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NonBorn
25-06-2007, 21:36
Inside the Developers Studio: Cory Barlog (Δημιουργός του God of War: Chains of Olympus)
Today we kick-off our Inside the Developers Studio series with guest author, Cory Barlog, creative director for God of War: Chains of Olympus.


http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/622878707_dc55d7e391.jpg

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
God of War: Chains of Olympus

2. Describe it in five words or less.
Kind of limiting, huh? Well I think the best description is that it’s ‘God of War for PSP.’

3. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Jack Thompson. I think after 5 minutes of playing the game that hard crunchy exterior would melt away and reveal his candy coated liberal center.

4. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Bioshock. That game looks pretty amazing and I’m dying to see how it feels. I think I would want more than an hour though…how about two?

5. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
Does this really count as an E3? I mean, it’s like a mini-E3…so I will count it as one-half of an E3. So with that in mind, I would say 7 and 1/2.

6. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
A loud, stinky, electronic orgasm.

7. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
You have a ticket to the (insert company name here) party?

8. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
A fifth of Jack Daniels, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a package of hand sanitizing wipes, and some AXE body spray along with some Altoids for some of the people you have to talk to.

9. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Swing away Jaoquin Phoenix, swing away. I really don’t know what advice to give for this years E3 since it is going to be so totally different, so I will just go with don’t start drinking before noon.

10. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
I expect to ACTUALLY have time to actually play games this year - Nice!


Πηγή: http://blog.us.playstation.com/


To "Inside the Developers Studio" είναι μία νέα στήλη στο Official Blog της Sony το οποίο θα παρουσιάζει απόψεις, συζητήσεις και νέα κατευθείαν από τους developers των videogames... Η αρχή έγινε με τον Cory Barlog Creative Director του God of War: Chains of Olympus ο οποίος απαντάει σε διάφορα πράγματα αλλά κυρίως εκφέρει την απόψη του για την φετινή Ε3 και για τα παιχνίδια που περιμένει πιο πολύ την χρονία που έρχεται.


H συνέχεια ...

http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/625648834_f1e8b69fd8.jpg

What’s up PlayStation fans??? I know my earlier post was a bit thin…thin like one of the Olsen twins…so I thought I would come back and add some more of what you’re asking for. I love your passion and drive for God of War: Chains of Olympus info, so I’ll do my best to accommodate you with this follow-up. I’m going to share a little bit more about God of War and maybe talk about what’s next on my plate, or I might just announce the rumble feature for the PSP.

Ok, just kidding about the rumble feature for PSP, I made that up.

It’s pretty strange posting something in these new digs though, it’s more formal than my ghetto little blog. I feel like I need to sit up straight when I’m writing this. I’m not going to of course, I just feel like I should. So I guess I will just have the guilt to carry around with me all day. Fortunately I am too shallow to be bummed about that for too long.

All right, enough already, let’s chat a bit about the PSP. I hear that the official news about unlocking the PSP processor speed is out there. Many people are asking if God of War: Chains of Olympus is going to take advantage of this. The short answer is yes we are! Ready at Dawn has been doing some pretty amazing stuff with the PSP since the early days of the platform. Every time I see a new build I am more amazed with what we’re able to pull off with the PSP. I mean, 1080p on the PSP…who would have freaking thought??? Ok so that is wholly untrue, but it does look amazing. I feel confident in saying that we (and when I say we, I mean Ready at Dawn since they are doing the bulk of the work) are nailing the look and feel of God of War for the PSP. If everything goes according to plan then this will be a must-have game in your PSP library.

The combat for God of War: Chains of Olympus is also coming along really nicely. With each new build I get to see more and more of the game taking shape, which from my perspective is great. This game is really a first for me overseeing a game in this fashion. I don’t live with the game every day in the trenches like I did on the first two God of War games. So, all the daily stress that goes with directing this title gets placed squarely on Ru Weerasuriya’s shoulders. To be honest, I don’t like this position nearly as much as directing a game. I prefer being in the trenches and tackling all the problems. Thankfully the folks over at Ready at Dawn are doing a great job and over the next few weeks you will get to see the fruits of their labor. I would say ‘our’ labor, but including myself in that would be like the guy who stands on the side of the road during a marathon and hands out a glass of water and says “run faster”, and then says ‘we’ won the race.

I hope to have more info on the game sometime soon, keep your eyes open at E3. I’ll let you know when we’re finished. I think the first people getting one will be the people who participated in the Island of Rhodes website tease.

I will try and stop by as often as I can and give some more PSP updates for everybody, without giving away too much of course. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, and we’re all looking forward to those reactions from E3.

pvinis
26-06-2007, 02:55
"God of War for PSP"??? δεν βρηκε τιποτα καλυτερο?!???

και να πω τη γνωμη μου... ειχα νοικασει το god of war για 3 μερες, επαιζα ολη την ωρα, και τελικα, δεν ειναι και τοσο καλο... εχει ωραιεσ κινησεις κλπ, αλλα ειναι τα ιδια... δεν εχει δραση. το βαριεσαι..

Ninja Gaiden FTWWWWWW

NonBorn
26-06-2007, 04:16
Τι είπες τώρα ωρεεεεέ? Θα πέσει φωτιά να σε κάψει!!!
Συγχωρέστε τον πάλι θα χει πιει τίποτα και δε ξέρει τι λέει! (Ρίξτε μια ματιά στο Funny Thread...)
:rant::rant::rant: :fryingpan::fryingpan: :fryingpan: :badpc: :badpc::badpc:

NonBorn
27-06-2007, 01:44
Inside the Developers Studio: Travis Williams (Δημιουργός του PAIN) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/26/inside-the-developers-studio-travis-williams/)



Hey everyone, I’m Travis Williams, I’m a senior producer for SCEA in San Diego and working on an upcoming title for the PlayStation Network (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Network/) called “PAIN.” In the spirit of this Q&A series (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/22/introducing-a-new-series-to-playstationblog-inside-the-developers-studio/), I, along with many other first party developers, were posed with the following questions from the SCEA PR team. Here are my answers…enjoy!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1268/632003401_6c523fb9de.jpg

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
PAIN for the PlayStation 3 PlayStation Network (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Network/) and it’s being released soon. I would love to give myself the “finished game” Christmas present.

2. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
PAIN is cool in that there is no story. I could come up with a reason why seemingly “normal” people climb inside of a huge slingshot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingshot) and fling themselves into dangerous situations, but you wouldn’t buy it.
SO NO STORY FOR YOU, SORRY!
The “more” I would like to say about PAIN is that although PAIN is meant to be funny it’s really a skillful sandbox game. The challenges start off pretty easy but trust me the game gets pretty daunting at the PAINful levels. You can play for five minutes or five hours.

3. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
I dunno. Maybe Super Dave (http://www.nndb.com/people/240/000024168/). That dude could take a hit for real.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
PAIN is different in that it’s made specifically for the PlayStation Network. Before PSN, we didn’t really have a dialogue with the people who play PlayStation games. That’s changed with PS3. That means we’re looking to the PSN community to help us shape future PAIN themes. So there’s a level of interaction with the game players that we couldn’t achieve until now. We’ve got cool ideas, but I’m really looking forward to see how other people play PAIN. We are also always making launchable characters for PAIN so if you guys have some ideas for characters you wanna fling (famous or not) chime in here on the comments thread. Of course, no guarantees, but we’ll do what we can.

5. Do you have any “firsts in this game that have never been done before?
If you can find a game where you can Toss Mimes and Spank Monkeys for points that I can play then I can stop working on this one.

6. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
I’d say the coolest part of PAIN is how I never get tired of playing it. I know that might sound self-serving but it’s true. I’ve made some games that I was just sick of playing near the end. I can actually sit down with Coker (the associate producer on PAIN) and play for hours. When you first start playing PAIN it’s all about the funny. Soon, it’s all about your skillz.

7. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Killzone (http://www.killzone.com/killzone/processSplash.jspa). I hear it looks AMAZING.

8. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
Been to EVERY one. Man I am old.

9. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
It’s hectic, but exciting too.

10. Most overused phrase(s) or expression during E3 Season.
- Dude! Have you seen the new Metal Gear Trailer?
-Huh? I can’t hear you. (Because there are explosions in the background)
-So, what company you working for NOW?
-I’m not waiting in that line to see a demo (and then you go wait in THAT line)

11. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three
items HAVE to be included?
Breath mints – To make sure you’re fresh to def
Comfortable shoes – To make sure you’re a Gellin (http://www.drscholls.com/index.aspx?wrongid)
A Backpack – To make sure you can carry all the schwag

12. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Don’t ask me for Sony Party tickets. I don’t have any!

13. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five
words or less.
A lot less booth babe-age.

14. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
My mother told me that my knowledge of elves and magic was would never pay off…Having the last laugh on that one makes my whole career worth while. IN YOUR FACE MAMA!!
Was that disrespectful? Sorry Mom….

Mε λίγα λόγια...
O Travis Williams παραγωγός videogames δουλεύει για τη SCEA και εργάζεται αυτή τη περίοδο στο project του PAIN. Στη συνεύντευξη που δίνει εκμυστηρεύεται λεπτομέριες για το PAIN και λέει την γνώμη του για την φετινή E3.Λέει χαρακτηριστικά ότι το PAIN δε βασίζεται σε κάποια πλοκή και αυτή είναι η μαγεία του. Παρόλο που προορίζεται για απλά έναν τίτλο γέλιου είναι αρκετά απαιτητικό και μερικές φορές γίνεται πολύ δύσκολο. Σημειώνει επίσης ότι το PSN Network έφερε πιο κοντά τους developers σε αυτό που θέλουν οι gamers και απο εκεί ήρθε και η ιδέα για το PAIN. Από την φετινή E3 αναμένει με ανυπομονησία το Killzone 2.

NonBorn
28-06-2007, 18:18
Inside the Developers Studio: Erich Waas (Δημιουργός του NBA 08) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/27/inside-the-developers-studio-erich-waas/)


http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/644112718_83621a6d50.jpg

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
NBA 08 on the PlayStation 3. It was the first franchise at 1080p and 60 frames per second when the PS3 launched and we’ve made great strides since and added a lot to NBA 08.

2. Describe it in five words or less.
Cooler than a pet monkey (http://www.petmonkey.info/).

3. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
Thanks to the PS3’s cell processor, NBA 08 runs in Full HD — 1080p and 60fps. Not up-scaled to 1080p. Not a choice to run at 1080p OR 60fps. True Full HD. At the same time, we have detailed sweat that you can see rolling down players’ faces, head and eye tracking and facial animation for all 10 players at once. Additionally, thanks to the cell processor, we simulate cloth not just for the 10 players on the court but the bench players for each team as well. We also have such a variety in our arena crowds that you’ll only see 2 in every 2048 crowd members with the same model, wearing the same clothes and doing the same animation. And we do this from our “Behind the Player” cam which is more demanding on performance (because more is being drawn) than the sideline or broadcast cam you will see in other basketball games. There is also a lot of new ball physics that has been added to NBA 08 as well as a total of 2,000 unique animations within the game and 4 times the amount of AI routines for greatly improved variety of gameplay. With art assets created with native 1080p in mind as well as audio, we also have more data than can be stored on a dual layer DVD.

4. Do you have any “firsts” in this game that have never been done before?
NBA 07 (http://www.us.playstation.com/Media/Screenshot/15162/NBA_Live_07_Screenshots_12) was the first BluRay title at 1080p and 60fps. It was also the first sports game to offer new content the Friday of each and every week during the NBA season (6 months) through our “Games of the Week” feature. Both of these are available in NBA 08 as well as a new level of play control fidelity in a basketball game through the use of the SIXAXIS controller. We’re tying animation to SIXAXIS functionality and going beyond jukes, cross-overs and spins. You’re able to rock the SIXAXIS controller back and forth to dribble the ball between the legs. You’re able to move the ball around while in a “triple threat” situation to help keep defenders from stealing the ball as well as improve your chances of a successful pass. Along with this, you can select between bounce passes, chest passes and lob passes. Conversely, on defense you’re able to get high or wide by tilting the SIXAXIS controller forward or backwards. By widening the defender’s stance and arms on defense, there is a greater chance in deflecting a bounce pass or closely defending the ball handler to keep them from successfully executing a juke move (although this will fatigue your player faster). By putting the defender’s hands straight up in the air, there’s a better chance of tipping a lob pass and the shot percentage of a shooter is reduced.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
I’m very excited about what NBA 08 offers and it’s hard to nail it down to one aspect. The game looks and plays even better than last year but our “Games of the Week” feature is what provides our fans with new playable content each week involving games that just took place in the NBA. For instance, the week after Kobe went on a 4-game streak of scoring over 50 points, we dedicated that week to fun segments of each of those games for gamers to play while sports shows were still talking about it. Our progression system would be a close second. Did I mention how good our game looks this year?

6. How does this game use the PS Network?
Other than some of the fastest, smoothest and most authentic game play you mean? We’ve got a lot going on this season. Aside from great head-to-head play online, we’re incorporating the comprehensive SportsConnect system from our MLB franchise. You’ll also be able to earn goals toward your progression system created player - have I told you about our Progression System - more to come on that later. We’ll also post complimentary weekly content every Friday along with leaderboards for you to post your accomplishments.

7. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Eva Longoria (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0519456). I would play against the Spurs and abuse Tony Parker (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tony_parker/). As the hour progresses, Eva would lose respect for the real life Tony and become enamored with my game playing skills. It’s the kind of special story we’d later be able to tell our children. There’s no “off” on my genius switch. But seriously, I’d love to play with Maurice Lucas (http://www.nba.com/blazers/history/Learn_More_About_Maurice_Lucas-64030-41.html). He’s my all-time favorite NBA player and was instrumental in the Trail Blazers winning it all in ‘77.

8. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
SingStar (http://www.us.playstation.com/SingStarRocks/) on the PS3. I absolutely love that franchise. I hope the booth is sound proof though because I hear neighborhood dogs howl whenever I bust out the microphone.

9. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
I’ve been to every single E3 sans one. Even the two E3’s in Atlanta where I thought I lost my liver in Buckhead. I’m not sure how many that makes…eleventy?

10. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Much better than last year.

11. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
There are a couple of overused phrases heard during E3. A couple include, “Never before has a game….” or “this feature offers a whole new level of….” but the most often heard phrase at E3 has definitely been, “Hey, can you get me a party ticket?”

12. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
Dr. Scholl’s inserts, Chaser and talcum powder.

13. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
I’m not sure how the new format will change things but for any video game fan, attending an E3 is a must. It’s sensory overload and there just isn’t enough gameplay time over the three days. I would also recommend that you stuff yourself before attending because there isn’t a food cart or restaurant in a 3 mile radius that doesn’t have a half hour line attached to it. Oh, and you should check out NBA 08 first.
14. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
Serenity by comparison.

15. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
Developing games for a living is unbelievable. Other than a little male pattern baldness and a sun tan that mostly comes from the monitors in my office even though I live in San Diego, I’m very lucky. Not just because I get to make games for a living but that I get to combine my passion for games with my passion for sports. It’s like combining chocolate and peanut butter–the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Except for the last few weeks of a product cycle when we’re trying to ship the title and everyone has to respond to last minute issues that arise, most of the year is a blast. The NBA 08 team is filled with characters who are a lot of fun to work with. There’s one guy on the team who can be a little managerially intensive by the name of Igor. But he’s a good guy at heart and a talented programmer and as long as I buy him ice cream when he’s working late, he’s pretty happy. Now I realize that most of the public reading this has no idea what I’m talking about but the opportunity to zing a team member in a public forum is pretty priceless.


Πηγή: http://blog.us.playstation.com/

klepidas
28-06-2007, 18:32
pote vgainei to pain?

NonBorn
29-06-2007, 19:43
Inside the Developers Studio: Felice Standifer (US Producer of Motorstorm)
(http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/28/inside-the-developers-studio-felice-standifer/)

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
The Eye of Judgment (http://http//www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Games/THE_EYE_OF_JUDGMENT/)

2. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story? What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
First, it uses the next-generation USB camera for PS3, the PlayStation Eye (http://http//http://www.us.playstation.com/PS2/Games/EyeToy_Play/OGS//). We’ve combined the camera and real, collectable trading cards, created by Hasbro and its Wizards of the Coast (WotC) subsidiary, to create a completely new concept in trading card games. As you know, Hasbro and WotC are known for the development of Magic: The Gathering, so we’re bringing that heritage to PS3. It is a key component and adds a third dimension to the trading card game genre by materializing animated 3D creatures on screen.
The Eye of Judgment is a tough game to describe, but really a fun game to play, as it is a whole new means of interaction within the trading card genre of games. The cards are embedded with a Cybercode that only PlayStation Eye can read, and once you lay them down on the battle mat the characters come to live and battle in really cool animations on the screen. One major benefit of playing this type of game on PS3 is that you don’t have to count all of the gaming components up when you play your cards; the PS3 does it for you and gives you visual prompts such as when to remove a card or how many cards you should have in your hand.

3. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
The coolest aspect of the game is the utilization of the PLAYSTATION Network to play others online. We are focused on a global launch of this title, so you can challenge players from all over the world, it’s really exciting.
I also like watching the card image come to life and battle against the other creatures. It takes a little bit to learn, but once you do, it is a blast. There will be over 100 different cards available with the booster packs, so you never know what creature is going to be coming at you. You’ll soon know what I mean when I say my Infernal Sciondar Dragon crushed your Verzar Foot Soldier!

4. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Buzz! (http://www.buzzthegame.com/)……”Party Time”, I’ll probably get most of the answers wrong, but its lots of fun to play with your friends. It’s my kind of game to just sit back and have a good time with, but it brings out my competitive side!

5. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
Let’s just say I’ve been there since E3 started and before that I was working the Sony booth at CES.


6. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Breeze, cake walk, relaxing..HA!!!

7. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
This title or that title is the Game of the Year!

8. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
Energy Bar, water and a masseuse. If not a masseuse. I always have Advil in my pocket during the show as well.

9. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Wear comfortable shoes and get as much rest as possible before E3 starts, because once it’s going it’s non-stop for 4 days straight!

10. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
My favorite part about developing games is hearing comments from fans. The folks who read this blog. We take them into consideration when making the next project, and it’s really nice to know you’ve delivered something to the public that they enjoy playing.

Με λίγα λόγια...
Ο Felice Standifer μέλος της ομάδας που δημιύργησε το Motorstorm δίνει στο παραπάνω άρθρο μια περιγραφή του τι είναι το νέο Eye of Judgement που θα παρουσιαστεί στην E3 σε περίπου 15 μέρες από σήμερα. Λέει για το νέο PS Eye που χρησιμοποιεί το παιχνίδι, για τις κάρτες που χρησιμοποιεί οι οποίες είναι φτιαγμένες από τους δημιουργούς του magic the gathering και για το παγκόμιο launch του παιχνιδιού...

