Final batch. We now confirmed Joby Wood as the author of this design document. Joby was a level designer for Tomb Raider Chronicles.

We thank our generous anonymous uploader for sending us this pdf. 

• Part 1
• Part 2

The post appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

We thank our generous anonymous uploader for sending us this pdf.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

The post appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

Andy Sandham, the level designer and writer for Tomb Raider 3-5, send us the first part of Tomb Raider Chronicles’ script.

TOMB RAIDER V SCRIPT: ANDY SANDHAM CORE DESIGN LTD

INITIAL LOAD FMV: FMV 1:

FADE IN:
EXT. CROFT ESTATE – OVERCAST DAY
Thundery skies, rolling clouds, and the rest. Not the best
day for a funeral. LIGHTNING FLASHES, and silhouetted
against it, a FAMILIAR FIGURE.
LARA CROFT.
ANOTHER FLASH, and the silhouette revealed. A STATUE, atop
a MEMORIAL STONE. a plaque set in the stone below the
figure bearing a simple inscription:

‘LARA CROFT – 1968 – 2002. ONCE AND FUTURE ADVENTURER – FOR
HER UNDYING SPIRIT.’

A figure rises from laying a wreath beside other floral
tributes at the base of the statue. WINSTON, her ever
faithful butler, looking none too cheery.
Glances across, nodding to a shadowy couple, huddled under
an umbrella. They nod back in acknowledgement, and then
turn toward the ancient church behind them.
Winston watches them go, and then turns to hobble down a
gravel path toward a waiting rolls.
EXT. LARA’S MEMORIAL -GLOOMY DAY
A repeat of the earlier image, it suddenly SHRINKS, moves
to a corner of the screen, revealed as a video feed in a
NEWS REPORT, news reader sitting before it in a studio.
INT. ROLLS ROYCE – GLOOMY DAY
The news report plays on a small built in television,
leather surrounds, mini bar, a tasteful, British conversion
of the back of a Rolls.
Winston sitting, attempting to dry himself, one eye on the
report. Beside him, dressed in the abrupt black and whites
of a priest, FATHER PATRICK, forties.

PATRICK
’tis a sad day, Winston.
WINSTON
She will live on forever in our
hearts.
PATRICK
Surely, Winston- and for this is
only a memorial service–
we may yet receive news from Von
Croy in Egypt.
WINSTON
We can only hope and pray that
she may yet be returned to us.
PATRICK
Yet, If Von Croy is digging in
the hopes of finding her, I fear
he may only be met with black
reality.

Winston sighs, looks back to the mini television. The
report continues, stills of Lara in her various adventures.
He leans in, turns it off, sudden BLACKNESS.

TO START GAME FLYBY/OPTIONS SCREEN:

INTRO/FMV2:

INT. CROFT MANSION -CENTRAL HALL -NIGHT
Dimly lit, a lofty chamber framed by majestic stairwells,
adorned with antique canvasses, caught in flickering
candlelight, and notably EMPTY.
Except for FOOTSTEPS.
A LIGHTNING FLASH, revealing an imposing STAGS HEAD,
mounted on the wall, bleached for a moment in the sudden
light.
Below it, Winston, leading father Patrick, and our cheeky
Gallic buddy, JEAN YVES through a dark corridor below the
stairs.

WINSTON
To the study, gentlemen, where we
may pontificate over the day’s
disheartening events.
Winston arrives at an oak door, begins to unlock it.
JEAN-YVES
Indeed, my friend.
Another CRASH of lightning.
JEAN-YVES (CONT’D)
Even the heavens cry out.

Winston looks at him dolefully, before leading them into
the room.
FADE TO:

INT. CROFT MANSION -STUDY -STORMY NIGHT
a roaring fire, flickering light illuminating wood panelled
walls, the impression of a turn of the century Gentleman’s
club.
Before it, Father Patrick and Jean-Yves in large leather
chairs, face each other over an antique coffee table.
Attention on a smooth, medium sized STONE Patrick holds up,
studying it reverentially as the firelight dances across
it.

