Time’s End Blog for December 20th, 2023
Greetings, fellow Big Time players!
As the end of the year is approaching, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for joining us over the last year. Your support and enthusiasm for Big Time have made this year incredibly special. Looking ahead to 2024, we’re thrilled to unveil an array of exciting new content. Thank you for being a part of our community! 😀
First, let’s dive into a quick recap of what’s been happening lately at Big Time:
- The postcard airdrop and the first rounds of the leaderboard airdrop happened! 🎁
- Check out the latest economy balance changes here!
- We won Best Adventure Game, Best RPG, and Best Multiplayer Game of the https://gam3s.gg/ awards! 🎉
Team Member Spotlight
Today’s team member is Alice Bernier, Audio Team Lead at Big Time!
“When I finished music school, I wanted to be an audio engineer and record music essentially in studios. I loved playing games when I was very young, but back in the day, I did not even think it was a career possibility at that time! So I started as an audio engineer assistant and then as an audio/video technician in cartoon production. Later, I began touring because my first music album was well received, so I played live electronic music in clubs for about a year. However, I did not enjoy touring that much. I preferred composing music in my home studio, creating content, and mixing.
Eventually, I came across a Gameloft studio ad; they were looking for QA testers. I applied for the job, thinking that I could learn what it takes to be a sound designer in games, and it worked! Six months later, I was hired by Ubisoft to help implement audio content for one of the Prince of Persia games, Warrior Within. From there, I contributed to various projects for different video game companies like Prince of Persia: Two Thrones, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Spider-Man 3, Transformers 2, James Bond: Quantum of Solace, Kung Fu Panda, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Batman: Arkham Origins, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Mortal Kombat 11, and Gotham Knights.
I think what inspired me is the huge amount of content we need to produce for video game projects. Additionally, the technical aspect of game development, as well as the creativity needed in a short period of time, is challenging — I like challenges! :)
To create a unique audio experience that complements the gameplay and story of the game, the most important part is teamwork. As an audio team, we create and implement content most of the time because of other departments’ content — such as Animation, VFX, UI, and levels. I usually prioritize good communication with the game designers to understand their design vision for the specific game portion they are working on, as well as the art direction for the mood. Particularly for music, mood is crucial. From there, I enjoy playing the game and noting elements that I believe could fit well and enhance the project in line with the game design team’s objectives.
Currently, we are a team of two audio professionals. We usually play together every week and discuss what tasks need to be completed. Subsequently, we produce and implement the audio content. Once everything is in the game and functional, I seek feedback from the game team for any necessary audio design tweaks.
I believe the most challenging aspect of my job is staying aware of everything implemented in the game and creating content for it on time. Audio plays a significant role throughout the entire game, so maintaining good visibility is crucial. Additionally, we often find ourselves working close to deadlines as we’re at the end of the content creation production cycle.
As an audio professional, it’s important not to hesitate in asking questions to the development team, we need as much information as possible!
Regarding why I chose to be a part of the Big Time team — most of the time in my previous projects, I held the position of audio director, leading a large audio team but not directly involved in audio design or music production, or only minimally so. Transitioning from the traditional AAA console single-player game development, I found the free-to-play multiplayer DNA of Big Time intriguing.
I find the regular release of content rewarding. As a content creator developer, I receive regular feedback on the content I’ve created from the players, and it’s a great feeling. Moreover, I believe that the blockchain NFT and token aspects of the game could empower players further. Instead of merely spending money to play the game, they can actually own valuable items and trade them. I find this concept very interesting and forward-thinking.
I have to admit, recording my voice for various elements such as placeholders, real game assets, robots, monsters, etc., is incredibly enjoyable! Another aspect I particularly like is composing music and setting the mood for a level; it’s genuinely fulfilling when I engage in this process. Moreover, capturing homemade sounds brings its own fun, like using a hydrophone microphone to record bubbles in my toilet and bath, employing an induction coil microphone to capture magnetic fields, and wandering around town recording, albeit looking rather peculiar!
I hope you enjoy playing our game! And feel free to leave audio feedback if you like. We get those and will try our best to fix if it’s a bug, be happy if it’s a compliment and design around it if you did not like it!”
Community Corner
Big thanks to everyone who joined our Space Decoration contest! We were blown away by your creativity and talent. Now, let’s give a huge round of applause to our amazing winners! 🏆
First place:
Second place:
Third place:
We want to highlight these amazing submissions that brought a lot of creativity to our Space Decoration contest. Check out these cool entries that may not have won, but definitely wowed us with their unique ideas and style!
Thank you to everyone who participated!
How feedback works
We’re super grateful for all the awesome feedback you’ve been sharing with us! Your ideas and suggestions play a massive role in making Big Time the game it is.
We’ve heard questions like, “I gave this idea ages ago, why isn’t it in the game yet?” We totally get it! We absolutely value your ideas and feedback. It’s essential to highlight that implementing changes takes a considerable amount of time. Even if we adopt feedback exactly as given, it won’t immediately reflect in a build, as each addition requires careful implementation.
While we deeply appreciate and consider all suggestions, incorporating them into the game isn’t always straightforward due to the specific path our game is following. Our team is diligently working to stay on track with our vision while striving to incorporate valuable community input.
We’re excited about all the cool ideas you share, but think of game development like solving a huge puzzle. Sometimes, we need to figure out which pieces fit best right now and save some for later. We’re prioritizing what’s most crucial to make Big Time awesome for everyone!
If your idea hasn’t made it into the game yet, please don’t think we’re ignoring you! It might just not be the perfect time for it — yet! Some of your suggestions might even match things we’ve already thought about, but we can’t put them in until the game reaches a certain stage. We’re keeping a note of all these fantastic ideas for when the timing is just right.
Your feedback is like a treasure trove full of amazing ideas, and we’re immensely grateful for each contribution. We’ve already implemented an abundance of player feedback, and we’ll continue to do so. Please continue sharing your valuable insights with us!
Development Updates
Updated roadmap
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve just finalized an updated roadmap showcasing all the fantastic new content and features we have in store for Big Time. Who’s excited to see Epoch City? 👀
New Anomaly Dungeon
Prepare for a fresh adventure as you’ll be able to navigate through a dynamic dungeon flow, where conquering 1 or 2 distinct objectives becomes the key to unlocking each subsequent area. Navigate blinking lasers, revivor totems that revive dead enemies, jumping mines, and other tricky obstacles as you progress through this new challenge!
Who’ll be the first one to reach the boss area?
Art Showcase
Get ready to dive into the festive spirit with these images of our concept art for the Christmas game content. It’s time for Xmas Clockies and some fun breakables!
Thank you for being part of our incredible journey, and here’s to an amazing year ahead. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Big Time! 🎉
See you in the future!
Yvonne, Head of Player Experience
