• How long have you been working at Gamepires and what is your specialty?

Mihajlo: I’ve been here for more than six months now. In my career, I’ve done mostly programming graphics and I’ve been doing some extensive work in the engine. Now at Gamepires I’m also working on graphics. Right up till I started working here I never had to pay any attention to networking in gaming, and by that, I mean people who are solely here to take advantage of the game’s weaknesses. That mostly refers on settings that might help some players in playing and giving them an advantage over other players. This is not a hack but a technicality. That is why I have to be careful around these things and make them right on the first try so such an unfair fight doesn’t occur.

Bruno: I’m doing pretty much everything like many people here. Some people have been specialized to some degree like Mihajlo but I still haven’t. To be honest, I still have no clue what my specialty should be. We will see.

• What made you choose the game dev career and how did you become one?

Mihajlo: I’ve chosen this career while I was still at college. There I had a great opportunity to specialize in graphics in gaming. Game development is something you have to love in order to do it for a longer time. You have to be all in, because if you don’t love it and live it you won’t make it long in this industry.

Bruno: It all started when I was a little kid playing video games. I think my story is the most common one out there. So, when I was younger I wasn’t just interested in gameplay, I also wanted to know and understand how does it all work, how do you make characters move, etc. While I still play video games sometimes, I must admit that it’s not as often since my work became my video game in terms of entertainment. I got my position here at Gamepires while I was still in college working on my Master’s degree. So I decided not to proceed getting a degree because I realized that in the gaming industry success wasn’t about degrees, it’s about skills. Never ever did I thought being a game dev would be my first job. You could say that lady luck smiled upon me.

• What are you currently working on?

Bruno: Right now I’m working on the damage system. That means I try to organize it better and more accurate according to the weapon a character is using. Mostly I am making improvements.

Mihajlo: Huh, so right now I’m working on this water thing. I’m trying to make it seem clear but not super crystal clear. You know there is a little bit of color to it and living organisms, microbiology and  bacteria, seaweed… The usual stuff you’d find in water. I am also working on reflections of sunlight while diving.

• What was your biggest challenge and tell us something about the solution?

Mihajlo: The perfect example and answer to this question is the project I just told you about. Light beams in water. I can’t really say what was the problem but it was very difficult to understand why the program doesn’t want to work the way I want It to work so I asked guys from the team to help me out a little bit, just to have a fresh set of eyes on a problem. Maybe they will see something that I couldn’t. In the end we made it! I can’t really say that I am 100% satisfied with the result but right now it’s looking a lot better than it did. You have to keep in mind that game devs have to have the ability to make good compromises regarding performance and beauty in the game.

Bruno: My biggest challenge so far has been making safe zones. Those are those places on the map where you cannot kill anyone or get killed. And while I was doing that, I found another problem about damage system which prompted me to start working that section and I’m on it ever since.

• What’s your favorite thing at Gamepires, something you could no work without?

Bruno: Guys from the Killbox (CM/QA) for sure! I exit their office laughing my tears out, and it’s the best thing ever, some would say irreplaceable. There is no pizza day, play day or whatever that could possibly substitute the relationship we have. And my favorite thing would be… and don’t tell anyone I said this, this is only for you, but the atmosphere, the people – it’s crazy good. SO many different people but they all work together so well it’s unheard of. Yeah, you can hear teasing between the Art Department and for instance the Killbox  guys but when they work, they are like this complex friendly little machine and I could never enjoy my work if all these little things didn’t exist.

Mihajlo: I can’t really say, so many good things but man, do I love lunch time. We all sit together at this long table just to eat, talk and do nothing, just hang out it’s great. Something I could not work without is actually someone in plural, it’s the people. In my last company I was working alone in my sector I had nobody to talk to, nobody I can ask for help, etc. it was so depressing I felt like I was alone for 8 hours and I hated it. Here – completely different story. For me just the feeling of having someone that understands, it means a lot to me.

• Message for future colleagues?

