Spotlighted: Return to Tombs
To understand Crystal’s vision for tombs in Rise of the Tomb Raider, I spoke to Jeff Wajcs, Senior Designer at Crystal Dynamics.
Showing posts with label Exclusive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exclusive. Show all posts
29 January 2012
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| Photography by Darren Rowley Photography DRP |
How were you first introduced to the Tomb Raider series?
I was first introduced to the Tomb Raider series in 1996 when I was about 4 years old, my dad bought a brand new Playstation 1 for Christmas and Tomb Raider 1 was among a bundle of games he had bought for it, I was too young to play it myself at the time, but loved watching dad play it every evening!!
What was it about Lara which inspired you to cosplay as her?
What inspired me to cosplay as Lara in the first place was because I've always wanted to be her. I've always admired her sense of adventure and fearless attitude.
I remember dressing up as her when I was little, I had a little blue top and some brown shorts, my Timberland boots that I wore everywhere and I improvised with a brown handbag for a backpack, hair toggles for leg straps and....a pair of shoes to imitate guns (LOL) So when I discovered this world of cosplay, noticing others who have worked hard to get their outfits as accurate as possible, I knew my very first handmade costume would be of the lovely Miss Croft. And for me, cosplaying Lara is my own little tribute to my favourite heroine of videogaming!Do you have any tips for TR fans wanting to begin cosplaying?
Some tips to start cosplay would be to not take it too seriously and start off simple, as you gain more experience then you'll be ready to give yourself bigger challenges. Look online for some tutorials on making stuff like holsters, backpacks, pattern cutting, find out what guns she uses and you'll most probably find a BB replica (though PLEASE be careful when running around in public with these and ALWAYS check your country's regulations before purchasing!) There are some fantastic cosplayers out there always willing to give friendly advice. To get into character; study the game and get to know Lara, learn how she moves and reacts to the environment and her behaviour towards other people - but most of all have fun and ENJOY IT!
How do you make your outfits? And what sort of challenges do you face while making them?
I start with gathering as many references as I can, looking at shapes and patterns and deciding what likely materials are used in Lara's outfits. Then I'll look for stuff I need to buy, like a pair of shorts or a t-shirt. Most of the time I'll have to heavily alter them by cutting, sewing, dyeing, adding mesh etc What type of boots she wears. I've got Pennangalan's replicas of the movie boots that I can run and climb in easily. To conventions I'll wear my new rocks, I much prefer chunkier boots to balance out my hips/holsters. With the holsters I try to think about making something that is durable to withstand some knocks you get at conventions or when doing stunts on a photoshoot. This can be a challenge, looking for hard enough materials, but I've found cardboard reinforced with resin helps and covered in fake-leather to make them look authentic. Also make sure the gun fits snugly inside with a strap over the top to stop them from falling out and people nicking them! I use elasticated cords for the leg straps so my leg can bend freely, it also stops them from falling down! I make all of my belt buckles from FIMO - an oven bake polymer clay that's really fun to mould. My backpacks, I hand-sew using craft foam as a base, foam bends really nicely and looks fabulous with the fake-leather, again I use elastic for the straps so I can move my arms easily. If I need buckles I'll take them off of something I have lying round the house if I don't need them anymore and use them for my cosplay. I once used buckles from my horse's old totally-wrecked-beyond-repair rug!
Then comes the weathering! Depending on what I need the outfit for, if it's a convention I try to make sure that whatever I use to imitate mud or blood doesn't rub off, mainly to save the argument if I happen to accidentally brush against someone!
On a photoshoot I just love to get stuck in with mud and dirt! I once completely caked myself in mud for a shoot and for the final shots my mother held up a hose over my head to imitate rain, the shots turned out fantastic!
Do you plan photoshoots or are they spontaneous? And if you do plan, how do you go about doing it?
Nearly all of the time my photoshoots are spontaneous; I'll just go out and take pictures with my friend whenever we felt like it, improvising with whatever was available at the time! When I do have a photoshoot with a photographer we still don't REALLY plan anything, I mean we'll say yes, definitly want to get this shot with that prop, but other than that I'll just do whatever feels right at that time. Although having said that I am currently planning a big shoot for next year, which does indeed require carefull planning!
How important is getting the correct background for a photo?
In my opinion it's not that important, depending on what you want the viewer to feel when looking at the photography; whether it's entirely focused on the character or an on-location set to replicate the game or series as accurately as possible. I've not really had the opportunity to work on amazing locations, I had a TR:Reborn shoot once in a carpark full of cars! We just improvised with lighting and camera angles to hide the cars and obvious pipes/brick walls in the background, the photographer did some amazing editing and you can't even tell that it's a carpark!
Is cosplaying at conventions and expos (e.g. MCM London Expo) different compared to photoshoots?