INT. CROFT MANSION -STUDY -STORMY NIGHT – WINSTON POV

Winston enters, looking down at the TRAY he carries,
decanter and crystal glasses rattling on it precariously.
Hesitates, looks across the expanse of room to the two men.

INT. CROFT MANSION -STUDY -STORMY NIGHT
Winston is feeling optimistic. Re-embarks on his hero’s
journey, but Jean-Yves is up, and relays the tray to the
table before Winston can protest.
All attention now on the STONE:

WINSTON
The ‘philosophers stone’. One of
Lara’s first artefacts. And one
of her most challenging pursuits,
if my memory serves me.
FATHER PATRICK
The Vatican still smarts with the
episode.
JEAN-YVES
She was never the one for
diplomacy, Lara. But she
certainly knew how to paint the
town red.

CUT TO:

INT. OPERA HOUSE -ROME -NIGHT

Female opera singer, centre of a magnificent stage, mid
performance.
As seen through OPERA GLASSES- Lara’s, revealed in a foxy
evening gown, the only occupant of a luxurious box
overlooking the show, two spare seats either side.
LARSON, he of the original TOMB RAIDER, appears in tux from
the curtain behind Lara, sits beside her, grinning broadly.
Not a flicker of acknowledgement from Lara.

LARSON
Well, goldarn, ain’t you just a
picture?
LARA
Ah, the charming Mr. Larson.
Returns to her glasses.
LARA (CONT’D)
Has Pierre let you off the leash?
Talking of which, where is our
‘learned friend’.
LARSON
Oh, he’s around.
(beat)
You got the cash?
LARA
I’ve got the cash.
(beat)
But I don’t deal with the monkey.
Larson’s grin drops from his face.
LARSON
Well now, that ain’t polite for a
lady. And would that still be the
case, even if the monkey has got
a little something that lady
might want?

She Turns to look at him for the first time. Larson’s smile
returns, twice as wide. He hesitates, savours the moment.
Then from his jacket, produces the ‘Mercury stone’
NOTE: this is the first element of the Rome puzzle – four
stones, that once combined, will give access to the level
reward – ‘the philosophers stone’.
Lara’s eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning. Then,
as her eyes narrow, Larson shifts in his seat,
uncomfortable in her suddenly predatory gaze.
A FLUID movement, and Larson SPRINGS BACK.
Her turn to return the grin, a wad of NOTES in hand.

LARA
Lucky I’m in a generous mood.
The barrel of a small PISTOL placed at Lara’s TEMPLE. She
doesn’t need to look up.
LARA (CONT’D)
Crawled out from under your rock?
PIERRE, a small, well dressed, elaborately coiffured
Frenchman, stands over her. Cocks the hammer.
PIERRE
No need for unpleasantaries Miss
Croft. I am afraid I must, once
again–
Gently removes the cash.
PIERRE (CONT’D)
–Relieve you of your burden.

On Lara, oddly passive

LARA
Easy come, easy go.
Larson now at Pierre’s side, holding the stone, giggling
like an irritating child. Lara unmoving, they begin to edge
backward toward the curtain.
As Lara raises her gloved arm toward Pierre, awaiting the
polite gentleman’s response.
He hesitates.
PIERRE
Now now, Miss Croft. No games.
She looks to him like butter wouldn’t melt.
LARA
As if.

Pierre keeps the gun steady, leveled at her. Hesitates.
Then Steps forward, to cautiously take her hand, meeting
her gaze.
And in the briefest moment, as he lowers his eyes to kiss
her hand, a CRACK, as she flattens her open palm across his
nose.
Pierre drops onto his backside with a thump, gun slipping
out of his grasp.
Lara out of her seat, closing on the retreating Larson,
knuckles white around the stone, other hand searching
frantically in his jacket. Expression suddenly triumphant.
A TINY, easily concealed PISTOL, leveled at Lara. She
looks at it coyly.

