Sergey Zubenko

tlalkoa ruins

This is my first location developed in Mail.ru Games.

The astral island is short group instance, with 3-4 unique bosses, and paсks of mobs, special for this particular island.

Level's designers task was not only to design and create beautiful location, but also to produce all scripting and build all visuals for mob's spells and abilities, using given templates.

The old lighthouse

An astral island is a piece of rock, like flipped upside down mountain, or iceberg, with flat top side. The vew from the edges if this island must be good, because in many places players can approach the edge, and even fall off, if not careful.

This is my second island for Allods. it was made in pirate theme, and as a person with fresh look, i've implemented few new mechanics to bosses, like the "door boss". The enviroment storytelling is also one of the strongest parts of this island. 

K'oltmark

This island combines "winter" and "lost expedition" themes.

My main goal always was to vary gameplay in group instances, so players would have slightly different experience, every time they visit the island.

In this particular case, one of the bosses can be defeated in two ways, so during bossfight its abilities change depending on what players do. 

Also, this is the first island in Allods, where weather is changing as player progression through the island. This was made before only on large zones, but never on this scale.

Underwater kingdom

Inspired by Russian national fairy tales and their early 80's screen adoptation, this island is probably most special.

Players has to use the well on very small astral island with few trees and only one abandoned house on it. They get into Underwater Kingdom, but they dont swim, they walk on the seafloor.

Ashes

Ahses was probably the hardest island for me to make, because i developed it at the same time as Underwater Kingdom, and it was difficult not to put one island above the other in my preferences, and produce both with equal high quality.

While developing the bosses, i've focused on a group gameplay, so while playing it players have to work as a team, rather then simply do their jobs (as tank, healer or dps).

Dead hills

This island is first, where i learned how to take my colleague work, rethink and re-invent it, to make it appear fresh and new.

This island uses the topology of the Silent Hills island which already was obsolete in this time. I've changed the setting, from green spring to yellow autumn, made completely new mob paks and bosses. I used decayed variations of houses and windmills, to make players feel that island had changed from their last visit.

I’ve used pets of one of the character’s classes as bosses, it helps player to understand island lore more deeply.

novorechensk casemate

Another island based on re-used content, Casemate is using model of "Strong Nut" fortress is its main location and landmark.

Most of the islands uses outdoor settings, i tried different approach in this one, and combined outdoor and indoor sections in the instance progression, so players can see that structures located on the island are not only a decoration, but they also interiors inside.

Reflection of plague castle

This is another island with re-used content. According to the lore every location in Allods have its "reflection" deep in Astral where things get twisted and strange.

The Reflection is speculating on players knowledge of the place to give gameplay an unexpected turn.

koshchunsky's manor

This island is a part of 5.0 patch main story, an also - regular Astral Island for players to farm, when they complete it.

I've concentrated on replayability of Astral version, and developed dynamically changing labyrinth dungeon, so the total time required to complete the island remains the same, while the labyrinth is changing randomly with each complition.

Some quest scripts for this island were made by Andrew Gorchakov, because before development was finished, i got transferred to Skyforge project.

Goblinobol is a sport discipline in Allods universe. It reminds of a football, but in cruel world of Allods players actually kick a small goblin, rather than a ball...

First iteration of goblinobol was lacking features, obligatory for this kind of activity, matchmaking, for the instance. The scripting was poor, and the engine of Allods, siuitable for MMO could not give the performance needed for football-like fast game.

My first decision was to make goblinobol turn-based, or, i better say, phase-based. Once the player is near the "ball", he can no longer move, until he kicks the ball to destination in a radius around him. Other players in that time can not interract with player or the ball, but they can place themselves strategically, to try to pass the ball firther, if it lands near them, or to block it, by toggling special ability. That panel was later widely used for other game activities.

In the collaboration with UI designers i developed special action panel for goblinobol, that replaces standart class panel, while player is in the match. The appearence of players changed too, for their team uniform.

Of cource, such activity needed matchmaking, which was developed that time for Allods other PvP arena's.

Later that year i developed Goblinobol Tournament, which gave players opportunity to play as premade teams against other premade teams for quite good trophy.

Witch's hollow is a PvP arena, inspired by famous Arathi Basin.

My work was: make this arena look good, but not too overwhelmed by details, so PvP would run smoothly. This was quite a chellenge, because when you work using an art style like the one that Allods have and you don’t add details. I had to work very carefully with texture tiles on terrain, and use non-collision objects, such as brushes and grass, to create the neсessary level of detail.