Out of This World Customization in OlliOlli World: VOID Riders
The first expansion for OlliOlli World has landed, and with it come over 70 all-new customization options to add to the vast selection already in the base game.
The V.O.I.D. Riders are an all-new alien crew who’ve landed in Radlandia on a quest to find the mystical Hyped One — a truly out-of-this-world skater worthy of cosmic celebration. Could that skater be you? Will you be able to impress their mysterious leader, Nebulord? And, most importantly — what kind of fresh new fashions are these intergalactic visitors bringing with them to Radlandia?!
I spoke to Arthur Tubb, lead character artist & animator at developer Roll7, who gave me the inside scoop on the new customization options in this DLC, and how all these extraterrestrial ‘fits came to be.
Roll7: Hey, Arthur! First things first. Could you tell me a bit about the process of designing a customization item?
Arthur Tubb: We start by figuring out how many new items we need, how they are unlocked, and how they fit into the narrative. Then we go crazy and try to design them. I work on all aspects of the process, from concepting, modeling, texturing, skinning, rigging, and setting up the prefabs in-game.
Roll7: What’s a Prefab?
Arthur Tubb: Well, in this context, the Prefab is the item of clothing and how it fits into the customization system.
Roll7: So, for example, there’s a Prefab that’s just a basic t-shirt shape, and then you and the customization team can put different colors and patterns onto it?
Arthur Tubb: That’s right!
Roll7: What was your thought process when working on the new ‘VOID’ line. What was the vibe you were aiming for?
Arthur Tubb: In terms of vibe, I always try to steer it back towards existing skate culture… most of the items I’ve actually seen people wearing whilst skating at some point, whether it’s eccentrics in the streets or in old skate videos from the 80s!
Roll7: How did you go about capturing that out-of-this-world feeling with these new customization items?
Arthur Tubb: The rainbow shader probably makes them feel the most cosmic, and the wiggly effect on the Nebulord items. The Rainbow Shader is a special type of effect on the custom items within the game, creating a kaleidoscope of colors that moves across the object. I can’t take the credit for that, it’s down to our VFX artists! But I did make a board where the griptape is a portal into another dimension…
Roll7: There are a couple of new grabs and animations in this DLC, too. Which were you most excited to see in-game and why?
Arthur Tubb: Yup, there are a few new ones! I animated the grabs, and our 3D animator Aurelien Duhayon created the animation options for your character to do at the start and end of runs. The Rocket Air is really cool, as I like 80s vert tricks, but the Cosmic Caveman start animation is just hilarious. We had fun with these new ones, for sure.
Roll7: There are also some new hairstyles. How does the process of choosing and designing those work?
Arthur Tubb: We did get some requests to make even more diverse hairstyles, and we were happy to take that on board. Our amazing concept artist German Reina came up with new hairstyles based on those requests, and then our 3D artist Jeremi Boutelet modeled them in all their squishy glory. The toughest part of that is probably creating the blendshapes, so they fit perfectly under all the hats! A ‘Blendshape’ is an effect which modifies one object into another shape, in this context it is the difference between a hairstyle with or without a hat!
Roll7: If you could wear/own one item from OlliOlli World: VOID Riders in real life, what would you pick and why?
Arthur Tubb: My personal style is pretty boring, I like plain things with maybe one accent color. So, I’d opt for the black Believe T-shirt with the pink print.
Roll7: What’s your favorite new customization item you worked on for this first expansion, and why?
Arthur Tubb: Oh, that’s a tough one, I love them all for different reasons. But the hoodie with the hood up is great, gives some new variations and doing the skinning around the neck was fun. The Lagoon Creature outfit is cool too, as it’s got big, oversized feet and a permanently dumb expression.
OlliOlli World: VOID Riders brings a brave new world of challenges and space-age gear as you prepare to enter and explore an alien biome: the V.O.I.D. VOID Riders is the first of two expansions for critically acclaimed OlliOlli World created by the BAFTA and multi-award-winning studio, Roll7. You can pick up VOID Riders today on the Xbox Store for $9.99.
OlliOlli World: VOID Riders
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OlliOlli World
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