In the world of gaming, I’ve recently dived into MindsEye – a pulse-pounding action-adventure set in the technologically advanced metropolis known as RedRock. I find myself stepping into the shoes of Jacob Diaz, a man grappling with amnesia and navigating treacherous waters between tech titans and government powers within the city. The mysterious implant in my head, responsible for my memory loss, is also a key focus.
As Build a Rocket Boy crafted this game, painting a future of AI, drones, and robots, it seems that advancements in these fields have become a reality. This intriguing narrative unfolds amidst breakthroughs in AI, drone, and robot technologies, making the story all the more captivating.
In a recent chat, Game Rant spoke with Build a Rocket Boy regarding the evolution of their game, MindsEye. The discussion included some intriguing details about the game’s development process and key design decisions. (For the sake of readability and conciseness, this interview has been condensed.)
MindsEye’s Development Journey Explained
Could you describe for us what the opening presentation was like for MindsEye, and what the first few months following that looked like?
The story began by exploring a concept – a realm reminiscent yet slightly skewed, not shattered but uneasy. There were numerous discussions revolving around faith, governance, and human existence within structures that don’t always function optimally. From the outset, it was about creating an atmosphere rich in cinematic tension, where underlying stress was always palpable.
Q: What was the moment you believed the team “found the fun” for MindsEye?
A: Approximately a year ago in MindsEye, there was a significant shift when all aspects of the game began functioning harmoniously. During this period, we utilized a selection of benchmark missions as a testing ground for our strategies and design ideals, noticing progressive improvements in these missions. This positive feedback served as a catalyst, leading us to understand the true essence of MindsEye and what it required to thrive. As a result, we were able to concentrate solely on this vision without distraction. Letting go of long-cherished ideas can be challenging, but finding what resonates and identifying your core strength is both liberating and exhilarating. It allows you to set aside certain concepts to focus on refining the heart of your project to its full potential.
Q: What has the past year of development looked like for your team?
For quite some time now, we’ve been playing a fully-fledged game from start to finish, allowing us to deeply understand the game’s flow, what functions effectively, and where there might be slow areas, among other things. This extended playtime was crucial for us this past year as it enabled us to focus on ensuring our systems are dependable in all situations. Given that players will also have the opportunity to create their own experiences within MindsEye Build, this reliability is particularly important to us.
In essence, the previous year was dedicated to refining various aspects of MindsEye on a regular basis, with numerous daily evaluations of its world, combat, dialogue, narrative delivery in missions, and cinematics, all built upon the robust framework the team had established over years of work in Redrock City.
How BARB Settled on MindsEye’s Core Themes
Q: What drew you to themes of artificial intelligence, greed, corruption, and so forth?
The world we live in today is increasingly shaped by certain ideas, and since at least 2008, this trend has been amplified by technological advancements and social media. Even the most influential individuals sense that this wave may be too big for them to control. Many of us are acting as if we’re part of a doomsday cult, eagerly anticipating the Singularity, hoping it will bring about change for the better. MindsEye mirrors and predicts humanity’s current trajectory.
In the creation of our game, MindsEye, we aim to construct an immersive environment reflecting contemporary society, provoking thought without imposing judgment. Our antagonists possess captivating personalities, while the protagonists are not inherently virtuous. Instead, they perceive their adversaries as something or someone even more malevolent according to their perspective. Their motivations for conflict are predominantly self-serving, yet it’s in critical moments of decision-making that their true nature becomes apparent – revealing who they truly are within.
MindsEye’s Cinematic Approach Explained
Question: Could you elaborate on the process used by MindsEye to produce its high-quality cinematics?
In the development of cinematic sequences for the game ‘MindsEye’, our journey started by establishing a robust narrative backbone. We collaborated extensively with the writing team to grasp each scene’s emotional cues and narrative objectives, as well as those of the characters involved. Subsequently, we delved into previsualization, employing storyboards and animatics for designing camera angles, compositions, and tempo. The selection of actors was also pivotal; we enlisted skilled performers to ensure that every emotion portrayed was genuine. A key step in the process involved fully scanning all main talent to create digital counterparts, mirroring the actors’ appearances within the game. This was a significant stride towards blending performance capture authenticity with top-tier graphics.