Mihajlo: In programming you have to be a team player. We help each other a lot, but it would really help if you had some bundle of skills in advance. Game development is like detecting and solving problems more than anything else. It is important for you to know and understand multiple levels of arising issues and what they bring to the table in order to be able to detect and solve them.

Bruno: Message from Bruno? Quote me on this one please, “Don’t judge us by our code”. This statement is a proof that these archaic moments in our code drive us to get better every single day.

We are very pleased that, as of today, you can become a member of our Team. And to do so, 1st step is clicking on this ? link?

The post Game Devs Talking appeared first on Gamepires.

METABOLISM

Finally it is here! Metabolism has been worked on and improved by a large margin. This was an incredible undertaking and it is still not over! It is a lot to take in so read very carefully to make sure you have your character as much optimized as possible out there.

Where to even start? Well lets start with the stats, now called: Core Attributes. Core attributes work similar like they did before but we went in much more detail:

Strength

• Strength is the physical power of a person, typically measured by how much you can push, pull or lift a physical object.
  Is raised by: proper protein intake, executing actions under a load
  Is lowered by: protein deficiency, loss of muscle mass
  It influences: carry weight, melee damage, calorie burning
  Ranges from 1 to 8.

Constitution

• Constitution or body type defines everything connected with physical endurance and stamina.
  Is raised by: moving in general, walking, running, swimming, etc.
  Is lowered by: not moving, staying still for longer periods of time
  It influences: health points, stamina, damage and status (shock, poison, etc.) resistances, immune system, calorie and water consumption efficiency
  Ranges from 1 to 5.

Dexterity

• Dexterity determines how skillful you are in performing everyday and/or complicated actions.
  Is raised by: calorie deficiency (losing weight)
  Is lowered by: calorie sufficiency (gaining weight)
  It influences: movement speed and action speed including crafting, eating, reloading
  Ranges from 1 to 5.

Intelligence

• Intelligence is the capability of perception and successfully performing tasks.
  Currently, it can not be raised nor lowered.
  It influences: squad size limit (if you are the leader)
  Ranges from 1 to 5

For more information about metabolism rework click the link.

Medical rework

Alright here it is the moment you’ve been also asking for. We have the medical system completely overhauled in much greater detail. From symptoms, bleeding to treating wounds there is a lot to cover here.

Core attributes/skills tab

• The upper section shows your Core attributes levels and progress.
• The lower part are your skill levels and progress. Do keep in mind that there is still a cap on your skills depending on the appropriate Core attribute. The Pie shows your skill level from No Skill, Basic, Medium to Advance and Above Advanced.

Basic info

Here you will find the basic info for your character, from Age, Lifetime aka How much time passed since last respawn. Weight of your character without any gear on, your current health, number of your teeth and your blood type. There is also your blood volume and body temperature but more on that later.

Performance data

This table is what you want to keep your eye on. So let’s get through it.

• First up we have the Stamina bar and the Stamina Units or in short  SUStamina Units determine how much actions you can do before you get fatigued.
  Max stamina is directly influenced by the CON attribute, the higher your CON, the more stamina you can have.
  Stamina consumption and recovery are influenced by Action Difficulty (rates shown below).
  Action Difficulty is a literal representation of how difficult it is to perform a certain action and it can be seen in the HUD around the stamina circle bar.

Body stats

Here you will find all the details needed to balance your character:

• Protein
  Indication of how fast do Proteins get absorbed in your body.s.
• Carbs
  Indication of how fast do Carbs get absorbed in your body.
• Fat
  Indication of how fast do Fats get absorbed in your body.
• Minerals
  Indication of how fast do Minerals get absorbed in your body.
• Vitamins
  Indication of how fast do Vitamins get absorbed in your body.
• Water
  Indication of how fast Water gets absorbed in your body.
• Alcohol
  Indication of how fast Alcohol gets absorbed in your body.
• Bones
  Indication of how many kilograms of Bones are there in your body at this particular moment.
• Blood
  Indication of how many kilograms of Blood is there in your body at this particular moment.
• Intestines
  Indication of how many kilograms of Intestines is there in your body at this particular moment.
• Skin
  Indication of how many kilograms of Skin is there on your body at this particular moment.
• Organs
  Indication of how many kilograms of Organs is there in your body at this particular moment.
• Fat
  Indication of how many kilograms of Fat is there in your body at this particular moment.
  If the body fat reserves fall below a critical level, consequences even include death.
• Muscle
  Indication of how many kilograms of Muscles is there in your body at this particular moment.

