Hi soldiers!
We hope you’ve all been well and enjoying the game! It’s been about a month now since we released the Monte Grappa map and recently we also released a big patch with several new implementations and fixes. You can find the patch notes here. Thank you for your reports & patience! We’ll of course keep an eye out and continue on optimising the game, as well as adding new content that’s still coming!
Now, instead of only talking about the game, let’s talk about the people who create them as well! Come on in and meet some members of the BlackMill team! First up is one of our animator's Guido!
Hello! Could you introduce yourself
Hi! My name is Guido, I’m 33 years old and I’m from the Netherlands. I studied 3D Computer Animation and worked mostly in film in the past. An animation project I did which you may know is a short film called Mac ‘n Cheese.
I’ve been a part of the WW1 Game Series for over 5 years now. Besides being an animator, I’m currently finishing a Masters in Biology where I’ve focused a lot on working with microbial fuel cells. So if there are any biology geeks, you can hit me up if you ever want to talk about powering small devices using bacteria 😉
What is your role in BlackMill Games and for the games?
My first job for Blackmill Games was editing for the game trailers, starting with Verdun. When the studio was looking for an animator, I applied and took on the role of the First Person animator. Since then I’ve been responsible for everything that moves on your screen! I also do a lot of work on the trailers where I get to make a short film every few months to showcase new maps and weapons.
Where did your passion come from?
I started doing 3D modelling when I was about 14 years old. I’ve always enjoyed using my PC for more than just playing games and I’m terrible at drawing, so 3D allowed me to tinker away at things. I found out during art school that animation is really what I enjoy most, so ever since then I've been doing just that. While I really loved making films, the switch to games made me realise how much fun it is to make something, coordinate and brainstorm with programmers to integrate my work into the game and really bring everything to life.
What was the first thing you made in Isonzo?
Oof! That’s a long time ago. I think one of the first things I worked on were the animations for the Carcano M91 rifle, because the Italians needed something to work with! But since then, it’s received a few more passes so I’m not sure if what I did then is still in the game as it is!
What is a memorable moment in the development of Isonzo?
When we started out, gunplay and the way we handled animations was still similar to Verdun and Tannenberg. We really wanted to bring something new to the series, so we brainstormed with game designers and programmers about what gunplay should be. Our programmer Ben (who you get to meet in a future devblog) then came up with a way to handle movement and recoil procedurally. That has really changed my workflow and made gunplay in Isonzo unique. It was literally a game changer.
Can you show off some of your work process and tell us what you’re doing?
Besides working on the first-person animation and the trailers, I also try to continually improve character animations in the game. Currently I've been given the task to change the way you see other players aim.
In the past we had 5 directions (forward, up, down, left, right) and we would blend between them, limiting the movement to just the upper body. We currently have 9 directions and movement of the entire body is being used.. This looks a lot more natural.
Oh and here’s a clip of what the animation for the Dreyse pistol looks like from my side!
Which other game dev/studio inspires you?
There’s so many first-person animators out there sharing their work and it’s been a great inspiration. For instance, Haydn Cooper makes the craziest, most creative animations. There are many more like her out there that I try to learn from and get inspired by. Although I always have to tone it down a little bit, because we’re trying to be realistic here 😉
Favourite game at the moment?
Lately I’ve been really enjoying the co-op experience of playing Valheim. A good friend of mine built the sickest treehouse ever and we cleared the Mistlands. Pretty proud 😤
Anything else you wanna share?
I just want to take a moment to thank all the fans that have been with us for so long. We’re closing in on 10 years as a series and I’ve been here for about half that time. I’m also very curious to hear what you guys enjoy about Isonzo’s animation, but also what you would like to see as we’re always trying to improve upon what we have. See you on the battlefield!