Video game enthusiasts rarely get to see games in anything other than their finished state – or something very close to that. I’m sure I don’t have to say that, but video games don’t leave the console fully rendered and ready to use; there are many invisible steps to development that players simply don’t see.
On Twitter SaturdayRespawn Entertainment senior game designer Alexa Kim pulled the curtain on a part of the development in which she participated for the recently released virtual reality game Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Specifically, Kim called the prototyping stage of level design, which is designed to define the “function” of a given level, she said. The tweet went viral, with players marveling at the differences between the prototypes – called block outs – and the final product.
In the topic, Kim said he was responsible for defining the block’s prototypes and then adding gameplay. From there, adjustments are made: “In my case, this was a shooting game, so it was about the player’s movement vs. AI movement, sight lines, coverage, etc. ”, said Kim on Twitter. “This level is playable in this state, but not polished for the eyes.”
As soon as the level works in relation to the gameplay, the art is added. Art at Kim’s levels, she said, is from the Virtuos Games development studio, which is involved in games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Dark Souls: Remastered, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. She handles everything from game development to art production, according to her website. Kim said he “polished the gameplay” through a collaborative back and forth between the artists and their team.
Kim followed his topic on Twitter with a YouTube video posted on Sunday, with developer comments on Medal of Honor: Above and beyond“Back to the ground” level. (You can watch it embedded above.) She walks through the level with the player, describing the process behind the decisions made during development. For those looking for more information, Kim has another video on YouTube, in which he talks about another Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond level called “Welcome to Norway”.