LARA
Larson. I expected more from you.

His eyes drop instinctively to his tiny weapon. He can’t
help himself. That’s his bad luck, as a KICK from Lara
sends him CRASHING BACK through the curtains.
And the STONE arcing HIGH INTO THE AIR, following a
trajectory OUT OVER THE BALCONY, falling toward the crowds
below.
LARA PROPELS herself from the LIP OF THE BOX, LAUNCHING
HERSELF INTO SPACE.
SPINNING out over the AGHAST FACES FAR BELOW – and CATCHING
THE STONE at its APEX, her momentum carrying her forward
into the GIANT STAGE CURTAINS.
SCREAMING FROM THE AUDIENCE, discordant notes of the
musicians abandoning their instruments for the spectacle.
LARA clutches the top hem, for her weight to TEAR THE
MATERIAL FREE of its hooks, gradually SLOWING HER FALL,
eventually DEPOSITING HER by the CONFUSED SINGER.
INT. OPERA HOUSE -STAGE -NIGHT
SILENCE.
Lara checks the stone, dusts herself off – looks up to find
the AUDIENCE, gazing, stupefied.
The SPOTLIGHT finds her, and the first ripple of APPLAUSE.
BUILDING in volume.
She takes a bow, as the cheering SWELLS, flowers thrown
onto the stage, the opera singer looking somewhat
CRESTFALLEN at this invading opportunist.
A GUNSHOT from above – Pierre, leaning drunkenly over the
lip of the box, gun back in his hand – and as the screaming
starts once more, Lara EXITS, stage left.
INT. OPERA HOUSE -BACK STAIRS
From the back of the box, Larson and Pierre scrambling down
the stairs, all bloody nosed and out of breath.

LARSON
(wheezing)
It ain’t over till the fat lady
sings.

EXT. ALLEYWAY -ROME -NIGHT

A Narrow, cluttered alley. Parked beside the STAGE
ENTRANCE, A helmeted DELIVERY BOY removes PIZZA’s from the
back of his scooter, approaches the door.
CRACK!
Door thrown open, Mr. Dominos flung unceremoniously into an
unpleasant assortment of waste bags.
Lara, MID FLIGHT, Sizes up the situation in an instant–
TEARS off the excess dress material below the thigh–
LEAPS onto the scooter, a moment to store the ‘Mercury
stone’ in the PIZZA COMPARTMENT, before KICKING the still
idling engine INTO GEAR.
She is OFF AT SPEED into the alley, Dominos back on his
feet, scrambling after her momentarily before conceding
defeat, hands on thighs, gulping in breath.
Notices FOOD MATTER on his clothes, beginning to sweep it
off with disgust, until a ROARING from behind causes him to
SPIN.
The helmet framing his expression of INCREASING ALARM–
DIVES HEADFIRST INTO THE WASTE he just climbed out of, as a
TAXI CAREERS PAST, speed informing us that it may not the
Owner in control.
INT. TAXI CAB -NIGHT
Larson DRIVING, expression FIXED INTENTLY AHEAD,
illuminated in the lights of the dash.
Also illuminating Pierre, hands wedged in front of him,
eyes blinking tight shut at BOXES, other waste flung over
the windscreen.
Until a LARGER BUMP, drawing his ATTENTION FORWARD, Larsons
intensity replaced once more with the familiar GRIN–

The post Tomb Raider Chronicles Script appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

Tomb Raider Chronicles mosaics made from screenshots. I made three mosaics because TR5 is very dear to me. You can see my other mosaics of other Tomb Raider games here.

And here are a few close-ups

The post Tomb Raider Chronicles mosaics made from screenshots appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

The cover was also signed by level designers, composer and script writers!

