The Maps of Texas
The Texas countryside is an important aspect in bringing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to life. In this Hub post, we’ll be going over the process of recreating the iconic locations from the 1974 film as game environments and how those locations may require different play styles depending on where players find themselves.
For Gun and Sumo, working on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre began with intensive research to deepen our understanding of the source material. In regards to the locations featured in the film, it means using that understanding of what existed to expand upon it in a way that makes sense for the game.
“When choosing and designing the levels, we knew we wanted players to really experience the iconic locations from the original movie as well as add our own stamp on the franchise. These are key locations for the Family and their Victims and it would not be The Texas Chain Saw Massacre without them.
We wanted to allow the players to not just enter, but more importantly, fully explore and feel those places and how macabre they are, discovering not just what the movie showed, but the areas hidden from view. We get to explore a huge range of possible environmental questions. What would be behind this door? What spaces have this Family of killers created? How do the Family live in these spaces? How have they constructed these areas?
That’s where the real fun begins and where the designers and artists get to play. Working with our art and design team here at Sumo and the awesome folks at Gun, nothing has been left unturned in the authenticity department. We know that the fans are going to compare and analyze what we have made with the movie, and I think I can say that everyone on the project has brought their A-game to bring as much detail as humanly possible to the game. I’m very proud of what the team has created.”
–Steve Kirby, Lead Designer, Sumo Digital - Nottingham
The overhead view gives a good sense of scale for each location, but also illustrates how each map is different from the others.
From the basement where we’ve seen Leatherface work, to the Gas Station where we meet the Cook for the first time, these locations are more than just the rooms we see in the film, and within each location there are vastly different areas. Strategies that work in a windowless basement may not be the best choice in a room with sunlight streaming in, and the advantages you have in the shadows may disappear when you find yourself outside in the bright Texas sun.
The Family House sits virtually alone in a sea of green grass and sunflowers with open lines of sight anywhere outside. The Gas Station is littered with junk piles and broken-down vehicles that have been dumped and forgotten in the spaces between buildings. The Slaughterhouse is this maze-like claustrophobic tangle of broken down buildings and cattle panels. How do we make sure that we’re still promoting the same core gameplay, while players are forced to play differently in each location?
“Once we had a solid understanding of how the core gameplay was shaping up, we underwent the process of carving up the gameplay spaces to promote our cat and mouse philosophy. Shadows and traversal methods became the hallmark of successful players on the development team.
However, we knew we could not offer all these things in every scenario, and so found that through repeat play sessions, different playstyles emerged that complimented each player’s style. Through all our maps we tried to capture a feeling of progress as Victims moved through each zone. It was important to reward success with more space to breathe and plan, while also raising the pressure on the Family members to catch Victims before they escape. There is a satisfying moment in a match when a Family team realizes a Victim has progressed past an integral threshold. Can the Family stay cool under pressure and hunt the Victims, or will the Victims capitalize on the confusion to make a break for it?”
–Oly Scott, Senior Designer, Sumo Digital - Nottingham
The Family will need to keep their eyes and ears open and depend on all of the tools at their disposal, including teamwork, to search out and discover where the Victims are before they are able to escape the Family’s clutches.
We’ve said before that Victims should be silent, shut off the lights, and stick to the shadows. These are the core concepts to strive for, though there are times that players can’t, or won’t, be able to follow these guidelines.
In those moments, choices must be made.