And many more updates about metabolism and medical rework you can check out by clicking on this link.

MOTORCYCLES

HELL YEA BABY MOTORBYKES ARE FINALLY IN! time to buzz around left and right and be fast meanace to the island! We got bikes, we got jumps, we got the gear, what more could you ask for!? Well I’m sure you will think of something. Well here they are.
There are 2 bikes in the game currently. The dirtbike and the Hellrider bike. You can find both on the island. Motorbikes, just as the rest of the wheeled motor vehicles, require both fuel and battery to run. Even though they are fast, agile and adjusted for off road, there is a tradeoff. There is no space for inventory for the motorbikes so make those supply runs light.
So we created a new skill needed to operate the Motorbike-the Motorcycles skill. And guess what it works similar to the Driving skill except for the motorbikes, yeah it’s that simple.

But what are bikes without biker gear? Nothing! you must let everyone know you ride otherwise it does not count!

REVOLVERS

Another highly requested feature! We are on the roll here! That is right time to roll around with a big iron on your hip. Not one but 4!, that is right 4 revolvers have dropped! 2 of them even have brand new ammo created for them:

So go get that Texas red!

As for malfunctions, where the revolvers are the old reliable. One possible malfunction is bad round but when that occurs the revolver will just keep spinning to the next bullet. See it’s not a bug it’s a feature!

DAMAGE REWORK

Alright, time for the big one that changes nothing yet everything. We’ve revitalized the way damage is taken and being dealt. Most of it is in the backend and you won’t really notice it since we spent a lot of time tweaking it so it remains the same. We implemented several different types of damage right. We already covered those in the medical.

Now you might encounter a weird thing here and there that fell out of place, so make sure you leave feedback so we can adjust the best way possible.
You might also be wondering why do it at all then?
Well it allows us a much greater control over damage and future medical consequences of weapons. One of the examples we have finally made for armors the possibility to absorb melee damage. You will see a lot more soon!
Alright now let’s get for all the extras of the patch!

NEW LOCATIONS

Motorbike track

Ah yes we have bikes, but can we race them? Already ahead of you people. You can find the new track in the Z3 sector! We have been racing around it all time and it’s amazing fun. So grab some friends, grab some bikes and go have fun. We may or may not recommend to allow the usage of weapons during races.

Trainyard

New High loot POI settled on the border of Z1 and Z2. Sneak around the forgotten trains of old while avoiding mechs to get that sweet sweet loot.

NOVO SELO

We isolated New town on the Z4 island. Peaceful seaside village where you can get away from it all. Novo Selo is a prime vacation location.

THAT IS ALL FROM US FOR NOW, SEE YOU SOON!

More info about patch : link

Questions: link

The post SCUM – HELLRIDERS UPDATE 0.6 appeared first on Gamepires.

Don’t forget to check out the trailer as well.

MAP EXPANSION

As you have seen before we have expanded the map with a new row and column of sectors! To the east you will find new wild lands, filled with cold tundra and dangerous mountain terrain, starting with a river that is moving south through lush forest area with a few buildings here and there giving that authentic rural feeling. Some bunkers remain here to there from former TEC01 operations, giving you access to that sweet high tear loot. These new sectors are named A0, B0, C0, D0 respectfully because where do you go from 1? And then we have South. You already saw it but we have a completely new island fleshed out and ready for players to entertain the SCUM audience worldwide on. New POIs docks and much more. As for the docks, more on that later but enjoy some screenshots for now.

