Singularity

Emil Mujanovic · Jun 2010

To coincide with its release, we will be looking at Singularity, the new Sci-Fi First Person Shooter game from Raven Software. The game was developed using Unreal Engine 3 and it's really noticeable right off the bat. It features some crazy looking monsters, ever changing environments, solid animation and breath taking effects.

Singularity - Last Resort Tailer

Initially I wasn't too blown away by the character designs of the game, as the soldier designs were pretty generic. However, they were beautifully crafted and executed to perfection.

But that all changed when I saw some screenshots of of the mutant enemies and creatures, and these are definitely the stronger of the character designs seen throughout the game. They vary from your standard mutated humanoid to larger than life jaw dropping monstrosities that will require you to change your underwear after encountering them.

The game is set on a quarantined island hidden from the public for almost six decades, and from the moment you set foot on it the dark and foreboding atmosphere captures you in and doesn't let go no matter how hard you kick and scream.

The environments in Singularity have been tackled in a very interesting fashion. Because of the time altering mechanics of the game, you will see the environment change right before your very eyes. Structures will be built anew, new structures will crumble and vapourise to dust, all at your command.

Singularity - Age Revert Trailer

What makes the environment even more enjoyable is seeing one area at the present time (2010), only to be overcome by a giant time-warping wave and being sent back through time into the 50s and seeing the same area with a whole new perspective. This is a great way to get re-use from the same environment. Grunging up an area and creating a new light rig, you end up with a whole new environment that drastically alters the mood and atmosphere as well as your situation within the game.

The lighting in the game has been handled really well and is strongly complimented by the superior lighting engine of Unreal Engine 3. Each environment is full of rich colours, mixing warm and cool colours and even colour you would never expect to see in a "Next-Gen" Sci-Fi First Person Shooter.

Looking at some of the concept art for the environments shows the strong consideration taken to set the mood of the level, selecting the light sources, adding complimentary lights and colours, watching it all come together in one harmonious piece of art.

Another cool thing to check out is the Developer Diary that Raven Software have been updating throughout the production of Singularity. We featured the Character Art Article a while back, but this is your opportunity to check out some of other awesome topics that the Raven team have shared.

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