Cosplaying to conventions is VERY different to being in-costume for a photoshoot. On a photoshoot, you're just there for the one photographer and you can work together to get the best shots. Whereas conventions, you're limited to backgrounds and places where there are a lot of people and usually instead of being photographed by the 1 person, you'd be mobbed by a horde of photographers! The only thing you can do is to just make up different poses by yourself. I try my best to entertain the crowd and it's really fun! Though the one thing I am always careful about is when and where I use my guns; although they're completely harmless it doesn't take much to scare the living daylights out of someone and get into serious trouble for it. Inside the convention and outside where it is quiet are the best places.
Are you planning any more photoshoots in the future?
I am indeed! I have 3 Lara shoots planned with 3 different outfits which I'm very much looking forward to! Plus some non-TR shoots as well.
Thank you for doing the interview, Rachel :) You're awesome!
Check out Athora's DeviantArt Page.
Thanks also to all the photographers for allowing their work to be reproduced for this article.
12 December 2011
As well as being a fantastic writer and cosplayer, Meagan Marie is also the Community Manager for the Tomb Raider franchise, at Crystal Dynamics. She joined the team in Summer 2011, moving to San Francisco from her previous job at Game Informer. Since joining the team she has established the Official Tomb Raider Fansite Programme, organised and ran a series of community days across the globe, created an official blog for the series and kept fans up to date with regular newsletters and podcasts.
Recently Meagan very kindly took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to talk with us about her life at Crystal, her favourite games and tips for getting into the industry.
Recently Meagan very kindly took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to talk with us about her life at Crystal, her favourite games and tips for getting into the industry.
What do you find the main challenge in working with a large community?
Connecting with everyone has been the most challenging task, especially because of the many language barriers. After introductions and those initial few emails everything has fallen nicely into place though. I’ve now got a database up and running with fansite administrators, forum moderators, and other super fans catalogued for easy contact. I’ve even been lucky enough to put many names with faces this past year during our European tour, making the connection between the studio and community even stronger.
With tools like Google Alerts, TweetDeck, and various RSS feed readers, it’s actually pretty simple to keep up with the community, track content, and monitor brand sentiment. Time to respond and participate in every sub-community is hard to come by though, which is the other primary challenge. It gets much easier with time however!
What part of the Tomb Raider Community tour did you find the most memorable?
Each stop on the tour was very memorable, especially considering that it was my first time in Madrid and Hamburg! It was very exciting to demo Tomb Raider for fans at my first tradeshow (GameFest in Spain), and the community dinner in Germany was epic – complete with custom Tomb Raider menus. The stop in the UK gave me a chance to meet up with coworkers I’d not yet met in person, and the entire fan gathering turned out to be female, which was really fun.
I think perhaps the most memorable moment however was walking through the ancient Egyptian exhibit with fellow Tomb Raider fans at The Louvre. It was my first time at the museum, and something about the entire day was surreal. I’ll never forget it.
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| Meagan with Tomb Raider fans in France, during one of the community sessions. Photo from the Official Tomb Raider Blog. |
What is it like working for Crystal? Could you describe your average day at the office?
While social media is perhaps the most public aspect of my job, in reality it’s an all-encompassing position that requires a strong understanding of social tools, data analysis, public relations, brand and franchise development, general management, event planning, and more.
I usually kick off the day with email and forward-facing communication such as posting blogs, updating Twitter and Facebook, and checking in on the forums. This is all part of keeping both longtime and new fans apprised of information as well as growing and garnering excitement for our upcoming products.
After checking in on the status of our community, it’s onto the long-term projects such as fleshing out PR plans with the brand team, exploring licensing opportunities and product partnerships, conceptualizing and realizing brand initiatives (such as the Tomb Raider 15-Year Celebration), and keeping a pulse on the sentiment of our studio and products through monitoring press coverage and fan discussions. This sort of information is compiled and presented to the team for analysis. All of the above requires working regularly with international Square Enix teams and weekly check-ins with territories worldwide.
When the time comes I’m also responsible for coordinating and prepping global asset drops, preview embargoes, and writing press releases. As the campaign for title ramps up, I’ll be traveling to industry events worldwide providing demos & hosting community events.
I’ve also taken on responsibility of promoting the studio itself, and as such have implemented monthly newsletters and podcasts (which I plan, schedule, prep, record, and edit myself) to help build up awareness of studio culture, charitable initiatives, and job openings. Quite a bit of my job is actually forecasting communication functionality of our studio and products so to best meet the needs of consumers and fans – be it through our website, forums, or social media tools.
When not doing the above, I’m occasionally asked to do something unique such as read temporary VO for the game, play test a level, act as a sounding board for ideas, do some design work, and more.
Just like Game Informer no two days are alike and I love it. It’s a very intense and demanding job, but every day I learn more about the inner workings of game development and am inspired to work hard in order to do the team and our collective work justice.
What are your favourite perks of the job? Are there any disadvantages?
