#designer notes

Designer Notes:

Snarggl - 2002

Snargle - 2009

One reason we love monsters is because of Ray Harryhausen’s work. He pioneered stop motion animation and was the first to bring many classic monsters to film. It was in Jason and the Argonauts that the Harpy made its film debut.

We were always a bit disappointed in the on-screen depictions of the harpy. While accurate to some descriptions in mythology, the dirty and gaunt look of them didn’t agree with the majestic harpy eagle of South America (one of the largest raptors) that inherited its name.

In the earliest accounts, the harpies are demi-goddesses of the 6 violent storm winds with names like Aello (storm swift), Ocypete (the swift wing), and Celaeno (the dark), they were not ugly at all, described as “the Harpyiai [lit. snatchers] with the lovely hair.”

Besides those two classic depictions of harpies there was a third less popular one… “They're said to have been feathered, with rooster's head, wings, and human arms [...]”. In fact, it is so unpopular we couldn’t find an artists’ depiction of it, so we had to make our own.

One thing that stayed constant through all their depictions was their nature: furious and vindictive, as the “hounds of Zeus”, they meted out retribution. Although fierce and loyal like hounds, they were not mere animals, able to appeal for help from other gods when needed.

This idea of cruel, overbearing and unfair “justice” that snatches people away in the night and is as random as a tempest is still relevant today. Like many monster myths, it is based on real fears, and that’s what we think makes the harpy such a great monster for MTA.

How does a fantasy monster become iconic? Dungeons & Dragons drew inspiration from many sources for the first Monster Manual in 1977, but it also included original monsters like the mimic and carrion crawler. 

What is it about the mimic that sparked people’s imaginations, while the poor carrion crawler languished in obscurity? Unlike many popular monster designs, the mimic, at least originally, didn’t have a set appearance. 

It’s whole *thing* is that it mimics boring everyday objects but what the mimic does have is a system built in (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_theory …). In this way it’s similar to earlier creatures like the bogeyman, who punish certain behaviors, but with a few key differences. The system of the mimic is not just punitive, but can also be rewarding.

A system of risk and reward is what makes games interesting.  As we saw with the blymmye, sometimes a monster’s popularity is linked to the culture of its time and we think the mimic is a really good fit for the modern era (which some have called the “ludic century”).

A risk reward system on it’s own is nothing special though. The reason the mimic is great is because it’s funny. A practical joke played on the player that creates a really memorable experience, and continues to deliver as players then treat normal objects as threats.

Eventually the mimic did settle on an iconic appearance, a monster treasure chest, and appeared in countless games. We were surprised when we showed MTA in Korea, everyone recognized and could name the mimic! What is your favorite mimic design?

While researching minotaurs for MTA we ran across some unusual depictions. Here are some of the least threatening minotaurs through the ages. In fact, this Etruscan picture is so old the minotaur is still a baby.

After his baby stage, the classical minotaur spent his days trapped in the Labyrinth. The minotaur's days of wandering lost were cut short by Theseus, shown here in this medieval painting.

You would think that was the end of the story, but no. In Dante’s Inferno the minotaur is seen lazing around in Hell. This intricate etching seems to have been made by a very skilled artist who had never seen a bull in his life.

Homer described the Chimera as "a thing made not by humans, but immortals; lion-fronted, snake behind, a goat in the middle, and snorting out bright fire with it's terrible flame breath" sounds scary, but at least it isn’t real… right?

While modern chimeras may not breathe fire, they certainly exist. Science has borrowed the word to describe any organism that has the genetics of more than one animal. Made with CRISPR, modern examples include the terrifying pig-human, monkey-human and sheep-human hybrids.

Real chimeras also exist in nature. For example, Anglerfish, which reproduces by having the tiny male fish bite the female fish and then gradually melt in to it becoming one organism. Some would call this horrifying, but other more open minded folks may call it romantic.

Civ IV lead designer Soren Johnson interviews Civilization co-creator Sid Meier.

Listening to Game Designers

As good as interviews with game designers can get, designers are sometimes more open about their work when they’re talking with other designers. The Idle Thumbs podcast network has two great podcasts with these kinds of interviews, get blasted: Tone Control Steve Gaynor (Tacoma, Gone Home) interviewed developers for 13 episodes. You’ve got your Ken Levine and Tim Schafer interviews in addition to…