Expert tips

The video game industry has come a long way in terms of graphics and technology. Gamers expect nothing less than astounding aesthetics and captivating soundscapes that contribute to the immersive gaming experience. But when it comes to creating an effective weapon for an AAA game, there’s more to it than just visual appeal. To find out what it takes to create a weapon that works perfectly in a game, we sat down with Creative/Art Director Ryan Lastimosa on the Devoted SpeakEasy podcast. In this blog, we’ll share the insights we’ve gathered from Ryan about the importance of functionality and why it matters when it comes to creating an effective weapon for an AAA game.

Meet Our Guest

Ryan Lastimosa is a true inspiration in the gaming industry. His creativity, attention to detail, and experience have enabled him to design some of the most iconic weapons that gaming enthusiasts enjoy today. He has had a remarkable run in the gaming industry, working with big names such as Respawn Entertainment, Infinity Ward, and many others, to deliver exceptional games. He has worked on Titanfall 2, having provided team leadership, 3D modeling, and concept art for the game. He also streamlined the 3D art pipeline for weapons, characters, and vehicles. He also directed a team of lead artists specializing in Hard Surface and Character Art for Apex Legends, and provided hard surface artwork for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. 

Ryan has designed weapons for over 17 years in the gaming industry, and for most of that period, he has been focused on innovative ideas aimed at creating the best weapon models.

What Makes a Great Game Weapon?

Accurately and authentically representing real-world weaponry can be key to creating a successful game. To do this, developers must have an understanding of how weapons work in the real world – from functionality to ergonomics. This knowledge helps them design realistic weapon mechanics they can then incorporate into their games – whether replicating classic models such as AK-47s or M14 rifles, or conceptualizing something completely new! Providing players with recognizable weapons that respond realistically provides an immersive gaming experience sure to keep them engaged.

Crafting a Sci-Fi game requires taking the imaginative wildness and futuristic elements to unique new heights. However, successful design teams strive for more than just an impressive product—they aim to create weapons that feel attainable in reality, as if they could be patented or built with existing technology. By grounding their designs in science and practical functionality, it helps players build trust that what they’re seeing is truly achievable; allowing them to jump headfirst into the gaming experience!

A weapon’s design is a delicate balance between mechanics and aesthetics. Its form must be functional while also capturing an artistically cool vibe, requiring both understanding of engineering principles as well as creative flair to make it truly stand out!

How to Become a Successful Game Artist?

Becoming familiar with the specifics of any given weapon is paramount for success as a weapons artist. Knowing each button, knob, and adjustment can make all the difference when preparing and constructing works of art from scratch. Taking the time to understand their intended design gives you that vital level of recognition between each object, unlocking your artistic potential! Sure, it takes resources, but in reality, it just requires an open mind and curious appetite to learn and figure out how everything works – this merging of academic knowledge in tandem with your imaginative drive allows you to unlock breathtaking weapons constructing experiences on a new scale!

Dedication and drive make up the fundamentals of success for any weapon artist, in place that true talent. Reaching any level of mastery over your craft demands focus and passion; throwing considerable amounts of time, love, and dedication while pushing yourself constantly to expand on current techniques. This potential fourth-walled development of skill is what ultimately separates well-renowned artists from hobbyists.

Navigating the game development industry to craft a successful weapon takes much more than skill alone; strong communication abilities are essential. A great weapons artist must be open to feedback, viewing constructive criticism as an opportunity for advancement. Bridging the divide between suggestion and enterprise will reveal the new potential within yourself, allowing you to craft astounding products that nobody has seen before! With guts and a little know-how, your craftsmanship has no limits.

Creating an effective weapon for an AAA game is no mean feat, but with the right knowledge, skills, and attitude, it is attainable. Collaborating with a team, understanding the role of each button, knob, and function of a weapon, communicating effectively with team members, and appreciating the game’s context are essential aspects of creating an effective game weapon. An understanding of industry trends and keeping up with the latest technology also helps aspiring weapon artists thrive in the highly competitive video game industry. With these insights from Creative/Art Director Ryan Lastimosa, we hope that aspiring artists now have a better understanding of what it takes to create the next iconic weapon in the gaming universe.

Interested and want to know more, as well as get a very practical exercise from Ryan Lastimosa? Tune in to our latest Devoted SpeakEasy Podcast and enjoy this fulfilling conversation: 

Have you ever tried to look at your portfolio as an Art Director and find out the way they assess it?

In the last SpeakEasy episode, we prepared a bunch of portfolios by notable artists. We reviewed them with one of the most charismatic Art Directors Horia Dociu, who has worked with such studios as 343 Industries, ArenaNet, and SuckerPunch. Watch this episode in order to get some precious insights and use them when you prepare your profile for studios, and read this article to get inspired by amazing artworks from the episode.

https://www.artstation.com/brainstormschool

Kekai Kotaki is a Concept Artist and Illustrator from Hawaii who has worked as a Lead Concept Artist on Guild Wars 2, and has made stops at places such as Bungie and Monolith, working on titles like Destiny and Mordor Shadow of War.

