Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway was my first foray into Unreal Engine 3, as well as into the next generation space. Having just completed two titles, the team was really excited to get started on the third, and to use the extra horsepower to expand on visuals, gameplay, and story. I was on the team for around 18 months, ramping up on the new tools, flushing out some very early missions, and working on the second section of the vertical slice. I set up AI infrastructure, combats, cinematics using matinee, various uses of kismet, and screenshots for marketing.
Above, is the intro cinematic to the E3 2006 presentation for Hell's Highway. I was responsible for the setup of all the contents in the video, including camera movements, FX, dialogue, lighting, character animation, timing, and position of objects in the scene. I worked with pretty much all departments to get the scene to the end state. There is a slight bug present involving the alignment of one of the soldier's cigarette to his hand- an issue that the team could never quite figure out. The first V.O. is that of the main character, Matt Baker, and shortly after is narration provided by the president of Gearbox Software, Randy Pitchford.
To create these shots for marketing, I worked closely with animation, the writer, and creative director to get the correct poses, framing, intent, and lighting. The shots use in-game content but are posed to guarantee results.
This is from the climax of the vertical slice. The team rushes to secure a bridge, but are caught off guard when explosives set by the Germans goes off, sending their plan into chaos. A neat last minute addition was the player character's signature pistol in the upper left corner, which he believes brings bad luck to anyone foolish enough to yield it.
Camaraderie is one of the hallmarks of the franchise, and this screenshot was to drive it home. It features nearly half of the squad in the game, as well as the squad jeeps, which in a way, were characters in themselves. This screenshot was created with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio.
Colonel Robert Sink (pictured left) gives orders to Joe Hartsock (right), while Matt Baker (center) surveys the scene to keep his men safe. Sink is a historical figure, and one of the most important military commanders of World War 2. Also featured is a windmill, another key symbol in Hell's Highway. Their purpose is for visual landmarks, and reconnaissance.
All content copyright Gearbox Software and Ubisoft.
+ design . brothers in arms: hell's highway
