[Wishko]

Разработчики Overwatch 2 опубликовали новую статью из серии "Еженедельный сбор", в которой регулярно делятся разной информацией о своих подходах к работе над игрой, успехах и неудачах, новинках и прочих волнующих их и игроков моментах. В свежей заметке авторы рассказали о работе над новым героем – Вендеттой.

• Как было показано в трейлере героя, Вендетта намерена отомстить за своего отца и потому находится на стороне злодеев. Изначально разработчики хотели сделать из нее позитивного героя, защитницу народа Италии от "Нуль-Сектора", но решили пойти по другому гораздо более интересному и крутому пути. В игре уже давно не было новых злодеев, а сама по себе Вендетта отлично подошла на эту роль.
• При работе над новыми героями разработчики следуют трехстороннему пути – сюжет, способности и внешний вид. Все эти элементы вдохновляют и дополняют друг друга. Образ Вендетты вдохновлен рыцарями, гладиаторами и другими могучими персонажами.
• Изначально у авторов игры было три разных концепта способностей/игрового процесса: прицельного стрелка дальнего боя, убийцы средней дистанции и бойца ближнего боя. Разработчики посчитали последнюю задумку наиболее привлекательной, к тому же это дало им возможность воплотить одну из старых идей – бойца с огромным мечом как в аниме и старинных играх.
• Сюжетно Вендетта является единственным ребенком одного из итальянских главарей "Когтя" – Антонио Барталотти, которого убил Габриэль Рейес, а потому теперь, подгоняемая горечью и яростью, она жаждет отмщения. Этот персонаж позволит получше погрузиться в историю Италии будущего и карты Колизей, что по сути своей является большой ареной.
• При работе над Вендеттой разработчики вовсю вдохновлялись различными важными темами для Италии, включая, собственно, арену Колизея, Римскую Империю, по легенде взращенными волчицей основателями Рима – Ромулом и Ремом (что отражено в прозвище героини на арене – La Lupa, то есть Волчица, и ее оружии).
• Вендетта – мощный герой вроде Райнхардта и Бригитты, но в то же время более мобильный и ловкий. Разработчики ожидают от персонажа довольно агрессивный стиль игры. Герой очень требователен к навыку игрока, поскольку нужно иметь хорошую координацию и метко целиться, а также составлять план действий, поскольку персонаж сражается в ближнем бою и часто заходит в тыл команды противника.
• Вендетта может казаться недостаточно сильной, но на самом деле это далеко не так, а потому ее не стоит недооценивать. Опрометчивая недооценка персонажа противниками находит отражение как в истории героя, так и игровом процессе.
• Меч Вендетты, Палатиновый Клык, по-разному выглядит для разных команд: союзники видят его черно-белым, а противники – красным.

Weekly Recall: Strength, Glory, Vendetta

The She-Wolf of Retribution prowls in the shadows; her footsteps, light but clearly on the hunt, leave pawprints in the sand. Her imposing silhouette decorates the walls of the Arena Victoriae and the presence of La Lupa seems to permeate the very foundations of the Overwatch universe. Amid the roars of the Colosseo crowd, she steps into the spotlight.

Vendetta has arrived…and she’s not going anywhere without a fight.

Brandishing a sword that’s approximately the size of two Torbjörns, Hero 45 officially introduced herself last week with an action-packed, rage-filled Hero Trailer. Our newest damage dealer is a swift and lethal gladiator hardened by the trials of the Colosseum and the actions of Overwatch itself.

You’ll get to test her hard-hitting, agile kit when Vendetta’s Hero Trial launches on Nov. 26, but her development team wanted to offer more insight into the machinations and motivations of vengeance personified and illustrate the process behind her creation.

A Gladiator Rises

As implied in her Hero Trailer, Vendetta is set on reclaiming her birthright, and will take down anyone who stands in her way. But she could have ended up with a different source of motivation if the early conceptual process had gone differently.

Narratively, her team had to quite literally choose between good and evil. One iteration of Vendetta painted her as a gladiator who defended Italian citizens during Ramattra’s Null Sector attacks. The narrative team opted to go in a more villainous direction for a variety of reasons, including an obvious one. “It’s way cooler,” said senior narrative designer Jude Stacey, who took point in developing Vendetta’s story.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a true villain,” Jude said about the process of developing Vendetta’s personality. “There was no waffling or trying to convince people she’s evil. It just flowed.”

The general idea of Vendetta was apparent from a hero design standpoint early on, but the details took a while to align. According to senior game producer Kenny Hudson, the team normally takes a three-tiered approach when creating a new Overwatch Hero: inspiration comes from a narrative beat, the idea of a Hero’s kit, or compelling concept art. One often influences the other two.

Early Vendetta concept art.

The team knew they wanted to create a sturdy Hero and looked at the art of crusaders, gladiators, and other heavy-hitter concepts to guide them. “We knew the role and the archetype, so we started having conversations about what this hero would look like, what their silhouette would be,” Kenny said.