Instead of solely focusing on grand, impactful moments, we aimed to incorporate intricate facial expressions and body language to sustain the player’s emotional involvement throughout the narrative’s progression. A crucial element in our creative process was our dedication to performance capture in its entirety – a method that concurrently records actors’ facial, physical, and vocal performances. This technique enabled us to retain every nuanced expression, movement, and voice modulation, ensuring a harmonious sync between each actor’s performance. The result was an authentic, emotionally intense experience, where character interactions seemed genuine and immersive.
In our work, we capitalized on Unreal Engine 5’s capability to deliver cinema-like quality in real time. Our team maximized every bit of computational power at their disposal to execute intricate cinematic sequences live, incorporating elements like cinematic cameras, visual effects, animations, sound, lighting, and post-effects. The goal was to intensify the narrative while maintaining the integrity of the game. Lastly, our teams put in a great deal of effort during post-production to perfect the finish and quality of the cinematics, aiming for each sequence to be impactful and well-polished. It was a joint endeavor involving engineering, animators, artists, designers, and audio experts, all striving towards a cohesive vision of creative cinematic excellence.
Q: How did this cinematic approach affect other aspects of its design?
In the creation of MindsEye, our cinematic style wasn’t simply about layering storytelling, but rather making it an essential aspect of the mission progression. From the outset, we strived to make cinematics feel like a smooth continuation of gameplay, not standalone cutscenes that interrupt the flow. This was accomplished by skillfully blending transitions between gameplay and cinematic segments without any abrupt interruptions, preserving the immersion. We achieved this harmony by closely aligning cinematics with mission design. The scenes were constructed using the same settings and characters players would encounter during gameplay, thereby establishing a consistent visual and narrative progression.
By employing full performance capture, we greatly improved the characters’ performances, making them consistent across both cutscenes and real-time gameplay interactions. The camera work and framing were carefully adjusted to keep players engaged with the action, using cinematic angles that felt dynamic yet still offered a clear view of the scene and seamlessly transitioned to the next gameplay setup. In tense situations, our aim was to maintain player engagement, making them feel like integral parts of the developing story that was intrinsically linked to the gameplay. In MindsEye, cinematics weren’t just tools for storytelling; they were an essential part of the player’s adventure, creating a continuous immersive experience.
How AI Advancements Affected MindsEye’s Development
Question: After eight years of development, MindsEye is about to be released. Has the progress made in artificial intelligence during this time had any influence on its development process?
Our experiences and narrative have been strikingly similar to the themes portrayed by MindsEye. Many of our characters seem quite reminiscent of real-life individuals, showcasing both their positive and negative aspects. Regarding the creative process, due to complex legal issues and our unique development approach, we’ve minimized the application of generative AI tools for concept art and in-game resources. Instead, our AI use is mainly confined to improving the Integrated Development Environment (IDE), without any code generation. Our team comprises exceptionally skilled artists and programmers who leverage AI as a tool to aid their work, rather than replacing their unique talent in our specific domain.
In contrast, the goal at BARB is to offer our players more than just an exceptional experience with MindsEye; we aim to provide them with a comprehensive toolset called MindsEye.Build as well. We value the joy of creation and sharing, and we’re integrating AI into our design approach to foster creativity, not to supplant it. Essentially, we’re all about nurturing human creativity. Our mission is to provide access to countless intentional experiences that stem from ideas and dreams, not machine-generated content. Therefore, we will persist in designing our products with this philosophy in mind. We advocate for AI that enhances human creativity, not replaces it.
Ponder this thought: Could kids enjoy Lego playtime more if AI assembled their structures for them instead? Mightn’t they lose the enjoyable hands-on experience of constructing? Or would they benefit from an AI that provides building plans but allows them to be in charge of their creations? Would gamers prefer a platform with low-quality, automatically generated content? We don’t think so. Instead, we’re crafting our products to cater to the preference for hands-on, engaging experiences.
How MindsEye Approaches Mission Design
Q: What was your overall approach to mission/quest design?
