Turtle Rock Studios has outlined the iterative development process behind Evolve.
The game is nearly unrecognizable from its original form, with mainly the broad concept of hunters vs. a monster the only thing that remains intact. Here’s a rundown of some of the major changes the game went through:
Originally, there were only four to five hunters. When the devs got to around 12 to 14 pieces of gear, they realized there would be bad combinations between gear and specific hunters. For this reason, they added multiple hunters, and eventually made different classes. The adjustments made were intended to make it easier for players to play the game as it was designed to be played. Subsequently, players are encouraged to find team synergy with different characters, while each individual hunter boasts depth.
The monsters also went through sweeping changes, with the game’s de facto mascot, the Goliath, the subject of the most iterations and changes. Turtle Rock conceived of him as a King Kong type, with a very expressive face meant to evoke immediate emotional reactions.
Goliath went through six iterations, four of whom made it in playable builds. This included a scorpion like creature that they used while testing another cancelled feature: first person perspective for the monsters.
Right until now, Turtle Rock only made first person perspective shooters, and they just assumed Evolve would be the same. When it came to implementation, however, they found that it felt like playing a guy in a suit, and not actually being a monster. Of course, monsters were also blind to traps, harpoons, and other threats in the near vicinity, so they relented into making it a third person game.
Ultimately, every change in Evolve was to the service of making it a better game, and they intend to keep updating and improving it after release.
Evolve will be released on February 10, 2015 on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
