Victor van Schagen: SAS : Secure Tomorrow

Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SAS : Secure Tomorrow
Project Type . . . . . . . . . . PC Game / First Person Shooter
Job Function . . . . . . . . . . Environment Artist
Company / Client. . . . . . . City Interactive
Made with. . . . . . . . . . . . Jupiter EX WorldEdit

Between february and june 2008 I worked for City Interactive on SAS : Secure Tomorrow as level designer. For this game the goal was to create an environment overrun, and held by, terrorists. It was the players task, with the help of computer controlled squad mates, to eliminate the terrorists and free any hostages. Initially the location was designed to be an airport, but at some point it was decided to restyle certain parts and turn it into a train station.

The biggest technical challenge was to have large indoor areas, while keeping a smooth and steady framerate, because the game engine is optimized for highly detailed, but small areas.

Visually, the biggest challenge was to create a convincing environment with as few assets as possible. For each project there is a budget for art assets which can be requested of the texture and 3D artists. It is important to balance what you ask for.Before you start creating a level in 3D, make a list of what you think you will need, grouped per environment (for example domestic, office and industrial) and size (small - pens, medium - furniture, large - vehicles, or location specific architecture). After the list is complete, remove any doubles (some things can be shared between environments) and start cutting objects. There's a huge difference between what you think you need and what you will actually get.

This particular location is not based on any real-life train station. It is just an amalgam of various public spaces from around the world. Simple and utilitarian were keywords here; public space which would see thousands of people every day.

01. Platform.