The post A letter from Jonell Elliot appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

The Role of Tomb Raider in my life

I wrote about how important the Tomb Raider series has
been in my life and I mentioned meeting my online friends in real life. Today I
will be writing about the hometown of one of those friends.

I’ve been
to many locations that were featured in the Tomb Raider games or otherwise
related to it and, as any fan would, I always notice things that cause a “Oh
it’s just like in Tomb Raider” reaction. I have a very good friend, Terenete,
who manages a Facebook page for the Tomb of Ash so visiting her is kinda like a
holidays/tourism/meeting my fellow Tomb Raider fanatic type of trip. After
visiting Split twice I must say there are way too many moments like this and I
think it’s about time I wrote an article about it.

Split is an
ancient Roman city situated on Croatia’s coast, bordering the Adriatic Sea.
They filmed parts of Game of Thrones there (for those of you who like Game of
Thrones, I personally don’t). The city is built on an ancient palace and has
lots of similarities in its architecture to the Roman levels in Tomb Raider
Chronicles.

Well, not
only Tomb Raider Chronicles, the original Tomb Raider too! I think this door
looks just like St Francis Folly’s door, though some suggest it looks like
the library doors in TR4.

Split is
basically heaven if you’re looking for locations for your cosplay photoshoots.

Did I
mention catacombs?

Hope there are no traps here!

And once
you’re tired of ancient stuff you can always do some underwater shots, the sea
is lovely!

They also
have a couple of shipwrecks (TR Reboot) though they seem to be removing them
soon.

The post Split – A VERY Tomb Raider Place appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

EDGE Magazine. #90, November 2000 with Tomb Raider Chronicles preview!

The post 2000 – EDGE Magazine – Tomb Raider: Chronicles preview appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

Exclusive concept arts for Tomb Raider 3 (Aldwych) and Tomb Raider 5 (Ireland) kindly provided by Andy Sandham after his interview with me! Please have a read if you haven’t already

The post appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

Andy Sandham was involved in majority of Tomb Raider games by Core Design. He was an artist, level designer and a scriptwriter throughout his work on Tomb Raider series. And today he kindly agreed to an interview with me.

Andy Sandham, Core Design

Hello Andy, thank you for agreeing to have Q&A with us.

You had a great level of involvement from Tomb Raider II until Tomb Raider (5) Chronicles.  Which was your favourite game that you worked on? 

Tomb Raider 3 – we really pushed the boundaries of what the PSONE was capable of, and there was a healthy sense of competition in the team. I also created the London level, which allowed me a lot of ‘research time’ in London, if that’s the right phrase. I still recall standing in tube stations with my breeze block sized digital camera taking photographs of the floor and walls for textures!

Tomb Raider III (1998)

Croft manor has always been a great training area for beginners and veterans alike to establish the new skill sets each game had.  Previously we have read that Croft Manor was inspired by Kedleston Hall however we have personally gone there and it does not have that many similarities.  Having been in Darby and outside the original Core Design building, we noticed many of the buildings were brick with white edging and had architectural similarities.  What inspired the look of Croft Manor really?

I’m uncertain what Toby’s (Toby Gard) original inspiration was – although, yup, It did bear a few similarities to the original Core building – without the hidden quad bike track, of course.

Ex Core Design building (55 Ashbourne Road, Derby, UK) and Croft Manor in Tomb Raider III

Why was Croft Manor removed from Tomb  Raider (4) Last Revelation and Tomb Raider (5) Chronicles?

If memory serves, I think we began to try and build the tutorials into the levels – as per the Werner Von Croy intro section out of Last Revelation – so that we weren’t doubling up work. As a side note, that tutorial sequence with Werner Von Croy still gives a number of us re-occurring nightmares – companion AI in those days was a relatively new thing, even if Werner was (supposed to be) on a fairly linear path… Myself and Tom (AI coder) battled through this day and night for a number of weeks — although I think if we hadn’t already cut our teeth with the nightmarish baptism of fire ‘Sophia boss battle’ from Tomb3, one of us may have ended up leaping out of a window. I think we’re both still catching up on sleep from that one…

Von Croy (Tomb Raider 4) and Sophia Leigh (Tomb Raider III)

We noticed right next to the old Core Design building there was an office building called “Croft House”.  Was Lara Croft’s last name inspired by the building next door or is the “phone book” story true on how her name was chosen?

