Many people don’t understand exactly what a producer does. Can you let the community know what a typical day is like and what your responsibilities are?
There is no simple answer to this question and that’s probably also the reason why there’s no general awareness of this job. I’ll try to sum it up somehow and not get long-winded, but I apologize if that happens anyway. Basically, as a producer, you talk and write a lot but create no physical assets for the game content (unfortunately)... You’re responsible for the team and project you are working on; the product has to be finished, it has to correspond to the qualitative goals of the project and it has to be released to the market when it is able to bring good profit. I’m not trying to depict producers as businessmen; the term “manager” would fit better. Fortunately, I still spend most of my time with the team dealing with both pleasant and unpleasant issues that keep emerging all the time during development.
The begining of Mafia II Podcast series by sitting down with Denby Grace, Producer, and Jack Scalici, Director of Production. They give some insight into the extended version of the Holiday Confession trailer: how it was made, who some of the characters are, and more. You can douwnload it from our downloads page
The extended 90 second version of the Holiday Confession trailer is now available for your viewing pleasure. Who knew it can be extended:)
Last time I posted the new Mafia 2 trailer, it turned out to be a cut version. This time however, Take 2 has released the full version which has additional scenes after the credits near the end.
While that doesn't really warrant the repost of the video, the interview that goes with it reveals a lot of new information, including the fact that the trailer was made ingame.
Tomas Hrebicek, lead animator at 2K Czech said in his interview with IGN:
"We've been receiving a lot of questions about whether or not the trailer was real-time and I'm here to clear the air. It really was. All the scenes were completely created in our editor the same way we create cutscenes for the game. Our cutscene editor is a very powerful tool. Besides, we can see it all real-time which makes our work a lot easier. There was absolutely no need to modify the resulting video in the postproduction.
Because everything was created solely in our editor, only our in-game scenes and models were used. So what you see here is great representation of the quality of work that you will see throughout Mafia II. Of course, this is not the end yet, and frame rate and other technical issues are still being tweaked in order to have the game working smoothly on all the platforms we create it for.
The common theme found in the trailer is the same common theme found throughout the entirety of Mafia II: strong interpersonal relationships. Of course, when playing you will experience all kinds of shootouts, car chases, and fights, but what I think is the most important is to identify yourselves with the main character and those close to him. Every single thing you do in the game causes a corresponding reaction. And it is only up to you what you do.
In the trailer, the relations are hinted at in the church sequence. However, we would not really like to reveal any more important facts; you have to experience it yourself with Vito from the beginning to the end.
I would like to emphasize that the game has a very dark humorous side to it. It definitely is not a superficial comedy. The story as such is quite varied so you could look forward also to a true, mafia atmosphere and strong emotions of all kinds. I can't wait to see the first players actually play it.
I'm very excited to see the reaction of this trailer. Over the coming months, you will have plenty to look forward to in the way of Mafia II. In the meantime, please enjoy this trailer and look forward to more in-depth behind-the-scenes coverage next week!"
I find this one similar to the first trailer we've seen 1.5 years ago. Again, the developers show us that we're going to have a rocking storyline, sharp humor and real Mob atmosphere.
I'm a person who values good storyline most of all in a video game, so I'm really impressed by this one.
There are a number of different animators working on Mafia II – what does being the lead animator of MoCap entail on a daily basis?
Most of my work lies in communication with lead animators, actors and the organization of motion capture sessions. The key thing I am responsible for is the quality of the MoCap data and that it is delivered on time.
What are you doing to make the game look different, better, more distinct than any in the past?
We use modern technology. A good example of this is the optical system VICON. It helps us to record the movements of the actors in more realistic way than ever before. In the past we used a magnetic system, which wasn’t nearly as good.
My name is Dan Vávra and I’m 33… unfortunately! Currently, I work as a lead designer.
How did you become a game designer?
It was quite a long way. I started working for an advertising agency as an artist and I then joined IS as an artist. I created games at home, but at the time nothing like game designers existed so I didn’t see any future for the job. Only when we started working on some project in IS I got involved and had some comments from time to time, and thus I became a designer.
What would you recommend to those interested in becoming game designers?
It’s difficult because I didn’t start as a game designer. Nevertheless, you have to be talented for this job. Lots of people would like to become designers, but they don't have the skills they need, at least not yet. The simplest way is to join a game-producing company and work at some other position, e.g. as a tester. In my opinion, it’s better to get some experience first, such as to create some quality game modes or a new level with a good idea for some existing game. Another option is to start working as a script programmer which is something I have no idea about. Being programmers, they in fact affect what happens in the game and locations. And if they prove to be good, they may advance to designers. In my opinion, it is best to try the mode scene and then work as a scripter programmer in the company.