NonBorn
30-06-2007, 03:00
Inside the Developers Studio: Nina Kristensen (Συνιδρυτής της Ninja Theory) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/29/inside-the-developers-studio-nina-kristensen/)

Με λίγα λόγια...
H Nina Kristensen μιλάει στη συνέντευξη που δίνει στο μεγαλύτερο της μέρος όπως είναι φυσικό για το νέο παιχνίδι της Ninja Τheory το Heavenly Sword αποκλειστικά του PS3. Λέει ότι το παιχνίδι έχει ένα πολύ καλό σενάριο και εξελίσεται γύρω από μια ηρωίδα την Nariko (αυτό το θείο πλάσμα στις φωτογραφίες :bgrin2:). H Nariko έχει θεωρηθεί ως κατάρα για την φυλή της από τότε που ο King Bohan άρχισε να τους καταδιώκει μιας και θεωρήθηκε αυτή ως αιτία. Σε μια στιγμή απογοήτευσης η Nariko παίρνει το Heavenly Sword και ορκίζεται να καταστρέψει τον King Bohan και το στρατό του. Αναφέρεται ότι όλα αυτά (πάρα πολλά animations στις μάχες,περιβάλλον, cinematic cameras κλπ κλπ) έγιναν χάρις το hardware του ps3 και τo utilization που θέλησαν να κάνουν μιας και το παιχνίδι "χτίστηκε" αποκλειστικά πάνω στο ps3. Το πιο ωραίο σημείο του παιχνιδιού θεωρεί ότι είναι οι κινήσεις του και τα animation του και το παιχνίδι που θέλει να δει περισσότερο είναι το Assasin Creed. Περισσότερα στο άρθρο...


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/661442925_7d5726b5ce.jpg


1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
Heavenly Sword (http://www.us.playstation.com/HeavenlySword/) - I saw that you, the readers here, have given us 3,700+ votes in the poll on this blog as one of the most anticipated titles of the year, so thanks!!!

2. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
The game is a blast to play, we’ve been flattered by the great write-ups (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/17/sgd-07-joystiq-hands-on-with-heavenly-sword/) so far. We have a great story line as well so here it is: Heavenly Sword is a story of revenge and redemption centering around our heroine Nariko…she’s the one in the screen shot above. She was born into a clan who had been guarding the Heavenly Sword for generations. They had been expecting a god to be born to reclaim the sword, but instead got Nariko. She has been seen as a curse on the clan ever since and when King Bohan invades, the idea of her being an omen of evil fractures the clan. As the King persecutes and decimates them, Nariko is the one that many blame. In a moment of desperation she decides to take charge and use the Heavenly Sword to destroy King Bohan and his army…

3. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
We’re exploring how to utilize as much of the power of the PS3 as we can to create a powerful atmosphere. There’s a lot of stuff in there (http://kotaku.com/gaming/clips/the-making-of-heavenly-sword-271495.php?autoplay=true), and everything in the game is designed with this in mind. With the level of fidelity we have been able to achieve in performances (detailed facial animations etc), we’re looking to draw you in, to emotionally engage you. Within the combat (which is comprised of thousands of animations), we introduce cinematic cameras to show off your coolest moves. The environments are huge and filled with atmospherics to make it feel alive and real. You can smash up pretty much everything in the environment and all these objects behave naturally under physics. There’s a colossal amount of things going on at once, and you’ll know it from the moment you pick up the controller!

4. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
The super-style moves are the coolest. They’re big and dramatic, you have to work quite hard to get them (especially the level 3 ones) and they completely annihilate the enemy. It’s just so much fun. My personal fav is the one where you drag a guy massively up into the air, ride him back down, slam him into the floor, and while you’re cart wheeling off him, a huge shockwave from his impact with the floor wipes out everyone else.

5. Describe it in five words or less.
Big Sword, Hot Girl!!

6. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Wentworth Miller (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0589505/) (assuming I was there helping him out of course!)

7. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Assassin’s Creed (http://assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/interstitial.htm) – I’ve had my eye on that for a while and can’t wait to play!

8. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
I’ve been to ten E3’s. Does that make it E30?

9. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Deafening, intense, fun, booth-babes, mullets.

10. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
“Convergence” and “synergy.”

11. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?

Redbull, Nurofen, a chiropodist (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-chiropodist.htm) (see my next answer)
12. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Don’t wear heels over three inches, you’ll regret it by lunch on the first day!

13. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
The best thing about my job is being paid to have some of the most truly bizarre conversations. I can’t tell you how many very serious (and heated) conversations I’ve had about the pros and cons of dismemberment. Also, the word “bollocks” has come up in conversation a lot recently… “Bollocks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollocks)” is a common term used here in Britain; it’s not a particularly naughty word, and Europe’s fine with it, the ongoing debate is whether or not the word should be present in the game for America? I love my job!

NonBorn
09-07-2007, 00:54
Inside the Developers Studio: Seth Luisi (Socom Confrontation) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/03/inside-the-developers-studio-seth-luisi/)



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1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
I’m working with two games at E3 this year: SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Games/SOCOM_Confrontation) for PLAYSTATION 3, and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike (http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/Games/SOCOM_U_S_Navy_SEALs_Tactical_Strike) for PSP. For the purpose of answering these questions, I’ll focus mostly on our PS3 version of SOCOM.

2. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation makes full use of the HDD in the PlayStation 3. One of the often overlooked advantages of the PS3 compared to competing platforms is that it contains a 2.5” serial ATA hard drive which allows us to use the Hard Disc Drive for extremely fast data access. Since we can count on the hard drive to be in every PS3 console, SOCOM Confrontation uses a very aggressive data streaming system which in turn allows for much greater detail in the game environments. For this reason alone, the level of detail which you will see in the environments and characters in SOCOM Confrontation is not possible on any other game console.
Take a quick look at the screenshots below for an early look at what we are able to achieve using the hard drive in the PS3. This is still pre-alpha and the quality will continue to improve as we get further into development.

3. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
The environments are the real star in SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation. We are focusing a lot of effort on creating intricate and highly detailed urban environments. The amount of detail in the environment will help you to easily distinguish where you are in the level and the intricacy means that you are going to discover new areas and snipe points long after you thought you had the environment memorized.
The characters are also looking really good.
At the top of the post is an in-game screenshot of our Heavy Commando model. The skin shaders, cloth shaders, normal maps, and highly detailed textures allow us to have extremely realistic characters in the game. Again, this is a work in progress.

4. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
N’Gai Croal (http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/). He’s been a long time player of the SOCOM franchise and I would really like to discuss what he thinks about this game. It doesn’t hurt that he is also one of the best journalists writing about video games and also writes for Newsweek.

5. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Metal Gear Solid 4 (http://ps3.ign.com/objects/714/714044.html). I’m very curious how the game plays compared to the videos that have been shown so far.

6. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
All 12 of them. I’ve been to every E3 including the first one in 1995.

7. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Very stressful, little sleep…

8. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
“Game of the show.” The press are so busy each trying to be the first to declare the game of the show that they ignore most of the games shown at E3 including some really good ones. Also, half the time they declare a game which is shown as video only as “Game of the Show.” A note to the press, a game by definition is interactive and so a video is not a game and cannot be game of the show.

9. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
Aspirin, water and a GPS unit to navigate LA.

10. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
One word, fiefdoms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fief).

11. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
My favorite part about developing games is that moment of relief and excitement when I finally see things working in the game as we meant them to be. Most people don’t realize this, but it can take more than a year of hard work and planning (some times several years) before the game is up and running as you envisioned. That whole time you are hoping that things are going to work as planned and that you are going to have a great game but you never know until that moment. It is extremely exciting when it does work and you realize you have something special.


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NonBorn
15-07-2007, 01:32
Inside the Developers Studio: Brian Allgeier (Brian Allgeier / Creative & Design Director του Ratchet & Clank) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/02/inside-the-developers-studio-brian-allgeier/)

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1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
RATCHET AND CLANK FUTURE: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Games/Ratchet_and_Clank_Future_Tools_of_Destruction)

2. Describe it in five words or less.
A Spectacularific Galactic Sci-Fi Adventure!

3.When is it being released?
[Channeling best “movie guy” voice] … Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction will be available worldwide and exclusively on PlayStation 3 this fall.

4. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
Ratchet and Clank are joyriding in their favorite city, Metropolis, when an imperial armada suddenly attacks. They discover that the invasion was orchestrated by one Emperor Tachyon who has a deep hatred towards Ratchet. Confronted by a past that he never knew he had, Ratchet and his buddy Clank set out on an adventure to get some answers and defeat the Emperor. We’ve never explored Ratchet’s history in past games and decided to begin the “Future” series by delving into the mystery of his existence. Clank also has his own major discovery when he learns that he has supernatural abilities - turns out he’s a robot with a mystical side! All of this takes place during their journey through a fascinating new galaxy where they encounter exotic alien worlds and creatures.

5. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
As you can imagine, we get asked this question frequently because of the massive buzz about the console wars. Obviously, each console has its own unique strengths that would require us to approach our game development process a little differently. But Insomniac (http://www.insomniacgames.com/) has developed exclusively for Sony and PlayStation consoles for more than 10 years now. We’ve done so because we have great relationships with the people there and because we believe in the hardware’s capabilities. To be honest, we don’t concern ourselves with what or how we could develop on other consoles since we’re happy working with Sony.

6. Do you have any “firsts” in this game that have never been done before?
Outside of breakdancing mutant alien centipedes, hip-hop bouncing Morph-O-Ray penguins and pelvic-thrusting mech bounty hunters controlled by fish heads, not so much. Seriously though, what Ratchet & Clank Future: ToD does offer is a tightly integrated, massive, epic, varied, and humorous adventure that should hopefully feel like a true evolution of the Ratchet & Clank franchise (http://www.insomniacgames.com/games/rc3.php).

7. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
That’s a tough question! I’m torn between the humor, the visual spectacle and the gameplay variety. The visual spectacle is the one thing that I think people will notice immediately. We’ve been able to create some very detailed and beautiful worlds that Ratchet and Clank visit and I think players will have a real sense of wonder when they explore them. The vibrant colors, expansive views, expressive characters, and massive explosions enhance every aspect of the game and create a rather engaging experience.

8. Describe one of the boss fights in the game?
One of our intense boss battles features a giant construction mech controlled by furry Kerchu aliens. The mech chases Ratchet along a transportation rail and smashes out pieces of it with its giant wrecking ball arms. Ratchet must jump the gaps and dodge missiles while racing down a twisty rail. All of this is viewed from multiple camera angles. Ratchet travels upside down and must fight the giant mech while hanging high above the arena floor using his gravity boots. The mech swings his heavy wrecking balls to pulverize the upper level of the arena, forcing Ratchet to drop down and fight the boss on the ground. While he’s on the lower level, the boss will unleash his wrecking ball attack, fire streams of rockets, and dump Kerchu creatures that can roll around in shielded exoskeletons. It’s fun to see all of the furry Kerchu creatures moving around while they operate this massive machine. You can strategically choose if you want to be on the upper section of the arena where the boss has fewer attacks, or on the lower section where the boss has more attacks and there’s more room to maneuver. Having an intense boss battle that takes place across a large section of the level and offers this degree of strategy is something that we’ve never done before in the Ratchet & Clank franchise.

9. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Nikola Tesla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla). I think he’d get a kick out of what we’ve done with electricity.

10. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Little Big Planet (http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=4491) – And I’m not saying that because it’s a PS3 game! From what I’ve seen, it looks like a heck of a lot of fun to build co-op levels and run through them with your friends. I want to build a Gauntlet of Doom with flamethrowers, monkeys and spinning blades!

11. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
That would be…um…12. Man I’m getting old. Yep…sonny, I remember back in day when videogames were made up of just a few sprites and some decent color cycling…

12. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Manic Rubber Sasquatch Love Thingy!

13. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
“NEXT-GEN!” – And sadly, I use it all the time. I’m looking forward to when things become “Now-Gen” and I can drop the expression!

14. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
Past E3’s: Ear plugs, booth babe blinders and a tazor

15. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Don’t feel ashamed to cry. You can work through it. Time heals and eventually the pain will go away.

16. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
Sensible Pliable Sasquach Fun Thingy?

17. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
My favorite part is when pieces of the game come together and create something more amazing than what was imagined. There are a lot of talented people at Insomniac and seeing the results of their combined forces is incredible. For example, our lead character artist came up with an enemy character that is a robotic suit controlled by an alien fish-like creature in a bubble. That was pretty funny in and of itself. The animators then took that insane character design and made some hilarious hip thrusting animations for when he dances to the Groovitron (a combat device that make enemies dance). Watching him dance made us all crack up. Finally, one of our programmers made the fish pop out of the suits when the enemy is killed and flop around. And of course, those fish also dance. Witnessing a scene of dancing robotic troopers and flopping fish under a disco ball against a beautiful city backdrop is an unforgettable moment. It’s great when that kind of chemistry comes together and magic happens.

NonBorn
15-07-2007, 01:34
Inside the Developers Studio: Sarah Stocker (Singstar) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/04/inside-the-developers-studio-sarah-stocker/)


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1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
SingStar (http://ps3.ign.com/objects/819/819473.html) for the PS3, developed by our Sony London Studio.

2. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
SingStar is a competitive singing game that comes packed with two extremely high quality professional-feeling microphones. You and your friends sing along with the authentic songs and videos by chart-topping artists and are scored on your performance based on your pitch. SingStar is developed by the talented folks in our London Studio, lead by Exec Producer and Game Director Paulina Bozek (http://www.skillset.org/games/overview/people/article_4356_1.asp), and has sold over 8 million units worldwide. It’s just an absolute blast to get your friends and family up and singing (and laughing) together with SingStar.

