This blog will contain development progress of a new environment level project for the CryENGINE, named 'Crossing of the Damned'.
The Crossing of the Damned - Backstory
The Crossing of the Damned is a dungeon instance, a mere fan art of Blizzard's "World of Warcraft".
This part of the dungeon instance features a final boss, Kul'thu, Master of Ember, an ancient demonic dwarven demi-god whose statues once stood proudly in the hallways of the dwarves of Dun Morogh. Once a servant of the Titans, Kul'thu was tempted by Sargeras with demonic powers that could be weilded as a means of destruction of non-dwarven races and rising as the supreme God Of All in Azeroth.
In return, Sargeras wanted the Dragjuvel, a powerful gem said to be crafted from the scale of Deathwing that was found on the battlefields of the Second War by the dwarves. The precious gem held some of Deathwings power which Sargeras felt would aid his chief lieutenant , Kil'Jaeden.
The dwarves soon discovered the treachery of their own demi-god and removed all knowledge of Kul'thu from the archives , tearing down his statues and thus the word Kul'thu is sometimes used in Dwarven as an insult. Kul'thu cursed Sargeras, realising his betrayal has stung his very own people. He now resides in the deepest dungeons of Blackrock Mountain where Ragnaros once resided. As a master blacksmith and craftsman, Kul'thu forged the deadliest weapons and armour in Azeroth, making him a threat to all.
Abstract
I have been a fan of Blizzard's works for a very long time, from the days Warcraft and Diablo released till now. Recently Blizzard began to improve upon their style, which is well known for it's colourful and semi-cartoon look with environments in a massive scale. This project will give me the opportunity to mimic the style that Blizzard has created for the World of Warcraft and Diablo. From hand-painted texturing to lighting, I will be studying their work closely and how they achieve what they have done.