Nope, neither. Lara was originally Lara Cruz as created by Toby, but I believe the boss wanted something more English. Toby and the original scriptwriter, Vicky (Vicky Arnold), came up with ‘Croft’, as being quintessentially English.

Croft House, 51 Ashbourne Rd, Derby

In Tomb Raider (4) Last Revelation we get to see Lara Croft as a young girl going on one of her first adventures with Von Croy.  How did you come up with the concept and story to involve her younger and being guided by someone?

As above, this was to integrate the tutorial ‘seamlessly’ into the game. Obviously didn’t work out quite that way, though!

Our hero, Lara Croft, has been known to save the world a few times.  She saved it from power hungry Natla who was going to release an Atlantean race of beasts, Bartroli who was releasing a dragon, and Dr. Willard who was trying to accelerate evolution.  In Tomb Raider (4) Last Revelation suddenly Lara Croft is the one leading the world to the apocalypse by reading the Amulet of Horus.  What made the team decide to make Lara make this critical mistake?

The Core team all sat down together to outline the story for Tomb 4 (which I scripted, as no-one else wanted to do it), and it was kinda decided we needed something new – the ‘revelation’, so to speak. That’s where the plot device originated from.

Tomb Raider 4: The Last Revelation (1999)

What was the reason to make it seem like she died?  Was this a plot-based move (such as a cliffhanger to have Tomb Raider advance to a new console) or perhaps did Core feel this was the end of the Tomb Raider franchise as a whole due to a dip in sales?

Jeremy and Adrian (our bosses) were very much hands off with regards what we wanted to do with the games  – other than ‘greenlighting’ settings, etc. – We were all a little sick of Lara, and decided killing her might give us a chance to move onto a new project.  Didn’t work – although in hindsight, I’m amazed how much freedom they gave us – these days, If you proposed killing Lara croft, you’d probably end up sleeping with the fishes…The joys of a small team are coming back though, via indie projects…

Clearly, a ton of research on ancient Egypt and its mythology went into Tomb Raider (4) Last Revelation.  How did you go about researching for all the levels? 

Jeremy (to his credit) actually decided we needed to set 4 back in Egypt – to get Lara back to Tombs – and generously planned a trip out there for all of us – unfortunately, with the deadline rapidly approaching, and a number of inoculations required with specific time periods before they took effect, meant  another trip to London instead! We all spent a lot of time in the British museum, and trawling around the bookstores on the street opposite for the books with the most photographs of textures in! It was always a highly sought after prize – the book with the most textures that we could scan in. (I should point out the internet was still relatively useless with regards resources at this point)

Locations in Tomb Raider 4

In Tomb Raider (4) Last Revelation we all were introduced to the ability to walk back to the previous level despite our advancement to the next.  How did this idea come up?  Was this something that was thought of early on and could not be done due to technological limitations or was this a new idea for the game series?

We were all keen on a ‘hub’ and more player choice so that if the player was stuck in one area, they’d be able to try another without getting frustrated – what now would be referred to in poncy ludological terminology  as ‘player agency’

In Tomb Raider (5) Chronicles there are four stories that are going back to Lara’s past. How did  the concept of Tomb Raider (5) Chronicles come about?

Tomb Raider 5 was based around the levels we originally pitched for Tomb 4 – Jez (Jeremy) told us he wanted Lara ‘back in some fucking Tombs!’ – hence Tomb 4 being set in Egypt.

