A new post has surfaced on the Official TF2 Blog, chronicling the creative evolution of the demoman as well as describing some early concepts for TF2’s design.
One of the first (albeit short-lived) ideas that was being thrown around was to try to recreate a look of claymation for our game. The idea was to make the world look like a miniature set built for clay figures which animated and gibbed into chunks of clay.
That would have been weird. Cool, but weird.
As they were designing their characters, Valve came up with a personal history for each to help them mold and shape the physical look of the individual classes. The backstory they crafted for the demoman led him to become a red-haired, fair-skinned Scotsman, though some members of Valve had reservations about his appearance:
A nagging feeling that perhaps the embracing of the archetype was a little to generic. Perhaps a little too much like a groundskeeper in Springfield.
Ultimately, they went a slightly different way with his look. Another nice peek into the creative process over at Valve.
EDIT: I think I accidentally deleted some comments while trying to clear out some commentspam. If your comment is gone, sorry about that.
41 responses so far ↓
1 Gryphon // Aug 28, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Huh, a claymation TF2. That sounds so strange and awesome.
2 ZomBuster // Aug 28, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I expected a new Demoman post about some unnoticed demo called “Deconstructed”
3 Opusau // Aug 28, 2008 at 7:41 pm
But in a claymation TF2, a pyro would have an unfair advantage! He’d bake them, then shatter them!
4 Soundwave // Aug 28, 2008 at 8:22 pm
White Scottish Cylopses! They’re everywhere!
5 The Gyromorgian // Aug 28, 2008 at 8:25 pm
For the tag on the bottom, the line is actually, “Prancin aboot with yer heads full o eyeballs!”
6 Danielle // Aug 28, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Claymation TF2 reminds me of so many old SNES claymation games… specifically CLAYFIGHTER and CLAYMATE, I think it was called (made by the same folks). I loved Taffy in CLAYFIGHTER.
7 Gothic // Aug 28, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I think Valve went the right way with making him of African descent. Really sets him apart from the other guys.
8 SenatorPalpatine // Aug 28, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Funny tag, but too easy.
Interesting to get a peek at the design process.
Comment too short, nothing else to say, fill with meta thoughts to make it seem like I’m saying something. When there’s over 40 or 50 comments most people will scroll past this anyway.
9 Eathanu // Aug 28, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Zombuster raises a good point, Chris. You gonna make Demoman yet another Vision of the Future?
10 Eathanu // Aug 28, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Haha I just realized I’ve been following your sites for like five freaking years.
11 AlphaHawk // Aug 28, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Nifty.
12 Swiss // Aug 28, 2008 at 10:20 pm
YESAWSOMEYEAH!
I hope the official blog keeps going with the concept art posts. There never going let us see the concept art anywhere else.
here’s hopping they post early design for other characters, and more of the thought process.
13 James // Aug 28, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I was checking out the teaser videos, and one thing that looked cool but didn’t make it to the final game was the cartoon-like gun flashes. See Meet the Heavy for an example (also for the scout with submachine gun and the medic with a syringe).
14 Cpt. Falcon // Aug 29, 2008 at 1:10 am
@James:
I was requesting around a while to try to get the cartoony muzzle flashes, but to no avail.
I was informed the ones used in the beta were staged or fake, because they were models.
The ones used now in game are sprites.
I think.
Anyway I really wish we could have an option to use those, I like them so much more.
Also valve, I’d like an option in the multiplayer menu tab for a thirdperson view when you have a melee weapon out.
The options would be: Always; When not Engi or Spy; Never.
That would be so kickass. I could see a bug arise where it would get stuck in third person view, and suddenly sniping isn’t so fun anymore.
I really like looking at the characters, Valve did a great job on the animations, but you never get to see your own guy. atleast for melee, when aiming isn’t such a big issue (btw, i’ve been trying to aim for headshots with melee weapons, but it never seems to do anything extra. Am I wasting my time anyone?), I’d like to see my guy jumping around wildly swinging his weapon.
I recently learned that on most battlecries and some cheers, some players will thrust their left arm in the air if they aren’t shooting or holding a melee weapon. I think little things like that are awesome, but i don’t want to think it.
I want to see little things like that are awesome. :)
15 SmackleFunky // Aug 29, 2008 at 2:00 am
My afternoon:
Get home from work
cheack RSS feeds.
“Oh look, a new TF2 blog post” *reads*
“Oh look a new 1fort post… oh wait, it’s about the TF2 post”
16 Christopher // Aug 29, 2008 at 9:45 am
Er, sorry, looks like I accidentally deleted a bunch of comments while trying to clear out some spam. My bad.
17 J3553 // Aug 29, 2008 at 10:05 am
Didn’t Spore kind of look like claymation in it’s early stages?
BTW, 9 days until spore. :-)
18 Ayrton // Aug 29, 2008 at 10:21 am
Wow, I love the kilt on the last white demo. I think they should make it an unlock or something. Or have a scottish day, where every class has a kilt.
19 Pringlos // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:04 am
Funny how in the 160th episode you have a black explosives expert called Boomer :D
http://www.hlcomic.com/index.php?date=2006-06-12
Just like Ayrton, I also liked the idead of Demoman having a kilt
20 rammingspeed42 // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:08 am
Hard to imagine the game with a red-haired, pale-skinned, caber-tossin’ sod instead of the one “of African descent” that we’ve all come to know and love.
