Ringtail Studios and Destroy All Humans 2! – Reprobed

We’ve touched on some of the previous remaking and remastering work done by the Ringtail Studios team. We’ve tackled topics like when to remake and when to remaster and covered some of the efforts that go into bringing life back into classic games from the past. And we’ve talked about our work on the first Destroy All Humans! remake, a project which we were delighted to be involved in. Many of our team were fans of the original series and being approached to assist in its remaking was a fantastic experience.

Which is why we were equally thrilled to help in the delivery of its remade sequel! Destroy All Humans 2! – Reprobed has released to a terrific response on all its platforms. Just like the original project, our team were delighted to work on the property.

 

Putting Our Skills To Use

Having worked with this client before, they knew our strengths. We were put to work creating 3D models and assets and texturing them. Our responsibility for these assets included the entire pipeline. So, our team was creating these assets from scratch and delivering them already integrated in-engine.

Despite the nature of the project, we didn’t work with the original assets or models. Given the age of the original, we instead worked off the original concept art or new art created by the client for the project. We were also given the freedom to provide our own references if our artists felt the provided concepts weren’t enough for the modelers.

Working on a property like Destroy All Humans! brings its own challenges. This is due to the unique stylisation of the game and unique execution of its art style. The process was identical to any other project, modelers create the models, QA check it, it is integrated into the engine, and finally delivered. However, the stylisation really kept our team alert as they were always looking to emulate that style as accurately as possible.

 

Details and Challenges

Like any project, it requires our teams to be highly focused and detail oriented. Upon delivery of each asset, we needed to ensure all paths to meshes, textures, and materials within the Unreal Engine project were matching for the client’s dedicated organisation system. This meant every asset had an added step upon delivery, something our team adapted to quickly.

As with any QA process and client feedback, we also had to constantly keep our eyes on the end goal. Often, engine changes and animation adjustments meant we had to readjust multiple assets and models. This is all part of the job and the client was very happy with our delivery and adaptability.

Finally, one last challenge we had to overcome was the difference in lighting. The shaders in-game and in-engine are unique. As we mentioned, the stylisation for this title is almost incomparable to any other. This meant that upon integrating each asset in-engine, the lighting was completely different than in Substance Painter. This was a careful back and forth process, especially with the roughness and metallic maps. As, should their values be too much, they would shine like the sun in-game!

 

Another Successful Project

At Ringtail Studios, we always love a new challenge. We’re always excited for the next project and what it offers us as a studio and a team. But truly, the Destroy All Humans! remakes are a joy to work with.

This project is one that is always enjoyable and interesting. The assets are beautiful and are very fun to work with, even for QA checks! We’re very excited for any future projects that their team might call us in for and are ready for the challenges that they offer.

Interested in collaborating with the Ringtail team? Get in touch today! We’re always ready for the next project and challenge to overcome. Ringtail Studios is part of the Magic Media group, where we have the combined bandwidth to tackle any project, at any size, in house. Instead of using multiple studios, you can come to your one stop shop, and we can offer a range of services to ensure your project is a success.