Three entirely different prototypes were made for the Hero that would later become Vendetta. One was a long-range hitscan, another was a midrange assassin, and the last was a close-range melee DPS hero. Not only was the melee build the most compelling, it offered the clearest potential for the Overwatch team to do something they’d been craving for a long time: make a Hero that swung a really, really big sword. The team derived inspiration from various pieces of fiction, from old-school video game franchises to anime classics starring heroes who wield massive weapons.

Expanding the Universe

As Jude states, Vendetta’s “birth was rooted in the lore” of the Overwatch universe. She’s the only child of former Talon bigwig Antonio Bartalotti, who was gunned down by Gabriel Reyes. The She-Wolf of Retribution is important to the overarching universe for more reasons than her lineage and lingering bitterness, though.

For years, the narrative team had been asked to create a Hero with Italian roots, and Vendetta offered the chance to capitalize on that request while fleshing out what the world looks like in the late 21st century. Colosseo, a Push map that launched with Overwatch 2, offered a glimpse into the future of Italy and the Arena Victoriae map opened the Colosseum’s doors. But Vendetta’s story will truly delve into the nitty gritty.

“Through Vendetta, we were able to really expand on what happens in that ring and what it means to Italy,” Jude said. In Overwatch’s universe, the Colosseo is a cultural touchstone for Italy and a sense of cultural pride. Vendetta’s dominance in the arena elevates her to legendary status and helps her gain power and influence as a member of Europe’s elite, which we’ll get to see play out as her story progresses.

The soul of Italy was intentionally woven into every facet of Vendetta. Jude and the narrative team took inspiration from the opulence, glory, and dominance of the Roman Empire (with help from the Italian localization team) to flesh out everything from her weaponry to her voice lines.

La Lupa, her title in the Arena and her front-facing nickname to the Overwatch community before her reveal, references the fabled She-Wolf of Rome that raised its founders, Romulus and Remus. Her sword is named the Palatine Fang in honor of the hill where the founders were reared by the She-Wolf.

Various voice lines were created in sync with the Italian localization team for authenticity and some of them will show how deeply Vendetta is entangled in Overwatch’s many feuds and alliances.

You Can’t Outrun the Wolf

Just as she effortlessly slips into existing Overwatch lore, Vendetta also slots into a missing niche on the Overwatch Hero roster. Her strike team had to move away from the idea of a crusader in heavy armor to create a more recognizable silhouette, but that change motivated them to combine agility with heavy-hitting melee damage.

Vendetta’s kit makes her much more mobile than Reinhardt or Brigitte, Overwatch’s other true melee damage weapon Heroes. Her design team notes there’s a level of aggression in her combat style that encourages you to close the gap between Vendetta and the enemy team.

The Palatine Fang.

The Palatine Fang is a key part of that agility. Instead of wielding a sword made of solid iron, Vendetta’s unique weapon is crafted from hard-light that’s as beautiful as it is lethal. Creating La Lupa’s perfect weapon was a challenge her strike team faced head-on.

Not only did they have to figure out how to keep the sword visible in first-person view, but they had to brainstorm ways to accurately represent it to allow precise slashes from all angles. Beyond that, VFX proved to be another challenge: the Palatine Fang is supposed to glow red, but red already signifies enemy forces in Overwatch’s default color scheme.

The solution? Different allied and enemy color loadouts. If you’re on the same team as Vendetta—and you should hope you are—her sword will appear to glow black and white as she attacks. If you’re being hunted, though, the true electric red of the Palatine Fang will appear…and that’s your cue to run.

Never Underestimate a Threat

Vendetta learned from an early age to never underestimate an enemy, something she notes her father taught her even in death. The team notes you should heed that warning as well.

Several of her developers agreed that Vendetta has a surprisingly high skill floor and there’s an element of aim to her kit that might take more attention than you’d think. They hinted at a precise overhead swing that you’ll need to nail in order to lock in maximum damage during a combo move. Her mobility can also unintentionally be a trap, goading overzealous attackers into jumping directly into the action without an escape plan.

The motif of being underestimated is also sprinkled throughout Vendetta’s lore. “As villainous as she is—and don’t let anybody tell you she’s not a villain—her motivations are relatable,” Jude said. It’s very intentional that the audience can see themselves in her actions and her story.

“I think a lot of people—especially women—have had opportunities they’ve worked very hard for or felt they deserved taken away from them. Or they’ve been underestimated, looked down upon, or generally not taken seriously in a way that Vendetta certainly has been,” Jude said. “But she’s able to recognize nothing you want is given to you and you have to chase it. You have to go after it.”

And chase she will. Follow along or stay out of her way when Vendetta’s Hero Trial begins next week, on Nov. 26![Источник]

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Ммм, как интересно почитать про такую сильную и такую независимую героиню!