Wicked World Design Blog

The Interstellar Security Agency

2012-01-03T09:31:00.000+01:00

The ISA is one of the most feared branches of the GIC by those with some insight. By the general public they’re simply known as the bodyguards of the Senators and the Chairman but there’s a much more sinister side to the agency.

Many of their top agents are expert assassins, torture experts who work above and beyond the law with unlimited resources at their disposal. They are completely committed to the perseverance of the GIC rule. They never question their orders, their masters or even their own actions no matter how atrocious as it is all done for "the greater good."

Office of Mining and Core Purification (OMCP)

2011-12-13T10:41:00.000+01:00

When a possible GIC mining or purification site has been spotted the OMCP send in surveyors and a small crew to evaluate the site. They send back a report to the GIC of estimated costs and projected return of investment. When and if mining or core purification begins the OMCP spearheads the operation. They estimate needed security and also handle the transportation of the ore, minerals and raw coreanium. To make it short, OMCP is the heart of the GIC mining and planet harvesting operations.

GIC - Governmental Industrial Complex

2011-11-23T16:26:00.001+01:00

Perseverance, Unity, Industry - This is the motto of the GIC. They are the ruling body of the Sirius galaxy. The core systems are shining beacons of civilization and safety. But the independence movement call it a dictatorship. A rule where only the illusion of democracy exists. However, free healthcare, a working welfare system and safety are things that many people find appealing.
In the core system most seem happy but out on the fringe they wonder...what right does one organization have to command a whole galaxy, its resources and the people?

In Stasis

2011-10-26T11:13:00.000+02:00

Everything slows down and basically stops. Cell renewal is even affected, basically grinding to a halt and weeks or even months go by. Scientists can't explain it but you do dream in stasis.

Meet Alice LeDarm, a GIC operative specializing in assassinations. She's been suspended in stasis a couple of weeks on her way to a hit and the onboard computer is about to wake her up. As you can see she's not exactly the soft and cuddly type. As an avid practitioner of martial arts, weightlifting and parkour she's built for precision, strength and speed.

Drop Zone

2011-10-10T02:56:00.000+02:00

Ah, another glorious day in the Border Guard. Low survival rate, the pay is a joke but at least you get dental and some rocket packs to play with.

The Border Guard is the cannon-fodder of the Governmental Industrial Complex. They're given basic training and sent into the field. Some get lucky and end up on a rather safe patrol rout while others are very unlucky and get dropped into a veritable meat grinder of violence.

But hey, those rocket packs do look sweet...And did we mention the dental?

Working Hard

2011-10-07T16:47:00.000+02:00

We're planning to have the text for the core book proofed and ready sometime in November and at that point some more art should be pouring in. Our proofer and editor has been real busy lately with his studies and daytime job but it seems as his schedule is clearing up.

During the wait I've been able to finish up the text for Mission Control, a thirty page booklet which will be part of the GM-screen package. I've also worked about twenty five pages into Worlds, the book which details all the solar systems and their planets. This book is expected to land somewhere around two hundred pages.

We're also working hard on our pre-release free material. This consists of a twenty eight page full color graphic novel, a ten part video log youtube series and the fifty page quick-start which also contains a ready to play story. As you can imagine, we're quite busy.

The Sirius Galaxy

2011-10-05T14:08:00.000+02:00

It's a vast galaxy and only a few systems have been made official, and even some of these are restricted. The Governmental Industrial Complex like to keep a lid on things. The Sirius galaxy offers a lot of opportunities but it's a perilous place. Months tick away as the crew travels through the ghost lines suspended in stasis. Raiders, rippers and even worse things can be found in the big empty.

The simplest of jobs can turn deadly out in the black. A distress call can take weeks or months to get through which also means it will take even longer for the help to arrive. Most deep space crews are on their own, left to fend for themselves. But that's the life...

Big thanks to the artists who have created the brushes and textures used for this image and thanks to the people behind the websites pulling them all together. If I've for some reason missed anyone and you see part of your work here please give me a holler. And of course, thanks to NASA for their public domain images.

www.brusheezy.com, PowerOfCreativity, MB-ArtisticSet-III, suztv, photoshoptutorials, Rebecca-Parker-Stock, crestfalleen, cvrgrl, webdesignerlab, www.obsidiandawn.com, texturemate, www.brushking.eu, Thomas Beal, Hitokiri147, crazykira-resources, DeviantArt

VPS - Void Psychosis Syndrome

2011-09-19T18:24:00.000+02:00

No one knows what it is, or why it's spreading like wildfire. The infinitologists claim that it's the wrath of the universe while the psychiatric technicians says that it is a form of isolation sickness, feeding into the fears and mental weaknesses of the stricken. But no one knows.