The design of missions and game levels are crucial elements that can make or break an action-adventure game. In our unique design approach, we combine three distinct aspects: influences from the real world, an open-world format, and a narrative that drives a linear gameplay experience. Our aim was to make MindsEye feel authentic and immersive. Unlike many other games where it’s evident that environments have been crafted specifically for video games, MindsEye does not fall into this category because it wasn’t designed with that purpose in mind initially. Instead, we started by creating locations that seemed as if they were built for their in-game purposes, and only then did we add missions and objectives to them.
Transforming a real-world location into a battlefield for enjoyment is quite challenging, indeed! If you ever attempt to hide in a genuine setting, you’ll understand the complexity of converting a regular spot into a combat zone. This approach adds authenticity and openness to our game missions and levels, making them feel more realistic. However, achieving this level of quality didn’t come cheap; we managed it by tirelessly refining our mission and level designs.
A: In what way do the stories change when artificial intelligence is portrayed as a villain, compared to previous games you’ve been involved in?
In the game MindsEye, AI is subtly portrayed as an emerging yet potentially dangerous force. We aimed to present it in a nuanced manner, and there’s a narrative thread that might be overlooked during initial playthroughs. For mission design and gameplay, our focus was on striking a balance. We wanted to express this theme without being overt. In MindsEye, AI initially appears as a “risk” that escalates into a catastrophic “threat” only towards the end of the game. This shift can be sensed in the contrast between the early stages of the game (where you’re allied with a surveillance-heavy corporation, leveraging its tools for personal gain and engaging in considerable spying), and the climax where events take a drastic turn for the worse.
At that moment, a larger dog has joined the game, and you find yourself in a situation where your resources (like your drone, or the lenses, etc.) are barely sufficient to cope. Essentially, our tasks mirror Jacob’s journey as an underdog leveraging a corporation’s resources for his benefit, eventually transforming into the ultimate warrior while the same corporation is surpassed by a greater power, ironically using its own flawed research against it.
How MindsEye Utilizes Drones in its Gameplay
Q: Can you discuss the use of drones in MindsEye gameplay? How do these impact combat?
In the world of MindsEye, drones play a significant role, particularly the companion drone. An important aspect portrayed in the initial act of this game is the all-encompassing surveillance network made possible by drones and robots within Redrock City. Our intention was to create an immersive experience of this pervasive surveillance system, which explains why you are introduced to numerous Silva Corp drones during the opening stages of the game. As the story progresses, you acquire your own companion drone, marking a complete change in the gameplay.
The companion drone in our game is remarkably versatile, offering you freedom to play aggressively or defensively as per your preference. Its powers upgrade frequently during the game, adding an element of unpredictability and intensity. What’s fantastic about this drone is that it doesn’t overly simplify the game, yet it adds a multitude of strategies to your arsenal. We’ve ensured that you can advance through most of MindsEye without feeling compelled to use the drone. Instead, it broadens your tactical possibilities, and each player we’ve observed playing our game has developed a unique style with it.
A: Could you elaborate on the level of customization these drones offer, as well as the general degree of customization found within MindsEye?
In our approach with MindsEye, we focus on the spectacle, narrative, and real-time gameplay. To achieve this, we’ve chosen not to incorporate complex RPG systems that might detract from the overall experience. Essentially, MindsEeye is a straightforward game – if your drone acquires an upgraded ability during the story, you can utilize it straight away! It’s like savoring a cold, refreshing soda without any additional sweeteners, just pure enjoyment. And while we do offer some zesty weapons, they are more like a slice of lime that enhances the overall flavor rather than complicating it.
Question: Could we delve into the mechanics of stealth? Are there any choices available for players to adopt a non-violent strategy in their approach?
A: In our game, MindsEye, stealth is not a consistent feature throughout the missions; it’s only used sporadically in some instances. This aligns with our vision for combat, which emphasizes action that is thrilling, destructive, straightforward, and smooth. We aim to provide uncomplicated yet enjoyable shooting experiences without any superfluous elements.
How Vehicles Factor into MindsEye
Q: How do vehicles factor into combat, if at all? What about customization for them?
