From Motion Capture to Vampires: The Animation of Eternal Whispers

A hesitant step, a sudden attack and the movement of a camera all have to belong to the same world in Vampire: The Masquerade - Eternal Whispers. In a developer diary published October 26, FLYOS co-founder and game director Gary explains how the team is building animation for its stylised, top-down role-playing game.

The studio captures many performances in-house, then adapts them to its characters and camera. The project is still in development: FLYOS says locomotion and several other systems remain in progress, while the Steam page lists the game as coming soon.

A performance is only the starting point

FLYOS chose an Xsens motion-capture suit to record performances regularly inside the studio. Gary says team members including the producer, narrative designer and 3D artists have stepped into the suit, with outside help from a friend as well. The resulting movement is then cleaned up and adjusted to character proportions, the gameplay camera and contact with the environment.

That distinction matters for a stylised game. A human performance can provide weight and intention, but a believable action still has to read clearly at the scale and angle from which players see it. This is Re:Drawn's interpretation of the team's stated challenge.

Read FLYOS's animation developer diary

A small team chooses where to add detail

According to Gary, one full-time animator and a 3D generalist handle the game's in-house animation work, from capture and rigging to character animation and engine integration. The team uses Xsens, Unreal Engine and Blender for different parts of that process.

Movement through the city remains an area of experimentation. The team is exploring a hybrid locomotion approach combining native engine systems with custom animation and adjustments. Foot placement, stride and transitions must align to avoid the appearance of sliding, Gary explains.

A camera that can change the feeling

The primary viewpoint looks down on Montreal, but FLYOS also moves and tilts the camera for particular moments. Gary describes using a Dutch angle and a vertigo effect to communicate discomfort or imbalance, while trying to keep the movement from becoming tiring.

The developer diary also distinguishes the announcement trailer's opening CGI from the game engine. It was made in-house; Gary performed some reactions, Valentin worked on animation, and Baptiste contributed textures, lighting and camera effects. FLYOS says a further trailer with more gameplay is in preparation.

See the official game page and current release status