Recently, level designer, artist, and developer Denys Rudyi presented the first gameplay trailer of his game BRUTALIST. We decided to talk to Denys about the new project, his experience of working on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Warface, and his own indie games.
Oleg Danylov: Good afternoon, Denys. Of course, we want to learn more about BRUTALIST, but the topic of the last few weeks is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and since you were involved in the development of this game from 2019 to 2023, we just have to ask you about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 first. So for 4 years you worked as a Team Lead in the level design team at GSC Game World. What was your job, what levels of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 did you work on?
Denys Rudyi: Good afternoon! Yes, I had the honor to be involved in the creation of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 almost from the very beginning. It all started as a cozy small group of people who love what they do.
I immediately started creating a global map. It was a challenging and ambitious task to combine the real map of the Chernobyl zone, locations from the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. installments, and a new story. I created a general blockout draft (a basic draft of a level design made of simple geometric shapes - ed. note) of the entire map, tested it, thought over metrics and routes.
After a few years of development, when I had a team of talented level designers, we started dividing the regions of the universe into overlords (developers responsible for a specific part of the project - ed.) I was left with the Prologue, the Small Zone region. And my favorite, the author's Research Institute of the Chornobyl Anomalous Zone, which was designed by me.
By the end of development, my responsibilities were limited to management, interaction with other departments, and team feedback.
Oleg Danylov: A lot of objects in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. repeat real objects in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, both well-known large buildings, such as the Polissia Hotel, the observation wheel, the station itself, and small architectural forms, such as the same bus stops, and even very small objects. In 2019-2021, how many times did the developers go to the Zone for inspiration and textures, or are these all previous and third-party improvements?
Denys Rudyi: It was very important to understand the real Zone, to see and feel its atmosphere. That's why the company organized regular trips there. I was in the Zone twice with team members and a little bit more on my own, as a stalker.
We, as level designers, collected references and tried to get to places that we couldn't find on the Internet to find out how everything was arranged inside. For example, I remember a visit to the Jupiter plant, where we explored the basements of this secret factory (in 1986, the Jupiter plant in Prypiat was a closed military facility and worked for the USSR military-industrial complex - ed.)
Oleg Danylov: You left GSC Game World in 2023, missing the game's release by only a year. Why? Do you regret it now that the developers of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 have become almost heroes for Ukrainians?
Denys Rudyi: Unfortunately, sometimes life forces you to make a difficult decision. I decided to return from Prague to Ukraine to meet my brother, who had mobilized in the Armed Forces and could have been in hell at the front line, and I would not have forgiven myself if I had not seen him before. It is clear that the management of the core team in Prague from Ukraine was extremely uncomfortable. My love for the project made me offer the company the option of my work as a senior designer, but this also turned out to be inconvenient. So, for me, returning to Ukraine was like leaving the company. And the heroes stayed in Prague. It's nothing personal, it's just the way the industry works.
Oleg Danylov: Okay, let's leave S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, but let's recall another major Ukrainian project you worked on in 2017-2020, Warface by Crytek Kiev (since 2021, Warface has been owned by the Russian MY.GAMES, which is a division of VK and until 2021 was called Mail.ru Group). What did you do at Crytek Kiev and why did you leave the company?
Denys Rudyi: Working at Crytek was my first job in my life, and it was very rewarding and interesting to be part of such a large and renowned company. I worked in the level design department and initially learned professional level design from a cool specialist who used to be a member of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl team, so there was a lot to learn. I created blockout locations for PvE missions, fixed bugs, and even created a training PvE mission. Later, Crytek Kyiv transformed into Blackwood Games and I decided to move on, so I started working at GSC Game World.
Oleg Danylov: In addition to working in large Ukrainian studios, you also tried to develop games on your own. You already have two projects published on Steam - Heat Guardian (2018) and Mouse Hero (2020). In my review of Heat Guardian, I even called it S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2D, and its sales seem to have reached 5-10 thousand. Are you satisfied with these projects, which, as I understand it, you were working on in your spare time? What did they give you?
