depth and make environments feel immersive. Additionally, we made it a priority to keep the world feeling lively by having constant on-screen movement, whether it’s steam, dripping water, flickering lights, or little critters scurrying about.

Through our 2D environmental storytelling, we’ve aimed to stay true to the League of Legends world while presenting a fresh, vibrant

Neill Blomkamp Q&A: Gran Turismo director talks inspiration and more

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We were fortunate enough to sit down with famed sci-fi director Neill Blomkamp to discuss how he adapted the legendary racing simulator, the innovative camerawork devised to capture all the action on the track, and where he found inspiration from racing films of the past. 

Neill Blomkamp Q&A: Gran Turismo director talks inspiration and more

PlayStation Blog: The Gran Turismo Movie is a notable departure from previous films you’ve directed—it’s not based on one of your screenplays, nor is it dystopian sci-fi. What drew you to this project?

Neill Blomkamp: So, it’s actually a dystopian science fiction script I sold to Sony that started the conversation. As the pre-production process went on I started to get very eager just to work on something, and at that point they said, “How about Gran Turismo?” My first thought was, “Wait, how do you make a film out of a racing simulator?” But I read the screenplay, and I personally own three [Nissan] R35 GTRs—I have a personal obsession with Nissan and the whole Nismo lineage—so I was immediately intrigued as a car lover. 

I’ve also been very close to video games in a lot of ways throughout my career, and I had never come across something like Gran Turismo where the movie itself treats the game as a game. It’s based on a true story about Jann Mardenborough who learned to drive playing the game before driving professionally in real life, competing against other real drivers. It’s just an amazing story. 

Another reason I signed on was because my stuff tends to be a lot darker and more dystopian, as you mentioned, but this movie felt, well, very inspirational. It had never crossed my mind that I would direct a movie where the audience would leave the theater feeling uplifted and inspired. This was really appealing to me.

Are there any particular creative challenges—or benefits—to working within an IP like this? 

One great thing is that there weren’t a bunch of executives who would say, “Well, actually, we think it should be like this.” If you’re working on another IP with a more established universe or narrative everyone has preconceived ideas about how things should be. But, with Gran Turismo, you have a well-known IP that doesn’t carry these preconceived notions about what its film adaptation should look like. This gave me a ton of creative freedom to just go out and, you know, make it. 

Without an established plotl

Get ready to Dredge more eldritch aberrations from the deep

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A month ago, we launched our little fishing game Dredge on PS5 and PS4, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response. We’re grateful that you’re enjoying your time fishing in The Marrows… and exploring the dangerous waters beyond. 

Today, we’re thrilled to announce that we have more eldritch experiences planned for Dredge throughout the year, including three free updates and a new paid adventure featuring the Ironhaven Corporation, an entity you may have heard mentioned in passing from some of the game’s inhabitants. More on that in the depths below.

One of the features requested by so many of you is extended functionality for the in-game map, and we’re excited to introduce this with our first free update in May. The addition of map markers will allow you to select from different coloured icons representing everything from dangers, shipwrecks, mysteries, and more, enabling more effective navigation between locations than before. Additionally, this update will include some fixes and balance changes.

In our second update, two new modes will introduce very different ways to experience Dredge. The first is Passive Mode, which caters to players who prefer a less intense experience. Monsters that usually attack fishing boats will no longer be aggressive, allowing players to focus on fishing and enjoying the serene surroundings. 

This update’s second mode is another much requested feature: Photo mode. But rather than just add the ability with a simple menu option, we’re taking a different approach. When it launches, our photo mode will see the addition of a new in-game character who’ll help players unlock their camera ability and share clues on where to find some of the local marine wildlife as subjects for your photography, some of which will be brand new in this update. The mode will be ‘hooked’ into the PlayStation’s screenshot sharing ability so you can share your captures, whether that be of majestic whales or nightmarish abominations from the deep.

Our third free update will introduce boat customisations such as paint schemes and flags. As you explore the coastlines and bayous of Dredge, you’ll unlock new boat paint schemes and flags to make your fishing vessel really stand out. We’ll have more information on both updates two and three later in the year.

Finally, we will be developing a paid and entirely optional DLC featuring the mysterious Ironhaven Corporation. They’re looking to establish an innovative drilling operation in the area to revitalize the towns and populations, but their ultimate goal is unknown. As you gather materials to construct new buildings and biomatter to fuel the rig, meet new characters, craft new equipment, and catch new fish, you may uncover the truth behind their potentially nefarious operations.

We hope you continue to enjoy your time in Dredge, and we can’t wait to share these new updates and adventures with you. Happy fishing!

Gate crash a festival in the Chivalry 2: Raiding Party update

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Knights, defend your nobles! Starting May 2 PlayStation Plus members can get Chivalry 2 as part of May’s Monthly Games on PS5 and PS4. To accompany this awesome launch, Torn Banner Studios has crafted an all-new Raiding Party update – available for free this week for all owners of Chivalry 2.

Gate crash a festival in the Chivalry 2: Raiding Party update

New map – The Sacking of Bridgetown

Join us for the newest Chivalry 2 map The Sacking of Bridgetown, a 64-player Team Objective experience. Defend as the honorable Agathans or spoil the party as the fearless Tenosians.

A decadent celebration by Agathian nobles is rudely interrupted by the terrifying blast of war horns: Tenosia is invading the verdant countryside of Irilla.

In this huge map’s first stage, defenders spawn as Agathian peasants – who must frantically take up arms to defend their Lords’ vineyards against Tenosian attackers. Can you survive long enough for the Agathian Knights to arrive? Probably not, but you’ll return to the fray as a proper warrior after valiantly dying for your kingdom. 

After the lush vineyards and farmlands fall to slaughter and flames, it’s time for attackers to raid old Bridgetown itself. Like a Renaissance fair gone deeply, deeply wrong, players will smash up the celebration as they turn the festivities upside down and let the streets run red with wine and, naturally, blood.  

Finally, it’s defenestration time. The ultimate objective for the invaders is to toss as many nobles out of windows as possible. Talk about a pane in the butt! 

Will Tenosia make it past Bridgetown to continue their assault on the lands of the North? Victory or defeat will reveal what tale you weave in this epic assault on all things decent and proper. 

Interested in a quick lore recap? For each game update the tale of Chivalry 2’s saga of war takes another major step forward. Bridgetown is the sixth post-launch Team Objective map added to the game (alongside various maps for other game modes). After successfully blasting through the bulwark in the Breach of Baudwyn map, the Tenosian Empire has begun the second phase of their invasion, advancing inland, which means crossing Bridgetown. The Agathian wine festival they interrupt? A celebration of King Argon’s successful defense of the recent Thayic Stronghold

Share of the Week – Ghostwire: Tokyo

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Last week, we asked you to highlight terrors from the streets of Ghostwire: Tokyo using #PSshare and #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: 

Mur4dQ shares three masked figures standing in the rain

call_me_xavii shares a yokai standing in water with scissors

sorathluna shares an arch underneath a full moon

solinstruments_ shares a suited yokai leaning over someone playing piano

KenKenVega1 shares a long-haired yokai leaning backwards

nahHermes shares a shot of Tokyo Tower with a masked figure at the bottom

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? 

THEME: Horizon Forbidden West – Burning Shores
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on May 3, 2023

Next week, we’re soaring through Horizon Forbidden West’s expansion Burning Shores. Sharing Aloy’s newest adventures using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

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