In our game, you can drive different types of vehicles throughout the narrative and additional content. These range from sleek sports cars and bulky trucks to versatile military off-roaders and drones armed with weapons. Each vehicle has a unique handling experience and function tailored for specific scenarios. Whether you’re navigating city streets in a thrilling chase or battling robot armies, we equip players with vehicles that offer excitement and perhaps give a sneak peek at the capabilities they can expect once they have access to the tools we are developing.
Additionally, there’s a lot more on the horizon, such as expanded customization options (based on player preferences!), which is currently absent for vehicles except premium skins. This is something we are working on for our future “open” modes that will be part of our free update plan (you can preview this in advance with Redrock City Free Roam on Play.MindsEye). In the adventure, vehicles serve as a cover option during most engagements, and we’ve strategically positioned some unlocked vehicles at crucial spots so you can utilize them for combat purposes like ramming enemies or creating tactical cover.
As a devoted fan, I’d be happy to share my thoughts on the weapon designs in Redrock. The overall layout is quite familiar, offering a standard selection of weapons for players to get accustomed to. However, what sets Redrock apart are the “smart” weapons that can be found scattered across the game world. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill guns; they’ve got a mind of their own and pack quite a punch when used effectively!
Our focus lies in staying up-to-date with the near future’s weaponry trends. That’s why our collection includes traditional weapons, but with a modern, unique spin. For instance, we’ve designed the initial pistol to be both iconic and futuristic. As you progress through the game, you’ll encounter more innovative weapons that carry a slight sci-fi feel, one of which is particularly popular in our test rounds (explosive, naturally). Trust us, you’ll know it when you see it!
Q: Likewise, how would you describe the overall enemy design and boss designs?
In our design, we prioritize creating seamless experiences where encounters are harmonious with the narrative, rather than just additional gameplay elements. Our AI system, known as the “Encounter Manager,” assigns roles to various character archetypes, ensuring that there’s no downtime in our battles and enemies are constantly trying to catch you off guard or push you out of your defensive positions within a level. What sets MindsEye apart is its blend of human adversaries and (spoiler alert!) robots. We’ve dedicated considerable effort to making the robots feel lifelike and challenging, yet not overly frustrating, focusing on their interactions with humans. You’ll notice humans taking cover behind certain robots, or robots coordinating actions together, for example.
Q: Do you have any personal favorite vehicles or weapons in MindsEye?
A: Tough one — there’s a lot in there. Can’t wait to see what players run with and make their own.
How MindsEye’s Combat Will Keep Players Hooked
Q: What do you think keeps players engaged in MindsEye’s combat the most?
As a gamer, I can’t help but be drawn to the exhilarating “boom factor” that MindsEye delivers, seamlessly weaving it into the heart of its missions. Our aim with this game is simple: make every weapon a joy to wield, make headshots an irresistible thrill, and ensure that encounters are finely tuned for what truly matters – the spectacular and the empowering feeling of control. What I believe MindsEye excels at is the rush you get when transitioning from being the underdog to becoming an unstoppable one-man force.
Observing an adept player skillfully manipulate various weapons while maximizing their companion drone’s abilities creates an impression of a meticulously planned performance, but it’s not pre-programmed by the game; instead, it’s the result of the player’s own skills. This authenticity is what keeps us hooked. The strong foundation, intuitive control, and thrilling yet unique gameplay with a narrative twist all contribute to enhancing the overall gaming experience.
Q: When it comes to gameplay design overall, what has changed the most since your initial concepts?
Our robots have undergone numerous improvements to make them entertaining and visually stunning, a process that wasn’t without challenges. Upon closer inspection in the game, you’ll notice they are meticulously detailed, with each shot causing a small piece of them to be damaged. For instance, our Silva SM-01 robots can be targeted almost anywhere, as each component is destructible individually. Additionally, we’ve introduced innovative features such as self-destruct and shield mode.
Towards the culmination of our development process, once we were content with our robots, we incorporated an exciting drone feature that enhances their functionality. We believe this addition will bring delight to numerous gamers. However, let’s not forget the core essence. If the shooting experience is enjoyable, the gameplay becomes engaging. No matter how advanced the features may be, they can never replicate the pleasure derived from firing a shot and observing a realistic response, feeling the impact through your controller.
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2025-06-04 16:26