Dance lessons.(FreeStyleGames Partnering with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe developing break-dancing game)

Computer gaming is no longer limited to shooters, puzzles, and sports themes. Recently, a handful of game developers, such as FreeStyleGames, an independent studio in the UK, have sidestepped these tried-and-true genres, moving instead to a different beat by offering dance-style titles, which are becoming increasingly popular, especially among the teenage crowd.

FreeStyleGames recently rolled out its first title, B-Boy, a unique competitive break-dancing game that allows the player to move (and groove) through authentic hip-hop dance culture using a controller instead of performing on a dance mat. Partnering with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, FreeStyleGames tapped real-world break-dancing champions from Europe, Asia, and North America, and used a tool set comprising Autodesk's 3ds Max and MotionBuilder, to put the player in the shoes of the world's best B-Boys performing in real-world dance battles.

In the game, the player falls into the role of a B-Boy, or break-dance artist and hip-hop music enthusiast. Initially, the B-Boy starts out with a few dance moves and, as the game progresses, gains additional moves to ultimately battle it out for a coveted Adidas sponsorship. The title also includes an arcade, or jam, mode that allows multiple players to compete against one another via WiFi.

Dance Team

Even though this title was FreeStyleGames' first step into the market, the group was able to complete the game in just over two years. With a relatively tight team of 35 people, and more than 5500 individual animation assets, completing this project was no small feat.

"The great thing about a 3ds Max and MotionBuilder pipeline is that in addition to being so easy to use, the workflow capabilities between the two made creating the game even easier," says director Jamie Jackson. "We were able to work efficiently and keep the size of our production teams to a minimum while delivering a quality title."

The team used custom scripts in 3ds Max (MAXscripting) to help export the huge number of character assets. With multiple levels of detail including hands, body, head, clothing, shoes, eyeballs, hats and hair, the export process would have been nearly impossible if it hadn't been automated. With a custom MAXscript, however, the assets were automatically exported in sequence to specific directories, further simplifying the workflow.