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| | Intervista della rivista Gameside con NAKAGAWA ATSUTOMO, programmer di Treasure dietro a Ikaruga ma non solo. La traduzione è ad opera di Gaijin Punch e l'ha hostata su gamengai, il suo sito. Leggendo si scoprono alcune informazioni succose sulla versione 360 di Ikaruga, che a quanto sembra non è una semplice emulazione della vers dreamcast, ma è stata riscritta da zero. Questo processo ha fatto sì che si infiltrassero nella versione finale del gioco i difetti di cui siamo a conoscenza. Tali difetti sono noti a Treasure, ma non c'è tempo di fare una patch per correggerli. here we go! CITAZIONE Shooting with Treasure
Interview with Atsutomo Nakagawa of Treasure
Gameside 2009.06 Vol.18
Our second interview for this issue is with a member of Treasure, a group of skilled programmers who are held in the highest praise of world-wide game mania. The person we'll be talking to is making his first appearance in the media: Atsutomo Nakagawa of the development department. Having worked on Radiant Silvergun, Tsumi to Batsu [Sin & Punishment], Ikaruga, Gradius V, and Tsumi to Batsu 2 amongst others, we asked him about his shooting memories.
[Appeal of Shooting]
First, can you tell us the appeal Treasure finds in shooting [games]?
I would have to say that the genre is made up of games that are simple, with shooting and dodging at their roots.
Then to make an interesting shooting game, what elements must be included?
Blowing stuff up, and that refreshing feel from destruction. Also enemy placement, attacks, and stage gimmicks. It's boring if it's just simple.
Tell us about elements you like and dislike, both as a player and as a developer.
It's the same for both. The part I like is that feeling from really unloading bullets. I don't like games in which the difficulty settings are changed by bullet speed.
Can you think of any elements that are required for a shooting game to be properly played?
One would usually think that shooting equals reflexes, but what's more important than that is having insight into enemy placement and algorithms. It becomes a battle of wits for the developer.
So for one of these "battle of wits" games , when making changes to difficulty settings, to what do you pay special attention? At what group are these changes aimed at?
Basically arcade games are geared for 'maniac' gamers, so they fall on the difficult side of things. Instead of making them 'difficult' or 'easy', we like to think that we make them so "one won't have a dissatisfying death".
Which genre is easier to make: vertical or horizontal? Which one do you like better? Also, tell us what points your company likes about both.
Since the method of display went 3D (polygons), due to it's high level of freedom, vertical are way easier to make. However, wide television are becoming the standard, so making a pure vertical shooter is tough. For horizontal shooters, making [the player] intuitively feel gravity is appealing. Personally, I like both.
You're referring to the change to HD, right? Speaking of changes, we've seen games like Ketsui Death Label and Nanostray make their way to handheld machines. Do you have any plans to release a shooting game on a handheld? Please tell us why or why not.
For a handheld, there are various obstacles when dealing with the screen size and frequency, as well as controls. If given the chance, I would like to try, but generally we're asked to make more authentic games, which are played on consoles.
Do you notice any difference in the shooting world from domestic versus foreign fans? If so, which one is more enthusiastic?
Locally, I find it a bit sad that shooting at some point became synonymous with "a genre that can't be sold". It's actually a genre with a heavy core fan base, so if you make a good game, it will sell. I'm not that familiar with overseas fans, but from long ago, they've appreciated well made games, and I like that their form of expression is so straight.
It seems that here in Japan, where you mentioned there are many fans, there's the train of thought that shooting is a genre for expert players. How do you feel about this?
Recent shooters have a lot of bullets which makes them look over the top. At a glance, I can see where they're coming from. But when you actually play them, you can still get pretty far since the hitbox is often quite small, so it's hard to say the genre is geared for experts. However, it seems the number of so called "gamers" has been reduced over the years, so relatively speaking it might be true.
[What is Treasure-ish?]
Many of your games are described as "Treasure-ish". What do they mean by that?
Movements of characters that take up large portions of the screen; gameplay and difficulty settings with a learning curve, and requiring strategy.
For Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga, both of which require a learning curve, there are many puzzle elements. For what reason were these incorporated?
For both of these, the puzzle element comes from the fact that chain combos are tied into the scoring system. If the enemies randomly appear, you wouldn't be able to properly chain, so each successive enemy's placement is based on the previous one. There are puzzle elements other than chain combos for the player to figure out, like how to get through certain bullet patterns.
There are some small changes in the Xbox Live Arcade [XBLA] version of Ikaruga. What was the reason for not making it exactly like the arcade version?
The XBLA version of Ikaruga, on the surface, looks just like the Dreamcast version. However, to get the full power out of the Xbox 360, we started from scratch, not using any emulation. Because of that, there are certain deficiencies. Patches are available for XBLA games, but there's not been time to address these issues. Sorry.
I thought those changes were tune-ups to Ikaruga. Speaking of ports, we've read in international media that a port of Radiant Silvergun would be "no easy feat". What would be the obstacles?
Unlike Ikaruga whose stages are completely constructed in 3D, stages in Silvergun are wrapped around the Saturn's background functions. Reworking that would be difficult. Even if we were able to do so, the screen resolution is low, so there are doubts as to whether it would be well-accepted since compared to current games. Also, the rules are complicated, and technical deficiencies from the time would be quite noticeable.
If we were to make a remake packaged with the original, it would solve all of those problems, but doing so is basically making a new game from square one, thus, no easy feat.
Speaking of new games, how is development of Tsumi to Batsu 2 [Sin & Punishment 2] (working title) progressing?
It's at the climax.
After the original was released in 2000, there was talk of a sequel. Are there many differences between that version and the upcoming sequel?
I cannot currently comment on that. My apologies.
When will it be released.
We want to release it as quickly as possible, but as of yet, the date is not confirmed.
[What must remain is the spirit to continue making these games]
I would like to ask you some questions in regards to yourself. What was the first shooting game you played?
When I was in elementary school I didn't go to game centers, so the first one I played was a Space Invader clone by Hudson, Space Hamburger, on the MyCom personal computer.
What 3 games would you say are "must plays"?
1: Galaxian: Aim and fire. It has all the basics.
2: Gradius: Features geographic elements and various stages, and also evolved the genre by invented the premise of using options and lasers to destroy things.
3: Fantasy Zone: A game I just like. Even today, the graphics and colors haven't faded. A good BGM... The shop covers everything for beginners and advanced players... Unique bosses... The twin bomb which can be somewhat manipulated. It is a masterpiece of masterpieces.
We've seen cases of amateur games like TUMIKI Fighters and Every Extend Extra becoming sold packages. What do you think of amateur game scene?
I think that's great if the game is worthy of it.
Tell what you think should be changed, and what should remain in today's shooting world.
How to get new players must be considered. What must remain is the spirit to continue making these games.
How about a word for shooting maniacs, and those who just like shooters?
It's the same for both. Thank you for your support! With support, we can continue to make shooting games.
Thank you very much for the interview.
Translated by Gaijin Punch | | | |
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