Production Diary: The Making of Dirk Dashing

Game Concept

Game Animation

Game Scenery

Game Engine

Game Music and Sounds

Game Levels

Fine-Tooning the Game

Game Levels

Each level in Dirk Dashing is painstakingly hand-crafted, so that each level has a unique look to it.  Even though some of the artwork is reused on multiple levels, there are always hand-painted elements that are made specifically for a single level.  This makes the game experience very interesting, because you just never know what you are going to see next.

Building game levels in Dirk Dashing is a slow and tedious process.  We wanted each level to be huge, spread out over a large area, and filled with secrets and hidden areas.  Our goal was to provide plenty of places for Dirk to discover and explore.

Each level is made up of one or more maps, interconnected by doorways.  Some maps can be very large, like outdoor areas and huge caves and buildings, while other areas are much smaller, like the interiors for small houses and barns.

Laying out the graphic layers in a map can take a lot of time.  The game supports up to 16 graphic layers on the screen at a time, many of which scroll at different rates as Dirk moves around on the screen.  This means that the scene is dynamic and changes as Dirk moves.  It takes time to position each object in a given scene so that the scene looks good from many different angles.

The following images illustrate how we build a scene in Dirk Dashing.  This particular scene is from the first level, Chapter 1-1, when Dirk comes across the first barn.  The complete scene is shown below, so you can see what we are building.

We start with the static background layer, as shown below.  This is the backdrop for the scene, and it doesn't move.

Next, we add the first scrolling layer, which in this scene consists of some snow-covered hills.  This layer is a very distant layer, so it scrolls very slowly as Dirk moves.  In the scene we are building, the hill is mostly covered up by the pine forest and barn.  But if Dirk moves past the barn to the right and goes up the ramp (which is just offscreen), then the hill becomes very visible.  So we still have to pay close attention to detail, even if objects are mostly covered up in some places.

With the distant mountains and hills in place, we begin adding snow-covered trees for the forest.  This scene consists of six layers of trees, which are used to build the pine forest.  The following images show each layer as it is added to the scene.

Once all of the distant background layers are in place, we add the immediate background layer.  This layer represents the part of the scene where Dirk runs and jumps.  It consists of structural elements like ground and floor surfaces, walls, and ceilings.

Another layer of background objects is added.  These are static background objects that reside on top of the floor and wall surfaces.  In this scene, the layer consists only of the tree next to the barn.

Now we can finally add the interactive layer, which contains Dirk and the objects and characters he interacts with.  This is the layer containing the items he picks up, hazards like spikes and spinning saw blades, movable objects like crates and hay bales, moving platforms and conveyor belts, etc.

Then, we add the foreground layers.  There can be up to three foreground layers that scroll at different rates.  These layers consist of objects that Dirk runs behind, and are frequently used to cover up secrets and hidden areas.  Notice the wad of bills from the previous image.

Lastly, we add the score box (if it is turned on) to complete the scene.

Each level consists of hundreds of scenes like this one, and often the scenes don't turn out right on the first try.  It takes time to construct a scene, test it out, and then tweak it so that everything is positioned just right.  But when you see the game in action, it is definitely worth it!