The Journey: Creating Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine!

[Zandar]

I am sure that many of you are well aware that I enjoyed Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine very much after having played the demo. I believe that this game is truly something special and I wish everyone involved the best of success when this game is released in August.

I would definitely appreciate if all those involved with the making of Al Emmo could discuss what you did on this project, any challenges that you remember, favorite moments that you can think of and anything else that you would like to share. I would definitely appreciate hearing from the game designers, artists, writers, musicians and any other member of the Himalaya Studios team that made Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine the excellent adventure game that we have today! I have always been fascinated by the process behind how something was made, the intricate process that takes an idea and fleshes that idea out into what will become an adventure game!

Thanks for your effort and time in sharing your experiences of creating Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine!

[Tom Lewandowski]

Since the soundtrack was three years in the making, that would have the potential for making quite a long story.  

But some highlights...
Most of the music was composed before Dianne or I ever saw the scenes we were writing for.  The Introduction and Ending movies, and the four in-game comic scenes, are exceptions; we were able to compose for those as we watched the on-screen action.  The majority of in-game themes were based on descriptions supplied by the game designers; primarily, Chris.  We would also read excerpts of Daniel's screenplay to get a rough feel of some of the scenes.

Dianne and I work differently, as she's a pianist, and I'm a guitarist.  We both have no real previous experience with late 1800's style music.  So, you won't hear any late 1800's style music in the game.  I doubt anyone would really want to, either.  It's not what most of us are accustomed to hearing when we think of a "western" movie soundtrack.  The Saloon music (rag time diddies) are basically 1920's style pieces -- and so  anachronistic in their use.  But that's how the public has come to associate the old west saloon.  Thanks to Hollywood, we were able to take liberties with the entire soundtrack.  (Hense, electric guitars, synthesizers, etc. make their way into some of the songs.)  

Several songs are colaborations where Dianne would come up with melodies, and I'd come up with additional accompaniment.  We bounced ideas off each other throughout the soundtrack.  The game's title theme was composed just as King's Quest II VGA was being released, while  the last bit of music, the End Scene, was completed just last month.

In Act 8, you'll hear Frankie Mae Richards sing one of my favorite songs of the soundtrack...RITA'S THEME.  (A much longer version of this song is on the Soundtrack CD.)  I have two other favorites:  PAMMY'S OASIS and THE MULE RIDE, which is also Dianne's favorite -- and who is responsible for composing and performing the piano in THE MULE RIDE.

When we were asked about creating a soundtrack CD, we didn't simply want to put identical music from the game onto a CD.  So, there are a LOT of enhancements (alternative endings, new verses, etc.), and we included a few songs that never made it to the game.

Anyway....that's it in a nutshell.

[SirWulf2]

My involvement with the creation of Al Emmo was primarily in the look of the 3D environment.  I was involved in created the Saloon, Train Station, Locomotive and a few various props to be used during the cutscenes of the game.

I used 3D Studio MAX to create the buildings, and Maya was later used to add the world around it.  This allowed me to use AutoCAD to layout a blueprint of the buildings and literally build upward from there.

Translating 2D images into a working 3D environment was quite a challenge.  First of all, generally they are locked, nothing can be changed.  And secondly, there are areas that simply don't exist that will be featured in the cutscene.

A perfect example of this is with the Train Station.  The only 2D view of the station is a front raised shot at the game's beginning.  The big question I had to work out was, 'Where does the train go?'  There are train tracks on the right hand side, yet no tracks on the left.  Since the tracks lead directly into the mountain's tunnel, there is no room for a turnaround, and there is considerable danger with backing up a train in a dark tunnel.

So, I came up with the idea of building an extension to the station.  A platform similar to the one seen on the right hand side of the 2D screenshot.  The train tracks can then simply turn around at that platform and head back into the mountain, all hidden by a hill and the front of the station.  The huge trick to all of this was to ensure that nothing of these additions could be seen from the 2D camera.

It was those moments that were certainly the most fun.  And hopefully, they play naturally enough to not be noticed or questioned.  The key was to be as realistic as possible, and yet still retain the cartoonish style of the drawings.

[GameDevBrit]

What a great idea for a thread, Zandar!

I worked on the initial design for Al Emmo.  I basically created all of the characters and the overall storyline for the game, which Chris and I then went over with a fine tooth comb.  Eventually, it was extensively fleshed out by our designer and dialogue writer, Daniel Stacey.  