Denys Rudyi: I can't do without personal, author's creativity, so I've always worked on my own projects, except for the time of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, when this game felt personal and author's...
I started developing Heat Guardian before I entered the big industry. This project taught me a lot: how to create and manage tasks, how to plan development, how to run a social network, and of course, the final experience of releasing on Steam. The most important thing that Heat Guardian gave me was contacts and experience, and I spent the money on cars and motorcycles...
Well, Mouse Hero was created purely for the sake of interest in how quickly I could release the game. It came out in 3 days.
Oleg Danylov: And finally we come to BRUTALIST. How did the idea for this project come about, why is it based on brutalist, Soviet architecture? And is there any connection between BRUTALIST and the Cognition Method project, which also involves Ukrainians who are also passionate about brutalism?
Denys Rudyi: I just found out about Cognition Method, and it's a great example of game development in the modern age. Whatever you come up with, someone is already doing something similar or will start doing it soon... But in fact, the only similarity here is the presence of concrete.
I have always liked brutal, concrete buildings. Not that I want to live in them or see them in my city, but for creativity, fiction, or the movies I watch. In fact, the architecture for BRUTALIST comes not only from the former Soviet Union, but from all over the world.
Oleg Danylov: As you write in the description of BRUTALIST on Steam, "the main idea of the game is to enjoy the environment, especially for fans of post-apocalypse and minimalist concrete architecture." But at the end of the gameplay trailer, we see the character holding a weapon and some zombies attacking him. Isn't there a contradiction here?
Denys Rudyi: The game is evolving and the description on Steam is a bit outdated... I want to make BRUTALIST an interesting and exciting gameplay, but without losing the main thing - atmospheric exploration of the world.
Opponents here will be more like a tool for creating tension points in some areas. Zombies are just for fun; squads of characters just like you, in red suits with oxygen tanks behind them, are a special combat experience that will add interest to the player... and FPV drones will be something like bosses... But again, a lot of things will change in favor of the general style and the same atmosphere.
Oleg Danylov: How many people are currently working on BRUTALIST? Who is funding the development? As I understand it, this is again a project in your spare time?
Denys Rudyi: I'm the only one developing the game, unfortunately, there is no funding. BRUTALIST is my main occupation now. I organized a small income from mobile applications so I have this opportunity.
Oleg Danylov: BRUTALIST uses Unreal Engine 5. As I understand it, the choice of the engine was based on your experience with it at GSC Game World. What other tools do you use in development?
Denys Rudyi: Yes, I gained experience while working on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and, in my opinion, it is the best game engine with unique features at the moment! I try to use only Unreal Engine, even the BRUTALIST architecture was modeled inside the engine.
Oleg Danylov: How long will it take to complete the game's story? What is the current stage of development and does a release in 2025 look realistic?
Denys Rudyi: I plan to complete the game in about 10 hours. Fully exploring the world and collecting all the collectibles can take much longer. I want to involve my good friends, professionals, in the development, and then I will definitely have time to make a quality release in 2025!
Oleg Danylov: Now you work at Kevuru Games, which is primarily engaged in game outsourcing. While game studios are suffering from instability and layoffs, the outsourcing industry seems to be completely unaffected. Did you choose the studio for these reasons, or did you have other motives?
Denys Rudyi: I've been on vacation for the last few months, so... But yes, the crisis in the industry is not very noticeable here... I chose Kevuru Games because it's a good option to combine my creativity and work.
Oleg Danylov: We are now seeing that some Ukrainian outsourcing companies are launching their own gaming projects, is this due to a decrease in the number of orders or a desire to create something of their own? Does Kevuru Games have any such projects?
Denys Rudyi: There were attempts, or rather some ideas for our own projects, but unfortunately, there is nothing like that at Kevuru Games right now.
Oleg Danylov: Thank you for your answers, Denys. We wish you inspiration, victory to all of us, and look forward to hearing more about BRUTALIST.