Those who have been sucked into the maddening spiral of full blown VPS are a danger to themselves and others. Insomnia, paranoid delusions paired with homicidal and suicidal tendencies are just the tip of the iceberg.

Backwater & Speedpaints

2011-08-19T18:17:00.000+02:00

So what is out there? Well, there is everything from the glistering steel towers in the core systems to the criminally operated space stations on the fringe. Mining operations, terraforming hubs and Ripper infested ships which sail through the void are but a small part of possible setting locations. The illustration below is one of my personal speedpaint favorites and shows the early stages of a mining colony set up on an un-terraformed world.

This next one shows how a group of exploring xenoarcheologists in the company of a scout makes a significant archeological find in the form of old alien ruins.

Ship Ahoy

2011-08-10T10:18:00.000+02:00

This ship is a C-class Gargon model freighter. This particular one is the ship you will be flying in the ready to play adventure in the quickstart. So welcome to the Valhalla, in a couple of months you will be part of her crew. Trust me, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

What the hell is it?

2011-07-12T14:16:00.000+02:00

Not friendly would be the short answer. This is a continuation of the creature design shown in earlier posts. We’re determined to keep at it until the antagonists in the C&D world are disturbing, nasty and deadly.

Science Researcher

2011-06-15T14:46:00.000+02:00

In the world of C&D there is a great distinction between a scientist and a science researcher. The SR is seldom stationed for long as he is more inclined to find new angels and opportunities to turn into actual science. One can say that they’re the prospectors of the scientific world. They find new scientific materials and research, do the preliminary scientific work and sell the opportunity to their clients.

Scouts

2011-06-15T14:37:00.000+02:00

The special training scouts go through allows them to handle the NETSS (Nano Environmental Tactical Stealth Suit), which renders them virtually invincible to the naked eye and most scanners. The mental strain of maintaining the stealth mode is extreme as the user has to actively interact with the interface, lining up environmental scans with his position. The outer skin of the suit consists of nanites which are capable of changing color and patterns as well as deflecting most scanners (such as IR and LIDAR).

Scouts are experts at getting behind enemy lines in order to obtain information or engage in sabotage with surgical precision. Their weapon of choice is a high-powered sniper rifle.

The Core Harvesters

2011-03-21T12:25:00.001+01:00

Mining, core harvesting and resource management is paramount for the continuation of the human species. In order to accumulate the vast resources needed to expand, the E-Class core harvesters were developed. These crafts are virtually cities of their own.

With a length of 2000 meters (about half the length of central park), a width of 500 meters and a height of 300 meters (about the height of the Eiffel Tower) they’re massive constructs. They contain approximately 30 decks and enough material to set up a large mining colony or several small ones. These beasts are out for months, carrying thousands of miners and engineers. We have our illustrator Henrik Karppinen to thank for this beautifully composed version of a Thor E-Class harvester.

More Creatures

2011-03-09T12:10:00.000+01:00

Recently we have begun to really get into the horror and creature aspect of the game. Our illustrator, Johan Fredriksson, have been working with some early black and white concepts which we’re quite happy with. Cold & Dark will have a nasty selection of inhuman antagonists. This bastard is not something you want to run into while taking a stroll down to engineering.

The Bridge

2011-03-05T18:17:00.000+01:00

Here’s a conceptualization showing the bridge of an E-Class ship. These two kilometer long behemoths make out one of the most important parts of the mining industry.

More Freaking Packages!

2011-02-12T12:20:00.000+01:00

What can I say? Working with Johan Fredriksson as an artist on this project makes the art direction fun! From the left: Scout, Site Engineer and the Prospector.

Still On Target

2010-11-13T11:19:00.000+01:00

It has been a while since the last update due to a move, work and studies. In any case, the Cold & Dark project is moving forward and our illustrator has done some great work. The Packages (classes/stereotypes) are coming together nicely.

The Working Man

2010-09-04T12:40:00.000+02:00

Mining is the lifeblood of the C&D universe. All their energy sources are derived from it. An extremely lucrative, but perilous, way of making a living is prospecting. Mining prospectors travel far out in the big empty, visiting uncharted systems hoping to hit pay dirt.