BRICK FACTORY

First up of the new POI you will find, we have the brick factory. A common sight across Croatia as we are used to selling bricks to each other. If you are looking for them building materials, this will be a must visit location. Or just need bricks to throw at others, that works too.

WEAPONS FACTORY

Next one up is the weapons factory. Highly dangerous new military area, filled with that sweet loot. Approachable by sea or land, just be careful about the still active mechs roaming around and other snipers waiting for you to exit with “their” loot.

SMALL SHIPYARD

Here is something the RP community and fishermen will appreciate. A small shipyard in the middle of nowhere.

WINDMILLS

It would not be true Croatian coastline without them windmills. One of the tallest landmarks on the island will make sure you will be able to meet your friends or foes with little issue on the island. And many more secrets wait for you on the island, but why spoil the surprise. Now new terrain is not the only change we have on the island. Let us introduce the next big change.

WEATHER REWORK

We have completely revamped the weather system in the game. From day and night cycles, clouds and chance of rain to the night time and moon phases. It is a major overhaul, and it looks amazing if I may say so myself. Now I know what you are thinking, “Hey Dev team are you really gonna make it so just NASA computers can run this”. Well worry not friends. Remember last patch how we mentioned 4.26 and how it was crucial for this one? There were a lot of optimizations for this, so the game will run smoother than it did. But without boring you with all the technical stuff let’s just show you what we mean. The weather now also influences the waves as well, more wind and worse the weather is, the bigger the waves are.

MOON CYCLES

Now there were a lot of complaints about nights being too dark or too light depending on which version we are talking about. We promised we will look into it and do it properly and are now delivering on that promise. We now have simulated moon cycles. Depending on the weather and which moon cycle it is, you will now be able to see/not see more clearly at night.

BOATS

We have a new island, we have a new river, so it is time for some naval means of transportation. Boats are now available. There are different kinds of boats and we will divide them into 3 categories:

1. Motor boats
2. Sail boats
3. Paddle boats

By those categories it is pretty self-explanatory, there are 3 different propulsion systems: Motors, sails and paddles. Let’s start with the simplest one:

Motor boats

Well it’s boat with a big ass motor attached to it, what more do you want? What more do you need? How they work is pretty simple. First off you will need some gas in the tank, then you need to enter the driver seat and start the engine. After that your boat goes brrrm and on your merry way you go. And if you happen to run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere, don’t worry. The boats come with side paddles. Going to take a little longer and you will be prime target for snipers, but hey you are still moving. Paddle boards

There are 2 in the game, the found on level PDU boards and craftable small rafts. The smallest and slowest in the game, but also the stealthiest. To operate it, you will not only need to craft or find the board you will also need to find or craft a paddle. Once you have both, you just climb on and paddle away.

Sail boats

Currently we only have one, but the support is there for possibly more. The improvised big raft is one of the new boats you can craft. it is a big one that can carry more people and inventory so it will require quite a bit of materials. On first hand sailing these boats might seem simple enough but it has nuances. Wind actually does matter. That is right, don’t expect you will be able to just drop the sail and go whatever direction you wish. Direct the raft against the wind and it will slow you down, or even push you backwards. You will need to actually watch the wind and sail with it to get where you need to go.

FISHING

Alright survival fanatics, here is the one you’ve been wanting and asked for a long time. Fishy fish fishing. Lot of information here so pay close attention!

Instead of making fish puns here, and trust me I have a lot of them, you will find the important details about fish, fishing equipment and how to actually fish. So let’s start with fish and types.

1. Saltwater
2. Freshwater fish

Now let’s get to fishing itself.

First thing you need the necessary tools: A rod, reel, line, bait, hook and floater.

To take a closer look at parts click here.

NEW ITEMS

Presenting the Automatic slingshot crossbow created by the one and only Jörg Sprave. Completely craftable this thing will make you one of the most feared people on the island. Especially once you load it with one of these:

For all of you that wanted to RP Rambo we added explosive arrows and explosive bolts. Load it in, fire, wait for the beeping to stop, KABOOOM. We also added another new type of arrow and bolt to spread love on the island, but we are not adding that here.