Travel is the ultimate perk, as I’m quite social and love to be out and about. I really enjoy attending trade shows and demoing the game, or meeting up with fellow fans at a smaller event. I suppose a disadvantage to being a CM of a global brand is the hours, as there is always a Tomb Raider community awake in the world. That being said, the franchise has been a passion of mine for fifteen years, and as such the lines between work and play often blur. I enjoy working hard.
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| Meagan at during a Tomb Raider meetup at SDCC, premiering her Lara Croft Steampunk cosplay. |
How were you first introduced to Tomb Raider?
I first met Lara fifteen years ago! My love of gaming ignited the moment I was introduced to Lady Lara Croft, but I’ve been playing games since the furthest reaches of my memory. Tomb Raider was the first game I took ownership over, however. Although some may find it laughable that a preteen would identify with a buxom, gun-toting, aristocrat archaeologist, I did. Or rather I wanted to identify with her. Lara inspired me to be intelligent, strong, and independent – all qualities I do my best to embody even today.
What is your favourite moment from the series?
I have dozens, stumbling upon the T-Rex in the original Tomb Raider being the most obvious. I look back most fondly on exploring Croft Manor in Tomb Raider II and III (especially the maze with the quad bike), which made its destruction in Tomb Raider: Underworld equally memorable (and sad).
Do you have any advice for fans who would like to start up their own Tomb Raider site?
The best advice I can offer up is to find your voice! There are many Tomb Raider fansites out there, and all of them of great quality. If you want to stand out, perhaps focus on something specific like the movies, cosplay, fanart, or music. It’s easier to become an authority on a smaller scale topic first, and then you can expand your content to meet the needs of your new community.
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| Developer session at Eurogamer Expo. |
Besides Tomb Raider, what other favourite video games are your favourite?
As far as franchises, Mass Effect, Uncharted, Gears of War, Left 4 Dead, Portal, Resident Evil, Kingdom Hearts, and a handful more top my list. I also love Fatal Frame III, Final Fantasy VII & VIII, Beyond Good & Evil, Batman: Arkham Asylum/City, Borderlands, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Okami, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Split/Second.
Your previous job at GameInformer sounds quite different from your job at Crystal. Was it difficult moving to San Francisco and becoming a Community Manager? And what advice would you give to someone who is planning on moving for work in the Video Game Industry?
I’d say it’s best to warm up to the idea of moving early on. The industry is healthy and expanding, but there are still hotspots such as San Francisco, Boston, and Montreal that are going to offer the most options if you can’t find a company or startup in your area. I knew when I first began my pursuit of finding a job in the industry that relocating was most likely in the cards.
Crystal made the transition quite easy, however, helping me with temporary housing and recommending places to live. As long as you do your research online through apartment rating websites and so on, you’ll be fine. Your new coworkers will most likely be eager to show you around once you’re a part of the team!
Thank you so much for doing the interview with us Meagan!
24 October 2011
At the end of October, this website will be celebrating two events. Not only is it the 15th anniversary of Tomb Raider but on the 30th is Guns and Grapple's 3rd anniversary. To celebrate the awesome guys at Insert Coin have generously donated two t-shirts with their newly released TR design to be given away to two lucky fans.
The Prize
The Prize
- 1 Scion T-shirt (Men)
- 1 Scion T-shirt (Women)
19 October 2011
The Day Four preview begins with Lara running up to Captain Conrad Roth, her mentor and the only apparent survivor from the ship we've seen so far. The first observation I made about how Lara has developed over the course of the days is immediately by the way that Lara walks and her posture. She looks stronger and more confident, no longer limping and a definite similarity to Tomb Raider Underworld in terms of realism.
They both know that the injury is too great but they must keep moving to regain the supplies. Lara helps Roth to stand and move, with her taking most of his weight. They manage only a few steps before Roth collapses again, this time he's out cold.
Getting to the wolf den looks quite challenging. It's several metres above Lara's starting position and the only thing to really aid you is a couple pieces of wreckage and old constructions which the villagers who once lived in the houses built. During the climb to the den two things become clear. The first is that Lara moves realistically, I not going to say that it was a perfect fluid motion since there's a year left in development and there's still things that need to be polished, but so far it's looking really impressive. The second thing is that Lara's abilities have developed over the past couple of days, she is more familiar and confident with her surroundings as well as her strengths. I think it becomes less of a "Can I make that jump?" and more "What am I going to face after I do that jump?" (not real quotes in the game)
My favourite section of the preview is when Lara goes inside the den. It is very atmospheric and suspenseful. Inside it's dark apart from a luminous red light deep inside, and a loud beeping noise. The light is coming from the transmitter which is resting in what is obviously one of the wolves' beds. As you walk into the den, you can hear a howl, and a quick sudden movement in front of Lara about three metres away, the wolf is now incredibly close. Lara will walk slowly around the cave to avoid making noise. The player is able to walk over and pick up the essential items, and turn around again.