Horia: The thing with Kekai is he is a consistent artist you know exactly what you’re getting from him in the result and you know it’s gonna be brilliant. For example, the monster from his portfolio is done at a high level and it fits commercially many projects, like Fantasy Sonic style. It just shows that every time he will prepare concepts that hit the goal.

From his portfolio, we can find out that Kekai loves this kind of Dark Fantasy or sci-fi stuff – there’s this kind of visual poetry in it. I think that the portfolio shows that you don’t hire this guy if you don’t want Kekai-type stuff, something that screams badass like this. You are not going to hire him to do cute icons for the Hello Kitty game, right?

One of his artworks depicts a knight using a magic mace and throwing ghost hammers, and there’re wolfmen with axes in it. And when I see it I immediately realize that these pieces do what the art in Guild Wars 2, for example, was intended to do with a viewer, all those Paladins, and the Guardians. There’s clear communication of emotion coming from his works, they are not just drawings of people standing in armor, but they tell us about the spirit and the badassness of the characters. I mean the poses are there that help us to see the story, and we can distinguish good guys’ and bad guys’ vibes.

And what is more important, is that his concepts will give a clear understanding and inspire the whole team working on a project – the animation, lighting, effects, and even game design. At the end of the day we want players to feel that excitement, passion, energy, and so sticking to a guy like this you know it’s going to happen. It can be not a perfect production concept, but it’s a hugely inspirational piece that gives energy and information to the whole entire team.

Levi Hopkins is a Concept Artist from Seattle. Levi has over 18 years of experience in the industry in various roles: Principal Concept Artist, Art Director, Prototype Team Lead, Environment Team Lead, and 3D Artist.

Horia: Levi is another freak of nature from Arena Net, he actually started in 3D modeling and over the years he has learned all sorts of new tools and rendering engines, and now he is building these gorgeous scenes that look like stills from a movie.

He uses his 3D superpowers to create really artsy scenes, and when you look at them, you think “Oh, wow, that would look amazing in the game”.  That’s the best thing in using tools and technology and mastering texture software, render software, 3D stuff, sculpting, etc. –  to be able to tell these things that would give goosebumps to the viewer. When I look at his picture, I know what the sea mist smells like, and I hear its sounds. I mean, it feels like I walked into this place, I’m there. And when I look at it as an Art Director, I say that we need to get this across to the player, this just feels amazing.

And again, with these artworks, sound and lighting teams, texture artists know what they need to create.

https://www.artstation.com/goldantler

Carlyn Lim is a ​​character-creature concept artist for games and films. She has worked for Arena Net, EA Games, Riot Games, etc.

Horia: If you meet Carlyn in real life, she’s this sort of petite girl, kind of quiet. And then you find out she creates these badass fantastic monsters. They’re elegant, ornate, and beautiful, and all her work has this really strong identity. You’re not going to hire her to make a Sci-Fi gun unless it’s a Haunted Gun for a fantasy setting. All these creatures and monsters are just so beefy and ballsy and special. It’s not the giant scorpion monster, which already sounds cool, but it’s a kind of scorpion I’ve never seen before.

She’s got this very creative poetic lens and yet she’s making these things even though they’re not photo-realistically drawn like Levi’s stuff.

Yet there’s enough uh obvious care about the references for anatomy architecture. If you look at her Mummy Cat, you know what that dead stretch skin looks like and you’re seeing its spine through it. So there’re enough references that she’s tacking on there to take something completely dreamlike and make it a palpable believable thing.

She’s got this consistency that is fresh and cool and you want to hire her on your team if you want to create something completely different and unique.

https://www.artstation.com/johnpowell

John Powell is a Concept Artist, Lead Artist at Sucker Punch Productions.

Horia: John Powell is somebody who’s really really able to work on every different kind of thing. When the artists we mentioned earlier have a very distinguishing style and would make a perfect match with a certain kind of project, John could fit anything. He is sort of the Swiss army knife who produces stuff of high quality.

Whether this is an interior for a tent that looks like a big palace you can imagine the smells inside and the muffled sounds coming from outside with tons of historic references. Or a cinematic keyframe artwork telling you a story of characters who escape from something. Or it could be these 2D cutscenes that are inspired by traditional Japanese art and then they turn into animated illustrations. It can also be a prop for a boat, or a character concept.

He could become a precious asset to almost any team or project and become a universal warrior that deals with any kind of task.

So when you collect your portfolio, try to think, first of all, about what kind of artist you are, and what style characterizes you the most. You can create boots and have a collection of boot concepts, but with every detail polished to perfection. And it could work with some project that needs a person who is professional in boots.

And after you gather all those artworks just think about projects and studios that work in your style, require a person with your skills, and could hire you.