I created designs for each character, and from these designs, created detailed dialogue portraits for each character.  I also created full body concepts for many of the characters for modelers to base their 3D models off of.

As for the cutscenes, I was responsible for drawing out 2D versions of the storyboards, which were then translated into 3D.

I created each of the backgrounds for Al Emmo, first sketching them in pencil, then painting them in acrylics, and then painstakingly detailing each of the images in Adobe Photoshop.  The pixel editing process could take anywhere from 18 to 35 hours per background.  Before we decided on this method, I'd actually created all of the backgrounds before, at a lower resolution--I redesigned the entire map, and in the process, chucked about 130 backgrounds and started from scratch!  It was a long and arduous process to say the least

Hm, Stijn and I also were responsible for advertising and recruiting beta testers for the project.

My job was basically pretty varied--a little bit of everything  It involved a lot of travel as well to meet with team members.

[Zandar]

Thanks Tom, SirWulf2, GameDevBrit for sharing your experiences in creating various elements within Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine. It is interesting to read about the process of creating the art, music and 3D cutscenes in the game.

I also find it very interesting all the various roles that you needed to handle Britney, especially as we get ever closer to release day! I am sure that we will see that all the hard work, dedication and effort will have been worth it once the game has finally been released.

For all of you who live within the USA, I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July holiday!

[WriteOh]

I wrote stuff.

Lots of stuff.

Deleted a heap too.

So many lines. So little time.

One challenge was generating a style that wasn't an imitation of Leisure Suit Larry or Freddy Pharkus. Once I spent time with the characters, the game's own flavour started to come through.

Though I came on-board as a text and dialogue writer, I found room to include my own design story ideas. The scenes at the end of Act 4 and 9, for example, weren't in the orginal design doc. Extensions to puzzles, developing backstories, and a chance to sow the seeds for a sequel were some of the perks of writing for this game.

It's also fun typing out a sequence in a few minutes, and watching it come together over several months.

[navynuke04]

It's also fun typing out a sequence in a few minutes, and watching it come together over several months.

[Angelus3K]

I basically helped beta test Al Emmo and provided moral support for the team members where I could lol, also helped test the final demo you guys are playing right now!!

[navynuke04]

...also helped test the final demo you guys are playing right now!!

And now we have someone to blame for that "Floating Al" bug in the saloon.  

[NightShift]

I'll put in my two cents on the much loved   3D cutscenes soon.  When I can find the time to sit down at the computer for more than five seconds at a time.

[Angelus3K]

...also helped test the final demo you guys are playing right now!!

And now we have someone to blame for that "Floating Al" bug in the saloon.  

Lol! Hey if people can't walk up stairs properly  

[Zandar]

Thanks to all of you who contributed your experiences in creating Al Emmo. I have enjoyed reading your posts very much.

[Dianne Lewandowski]

I have to add my two cents.

When you stop to think that each of us who contributed are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles apart  . . . and we each did our individual thing, often away from the computer, then used the computer to transport the final information . . .

well . . . let's just say that's pretty amazing.

We don't get to meet at the water cooler to discuss and share personal stories.  In many instances, we don't know what each of us looks like or our individual personalities.  Yet, we interacted in a team fashion that is simply outstanding given the circumstances.

I was suffering some serious health problems and Tom kept me going, coaxing me along when I didn't think I could contribute one more note.  I'd occasionally read the forums and that would also give me some extra energy.

All in all, it's been a glorious three years.  I never thought we'd make it.  But we did.  And I'm damned proud to have been a part of it.

[Lordrasson]

I have to add my two cents.

When you stop to think that each of us who contributed are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles apart  . . . and we each did our individual thing, often away from the computer, then used the computer to transport the final information . . .

well . . . let's just say that's pretty amazing.

We don't get to meet at the water cooler to discuss and share personal stories.  In many instances, we don't know what each of us looks like or our individual personalities.  Yet, we interacted in a team fashion that is simply outstanding given the circumstances.

You make it sound like a terrorist cell where only the leader really knows who everyone is... lol

[GameDevChris]

Al-Qaeda and the Lost Dutchman's mine?

...Nahhh, it just doesn't have the right 'ring' to it!

[SirWulf2]

Hmm, not a bad idea...

Chris, I have a thought for the sequel!