Lara begins to relax slightly and tells herself that she needs to get to Roth. Her voice, the beeping or the light or the sounds of Lara's footsteps attracts the beast who immediately jumps forwards towards Lara, it grabs her leg before pinning her to the ground. I noticed several people in the room jumping when the wolf appeared, it was actually quite terrifying, especially if you're in a darkened room. To kill the wolf, the player must complete an interactive cutscene. Lara draws a knife and stabs the creature, however it is still dangerous and it is still trying to kill Lara and therefore she stabs it continuously either to fulfil her blood lust that is apparent in the older Lara or (and the more likely reason) out of fear to make sure she would survive. As she stumbles to her feet she whispers to the wolf "I'm sorry, it was you or me."
The village looks as though it has just been abandoned, however I have my doubts. The wicker man disturbs me, it looked as though it was on fire, however it could have just been the lighting in that specific section and there was a fire nearby, nevertheless the place did look as though it had been lived in. Or if it is actually deserted, it was abandoned recently, which may mean that there might be a backstory to some of the scavengers in the game. But we'll have to play the final version of the game to find out.
I was under the impression that Lara's work in the bar was more of a metaphor than it actually happened in the game, however it appears that she actually did work in a pub. I decided to Google this, and discovered that there's a pub in Sussex, UK, called The Eight Bells, but sadly no Nine Bells.
Roth indicates to the transmitter and tells Lara that they need to get a message out for help. Lara becomes suddenly quiet. The camera focuses on her face, and there's a slight trembling in her lip. He confirms her fears when he states that he's in no condition to climb a cliff, as he hands her a think red climbing axe. There's an important but of dialogue I absolutely love because it foreshadows who Lara is going to become:
Roth is introduced in a cutscene in which the camera angle focuses from his knees up which is extremely effective in showing an awesome fighting pose, and it's my personal favourite camera angle scene from the preview, I may even have to turn it into a background later. Roth is armed with duel pistols against two wolves. There's certainly a nice link between Roth's fight against the wolves as an introduction to his character in the next game, and Lara's fight against the wolves in the introduction to Lara in the original game. I noticed several nice little tributes to the previous games in there, as well as tributes to real life events.
Now, I'm going to be honest, I usually don't like important secondary characters who have a huge involvement in the storyline; I've noticed that the main character doesn't get nearly as much attention as the player wanted and the secondary character is someone who the game wants you to like, but you think they're unpleasant...With that said, as soon as you see Conrad Roth, believe me, everyone will immediately love that character or at the very least thinks he's pretty great. When it was revealed that Roth was going to be on the island with Lara as her mentor, I would think, many of you (like me) must have been a bit unsure about his presence in the game, after all Lara has always been independent. Although after watching the preview of the game, I can say that his presence in it doesn't make Lara more dependent, in fact quite the opposite, Roth acts as a catalyst for Lara's journey from the young vulnerable woman into a gun-wielding Tomb Raider...And this is exactly why I love his character. Karl Stewart (Global Brand Director) mentioned that the character was inspired by Ernest Shackleton, and there was definitely elements of what I read about Shackleton and his voyage in Roth in terms of strength and determination.
Now, I'm going to be honest, I usually don't like important secondary characters who have a huge involvement in the storyline; I've noticed that the main character doesn't get nearly as much attention as the player wanted and the secondary character is someone who the game wants you to like, but you think they're unpleasant...With that said, as soon as you see Conrad Roth, believe me, everyone will immediately love that character or at the very least thinks he's pretty great. When it was revealed that Roth was going to be on the island with Lara as her mentor, I would think, many of you (like me) must have been a bit unsure about his presence in the game, after all Lara has always been independent. Although after watching the preview of the game, I can say that his presence in it doesn't make Lara more dependent, in fact quite the opposite, Roth acts as a catalyst for Lara's journey from the young vulnerable woman into a gun-wielding Tomb Raider...And this is exactly why I love his character. Karl Stewart (Global Brand Director) mentioned that the character was inspired by Ernest Shackleton, and there was definitely elements of what I read about Shackleton and his voyage in Roth in terms of strength and determination.
The cutscene continues with Roth defeating the two wolves but he suddenly collapses to the ground in agony. Lara notices the quite gruesome wound on his left leg caused by quite a ferocious animal bite. Lara runs over shouting "ROTH!", but the tone is full of concern, and they they clearly have a strong friendship. He leans against a nearby rock as Lara runs over to him. This is the first glimpse of the impressive facial motion capture, especially for Roth. who is clearly in complete agony. He reveals that the food pack, medical supplies and the transmitter to call for help were taken.
LARA
You need bandages, antiseptic, morphine…
ROTH
Also in the pack…
LARA
Shit.
ROTH
In a word.
