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Production of a Character Class

The creation of a class of characters that is both unique and stylish is a very long process that must absolutely be done one step at a time!

We thought it might interest you, so here is a behind-the-scenes look at the steps leading to the creation of a class of characters on Wakfu!

1) Graphic Design

The first step, which usually takes 3 days to a week, involves drawing the characters from all angles, while respecting the constraints of the new template - and of course, without forgetting that both the male and female versions must be made.

2) Spells

Since the class spells have already been worked on in the past, the Game Designers’ task is easier at this stage. The GD review old spells, correct balancing and logical errors and eventually create new spells if needs be. This lasts on average 2 to 3 days, depending on how many alterations will be made to the original scheme.

3) Animation

This is by far the longest stage, the characters must be animated in different directions for all combat situations. Before moving on to the actual animation, the animators have to find key poses to give the class a style of its own. This part of the process requires a lot of research - it is very important that the characters have their own identity. This step can easily take up to 2 weeks, knowing that some classes take much longer than others, especially the melee classes like the Iop or Sacrier.

4) FX 

After the animation comes the spells’ visual effects. Rendering the effects is a crucial stage - without state of the art FX, fights wouldn’t have as much depth. This step takes up to 10 days, including the validation process and modifications resulting from the test phase.

5) Programming

Once the new spells are finalized, programming begins. Since the spells have already been coded, the amount of work will depend on the changes and features added in step 2.

6) Script 

At this point, everything needs a bit of tweaking. The spells must start at the right moment, with the right animation and so should the effects. This step is very technical and takes the game designers 1 or 2 days depending on how many changes were made in Step 2.

7) Spell descriptions

The scriptwriters review the spells that were modified on step 2 and change the descriptions accordingly.

8) Sound

Adding the sound is the final stage of production. The sounds are created and then added to the FX and animation. This step takes about a week and a half.

9) Testing /Balancing

Testing is required at every stage. An animation not displayed in one direction, problems with balancing or effects, errors in the text - all these must be detected and fixed. The testing phase lasts at least a week or two but in truth, never really ends. The classes are reviewed continuously with the arrival of new content and new classes, to ensure that the classes’ balance is maintained.

The creation of a class of characters that is both unique and stylish is a long process that must absolutely be done one step at a time, and unfortunately, those responsible for each section, work on different projects and can rarely devote all of their time solely to class development, making this an ever longer process.

Fascinating peek into the process. Of course, given the timing of this article, I can't help but worry that it means Fecas are running late.

it`s nice of you letting us know a character how class is made, it`s very intresting.

Personally I'm very impressed with the redesigns for the feca and osamodas classes, well done.

you mean xelor right?

What about the process of the actual characters? Their storyline, and why do they favor X instead Y?
Not to offend anyone but other than the setting and the character's unique styles and how they came to be, everything else is pretty much... averagely resemblant to most tactical games, which is good in a way of course.

But yes, I find Wakfu's and Dofus' biggest appeal to be the rather unique kind of characters and their storylines, and would very much like to know more about how they came to be other than the common sense process of creating an arguably balanced in-game play style.