3. Do you have any “firsts” in this game that have never been done before?
The online catalog of the SingStore is definitely a first. There’s no other music-based game that offers you that variety of content and the ability to tailor your experience to your own tastes the way SingStar PS3 does.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
The huge leap that the PS3 allows for the SingStar Franchise is in customization and community. Because the PS3 is online all the time, for the first time, we can offer the player the ability to pick their own songs from a wide online catalog available through the power of the PlayStation network. Whatever mood you or your friends are in, there’s something for you up there in the hundreds of available songs. You like indie? Go grab some indie. You like 80s? Go get yourself some of that new wave action (http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/flock_of_seagulls/artist.jhtml). The combinations are limitless and the catalog will grow continually over time with fresh new songs and favorite classics coming on line every month.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
Personally, my favorite piece is the community and performance aspects of My SingStar Online. By hooking up the PlayStation Eye (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS2/Games/EyeToy_Play/OGS//) or EyeToy, you can capture your singing performance and upload it from your PS3 to My SingStar Online – our global community – where your friends (or the general public if you’re brave enough!) can check it out and, of course, rate it! I’m blown away by the creativity in our Beta tests alone, and I can’t wait to see what players post when we go live. Of course I also plan to leverage this for personal gain and attain international pop stardom with my brilliant renditions of classic arena rock tunes. So rate away – but be aware that any taunts and derision will merely be read by me as thinly veiled statements of envy for my mad singing skills…

6. When is it being released?
SingStar PS3 releases in the fall in the US. In the meantime, hone your skills by picking up one of our great SingStar games for the PS2: SingStar: Rocks! (http://www.us.playstation.com/SingStarRocks/) SingStar: Pop, and very soon SingStar: Amped and SingStar:80s. You can get one of them bundled with the mics, then grab standalone versions of the others to expand your collection. One of the great features of the PS2 collection is that you can swap discs in and out on the fly, so you have a seamless experience for lovers of all genres at your own SingStar party.

7. How does this game use the PS Network?
The PS Network makes the SingStore and My SingStar Online possible. We’re able to offer a massive, ever-increasing catalog of content to choose from, and also to host a global community of SingStar players and their user-created content.

8. Describe one of the boss fights in the game?
Me and Associate Producer Ryan Hamlyn singing duets in different octaves. No really…you haven’t lived until you’ve heard this.

9. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Bono (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bono) from U2 (http://www.u2.com/). He is soooooo the SingStar. Actually, I would sit him in front of the plant on my desk for an hour if I thought that would get me time with Bono… Are you reading this Bono? I worship you!

10. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Lair! (http://www.us.playstation.com/Lair/default.aspx) Oh wait, that’s mine too… um…let’s see… Little Big Planet (http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=4491), for sure. Army of Two (http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/armyoftwo/index.html). Oh…and Bioshock (http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/) (although it may be too scary for me).

11. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
I refuse to comment on the grounds that I can’t count that high. Suffice to say that I never missed a one…not even that weird one in Atlanta.

12. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Demos! Videos! Press packs! Oh my!

13. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
“Next-Gen” “HD” and this year… “Downloadable content!”

14. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
Water. Asprin. Ticket to the Sony party (and no, I can’t get you one - please stop calling)

15. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Imagine if you will a sea of exhausted unwashed developers, giddy with gamelust, all bathed in the glow of a thousand million video screens each throbbing with 180 decibels of brain-jamming hard rock riffs and explosion SFX (and the occasional “In a world….” bass montone) and now … let go of that. You missed it. To you it will be like the fabled Summer of Love (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_of_Love).

17. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
Less hearing loss. More bathrooms.

18. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
The brilliant people I have the honor of working with on a daily basis – artists, musicians, designers, programmers, producers, marketing and PR, all of it. I’m stunned by the talent by which I’m surrounded on any given day. That, and the swag… sweeeeeeeeeeet…

NonBorn
15-07-2007, 01:36
Inside the Developers Studio: Dylan Jobe (Warhawk Game Director) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/05/inside-the-developers-studio-dylan-jobe/)


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1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
Warhawk, baby!

2. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
Warhawk isn’t about a story – plain and simple. Warhawk is about fast, fun, full spectrum warfare with the stuff that players should expect to see in a war game. While there are numerous clever elements in Warhawk that we’re very proud of, we actively tried to adhere to proven conventions that players are already familiar with.
I’m not about to write a bunch of marketing and PR spew here…if you’re interested in learning more about Warhawk, check-out Warhawk.com (http://www.us.playstation.com/Warhawk/).

3. Describe it (your game) in five words or less.
OPTION#1 = The love child of Unreal Tournament and Battlefield.
OPTION#2 = The fastest war-game you’ve ever played!
OPTION#3 = One of our Public BETA (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3160169&sec=PREVIEWS) testers referred to Warhawk as a “Super Hot, psycho, girlfriend (http://www.reel-style.com/images/screens/howtoloseaguy-marcdress.jpg)”. This description works pretty well.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
It’s hard to answer this and not sound like a gratuitous SONY sales pitch http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif
Although I would say it’s the sum-total of all of our natural phenomenon in the game. Our clouds, procedural water, atmospheric scattering, terrain, etc. All of this stuff runs in parallel on all 7 SPUs simultaneously every frame – I’m still not sure if the game community is giving enough credit to just how fast the SPUs really are.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
I’m really proud of our Quick-Split technology. It’s something that once people see how easy and fast our split-screen works, they are often left wondering why it isn’t done like that in other games.
Players might remember back to the last game I produced, War of the Monsters (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS2/Games/War_of_the_Monsters/OGS/); we had a cool split-screen to single screen transition in that game. Split-screen is really important to me as a developer and I’m a firm believer in “couch-appeal”. Games that are not only fun to play, but fun to *watch* being played.
“Couch-appeal” is a common denominator among most successful titles. I kinda got of topic there for a second http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif


6. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Jade Raymond (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_Raymond) (Assassins Creed) – I have a purely innocent, *professional* crush on her http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif


7. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Hmmm, probably Starcraft 2 (http://www.starcraft2.com/) — I’m a Protoss Zealot IRL! Most people don’t know that about me. I have a Pylon in my office. One of the other games that I am dying to play isn’t announced yet – The PR folks will shank me if I say anything about it.

8. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
Since ‘99 – so this year will be 9…OMG, I feel so old now!

9. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Well last year’s E3 was insane – needless to say my pre-E3 experience last year was not spent refining my SIXAXIS (http://www.us.playstation.com/Media/TV_Spot/15635/PS3_TV_Spot_SIXAXIS_Wireless_Controller) interpretive dance!

10. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit — what three items HAVE to be included?
Who knows what the kit should have in it for this new format? Probably a great map or GPS since people are going to be driving all over LA (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=los+angeles,+ca&ie=UTF8&z=10&iwloc=addr&om=1)!
The old-school E3 kit would have included earplugs, Excedrin and a small sketch book. It was always great to play so many games and take notes about what they were doing well and what elements didn’t work.
On an unrelated note, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to attend E3 with a high-powered directional mic. It is *truly* staggering how open some people are with confidential information. An acute ear at the cafeteria can yield some really interesting info http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif


11. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Wow, not even sure where to begin! It’s like 3 separate high schools having high-budget pep-rallies all in the same gymnasium.
Sadly, people won’t be able to experience the sensory pressure cooker of E3s past – Who knows how this new format will turn out.

11. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
Not much – I’m skeptical. (that’s actually only 4-and-a-half words so I should get some kind of prize)

12. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
The team and I are soooo sick of devs saying that they are “taking things to the next level!”
I think the press should call shenanigans on any dev who drops a line like this in an interview. “So what we’re trying to do here with Super-Ultra-Tea-Party-Turbo EX-HD is take the first-person, turn-based, MMORPG, Tea and Biscuits simulation genre to the next level!!”
*dylan vomits on floor*
*dylan takes note of stomach’s evacuated contents*
*corn (http://www.biofuel.sg/picts/Corn.jpg) is observed*

13.When is it being released?
Warhawk is coming to the PlayStation Store (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Store) *and* on Blu-ray at brick-n-mortar Stores nationwide in early Fall.

14.What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
This will sound giga-dorky but…I really like the people. This industry pulls together such an eclectic group of people – it keeps work very exciting.

NonBorn
19-07-2007, 02:27
Inside the Developers Studio: Evan Wells & Richard Lemarchand (Uncharted: Drake's Fortune) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/06/inside-the-developers-studio-evan-wells-richard-lemarchand/)


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1171/739858639_69ad001f44.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/playstationblog/739858639/)

We were lucky enough to interview not one, but two Naughty Dogs for this latest Inside the Developers Studio post. Evan Wells leads our Q&A here with help from Lead Game Designer Richard Lemarchand. Enjoy!
1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
EW: Naughty Dog (http://www.naughtydog.com/) will be showing off our new PlayStation 3 game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (http://www.us.playstation.com/Uncharted/).

2. Describe it in five words or less.
EW: Modern day, pulp action/adventure.

3. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
RL: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a new character-action game for the PlayStation 3 from the insanely talented videogame makers here at Naughty Dog, creators of Jak and Daxter (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS2/Games/Jak_and_Daxter_The_Precursor_Legacy/OGS/). It has a mature, realistic, slightly stylized look, and is set in a world that reinvents the classic action-adventure genre of games and movies.
The game is a blend of problem-solving traversal, great cover-based gun combat, hand-to-hand brawling and puzzles, and is huge leap forward for us in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish in a storytelling action game.
The story centers on Nathan Drake, a fortune hunter and occasional con man, and his quest to uncover the mystery of a family legend linking him with the famous English explorer and pirate Sir Francis Drake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Drake).
Hooking up with a young cable history show presenter called Elena Fisher, Drake finds himself stranded on a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean, battling present-day pirates and dark, unseen forces in a hunt for the mythical treasure of El Dorado (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado).

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
RL: There are so many things that we can do on the PlayStation 3 that simply aren’t possible on any other game system, but probably the biggest thing to mention is our animation system. In a realistic game like ours, it’s a massive challenge to create a character that is incredibly responsive but whose moves still look perfectly smooth and seamless, and so the animation system was one of the first things we started work on at the beginning of the project.
We’ve created a huge number of animations for Nathan Drake that we combined together on the fly using our blending system, so that Drake responds immediately to what the player does with the controls. That’s really important in a triple-A character-action game, where an ‘on the button’ feel is essential. But even more radically, we’ve built a very innovative layered-animation system, which is what gives our hero a staggeringly believable look.
At any given time there might be up to fifteen layered animations playing back in the game at once, so that Drake can be coming out of cover, reloading his weapon, stumbling on a rock, grimacing with exertion and flinching away from incoming gunfire, all at once. When you see him in action in gameplay it’s almost hard to believe that he’s a videogame character, and it’s the unique processing architecture and power of the PlayStation 3 that gives us the ability to pull this off.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
RL: I think that the coolest thing about Uncharted is also one of the things that make it unique. When we made Jak and Daxter we really wanted to push the bounds of what’s possible in an action game that tells an excellent story, and to find new ways of bringing great gameplay and terrific storytelling closer and closer together.
We feel like we achieved a lot with the Jak series in that regard, but we knew that we could do even more if we kept pushing ourselves. So it’s the new ways that we’re combining play elements from platform games, shooters and puzzle games - all the while spinning an enthralling character-driven tale - that makes Uncharted stand out.
The quality of the writing and acting in Uncharted is something special for games – I guess we’re always trying to raise that bar as high as we can. We’re doing more with in-game story sequences than we’ve ever done before and have figured out some techniques to embed concepts from the story in the puzzles and the rest of the game world that we’re very excited about.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a realistic game with more mature themes than previous Naughty Dog games - we’ve done some growing up and we know that the gamers who play our games have too. That said, our main focus is still on getting as much pure fun out of the hardware as we possibly can!

6. When is it being released?
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune will ship this holiday season.

7. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
EW: Daxter (http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/Daxter_20050412_060424_intro.jpg). So he could see what we’ve been up to lately.

8. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
EW: Little Big Planet

9. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
EW: Hectic as always.

10. Most overused phrase or expression during E3 season
EW: Pixar (http://www.pixar.com/) quality graphics.

11. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
EW: Based on E3’s from the past I would have said earplugs, comfortable shoes and a cell phone set to vibrate. This year things should have changed substantially, but I doubt you could go wrong with comfortable shoes.

12. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
EW: With the new format, I feel like E3 is going to be a brand new experience for me too, so I’m looking to receive some advice instead of giving it.

13. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
EW: I’m managing my expectations.

14. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
RL: Wow, where do I start? Game design is a great profession, and every day presents incredible opportunities for fun, engaging work that’s both creative and technical. I’d recommend game design – or any kind of game development career – to anyone smart and artistic who’s passionate about videogames.
I love media; games, movies, books, music, comics, art, and the web are all just pure brain food to me. I see games as a super-medium that can incorporate and eventually exceed every kind of creative human endeavor that has come before them – perhaps most importantly because they’re interactive.
That immense possibility for self-expression, communication and creation is what keeps me jumping out of bed each morning and racing into the office to see what challenges the day holds! So maybe my favorite thing about making games for a living is all the stuff we haven’t done yet! I just can’t wait to see what amazing things – like Uncharted - the future of videogames will bring…

NonBorn
19-07-2007, 02:28
Inside the Developers Studio: Julian Eggebrecht (Lair) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/09/inside-the-developers-studio-julian-eggebrecht/)


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1076/757233945_4f432e1729.jpg

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
LAIR (http://www.us.playstation.com/Lair/default.aspx). And if it isn’t there I am not there.

2. Describe it in five words or less.
Dragons. Combat. Flight. Fight. Done.

3. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
The story is about Rohn, a dragon pilot and elite member of the military. The world is being thrown into chaos by natural disasters, the government is taken over by fanatics who exploit this, and Rohn has to fight a war that makes him question his moral stance. The story starts out very black and white, but it becomes grey and triggers a lot of questions, both for the hero as well as, we hope, the player. It’s not your typical video game story.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
The combination of traditional controls and radical new usage of motion control is certainly something only possible with the Sixaxis. That then combined with the 1080p graphics and 7.1 hi-def sound, I wouldn’t know of any other platform offering that combination. The PS3 and Lair complement each other rather perfectly.

5. Do you have any “firsts” in this game that have never been done before?
A lot, actually. There never has been an action game that goes seamlessly from the 10000 foot point of action to the very intimate on the-ground battles. There has never been a game that uses motion control and classic controls to bring visceral combat to life - and that in many different gameplay mechanics. And I think even in terms of story we are breaking new ground for video games as a more sophisticated
storytelling device with larger and very contemporary themes.

6. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
The control of the dragon. All these new things to experience that no game has done before. Well, that and the epic feeling of everything. Epic vs. controls, I am torn which one is cooler.

7. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
My Mom. The last thing we played together on a TV was Warlords (http://www.gamespot.com/atari2600/action/warlords/index.html) on the Atari 2600 so she needs to catch up.

8. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Least of all my own. I hope to spend some quality time with Uncharted (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/06/inside-the-developers-studio-evan-wells-richard-lemarchand/) and Ratchet (http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Games/Ratchet_and_Clank_Future_Tools_of_Destruction), especially since my kids are the biggest Ratchet fans on the planet. And let’s see how far Kojima-san’s (http://kotaku.com/gaming/go307/feature-talkin-metal-gear-with-hideo-kojima-248695.php) newest Metal Gear has come. Outside of all things PlayStation I am a sucker for Mario Galaxy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-Qw1ClCVN8).

9. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
All of them. I am so old that I attended CES before E3 came about.

10. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Finishing Lair. Lot’s of sleep.

11. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
“Do you have a ticket for the Sony party?”

12. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
A ticket for the Sony party. Something for headaches. A friendly cab-driver

13. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3? It’s much better experiencing it now than it was before. Less bare flesh and more quality game time.

14. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
Less Crowds. More Focus.

15. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
Sharing the results with my children. They recently got into some of my older games and it’s so cool experiencing the games again through the eyes of my kids. And that would be a close tie with the perks of the workplace here at Factor 5, most of all fresh imported German beer on tap!

NonBorn
19-07-2007, 02:30
Inside the Developers Studio: Hermen Hulst (Killzone 2) (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/10/inside-the-developers-studio-hermen-hulst/)


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1200/771453543_b587900284.jpg


1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
We are very excited to be presenting Killzone 2 (http://kotaku.com/gaming/e307/killzone-2-e3-trailer-277084.php) this year.

2. Describe it in five words or less.
Killzone 2 is a Hostile Theatre of war where every hit has a dramatic impact (sorry, Killzone is just too big for five words).

3. Tell me about the game, what’s the story?
It’s two years later and the ISA are invading the Helghast home planet of Helghan. The goal is to capture the Helghast leader and bring the war machine to a halt.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
For us, we need a great deal of processing power to make our vision come to life. The PS3 really allows us to build Killzone 2 on a grand scale with a level of detail that is truly eye-catching, and something that we knew we could do, but needed the source of raw horsepower to make it happen. To give you an example, our character models on screen use the same amount of polygons as an entire level of Killzone on PS2.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
One cool thing to note is that we can now do many of the things we envisioned when we were creating the original Killzone. The PS3 hardware really gives us much more freedom in the development process. In my opinion though, at the end of the day, the thing I think about as a coolest aspect of the game really is the iconic Helghast image with the glowing eyes (as you can see in the screen above).

6. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
No big names really, I would most like to see the game in the hands of our fans. We want Joe six pack to play the game and beg for more time with it than just one hour. We’re really looking forward to getting our fans’ reaction to the game.

7. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Probably Resident Evil 5 (http://ps3.ign.com/objects/734/734381.html), I’ve always been a fan of that franchise.

8. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
This is my 10th. I’m very happy to see this change in the format this year. There should be much less noise and an overall better experience for attendees.

9. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Again, it’s impossible to do this in under five words. My pre-E3 experience has left me buried in our project. Now that E3 is here, it feels like I’m about to get out of a very long tunnel. It will also be nice to get re-acquainted with my wife.

10. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
For us, E3 is all about exchanging an umbrella and coat for a nice pair of shades. Our team loves to adopt the California gear: sunglasses, flip flops and a nice convertible.

11. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
It is a very inspirational time for us as well as everyone who is a fan of games. E3 is where many great teams get together to show off a variety of amazing products. So my advice is to enjoy every single minute of it…it’s a great rush when you get to see some of the very best work from each of the companies involved.

12. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
I believe this new format for E3 will really allow for more tailored, intimate and customized experiences. A prime example is the event we did tonight (http://kotaku.com/gaming/e307/killzone-2-impressions-277070.php) for Killzone 2.

13. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
It is definitely the people. I enjoy working with the wide range of talent we have, including extreme creative types as well as the analytic, technical members of our team. It is this collaborative process that magically comes together during each project, allowing us to bring our vision to life.

NonBorn
19-07-2007, 02:33
Με αυτά τα 3 τελευταία inside the developers posts(αν και άργησαν λίγο να μπούν εδώ) από το Official Playstation Blog κλείνει ο πρώτος κύκλος τουλάχιστον της στήλης αυτής στο official blog της Sony με τις συζητήσεις που είχε με διάφορους developers για διάφορα επερχόμενα παιχνίδια. Ελπίζουμε η στήλη να ανοίξει ξανά σύντομα για να έχουμε και ενδιαφέροντα νέα "εκ των έσω"...