As a level designer what was your process to turn concept into reality?  Did you physically draw out maps or diagrams to aid in creation?  Do you have original concept art you would like to share with us? (UPD. Andy sent us some concept art)

Yup, very much a case of thinking of an area you’d like to tackle (like the London Underground), then drawing out rough sketches of the layout and what you wanted Lara to achieve at the end of each level (funnily enough, I found some of these just the other day…), and then a lot of time working my way around puzzles, and then off to collect the textures using my trusty gigantic digital camera!

I’d note that around tomb 5, creating original puzzles was becoming pretty difficult, and I worked out a number of systems with which to formulate new puzzle concepts – a number of which I’m now teaching my award winning Design students within my puzzle design course at NHTV school of international game architecture and design (IGAD)*

*(please note this is a plug) (please no we included it )

Tomb Raider 5 – Chronicles (2000)

Was it a coincidence that there was a Russian sub by the name of Kursk that sunk in the Barents Sea a few months before the release date of Tomb Raider (5) Chronicles which included a Russia level with similar themes?

This was Joby’s (Joby Wood) level – I’m unsure if this event was related, although I do know Joby had an enormous pile of books on his desk focussing on the ‘spear of destiny’?

In concept form and even once the script has been written there are many differences to the completed project.  What are some of the notable changes on the games you worked on from concept to finished project?

Tomb Raider three was interesting as we kept pushing the boundaries – one of the coders would shout ‘Hey, I’ve got a quad bike working!’ or something similar, and we’d all crowd around and then start working out ways to get these new systems into our levels. I still distinctly remember, at least once a week, asking Chris (Coupe), one of the programming leads, for some new feature I wanted to make my level better, to be told quite categorically to ‘fuck right off’. Without fail, two or three days later, Chris would call me over with the feature implemented and say ‘Happy Now’? We had some world class (although potty mouthed) talent on that team.

Have you played the newer Tomb Raider games by Crystal Dynamics?  What are your thoughts on them? 

Yup, been playing the new ones – Some really nice work here. And I do love the way they’ve taken some of the core features and revamped and upgraded them (i.e. the vine climbing becoming the ice hook walls, and the zip lines you’re able to shimmy back up). It’s all building on what was originally a simple, clean, genius concept within the original Tomb Raider.

As the scriptwriter and as a level designer you had a lot of say in the feel of the Tomb Raider classics.  How do you feel about the direction the story of the new games has taken?  What would you have done different?

I actually correctly predicted that the series may try for a bit of ‘survival horror’, as the solitary nature was something that made the original so unique. With regards the script on the new game, I’m not entirely convinced – I feel they were going in a particular survival horror direction, and then lost their nerve. Very much a ‘Hills have eyes’ and ‘Deliverance’ vibe, became ‘Bear Grylls with a crossbow’…

Tomb Raider (2013) by Crystal Dynamics

How do you feel about the level design of the new games?  What would you have done different?

I’m impressed! You’re guided along the critical path in such a way that you actually feel as if you’re exploring – a vitally important aspect as a player motivator within these games. It’s really a case of drip feeding setpieces, spectacle, and awe inspiring moments as player motivators – which they do well.

In theory if you had your team then with the same projects with MODERN technology what advancements in level design would you take advantage of?  What ideas you wish you could have used were thrown out because of technical limitations?

Lara croft floating in orbit, surrounded by the wreckage of her broken satellite, attempting to find a way back to Earth whilst utilising the canny guidance of George Clooney? Joking aside, with regards advancements in level design, I teach a number of subjects within this field, and wouldn’t say there are many MAJOR advancements – it’s just knowing the techniques on how to motivate and reward the player while providing the right amount of challenge. So, in a nutshell, just knowing how to do it right in the first place!

Thank you very much for your time!

It’s been a pleasure.

AshKa/Fiend for Lara Croft in Russia. Read this article in Russian

Special Thanks to Tatiana Leitzel.

READ PART II OF THIS INTERVIEW

The post Interview with Andy Sandham (Core Design) appeared first on Tomb of Ash.