"Don't do this to me you Yorkshire Bastard!" Lara cries out in desperation while trying to wake up her mentor. The swearing was also addressed in the presentation. Lara won't swear all the time, however because of her situation it's understandable; most of the swearing does come from Lara's desperation combined with frustration.
The narrative seems to be driven by three factors, all of which makes an appearance in the preview:
- Cinematic Cutscenes - Crystal has enhanced the immersion with these by using the camera to fous on the character's body language and face more. Even when characters aren't talking, you can tell by their posture what they're thinking.
- Interactive Cutscenes - Whenever these are mentioned, they're not the most welcoming words to people, but in the game I've noticed that they always have a reason behind a certain movement. For example instead of (if you're using the XBOX360) pressing X to climb up a steep incline when Lara is escaping the cave, you have to push the right and left trigger buttons in turn, which represents a similar movement to Lara climbing.
- Lara's Monologue - During these points, Lara will remind you of the objective. We can also get a glimpse into what she's thinking and the her opinions which helps build a picture of the new protagonist.
After realising that Roth wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, escpecially without medical help, Lara knows that the only way her friend is going to survive is if she travels alone to find the pack and transmitter. Lara drags Roth away from the open and into a nearby campsite/hub section for safety. Meagan commented on the voice acting for Lara, the motion capture was recorded at the same time as the voice acting with the motion capture, so afterwards the actress is actually out of breath since she had to pull the weight of a grown man. The target is made clear by another of Lara's monologues as the player once again regains control of the character. She notices a pair of wolf tracks close by imprinted in the sodden dirt, the wolves must have taken it.
Meagan paused the demo quickly and rotated the camera to show more of the scenery. She points out two specific locations which appear later in the game, a statue and the radio tower. She reveals that everything that you can see on the screen, you can travel to. Crystal are working hard to make sure that there are no invisible walls or jpeg images. Lara walks through an abandoned village, there aren't sacrificed bodies like in the caves, but there's obvious signs of a ritual. For instances a wicker man is slowly burning in a nearby shrine. After Lara travels a short distance, the camera pans up to a nearby wooden house in which we get the first glimpse of one of the wolves on the broken roof of a wooden house. The wolf turns and runs away in the direction of the cave. Meagan explains that there are numerous paths that the player can take including going through the village, climbing on the rooves so the focus is on exploration and adventure...It also means that Stella is going to have a difficult challenge on her hands! The heavy rain was incredibly detailed and really quite beautiful...but not something you would like to be stuck in. Another small detail that added to the realism was the water collecting in puddles, it's something that was small but it's something I really liked.
Lara begins to relax slightly and tells herself that she needs to get to Roth. Her voice, the beeping or the light or the sounds of Lara's footsteps attracts the beast who immediately jumps forwards towards Lara, it grabs her leg before pinning her to the ground. I noticed several people in the room jumping when the wolf appeared, it was actually quite terrifying, especially if you're in a darkened room. To kill the wolf, the player must complete an interactive cutscene. Lara draws a knife and stabs the creature, however it is still dangerous and it is still trying to kill Lara and therefore she stabs it continuously either to fulfil her blood lust that is apparent in the older Lara or (and the more likely reason) out of fear to make sure she would survive. As she stumbles to her feet she whispers to the wolf "I'm sorry, it was you or me."
On the trek back to Roth, we walked through the village to take a proper look at the scenery. From here it is apparent that she is more confident. Yes, she is still incredibly young and frightened, however she's starting to believe more in herself each day and this is clearly portrayed in her gait, her personality and also in her choices. I don't think that the Lara I saw in Day One would voluntarily go into a wolfs den, not armed properly, she just wouldn't be that confident...Although Day One Lara probably had concussion, had been stabbed, and set on fire!
As Lara reaches Roth another cutscene is triggered. Time has passed, and Roth awakes. Lara is sitting on the opposite side of the fireplace and crosses it to sit next to him. He looks down and noticed that Lara had cleaned the wound and bandaged it.
ROTH
Not bad. Where does a young lady like you learn to do a thing like that?
LARA
Late shift at The Nine Bells. A wolf’s got nothing on a broken bottle.
Roth indicates to the transmitter and tells Lara that they need to get a message out for help. Lara becomes suddenly quiet. The camera focuses on her face, and there's a slight trembling in her lip. He confirms her fears when he states that he's in no condition to climb a cliff, as he hands her a think red climbing axe. There's an important but of dialogue I absolutely love because it foreshadows who Lara is going to become:
ROTH
You can do this Lara; after all, you are a Croft.
LARA
I don’t think I’m that kind of Croft.
ROTH
Sure you are. You just don’t know it yet.
LARA
Then let’s hope I’m a fast learner.
There's a brief pause before she picks it up. She knows what do to do, but at the same time, she's terrified. Determined, she stands up and prepares to climb the cliff, as she walks away from Roth, the screen fades to black and the preview ended.
