Oyvind Steensen
MMO Game Artists

Alien Ship

MMOG Hell: Adonis sure is one impressive area in Anarchy Online, as well as scheol. I've also seen quite some impressive concept art for Alien Invasion, which looks very different from the original AO, and Shadowlands. Can you tell us more about the look of Alien Invasion?

Ïyvind: First of all, the different focus on the setting means that we are working a lot more within an established genre than with Shadowlands. Shadowlands was such a great setting to work with because anything is possible and it's built on a very original concept.
While Alien Invasion might not seem to have as much creative potential, mainly because the entertainment industry is saturated with "alien" themes, it's important to not lock it down too much in an established framework. I am definitely aiming to give the players a unique and special experience. I think it can be quite ground-shaking to introduce this kind of big turning-points in a working MMOG, but we did the same with Shadowlands, and the AO universe will come together as we slowly reveal more and more of what lies beyond the looking glass. I think designing an alien race and their architecture can be one of the most fun tasks you can get as a concept artist. But it has a lot of hidden traps on the way. Basically, everything you do will look like something from something that has been done earlier. I think that can be an asset as people wants some degree of recognition to easily get into a setting, but I'm rooted in the idea of creating something new and keep our artistic integrity. As for the look of the aliens, I'm trying to make them frightening and gross, but also beautiful and majestic. That might sound like contradictions, but it's really not if you put in the right amount of the ingredients. The players will face the architecture of the aliens inside their spaceships, and in there unveil some of their secrets. The published drawings of the aliens are all designs for biomechanical battle/survival-suits. Basically, the graphical style of the alien elements are pretty much organic, but highly evolved technologically. They are different from the human race in several areas, and they have not evolved the same way as we have. When designing things like this, it's a good start to imagine how things could turn out if certain key elements are altered and the evolution and technology are taking other turns.

Adonis City

MMOG Hell: Any favorite artists and/or pieces of art you want to recommend?

Ïyvind: hmm. That's hard too. I admire several artists for different reasons. I like diversity, and there are many sources for inspiration. To pick the best of all worlds, I like the ink-style and composition of Mike Mignola, the originality and craziness of H.R. Giger, the shape- and optical experiments of M.C. Escher, the imagination of Moebius, the point of view of Van Gogh, the honed illustrating skills of Alan Lee and Craig Mullins and the lovely character designs done for Star Wars by Ian McCaig. Oh, and Syd Mead's exeptional Sci-Fi concept art that has laid a basic for so much modern Sci-Fi design. I also draw lots of inspiration from other people at Funcom. Didrik Tollefsen which I have worked pretty closely with have the ability to work magic.

MMOG Hell: I'm not gonna ask you anything about food, but: Console or PC, which is the better platform? :)

Ïyvind: I was a Nintendo-slave until around 96 when I "discovered" the PC platform, and ever since, that's where my heart is at. Since I have the chance, I'd like to mention a game that for many has been forgotten or never discovered. Realms of the Haunting was a hugely immersive, frightening and epic horror-FPS-adventure game (from around 95-96 I think), and clearly an inspiration for the likes of Undying. It was what steered my interest away from jumping monkeys and towards the larger scale world of PC games.

MMOG Hell: Anything you would like to add (Rant at will).

Ïyvind: If I am to rant at will, I think I'll give anyone interested in or working with graphics an advice. Doing research is the greatest work you can do to assure quality and get inspiration. Copying is a great way to learn, and if you work creatively, borrowing ideas is inevitable either if you want or not. Just remember to let your own work leave the nest at some point. Listen to your own feelings, and the urges that keep bubbling in your body. Watch movies, and games and comics and art and try to define what makes it magical or daft. To be able to make decisions, you need to have your mind set to some degree, but always be open for new impressions. Doing graphic design means a lot of uncertainty. "Is this good enough? Is this colour or shape good?". Be critical to your own ideas, but don't be so critical that you kill them at the birth-stage before they have any chance to show their potential. It's always nice to have theoretical thoughts and opinions to have a broad set of quality assurance "stations" to send the idea through. I'm still new to the Art Direction role, and god knows I'm uncertain of what I'm doing sometimes. :) Having someone else to turn to and ask for opinions and advice is invaluable. It's easy to get trapped inside one's own limited field of view.


Thanks alot to Ïyvind and the great team behind Anarchy Online. For more information on Anarchy Online visit their official site AnarchyOnline.com or check our very own Anarchy Online Hell. Also check back here for the next artist portrait coming soon.

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