In the latest developer blog about the survival MMO H1Z1, everything revolves around the animations of the zombies, especially their walking style.
Shaun Johnston, a Senior Animator at SOE, is the man teaching the zombies to walk. They are supposed to look good in the upcoming survival MMO H1Z1 and not embarrass themselves as they stumble through the environment.
In the developer blog, Johnston reveals that the 80s movie “Tron” inspired him early on for animation. Everything that was possible in the film with computer technology impressed Johnston early and sustainably. Later, he spent so much time in front of the PC playing video games that his wife suggested he pursue it professionally.
As inspiration for his work on H1Z1, he names comic books, movies, and other video games. He was particularly taken by Left 4 Dead in zombie games, and when it comes to movies, he swears by the more humorous flick “Return of the Living Dead.”
H1Z1 seeks balance between fast and slow zombies
For H1Z1, the biggest challenge is finding a balance between two typical zombie poles. In World War Z, the zombies move extremely fast, while in the “Walking Dead” series, they are slow. Finding a middle ground here, so that the zombies remain threatening and look “right,” is the hardest part of his job.
Part of his work also involves moving in front of a camera and green screen using a motion capture procedure, as is used for Hollywood films. He and some designers teach the zombies how they will move later on in this way. The footage is then fed into various design programs and processed further.
Johnston is an experienced designer in the MMO industry. He has previously worked on Planetside 2 and numerous Everquest and Everquest II expansions.
The upcoming zombie survival MMO H1Z1 is set to release this fall for PC and Playstation 4 and will be free-to-play. It is currently facing an Early Access on Steam, which will be paid. An exact date for the Early Access is not yet known.
