The Art of the Rejuvenator
June 12, 2025 - Waugh101
Tags:
development
We had a couple of distinct goals in mind when designing the look of the Rejuvenator. The first was to make it feel like something the Medic himself could have actually assembled, much like his other two Medi Guns. We referenced the design of these two existing options, which are both built around modified fire hoses and fitted with various pieces of mechanical and electrical parts. In comparison to the Engineer’s equipment, these feel rougher and less commercial. This represents a common theme across many of TF2C's weapons, with them being modified or entirely constructed by the mercenaries to suit their own needs.
So, this DIY thought process was kept in mind as we thought about the Rejuvenator. From the start, we asked ourselves “what would the Medic have access to when making a Medi Gun?” We kept supplies limited to consumer parts - things that might be found around an average household or in the Medic’s makeshift lab. Most concepts were built around the final cooking pot design, but others included things like a measuring cup or an oil pan.
Initial Concept Exploration
Our other goal was to keep the design clearly identifiable as a Medi Gun side-grade. One part of this was having the Medic hold the weapon with a similar stance to stock. We also directly reused small elements from other in-game items, a common trick to help new additions more easily fit in. The Medi Gun’s handle was reused as the design’s foregrip while the Shotgun’s handle was used as its back. The texture itself was also designed to stick closely to the color palette of its default Medi Gun counterpart.
Once these core components came together, it was pretty easy to imagine the base weapon’s design. From there, we continually iterated until we settled on a look that the team enjoyed. During this final iteration phase, the sizing of individual elements shifted around to visually balance the design. Notably, the entire design was at one point flipped to place the front handle on the Medic’s left side, so he could hold it more naturally.
Final Design Refinements
This wasn’t the end of our design process, though. Unlike many other weapons, the design of our Medi Guns aren’t just limited to what the Medic holds. We tried out multiple concepts for the backpack and, unique to the Rejuvenator, for its Über generator and healing projectiles. We wanted all of these to echo specific parts of the base weapon’s design, to help intuitively link them to it. We felt it important for its sounds and particle effects to feel nonthreatening, to make it clear that its grenades aren’t dangerous, unlike the rest of the game's projectiles, even when an enemy is shooting them directly at you.
Backpack and Ăśber Generator Concept Exploration
Overall, the Rejuvenator represents the most amount of art related work out of any of 2.2’s weapons. This ultimately included its model, textures, animations, particle effects, sounds, and just about any other art task that a weapon design could demand. We’re happy with the result, though, and feel that all of this came together to create a design that is novel in some ways, familiar in others, and, most importantly, represents its gameplay functionality.
So, this DIY thought process was kept in mind as we thought about the Rejuvenator. From the start, we asked ourselves “what would the Medic have access to when making a Medi Gun?” We kept supplies limited to consumer parts - things that might be found around an average household or in the Medic’s makeshift lab. Most concepts were built around the final cooking pot design, but others included things like a measuring cup or an oil pan.
Initial Concept Exploration
Our other goal was to keep the design clearly identifiable as a Medi Gun side-grade. One part of this was having the Medic hold the weapon with a similar stance to stock. We also directly reused small elements from other in-game items, a common trick to help new additions more easily fit in. The Medi Gun’s handle was reused as the design’s foregrip while the Shotgun’s handle was used as its back. The texture itself was also designed to stick closely to the color palette of its default Medi Gun counterpart.
Once these core components came together, it was pretty easy to imagine the base weapon’s design. From there, we continually iterated until we settled on a look that the team enjoyed. During this final iteration phase, the sizing of individual elements shifted around to visually balance the design. Notably, the entire design was at one point flipped to place the front handle on the Medic’s left side, so he could hold it more naturally.
Final Design Refinements
This wasn’t the end of our design process, though. Unlike many other weapons, the design of our Medi Guns aren’t just limited to what the Medic holds. We tried out multiple concepts for the backpack and, unique to the Rejuvenator, for its Über generator and healing projectiles. We wanted all of these to echo specific parts of the base weapon’s design, to help intuitively link them to it. We felt it important for its sounds and particle effects to feel nonthreatening, to make it clear that its grenades aren’t dangerous, unlike the rest of the game's projectiles, even when an enemy is shooting them directly at you.
Backpack and Ăśber Generator Concept Exploration
Overall, the Rejuvenator represents the most amount of art related work out of any of 2.2’s weapons. This ultimately included its model, textures, animations, particle effects, sounds, and just about any other art task that a weapon design could demand. We’re happy with the result, though, and feel that all of this came together to create a design that is novel in some ways, familiar in others, and, most importantly, represents its gameplay functionality.
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