Freelance mining prospector Kyle Yenkov.

Packages on the way

2010-08-15T17:23:00.000+02:00

At the moment we're working on the visual designs for the packages. Packages being the equivalent of stereotypes/professions. Our illustrator Johan Fredriksson has done a formidable job and is carving out the GIC Marine design a bit more.

The Rebels are here!

2010-08-04T13:09:00.000+02:00

The struggle for the control over resources and power is a ferocious one. The GIC (Governmental Industrial Complex) try to lay claim to every ounce of belinium and coreanium, the lifeblood of the modern world. However, there are forces such as MEC (Military Economic Corporation) and CIM (Clandestine Industrial Militia) that oppose them. Using guerilla tactics and terror attacks these groups have proven to be fearfully successful.

Corporal Miko Fuentes of the CIM, mobilizing her troops to withstand the second wave of GIC border guards on the planet Vivrak in the Sumizome system.

At the Heart of Things

2010-07-14T12:27:00.000+02:00

Got a nice sketch of the reactor room of a ship. The coreanium core is suspended in an electromagnetic field. The amount of current that is run through it decides its energy output. This is the center of the ship, the main source for all its energy.

GIC Marine Corps!

2010-06-21T09:31:00.000+02:00

Got some nice drafts of a little skirmish between the marines and their arch enemies, the ferocious aliens known as rippers. Soon we'll put up sweet sketches of some ship interiors.

Wouldn't Be Horror In Space Without Them

2010-06-07T21:56:00.000+02:00

We have developed a font consisting of a glyphic alphabet. These glyphs can be found on alien artifacts, as well as on ships where the Void Psychosis Syndrome has taken over the crew. Any good with ciphers? Have a go at deciphering the message. It's fairly straight forward...

Not Exactly the Garden of Eden...

2010-06-04T10:41:00.000+02:00

We have gotten our first rough sketch of a ships SAC, Simulated Atmosphere Containment. This will provide a crew of thousands with water, food and air. Everything is engineered and synthesized. But at times the officers keep one or two real fruit trees or vegetable gardens in the system for those special occasions. But as you can see they don't leave it unguarded.

Some Conceptualization

2010-05-24T19:40:00.000+02:00

First I want to get something out of the way. The abbreviation COG (which here stands for Customizable Operations Gear) has nothing to do with Gears of War, nor has it been inspired by the game. It was simply a coincidence. Now, onto the design.

When I sat down with our artist Johan Fredriksson to discuss my vision he was quite happy with me wanting to stay away from bulkiness when it came to the design of the armor. C&D Is played out in a high-tech world some six hundred years from now, but I wanted It to be gritty as well as sleek. So the COG was born.

Players will probably care as much about their COGs as for their avatars (characters). The nano-integrated suit comes in nine models with approximately fifty applications and two hundred upgrades available. Below you have an example of how an avatar might look and what she might carry while out and about in the big empty.

I have also been able to continue on the starmap for the Sirius Galaxy, and it's starting to go in the right direction. A big thx goes out to NASA and ESA for providing shots of the NGC 4414 galaxy, from which I used some nebulas for increased density in the new Sirius design.

And the work goes on...

2010-05-14T12:20:00.002+02:00

The Cold & Dark project has been under development for nine months total and things are coming together. I finally managed to send the manuscript to proofing, and we have locked down our website at the moment as it is under construction.

I Recently had a meeting with our main illustrator and assistant AD, Johan Fredriksson and we got into some very nice designs. We are currently getting deeper into the creature designs, especially the Rippers. Moray eel, sloths and centipedes has acted as inspiration in order to design the species. Involving the sloth might seem an odd thing to do but Johan found a really cool way to incorporate some of this animal into the design of our nasty predators. Hopefully I will be able to provide you with some early sketches soon. In the meanwhile you have to settle for another piece of art. It's a wallpaper adaptation of some in-game art.

GIC scout overlooking terraforming units in the Tsu-Lang system, planet Helos, located 10,000 ly from the closest core system.

Damage and Progress

2010-04-29T22:06:00.003+02:00

The new Wicked World webpage is still being designed and we're very happy with the result so far. Sorry about the hold up in the blogging but I managed to get into quite a severe accident that almost tore my right hand clean off (no, I'm not joking). But the cogs of the wicked machine keeps turning. We hope to be able to have Cold & Dark ready and out on the market this fall.

And we have some new awesome artwork on the way!