First of all I just want to say a big THANK YOU to Meagan for setting it all up, it was absolutely brilliant, and also to Karl Stewart who answered several questions, they were both incredibly kind and lovely.
Crystal recently arranged a special Tomb Raider Community Day, run by Meagan Marie and Karl Stewart. The event was split into several parts, the first section was the introduction to the franchise and Crystal's changes, then Meagan showed us two sections of the game (so far) and talked us through specific features about the game, then each of us got to play a section of the game which was shown for the E3 demo, and after we were taken out for a meal at a nearby restaurant.
Eidos
I'm not going to lie, I often refer to Eidos as my "happy place" because the building contains several brilliant game franchises and merchandise that I adore - not only Tomb Raider but Hitman (which does make me sound a little psychotic) and also Mini Ninjas. From the outside the building is completely white with several rows of windows close together on one side of the building, and just a blank white wall on the other. Leading up to the entrance are several stairs and also a ramp for wheelchairs...Or if you looked at the stairs and thought "...No".
Inside is beautiful. The first thing that you will see, once you get past the two glass doors, is the reception area. Beyond reception is a large open area covered in beechwood, from there you can see into all of the floors since the inside walls are made of glass. On the second floor, where the press room is located, is another small reception area, which is decked out with a cabinet full of Final Fantasy models. Lining the walls are posters of Square Enix's series. The walls are white which makes the posters and life sized statues that much more dramatic. In the centre of the room is a shiny black desk with the Square Enix logo behind. As we walked out of the glass lift we immediately saw the smiling Meagan Marie standing by the table.
The press room is divided into several meeting areas, all of which are connected by a single corridor. One of the things that I've noticed about the building is that Eidos is very fond of its keycard locks, sorry guys no secret storyboards were discovered. The room we used was at the end of a corridor, and lined up against the wall leading us towards the room was a selection of several Tomb Raider outfits which the official models wore. The first one was worn by Rhona Mitra which should have the tag-line "That doesn't seem physically possible!". As we entered the main area there was another outfit, this time a black catsuit worn by Lucy Clarkson. The room contained two large blue sofas and a chair which formed a C shape around a large television set which hung on a black and red cabinet...Accidental colour scheme match? As I entered I saw many people whom I recognized, first of all the beautiful Kate Sykes who has done some terrific cosplays, Jay Walker who works at Eidos and who you may have seen about the Tomb Raider and Eidos Forums and who has been terrific in helping me with this site, and Jem Alexander who you will know if you visit the Square Enix Members Blog and who has worked with the TR community on numerous occasions. On the screen was the promotional image of Lara beaten and bloody on the shore of the island...Or maybe London after the 2012 Olympics.
Meagan's Speech
Within a couple of minutes the event began with Meagan explaining the history of the franchise from the beginnings at Core Design to the switch with Crystal. She commented on how Crystal doesn't see Tomb Raider Legend as a reboot of the franchise since the Lara that we knew from the original games were still on our screens right from the start. She then talked about the effect Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light had on the franchise; it opened new doors for the company and showed that the company were testing out new ideas and proving to the industry that they were willing to take risks in order for their games to stand out and be new. She also wanted to point out that this upcoming game is a complete reboot of the franchise, including all the characters that the previous Laras have met; Natla, Kurtis and Zip never existed in this reboot...I like to think it's like an alternative universe like in the Star Trek 2009 movie.
Afterwards she mentioned the set-up for the new game. You're probably aware of the game's synopsis already but if not:
Lara, aged 21, is travelling on-board the Endurance with her mentor and friend, Conrad Roth. The ship passes across the Dragon's Triangle and a terrible storm occurs. The violent sea is strong enough to destroy the ship which washes up on a mysterious island along with several of the crew members. The game starts with Lara finding out where she is, what is the place and most importantly how to get away.
After the speech, Meagan turned off the lights and started the preview of the game.
> Read the Playthrough of the Game (DAY ONE) COMING SOON
> Read the Press Preview of Day Four (Exclusive to Press Viewing)
> View photos from the event
Q&A
(Please note that the answers aren't word for word, it's rather a summery of the information we were given in response to our questions)
Crystal recently arranged a special Tomb Raider Community Day, run by Meagan Marie and Karl Stewart. The event was split into several parts, the first section was the introduction to the franchise and Crystal's changes, then Meagan showed us two sections of the game (so far) and talked us through specific features about the game, then each of us got to play a section of the game which was shown for the E3 demo, and after we were taken out for a meal at a nearby restaurant.
Eidos
I'm not going to lie, I often refer to Eidos as my "happy place" because the building contains several brilliant game franchises and merchandise that I adore - not only Tomb Raider but Hitman (which does make me sound a little psychotic) and also Mini Ninjas. From the outside the building is completely white with several rows of windows close together on one side of the building, and just a blank white wall on the other. Leading up to the entrance are several stairs and also a ramp for wheelchairs...Or if you looked at the stairs and thought "...No".