For other useful information click here.

The post SCUM – DEAD WATER PATCH 0.5.0.32365 appeared first on Gamepires.

Concept art creation is the process of making visual concepts that will be implemented later on in the video game, and in this case, we’ll be talking about the process of creating concept art for the survival game SCUM. Basically, a concept artist is a person that seeks solutions for problems and overcome challenges. They come up with a character’s design, concept objects, locations, etc. Basically, they try to construct a visual identity for parts that are later on combined into one larger picture which in final stage we call the video game.

The frequently made mistake is to compare an illustrator to a concept artist which is not the same. As previously mentioned, a concept artist resolves problems and tackles obstacles presented in time limited tasks. They have to figure out how and why something looks the way it looks, and it’s a more significant challenge than it seems. Their work requires hours of research and a deeper understanding of the subject, as well as the ability to produce ideas fast and constantly generate new ones.

In the gaming industry, it is crucial for a concept artist to comprehend what is the bigger picture and the deeper story of a piece they are working on, including the look, feel and the overall player experience. It happens frequently that if a concept artist excludes research from their work, players can notice deviations in terms of consistency. Another essential aspect of designing is to take into account programmers. How are they implementing pieces into the game, is it doable? This is one of the most considerable differences between the film industry and the gaming industry regarding concept art.

Process of making visual concept art-Original work of a Gamepires Concept Artist

What our concept artist has to say about concept art in Gamepires

„In Gamepires we work as an integrated part of the 2D team. We receive daily tasks that we often deal with individually, but there is this firm relationship between co-workers where we give each other feedback. Our department managers equally participate in feedback, giving instructions and providing directions. They are here to advise us why something should look a certain way.

We discuss our ideas at meetings, brainstorming activities, etc. That’s the easiest way to find a solution for any problem or how to tackle any challenge. In smaller studios like this one you have to be concentrated on multiple details and we typically have to discuss more things as a group and less as individuals, but I’ve never felt like I have no freedom. On the contrary, I do believe one can enjoy even more freedom in studios like ours. There is a more significant chance that one’s original and creative ideas will be implemented into the final design. “

What is necessary for a successful career as a Concept Artist at Gamepires?

„To be a good concept artist, amongst other things mentioned, is to understand design. If you don’t have a general understanding of design, it will take you a bit longer to get to grips with concept art. Comprehension, persistence, and diligent research of the subject are a winning equation when we talk about this, and yes there are equations in Art!

Another important thing is to be able to receive constructive criticism and honest feedback. Here at Gamepires there are no freeloaders, anybody who has ever given me any type of critique or feedback is an honest hard-working individual and I think about it in a way that whatever they say will only help me in my future professional growth. This is an important part of developing in both cases, no matter professional or personal. Now that I think about it, my natural and only response is thinking to myself: How is their advice going to aid me? What is something that I can promptly adapt? Can I develop 5 more versions to make it better, etc. It’s all about intrapersonal skills, whether or not you can reflect on things you are working on and can you have some healthy self-criticism without taking it too personally.

Day at the Gamepires office

“The atmosphere  in the office is great. Since I got here, I can only say that the company culture  and the team were the first two things that made the most significant impact on me. My typical day starts with a delicious cup of excellent coffee. After my healthy dose of caffeine, I instantly begin with warming up my hand and start preparing sketches in my sketchbook. Think of it like a warmup before exercising at the gym. I turn on some music and start carefully looking at the things I need to finish from the day before or start working on something completely new. I genuinely do enjoy what I do, and I must say my favorite part of the day is to work on a creative project that has no deadline.