C&D Art

2010-03-21T12:48:00.001+01:00

We have had some art coming in for the project. This is almost completed and shows a PCR (Planet Construction Rig) with a colonist inside. Johan Fredriksson is our main artist and we think ourselves lucky to have him on board.

Out on a trip

2010-03-03T23:09:00.001+01:00

I came to England this Monday so it has taken some time to settle in. I’m here in Swindon doing my internship at Mongoose Publishing. But I think I’ll manage to keep the blog and the development of Cold & Dark up and running as well. So without further delay I have a new ship design I would like to share. This is the continuation of the earlier design of the core harvester...

Let there be light…but it’s still a mess

2010-02-26T20:41:00.004+01:00

I’ve finally stopped dragging my ass and drafted the star map over the Sirius galaxy, the galaxy in which the stories of Cold & Dark are played out. I’m working on some interactive features that will be quite fun and useful. This is the first rough draft and I will work on the details, shape and color selection as well as some more systems. The map isn’t scaled but rather its purpose is to provide an idea of the size and distances involved. A rough guide if you will.

Design Underway

2010-02-16T12:05:00.007+01:00

Last week I got a lot done. I managed to finish the core design for most of the space ships which are going to be featured in the Cold & Dark core book. There are some details left, like the exact size of some of the classes and the fine polishing of the look. I have been inspired by many sci-fi movies and games while creating the Cold & Dark “armada”.

I’m pretty happy with the combination of “clunkyness” and the organic. The world of insects helped some with the design of this cargo carrier (above).

Others, like this C-class hunter (above), have been modeled after submarines and other ships but with some added box-like features.

This E-class core purifier (above) has a bit of USG Ishimura (Dead Space), Event Horizon and oil tanker in its design.

This deep space B-class survey ship (above) is a favorite among medical technicians, site engineers and mining prospectors due to the fact that it’s the only B-class craft that uses a reactor core, which gives it ghost jump capabilities. However, this is the new generation of ships and it’s extremely expensive. The design has been inspired by the UAC Darkstar (Doom 3) and the USG Kellion (Dead Space).

Development in Progress

2010-02-07T12:48:00.001+01:00

Almost every aspect of the Cold & Dark game mechanic has been written and tested. So it’s time to get the examples down on paper. Basically there are three things left to write: Examples, additional equipment material (ships included) and the ready to play story. That will conclude the bulk of the text. Some last QA work and then it’s time to get on the proofing. There will also be some news involving Noctum coming up in a while.

Creature Design

2010-01-31T17:20:00.000+01:00

I’ve buckled down with the creature design for Cold & Dark and I’m trying to find the right look for the nasties in the game world. I have the basic ideas ready for the alien races. The antagonists are quite unpleasant and extremely hard to deal with at times. But that’s in line with survival horror in space. Being sealed up in a gigantic steel box in the middle of a vacuum together with hungry creatures that kill humans on sight is never a pleasant experience.

Running the Mechanics Ragged

2010-01-25T17:39:00.002+01:00

This weekend’s playtesting is over. We gamed like crazy and I subjected the avatars (the equivalent of characters when using the Cold & Dark nomenclature) of the players to some really nasty stuff. The main idea was to test the combat and health system. And test them we did!

The players squirmed as their beloved avatars were shot, bitten, suffocated, irradiated and splashed with corrosives. They even got grenades flung at them. The system held up pretty good, but there were a lot of things that needed to be clarified, changed and developed further. It was a good session as it gave me a whole lot of information to work with.

When it comes to the musical aspect we managed to compose the first track. We named it Sleeping in the Ghost. This song is our first step towards finding a unique sound for this soundtrack.

New Music and Combat

2010-01-22T12:36:00.005+01:00

Today Peter Skopa is coming over to work on some new tracks. The focus is going to be the game Cold & Dark. This whole weekend is about that very game. We need to find the right mix of horror, action and suspense that we can apply to the soundtrack. We’re also experimenting with some podcasting ideas that will be used for marketing. But this, like a lot of other things, will be introduced further down the line.

Then of course there’s a game test. Tomorrow we’re going to beat the crap out of the combat and health system and see just how airtight (or not) these mechanics are. I’ve added some new nasty details like critical hits that have a dismembering effect.

The New Logo

2010-01-20T10:50:00.002+01:00

We have been developing a new Wicked World logo and we’re quite content. We think it goes hand in hand (no pun intended) with the kind of games we produce. A bit gritty one might say. Here is a closer look.