# improving hellraid by techland hellraid by techland the bland new name in 'generic steam sale video garming' // video here currently looking no more than "a half decent skyrim mod" hellraid feels so conceptually barren - lifeless artistically sterile and flavourless. a stale forever shrivelled piece of unloved beef video garming jerky once often found in the infamous bargain bucket bin at woolworths who are those most directly responsible for giving projects this ill considered the go ahead - even at the level of bad ideas scribbled hastily on the back of a paper napkin in a sad developer's cafe? and how might we best slap them lightly across both cheeks with an armored glove and demand true garming satisfaction? in short what trouble processes of modern video garme development are producing such indistinctly 'meh' product? the whole thing as it stands smells of missed opportunities. this garme could be a darkly fantastic chance to generate the feeling of dangerous excitement in the player; for crying out loud your going on a hell-raid - not on a lukewarm day trip into the mildly dusty basement of your grandmother's foggy memories of 90's video garming a better cheesy contextual back story dark whispers from mysterious travellers about the opening of portals to damnation have come to trouble the sleep of peasants from the small and peaceful village of mugnire you are brom tobran - the stout eldest son of the local blacksmith. you have been chosen (largely against your will) to enter the dead lands to the ancient west and close these so-called "hell gates" for good. the fate of ir very souls lies in your hands your only hope is that your foolhardy love of high adventure matches your limited skill with the multiple devastating weapons needed to fight off the unimaginable pit horrors now awaiting your arrival! saving hellraid from itself suggestions for (drastically) improving hellraid do anything other than the cliched 'distant ruined castles' thing redo the level design to look like the kitchens in legend improve the lighting which is is only passable and generally looks flat and dry; more fog particle effects and post processing redo the monsters to actually look like they come from somewhere remotely terrifying and psychologically imposing. out of hell did it better improve the animations and make them feel more alive dynamic - like something really is out to get you. (and make them move far faster.) check out ray harryhausen // video here so something about the weight of the impact of weapons ie. have some. being bashed by huge creatures carrying heavy lumps of iron should send the player reeling or tumbling backward to crash heavily into walls remove the grindy skill tree / levelling up nonsense - emphasize instead the heart pounding experience and immediate threat / narrative intensity of "hellraiding" give the entire garme over to players and allow extreme modding **update patch** hellraid has now been 'put on hold' due to failed expectations // republic of bob