Last week, TFW2005 was able to visit with Kabam, the publisher of mobile game Transformers Forged to Fight. They brought us up to Vancouver, Canada to check out their offices, show us some behind the scenes goodies and give us a preview of their next major update to the game. They also picked our brains and asked for feedback to help guide their future updates! Read on to check out a breakdown of our experience there and make sure to head on over to the app stores and download Transformers Forged to Fight (iOs | Android)!
Introductions and General Chat
When we first got there, we didn’t go into a major spiel, we kinda just hung out in their conference room and chatted. Executive Producer Mike McCartney, Creative Director Cuz Parry and (now full time at Kabam) Concept Artist Marcelo Matere were present. They went over the basics of the game and where they were going in a loose fashion. Throughout they asked what we liked and didn’t from game play and lore points of view. It was a great way to kick things off and I felt they were actively looking for this input, which can only make things better over the long term.
Over The Shoulder Looks
From there, we bounced around to different stations where we got to see the different phases of making the game. This included folks from Modeling, Animation, VFX and Environments. The key to all of this was seeing how many people work on this, and for how long. Teams spend weeks on elements that happen on screen for seconds. It really gives you an appreciation for how much goes into these games we just download on a whim. Another note for all the areas – seeing this game on larger monitors really let’s it shine. It has a console game quality to it that you don’t really absorb playing on a phone (or even iPad). IMO, running at full power on a large screen is where this should be played, if possible.
In the Modeling area, we got to see the characters in their final form, static, but being posed. This is how they render shots for the various menus and advertising. These aren’t separate models from the game created just for hype, these are the game models proper. A little extra spice for static shots, but still the game models. One that popped out was Rhinox in Beast Mode, which was really cool to see in HD, large. His mix of classic Beast Mode and the game’s modern take works, a pre-Transmetal upgrade maybe :). Also shown were the models for the Sharkticon seen in game, it’s an all original model created by Kabam that Hasbro signed off on, and all of us agreed that we want that as a toy. Now.
Next up we got to see the Animation department. This was cool because they’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how to get it to convert between modes seamlessly on screen without needing to fully engineer a perfectly accurate model. Basically they create a bot form and an alt form. They get most of the transformation done on the bot form, so that it gets close to being fully transformed. Most times though, things won’t fit exactly so there are parts sticking out. From there, they run a custom program that automatically applies the final alt mode to the transformation sequence in one single frame. From there forward, you’re controlling it in the polished alt mode model. This happens so quickly you never notice. And I didn’t, prior to this visit I thought they designed 100% perfectly transforming bots. It’s not a Beast Machines glowforming but it’s not as accurate as a physical toy either. Well done.
After Animation we checked out Environments. This was cool because they had levels loaded up that you could just zoom in and out, pan around in. Lots of details and Easter egg style things are there that you can’t grasp when playing the game. Small phones, being in the background and needing to focus on fighting right away keeps you from appreciating the complexity. They also showed us work on their new Base screen, which will be an awesome refresh when it drops.
The last stop on the station tour was VFX. This is the bling you see in game – explosions, lasers, flaming tire tracks, etc. All of this was cool, but what was really cool was seeing how they actually animate different levels of sparking coming off the bots depending on how damaged it is. That, and what they were calling Energon bleed. These guys do leak Energon when damaged. All of these elements are things that can be reduced in quantity or quality per device, it all depends on how much power you have. If you have a weaker phone, things like the sparks and Energon bleed will turn off to ensure the game plays smooth for everyone. But if you have a powerhouse, you’ll see these fine-tuned elements. Again, seeing it run on their production machines, on large screens, was a treat. Did I say this had a console feel to it? 🙂
One on One Chats
From here, we went into more personal sessions. We were able to chat with the folks who manned these stations above, both about their fields and Transformers in general. I tended to keep it non-technical and we just chatted about the fandom, personal highlights of the game for me, and what I thought could be cool related to what each did. All of these guys are down to earth and a fan in some form or another. If they weren’t before the game started, they sure as heck are now because they are saturated with Transformers day and night! The bottom line is these guys are working hard on the game, are watching the fandom and are trying to incorporate their feedback. They’re doing everything they can to get cool new angles, characters and themes into the game. It’s not tied to one generation, event or toy line, so it can go anywhere over time. Make yourselves heard!
Wrap Up
Overall, this was a great experience. Seeing how the sausage gets made was enlightening. I appreciate the work that goes into the non-primary aspects of the game. If it wasn’t, we’d notice. Their job is successful when we don’t notice it. The game is fun, crisp, and touches (or can) all generations, something I eagerly look forward to. Getting some RID2001, AEC Trilogy, Post-G1 Japanese era bots in here along with Generations, Movie and Beast Wars would be AWESOME. Hopefully they can get it done (and hopefully Hasbro lets them!).
I highly suggest downloading the game and giving it a whirl. Even if you don’t get super into it, or go into the deeper areas of the game, being able to quickly run a match with all types of Transformers one-on-one is fun.
We’d like to thank Kabam and Hasbro’s PR team for setting this up, along with the following members of the team:
· Mike McCartney – Executive Producer
· Cuz Parry – Creative Director / Storytelling
· Adam Cooper – Art Director
· Pablo Greenham – Art Director
· Marcelo Matere – Concept Artist and Illustrator
· Darren Evenson – Game Design
· Nick Williams – Visual Effects Lead
· Derek Ng-Cummings – Animation Director
· Callie Jenkins – Director, Product Marketing
· Jamie Zhang – Product Marketing Manager
Feel free to join in on the discussion for Transformers Forged to Fight on the 2005 Boards and share your experiences with the game!
Left to Right: Marcelo Matere of Kabam, Alex (Tony_Bacala) of TFW2005, Frank of The Allspark (and voice of Machinima Starscream), Kevin of Unicron.com, Optimus Prime of Cybertron, Ben of BWTF, Cuz Parry of Kabam, Will of Seibertron, and Mike McCarney of Kabam.
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