If I have to pick out something that is stressful, and there are not many options to choose from because I do believe I have a very chill job, I’d have to say short deadlines. On the off chance it happens that in the morning I get a task that has to be done by the end of the day, that can be a challenge for me. I cannot emphasize enough how rarely in reality that happens. But even when it does, I’m fine with it because of two things: firstly, it’s my job and secondly, I’m good at dealing with stress. I just zone out of the world, focus on my sketches and work.“

Influence of game genres on concept art – first-hand experience

“In our studio the main focus is on SCUM. Few things you have to take into consideration at the very start are surroundings and actions that a character is supposed to be doing. It is vital that we work on more ideas that reflect reality instead of a fantasy world simply because that’s the core theme of the game. And by that I allude to all the surroundings, characters, circumstances, actions etc. These are all individual pieces that have to give you experience of being in a real life rather than in a video game.

Logic is the key word. Design and aesthetics are playing their part in creating design but only up to one point, after that it all boils down to laws of physics. For me this is more satisfactory. Initially it might seem like there is less imagination involved but I can assure you that there is no such thing as a less “imaginative video game”, sounds like an oxymoron by all means.”

Industry transfers

“I graduated at the Academy with a diploma for an art professor career and got a job as a concept artist at a game developing studio. My point is no matter what your education background is, if you work hard and practise enough you can find yourself a spot in our team. If somebody means to do such a thing, I think it’s important for them to compare the styles, and if they, by some chance, do not match at key points, they need to start practicing matching their art style to that of the company.

On a technical side, specific knowledge and skills one needs to typically acquire are speed, generating ideas, mastering digital sketching and being able to work on a tablet. These few things are important not just in concept art but in digital art in general. However, working without a graphic tablet is something I cannot imagine doing my work without.”

Advice for future Gamepires colleagues- concept artists

“Relax and have no fear! There are many new people in this industry, and we are growing with each passing day. Not that long ago I was considered new and I experienced the same fears and concerns as many others. I kept undermining myself with questions such as What if I’m not competent enough? and with time I realised that’s the last thing you should ever do. Do not feed your fears with assumptions. If you got the job that means you are here for a reason. That means you are good enough. Don’t unnecessarily stir up your mind with negative thoughts. Be brave, we want you here. This job, you need to want it, need to be prepared to work for it. Seek inspiration in everything, because that something which came from that simple everything, might just become your new voyage.”

Join our team today! Click on this Link

The post The work of a Game Concept Artist appeared first on Gamepires.

During the years we improved as a team and as developers, there were difficult times, but we roughed through it because we believed in the quality of our games. The team has expanded more than five fold since then and new challenges await us! SCUM is an enormous undertaking so we need the people to make it a reality!

A big thank you to everyone who has supported us during the years, so here is to 10 more years.

Gamepires Team

The post Gamepires 10 year anniversary! appeared first on Gamepires.

Guns, guns, guns! You love ’em, we got ’em! As you can guess this update mainly focuses on that sweet ranged combat and weapon overhaul. There was a lot of changes so here are some of the most important features we’ve added, for more info you can read the patch notes HERE.

• Malfunctions
• Six new bullet variations
• Added check ammo animation
• Added check firing mode animation
• Reworked shooting mechanics for all weapons
• Reworked scoping/ADS mechanics

• Added RPK and Sawed-off shotgun

• Added 4 bayonettes
• Shooting from vehicles implemented
• Reworked throwing mechanics
• Added “Panini”system for FOV
• New HRTF sound system
• Ghillie suit (sneaky)

• Gun camo

Read the full patch notes and hop into the Lock’N’Load update today!

The post SCUM Lock’N’Load patch 0.4 appeared first on Gamepires.

SCUM in a nutshell

SCUM is a next generation, story driven survival game featuring extremely complex game mechanics and unrivaled survival features. For the final version of the game we plan to finalize all gameplay segments, then connect it with high level gameplay, include skill based crafting system from no skill up to advanced skill level, add fully developed combat system (melee combat and armed combat – all skill based), detailed character customization, mission objectives, character leveling system, vehicle support and many other features.

What you can expect

● Constant flow of new updates
● Getting your suggestions heard
● Seeing the game evolve tremendously
● Great community
● Plenty of server variation
● Tons of fun!

The post SCUM Early Access release appeared first on Gamepires.