Interview with the Senior Art Director
Without a doubt - Need for Speed: Most Wanted will be the "hottest" game
at the moment of its release
on November 16th, with a whole lot of police, crashes and a real sense of
speed.
To get behind-the-scenes information about the game's development, the Community Team
of NFS: MW met
with senior art director Habib Zargapour to learn about the visual
design of the game.
Community Team: Need for Speed™ Underground 2 is a bright and
rich game, while Need for Speed
Most Wanted looks darker. What can you tell us about the visual
design of the game?
Habib Zargarpour: NFS Underground and Underground 2 are both based on
a story of nighttime
street racing of tuned cars. If you've ever
seen a real
street racing car or been to one of the street racers' shows, you'll
understand why
everything is so bright and rich. NFS Most Wanted invites you to build a
career
as a famous racer in the daytime, so serious
tones dominate the game.
The colors of the entire rainbow palette have no place in this game.
In Underground we created roads with a wet surface effect,
whose reflection
brought an important element of time of day into the game. In Most Wanted we
used shadows
of objects on the road, which recreates the feeling of daytime and
acquires
shades of greater realism of the environment.
CT: What were the reasons behind creating such a new style?
HZ: We drew some things from car commercials, some from films.
For example, in the film
"Minority Report" and "Al", bleach
by-pass effects were used,
which added contrast, dim light, and a slight color tone. We
emulated all
of this in the game, which gave a feeling of realism. We created a unique
visual look
of the game that fans will recognize from a mass of others; it is precisely it that reflects the spirit
of defiance.
If you look at the screenshots from the game, you will immediately recognize
which NFS it is from.
CT: NFS Most Wanted will become one of the first games made for
Xbox® 360™. What can you
tell us about how the game runs on this platform?
HZ: We spent a year studying hi-def graphics and how best
to use processor
performance and memory on this console. We were able to push the boundaries of the entire
performance of the platform, achieving excellent detail and
resolution along with
the introduction of realistic lighting.
Introducing regular game maps into the game is already a feasible task, but with
rendering
trees and grass - the task turned out to be much harder. So we had to look for new
ways to achieve this goal.
The dynamic time of day in the game is amazing. The feeling of being in a place where
no one has been yet has become realistic. The team did a huge amount of work,
expanding the boundaries of perception. As a pioneer working on
a new game series, you wonder, how high is this bar? How
high is this high? We were able to raise all aspects of the new game
to this "high" and are very pleased with the results. We ourselves can't
wait for the day the game is released.
CT: How detailed is the graphics compared to the current generation of
systems?
HZ: The visual graphics will be stunning! We were all pleasantly
surprised while working
with the version for the Xbox® 360™ system
Don't get me wrong, but I'd like to say that the current generation of
systems
has reached an unprecedentedly unique state of graphics rendering, but at the same
time we understand
that the next generation will beat this record.
As for the game, besides the high resolution, which is very
important in itself, there will
be many police cars, civilian traffic and other interesting
objects
that will make your gameplay more exciting and the world more
alive.
And as for high detail, I'll say - it is applied in all areas of the game.
CT: Could you share some more nuances regarding
the graphics in the game?
HZ: We applied a real-time dynamic filter that processes
the effect on every frame. We introduced such an element to reflect the weather
conditions
of the virtual world, as well as for the psychological impact
of what is happening on the player.
For example, when the police start chasing you, we applied a
flash
that makes you feel with your whole being the smell of the chase and the fear
of being caught.
In addition, a bluish tint appears on the screen, showing that you are
being hunted.
CT: Tell us about the environmental elements in NFS Most Wanted. We've already
seen
the look of the city, but what do the other territories of the game look like? What are the main
objects
of the environment that were used?
HZ: In the world of Most Wanted there are a huge number of them. We have both the city
center,
an area with educational buildings in the north in a place called
Rosewood,
a district with a coastline, and of course a heavy industry sector. All
these
districts are connected and form a large metropolis. The idea of the virtual city
is based on real districts of the east coast of America in the autumn
period,
as well as reflecting in the game the districts of Chicago, Boston and Montreal.
CT: Let's talk about the process of creating the video for the game. How did the idea
of creating it come about and how difficult is it to incorporate it into the game?
HZ: The process of creating the cinematics in Most Wanted is absolutely innovative.
The result was the creation of incredibly lifelike characters.
Last year we ran a series of experiments with live actors. I
wanted to understand whether it was possible to process images of real
actors after filming on a green screen, using visual effects
and make them look cinematic, as well as apply a mode
of automatic construction.
After three tests and a huge number of experiments with makeup,
hair and clothing, we still achieved correct processing,
which led to computer-generated images. Then we simply
inserted them onto the background of the game environment and matched targeted
movements to the scene process.
CT: And how does such innovative processing differ from other
visual media effects, for example in the film industry?
HZ: It's all very similar. As a result, we aim to achieve
the player's perception of a cinematic effect, and the fact of creating
effects in real time is amazing. In a film, the computer
it takes hours to generate a single frame, which lasts
no more than 5 sec.
CT: This kind of experience allowed you to work with big talents,
including Josie Maran. What was it like working with her?
HZ: It was all great. She is very energetic, talkative,
and the character in the game suits her very well. Well, she'll tell you
about her impressions. Our director, David Footman, had the opportunity
to work with her and at some point asked her to imagine the world that would be in the game. And Josie
really showed feisty character traits by playing the girl
taking part in street racing.
CT: Thank you, Habib. I'm sure this interview will get responses on
the forum. And we continue to wait for November 15. :)