Inside is beautiful. The first thing that you will see, once you get past the two glass doors, is the reception area. Beyond reception is a large open area covered in beechwood, from there you can see into all of the floors since the inside walls are made of glass. On the second floor, where the press room is located, is another small reception area, which is decked out with a cabinet full of Final Fantasy models. Lining the walls are posters of Square Enix's series. The walls are white which makes the posters and life sized statues that much more dramatic. In the centre of the room is a shiny black desk with the Square Enix logo behind. As we walked out of the glass lift we immediately saw the smiling Meagan Marie standing by the table.
The press room is divided into several meeting areas, all of which are connected by a single corridor. One of the things that I've noticed about the building is that Eidos is very fond of its keycard locks, sorry guys no secret storyboards were discovered. The room we used was at the end of a corridor, and lined up against the wall leading us towards the room was a selection of several Tomb Raider outfits which the official models wore. The first one was worn by Rhona Mitra which should have the tag-line "That doesn't seem physically possible!". As we entered the main area there was another outfit, this time a black catsuit worn by Lucy Clarkson. The room contained two large blue sofas and a chair which formed a C shape around a large television set which hung on a black and red cabinet...Accidental colour scheme match? As I entered I saw many people whom I recognized, first of all the beautiful Kate Sykes who has done some terrific cosplays, Jay Walker who works at Eidos and who you may have seen about the Tomb Raider and Eidos Forums and who has been terrific in helping me with this site, and Jem Alexander who you will know if you visit the Square Enix Members Blog and who has worked with the TR community on numerous occasions. On the screen was the promotional image of Lara beaten and bloody on the shore of the island...Or maybe London after the 2012 Olympics.
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| There's an accidental colour scheme going on here :) |
Meagan's Speech
Within a couple of minutes the event began with Meagan explaining the history of the franchise from the beginnings at Core Design to the switch with Crystal. She commented on how Crystal doesn't see Tomb Raider Legend as a reboot of the franchise since the Lara that we knew from the original games were still on our screens right from the start. She then talked about the effect Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light had on the franchise; it opened new doors for the company and showed that the company were testing out new ideas and proving to the industry that they were willing to take risks in order for their games to stand out and be new. She also wanted to point out that this upcoming game is a complete reboot of the franchise, including all the characters that the previous Laras have met; Natla, Kurtis and Zip never existed in this reboot...I like to think it's like an alternative universe like in the Star Trek 2009 movie.
Afterwards she mentioned the set-up for the new game. You're probably aware of the game's synopsis already but if not:
Lara, aged 21, is travelling on-board the Endurance with her mentor and friend, Conrad Roth. The ship passes across the Dragon's Triangle and a terrible storm occurs. The violent sea is strong enough to destroy the ship which washes up on a mysterious island along with several of the crew members. The game starts with Lara finding out where she is, what is the place and most importantly how to get away.
After the speech, Meagan turned off the lights and started the preview of the game.
> Read the Playthrough of the Game (DAY ONE) COMING SOON
> Read the Press Preview of Day Four (Exclusive to Press Viewing)
> View photos from the event
Q&A
(Please note that the answers aren't word for word, it's rather a summery of the information we were given in response to our questions)
Is the game entirely motion captured?
There are sections and animations which are done by actors and actresses however some are done by computer. In the cutscenes the voice actors were recording the words while recording the motion capture to improve on the realism aspect that Crystal is trying to push further.
Is there any news about the voice actress?
As of yet, Crystal can't say who the voice actress is however it will be revealed nearer to the release date.
Is there going to be a system like Player Tailoring that fans saw in Tomb Raider Underworld, is there going to be the same or a similar feature? (This was my one)
There may be, however it's too soon to say. First of all, Crystal wants to get the game finished first before deciding on some of those choices. But it's possible, but they can't say anything yet.
What is Lara's necklace and is that important to the game?
There's been some debate about what the necklace is meant to be, it could be a phoenix, a floral decoration, Ouroboros, a snake or a magatama, what it is hasn't been revealed yet. It's possible that the necklace is important in the game and that's why the secret is being kept under wraps since Karl did say that it does symbolize something in the game.
Will internship be possible at Crystal Dynamics?
There are some internships, however it's hard to get, because in order to work there you need a Visa however you can't get one just by doing an internship, you need to work there. At Eidos there's a similar problem if you want to do internships, because even though you don't need a Visa, there chances for an opportunity is rare.
There are some internships, however it's hard to get, because in order to work there you need a Visa however you can't get one just by doing an internship, you need to work there. At Eidos there's a similar problem if you want to do internships, because even though you don't need a Visa, there chances for an opportunity is rare.
