Hey Age fans!
Time for another interview with a member of the team working on Age of Empires: Definitive Edition! This time it’s Alexander Flegler, he’s the Creative Director for the game over at Forgotten Empires! We got a chance to chat with Alexander, and ask him some questions about his time working on the game. Read on below to see what he has to say, and keep an eye out for more interviews with the team coming soon!
- What did you work on for the game?
As the game’s Creative Director, I’m mainly responsible for the visuals of the game, but I’m also involved in related areas like interface design if decisions have to be made. I designed the visual style for the Definitive Edition and created new workflows to get all the new models into 4K sprites while directing the art team.
- The artwork received a complete overhaul, how did you manage to still make it feel like the good old Age of Empires?
Very few of the original assets survived the test of time and they weren’t up to modern standards both from a technical and visual perspective, so we had to recreate everything from scratch.
We did a lot of historical research and added as many details as possible to the units and buildings, but when push came to shove, we picked the designs that matched the original game as closely as possible. We made sure to keep all iconic elements intact – everything had to be recognizable at first glance.
- Any piece of artwork you’re particularly proud of?
It’s hard to pick out a specific piece of artwork, although the wonders like the Colosseum or the great temple of Babylon are always a marvel to look at. I think that the additional terrains and plants we added are making a big difference, as they breathe so much life and variation into the game.