Stuntman: Ignition

Posted by ddm

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Stuntman: Ignition is an action driving game for Xbox 360, PS3, and PS2. The player jumps in the shoes of a stuntman to film amazing driving scenes for 6 fictitious movies. The moment to moment gameplay is intensely hardcore, which made Stuntman a game that you either loved or hated. As a designer, it was a real blast to work on. Our toolset allowed us to play with dozens of vehicles on open streaming terrain, construct and tweak extensive choreographed scenarios using physics and explosions, and to realize in-game any stunt we could think of.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Scripted 8 levels from Campaign Mode
  • Lead 5 designers to polish the entire single player game. My team was responsible for ensuring all 60 levels were ready to ship.
  • Scripted various levels in Odd Jobs, Quick Fix, and the Rehearsal levels
  • Scripted one of the DLC levels

Paper Design

Stuntman levels required extensive planning and thought ahead of time. Below is an example paper design. I did this for the cancelled sequel to Stuntman Ignition, which had begun pre-production before switching to work on an unannounced First Person Shooter.

The level below was designed for up to 4 players, all driving at once. If less than 4 players were in the game, pre-scripted AI would drive the path for them.

The level takes place in Red Square. The theme was a faux Moscow Buddy-Cop movie, with Russian Mobsters, KGB, and police.

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Click the image for a larger version, or click here for a giant version. [5811×3468]

I have been to Red Square and the mall next door, so the idea of crashing my way through the beautiful GUM shopping mall sounded hilarious and amazing. Though based on a real location, I removed a small church at the north end of the square, in order to fit in the focus stunt for the level. It was a large oval-shaped fountain that was iced-over in the winter. During the most difficult portion of the level, all four players approach the structure at once, and drift around it in opposite directions.

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All paper designs in Stuntman were created using Adobe Illustrator.