Creating Nature

THE HUNTER: CALL OF THE WILD devs create the prettiest forests.

- Andy Kelly

You wouldn’t expect a niche hunting game to feature some of the most realistic natural environments on PC. The Hunter: Call of the Wild, developed by Avalanche, features a series of massive, gorgeous hunting reserves—from the grassy plains of Africa and the lush forests of Germany, to the frozen wilds of Siberia—and they’re all stunningly beautiful to look at.

The game is developed by a small team, yet despite having a fraction of the budget of something like, say, Far Cry, its landscapes are above and beyond anything I’ve seen in any other game. And as I wandered the autumnal forests of Hirschfelden, I wondered: How did they do it?

“A lot of trying and failing,” says Peppe Pihl, world designer. “Research and more research. Blood, sweat, and tears. I was born on the mountainside and, like many others at Avalanche, I love being in nature. It’s easier to make a forest feel convincing when you know the environment like the back of your hand.”

“Usually in games, nature is a backdrop,” he continues. “Something you don’t necessarily explore. But in Call of the Wild, it’s the opposite. Nature is where everything happens We spent a lot of time creating tools to develop what we’ve envisioned. But really it all boils down to craftsmanship and passion.”

SURROUND SOUND

Another part of the game’s magic is the sound design. Rather than just loop a recording of a forest, the game uses dynamic environmental audio to give the impression of being outdoors. There’s no music in the game, and it doesn’t need it. The ambient sound really draws you into the world, from distant animal calls to the sound of the wind gently rustling the trees.