Sad news. The well-known partner “Dogmeat” (Dogmeat) in “Legend of Dust 4”, the prototype dog “River” in the real world has been confirmed by related parties to have died.
Joel Burgess, the former level designer and owner of River, wrote “Farewell to River today, he is the dog meat you all know about “Leaves of Dust 4″,” and revealed that River was originally. How to become “dog meat”.
I said goodbye today to River, who most of you know as Fallout 4’s Dogmeat.
Heartbroken doesn’t cover it, but I won’t eulogize her here. For twitter, I thought it’d be appropriate to look back at her impact on that game.
(plus, writing about game dev hurts less than grieving) pic.twitter.com/ayN1Vd6oqQ
— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021
“Dog Meat” is one of the signature NPCs in the “Legend of Dust” series. Since its debut, as a player’s optional teammate, it has always followed the player to crawl around.
From just a dog, to the opening of Australian Cattle Dogs in “Leaves of Dust 3” to pay tribute to the movie, to “Leaves of Dust 4” reshaped the image of “dog meat” and changed the German Shepherd River, which was raised by the previous level designer Joel Burgess For the prototype.
Don’t think it’s just a “dog”. This may be a dog that has won many awards, including “Leaves of Dust 4” “Dog Meat” in the 2015 CW World Dog Awards (The World Dog Awards), which defeated “Ghost Gear 5” and “Grand Theft Auto 5” won the Best Video Game Dog award (Top Video Game Dog).
Congrats to River on winning @TheCW’s Top Video Game Dog for her work in #Fallout4 pic.twitter.com/PMNDcngZqO
— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) March 15, 2016
Joel Burgess recalled that when developing “Legend of Dust 4”, River was almost a prototype used directly in the game, not only for beauty (River is a girl), but also happened to fit with the facial capture system.
To begin with the obvious; River’s looks were almost directly replicated to the in-game model.
Not just because of her beauty (but yes, that too), her markings happened to work really well for pose read + facial expression.https://t.co/9vXYRgrBqq
— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021
In “Legend of Dust 4”, “dog meat” is not focused on killing the enemy, more time is to protect the player, put himself into danger, and give the player a chance to deal with the situation. Joel Burgess said that as long as you have ever raised a German Shepherd, you know this is the case.
Rather than being used as a weapon, Joel Burgess believes that players need a partner in “Leaves of Dust 4”, followed by a combat helper.
In the early development stage, before River joined, the development team studied some “professional dogs”, such as those with movie shooting experience or those trained by the police. Many games have adopted this, but “Leaves of Dust 4” chose another path.
Joel Burgess recalled the original “turning” when a new member joined the “Dog Meat” team. After a few days, when he came to the “Dog Meat” team’s office again, he found that there were countless photos of German Shepherd dogs posted there. There are photos of roaring and cracking mouths.
One or two days later, River began to appear in the studio.
Since then, River has participated in countless development conferences. Not only is it just being slapped, but also many materials have been recorded and photographed. His biggest job is to be with the development team. Joel Burgess said that the closer the relationship, the more the development team will treat “dog meat” as a character and a friend.
River attended countless meetings; but not just to be poked, prodded, recorded and filmed as reference – her biggest job was just to BE with the team.
The more they bonded with her, the more they saw Dogmeat as a character – a friend. pic.twitter.com/JLpV3006cK
— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021
If you have an impression of “Legend of Dust 4”, you should remember that “Dog Meat” will stop from time to time and look back at your position. Joel Burgess revealed that this is from River’s behavior and habits, and it was the first to have an impact on the game path. Elements.
In addition, River’s relatives are willing to share things with others, but not every character that can be accurately judged, eventually becomes everything that inspires the team to shape the “dog meat” behavior pattern.
He added that although there were only a few people on the “Dog Meat” development team in the early days, as River “stole” more people’s hearts in the studio, more people found ways to participate and brought River’s “traits” into it. game.
At this time, River is no longer just a mascot or an inspiration, but a member of the team. River is also happy to be with the team.
This thread is essentially a long form of the story I always tell about River’s role in Fallout 4; that she was the antidote to my biggest worry for the Dogmeat character – a canine weapon, and nothing more.
What we wanted was a companion first, and a combat ally second. pic.twitter.com/KjstYfkV8s
— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021
Joel Burgess does not forget to promote appropriate adoption knowledge to those who see the article, including advocating that everyone can contribute to relevant aid agencies.
After a series of memories, Joel Burgess once again defined the meaning given to “dog meat”, always with the player, paying attention to your needs, and hope that you are safe and happy. In other words, dog meat loves the player.
「Rest in peace, big girl.」
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