And that wasn’t me being racist, btw. It is just funny how companies are beginning to choose their words more carefully in those regards.
21 Phil // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:10 am
@18
Exactly what I said (before Mr.Livingstone deleted my comment!)
The kilt should make a comeback
22 Killa-Ewok // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:50 am
HI R U GONNSA KILL DEMOMAN PLZ DONT I LIK HIM AND WNT HIM 2 DO TF2 PLZ DONT ENDS TEH DEMOMAN OK OR I WILL HATE U 4EVER YOU SUCK IF U KILL DEMOMANS UR A DICK ALSO HOW DO U USE GUN IN TF2
Let’s see if anyone gets the random reference.
23 AlphaHawk // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:53 am
Deleting comments? You should use that power more Chris, surely you see some of the stupid shit posted here sometimes :(
24 diego_pmc // Aug 29, 2008 at 12:10 pm
#22 - I thought it was “pose gun” not “use gun”. ;)
25 Jimborb // Aug 29, 2008 at 12:19 pm
It’s typical that “accidentally deleted some comments” ends up with “deleted jimborbs comments because he pwns at TF2″
Not really, i suck at it…
And meh, i don’t think you really can be racist in TF2, i mean, it’s all just a mish-mash of cultural stereotypes really
26 Killa-Ewok // Aug 29, 2008 at 12:21 pm
@24:
You didn’t notice the Demomans in there? Or TF2? Obviously making the connection would have been too easy with the original text.
27 Mr. Brit // Aug 29, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Kilt for the Demoman! Lederhosen for the Medic! Uncle Sam hat for the Soldier! Surfer outfit for the Sniper! Beret, onions and a striped T-sirt for the Spy! Bearskin hat/gloves/coat for the Heavy! ‘I<3 NYC’ T-shirt and statute of liberty hat for the Scout! Dress for the Pyro! Cowboy outfit for the Engineer! ROFLOL!!!
28 Mr. Brit // Aug 29, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Actually, I’d like the Kilt. Be funny to see how they adapt the grenade launcher taunt ;)
29 Cpt. Falcon // Aug 29, 2008 at 6:14 pm
@Mr. Brit:
Lol that taunt would indeed be interesting.
:( I want thirdperson view on melee weapons!!
Sudden death melee fights would be so more interesting!
And now that I have more steam friends, I really agree with the post you made a long while back Chris about death cams taking priority over friends.
I think it should go friends, nearest person, same class, object of interest (flag, cp, etc), taunting people, people in combat, players with high scores, people not in combat, train, and THEN people in spawn. it goes to the spawn room too many times.
30 Mr Brit // Aug 29, 2008 at 6:21 pm
It should do what the console version does, follow the guy who killed you for a bit instead of freeze cam. Make it an option at least
31 [@] Chronos[Ha-G] // Aug 29, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Comment spam? Oy vey - did that one idiot come back?
32 Das Ganon // Aug 30, 2008 at 12:30 am
Probably not, but nature abhors a power vacuum.
so where we once had one annoying spammer from hell…. we have two or more.
oh well….. someone get the bam stamp!
Also the kilt and cartoonesk flash might be an add on.
The Kilt: lose 50 Hp, go tons faster
that would be fantastic.
33 Nonomu198 // Aug 30, 2008 at 5:18 am
The early Demoman reminds me of the Spy… just unmasked.
Talking about unmasked, I wonder if Valve went extreme and added the Demoman an afro under his hat.
34 Ryan // Aug 30, 2008 at 4:07 pm
“It should do what the console version does, follow the guy who killed you for a bit instead of freeze cam. Make it an option at least.”
Agreed- what’s the point of taunting a killed enemy if they can’t see and hear it close up?
35 DoctorDisaster // Aug 31, 2008 at 8:34 am
I like the kilt too.
I do not like “of african descent.” It just screams “whoops, someone wrote African American but actually he’s Scottish LOL.”
People,
the word is BLACK.
36 a westie // Aug 31, 2008 at 1:53 pm
@35: I agree it’s a bit tweedy, but it seems a perfectly acceptable term to me.
37 Tom90deg // Sep 1, 2008 at 9:34 am
Hmm…maybe this is random, but I’d bet either solder or Demo is up on the upgrade list. I’d bet that Engi and Spy are going to be last, as they’re the most complicated ones. From this, Maybe Demoman is next up on the list…
38 DoctorDisaster // Sep 1, 2008 at 11:00 am
Sorry, Tom, but it’s always the least played class… meaning Scout is up next.
39 Das Ganon // Sep 1, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Actually…. it WAS the heavy who was least played…. so its not going to matter.
also its either spy or scout because of the pattern they’re following.
(Look at the class selection screen and see where the upgraded classes are)
40 The Prick of Destiny // Sep 4, 2008 at 5:12 am
I love our favourite black Scot. Due to the personality of other characters such as the Soldier, his ancestry can spawn lots of silly jokes in a comic.
41 HughesDePayens // Sep 16, 2008 at 10:55 am
I hate affirmative action, doing something just because we need more of X race is stupid. Do it because it would be awesome or funny, not politically correct.
The demo is freaking hilarious, and my favorite character in TF2.
Black Scottish Cyclops FTW!!!!!!!
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