1 March 2011
If you're a science fiction fan, you may already be familar with some of Chris Barrie's incredible work. While he has starred in dozens of television shows, movies and documentaries, he is perhaps most famous for portraying Arnold Rimmer in the sci-fi show Red Dwarf. He also starred in the both of the Tomb Raider films; portraying Lara's faithful butler, Hillary. Guns and Grapple had an exclusive quick interview with him about his
time on the Tomb Raider set.
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| Chris Barrie with Angelina Jolie and Noah Taylor in the first Tomb Raider film. |
1. Did you know about Tomb Raider before going for the role?
I had certainly heard of Tomb Raider the computer game.
2. How did you feel when you got role in the film?
Quite excited.
3. What is your most memorable time on the set?
Probably the ‘stick fight’ in the second movie.
4. How was it learning how to fight with the quarterstaffs in the Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life?
Being totally inexperienced in the area I found it a steep learning curve. The stunt team were very patient with me.
5. Which film did you enjoying doing the most and why?
There were equally good fun.
6. If you are asked to star in the third film would you do it?
Definitely.
7. Did you have to undergo special weapon training to fire the shotgun in the first film and if so how did you find it?
Yes, I went out to a wooded area of Pinewood Studios and the armourer showed me how to behave with a gun, so that it would look ‘natural’ in the movie.
8. Would you want to voice a character in the video games if you were asked?
Yes.
Thank you to Chris for the interview!
Thank you to Chris for the interview!
19 December 2010
Back in 1995, Toby Gard designed Tomb Raider, almost 15 years later she has become an icon. Not only has she survived so long in the gaming industry, she is often referred to as the face of video game heroines, the character has won six World Records recently and she's also been portrayed by Angelina Jolie in two Hollywood movies. Toby Gard talks exclusively to us about his experience while working on the Tomb Raider titles, who he wants in the role for the movie and what he is doing now after he has left Crystal Dynamics.
This interview took place on 19th December 2010.
This interview took place on 19th December 2010.
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| To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Tomb Raider, Toby created this fantastic piece of artwork which perfectly captures the atmosphere of Tomb Raider (2013). |
For Tomb Raider Underworld, you worked as the Cinematics Director, was it hard describing your visions of what needed to be in the cut scenes to actors?
Tomb Raider Underworld cutscenes were done in a weird way. We recoded the lines first with the voice actors, then the animators would block out the scenes with the audio in Maya. We then took those simple 3d scenes to the motion capture studio and plot out marks on the floor corresponding to the layout of the room and marks for the actors to hit. Finally after rehearsals the actors would mime to the audio to get the body motion.Next, the data would come back to the studio and the animators would edit for timing, pose and animate all facial expressions by hand. Bottom line is that for Underworld, the animators had much more to do with the final performance than the actors did.
Tomb Raider Underworld cutscenes were done in a weird way. We recoded the lines first with the voice actors, then the animators would block out the scenes with the audio in Maya. We then took those simple 3d scenes to the motion capture studio and plot out marks on the floor corresponding to the layout of the room and marks for the actors to hit. Finally after rehearsals the actors would mime to the audio to get the body motion.Next, the data would come back to the studio and the animators would edit for timing, pose and animate all facial expressions by hand. Bottom line is that for Underworld, the animators had much more to do with the final performance than the actors did.
How are the myths chosen for the games?
People just suggest them. The criteria used to pick was never hard and fast, but generally we avoided any religion that people still believe in, and focus on myths that people probably have heard of, and ones that feature a cool item. Then the deeper the myth, the more ideas you can plunder.
People just suggest them. The criteria used to pick was never hard and fast, but generally we avoided any religion that people still believe in, and focus on myths that people probably have heard of, and ones that feature a cool item. Then the deeper the myth, the more ideas you can plunder.
What is your favourite Tomb Raider game you have worked on?
The first one, or Legend.
The first one, or Legend.
Why did you first want to make a game like Tomb Raider
I wanted to make an interactive movie. I loved Ultima Underworld, and when I saw Virtual fighter, my mind exploded with the idea of what the two crossed together could be.
Did you prefer having Lara's movements created by hand or using motion capture.
By hand is the only way to go, but mocap is great reference and sometimes a handy starting point.
Who do you think should play Lara in the next Tomb Raider Film?
I always wanted Salma Hayek to play her, but she's getting on a bit now.
Recently Crystal Dynamics began teasing the latest Tomb Raider [Editor Note: The title mentioned here would later be released in 2013]. The game appears to be a retelling of Lara's origin story, with a survival element element. Of course there's not a lot that's been announced about the title, but are you're first impressions of the upcoming game?
It's going to be sweet.
What projects are you doing right now, or in the future?
I am making an iPad game, but mainly I am concentrating on my Otherworld Comic over at www.tobygard.com it's going to 'Epic' as Mr. Lindstrom used to say.
I am making an iPad game, but mainly I am concentrating on my Otherworld Comic over at www.tobygard.com it's going to 'Epic' as Mr. Lindstrom used to say.
Thank you to Toby for the interview!
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