Square Enix and LucasArts Talk Next-Gen Positioning

A number of companies have released some small details about their plans for next generation gaming. This week, Gamespot has new information from Square Enix and Lucasarts about their upcoming plans. Square, it's reported, sees the need for dramatic change in the industry; a physical game device or something for the DS might be in the offing. Lucasarts, on the other hand, has partnered with MechAssault developer Day 1 studios for an unnamed title with signature multiplayer elements and episodic content. From that article: "However, while the Day 1/LucasArts mystery project will feature downloadable content, Thorley would not say if it would adopt an episodic model a la Half-Life 2: Episode One and its two models. 'With the way [console certification works] the challenge is the economics of [episodic content],' he said. 'While we're not prepared to say whether we'll have episodic content for this new title, under certain circumstances it makes a lot of sense.'"

Comments

Lightsaber

[UbuntuDupe]

I just want to know about the Wiisaber. :-(

For example, how are they going to handle the hitting-air-when-lightsaber-hits-lightsaber problem? I know there are a number of ways to resolve it, I just want to know which one they're going with.

Re:Lightsaber

[Truman Starr]

Is there a rumble feature built-in with the WiiMote? That would be one way to give tactile feedback. Obviously there will be input cutoffs.

How many people ever actually beat the old Nintendo track & field games by running on the pad? Everyone used their hands to just slap the hell out of it.

Re:Lightsaber

[UbuntuDupe]

What ways are those?

well, combining those that others have suggested with some things I can think of, here are some (note that they aren't necessarily realistic but still have significant immersive effect)"

1) When you hit, your saber on screen fades, and is powerless until you pull it back through the point where you hit, effectively training you to act like you connected.

2) When you hit, the enemy doesn't move, but rather, you "push yourself back", and the camera moves back to your new position.

3) When you hit, the *enemy* is knocked back.

4) (hopefully not) There are no foes with sabers, so your saber just goes through everything.

And note to people who mention the vibration: it's great if the Wii vibrates when you connect, but the focus is here is on how to handle your living-room wiimote physically going through a point it should not be able to go through, *not* that you need to be informed you are going through another saber, although that does help.

Maybe someone can find the old thread where this was discussed?

Re:Lightsaber

[assassingod]

Yes, there is a Rumble feature in the Wiimote, as well as the Nunchaku attachment.

Re:Lightsaber

[aichpvee]

And while we're at it, how about a first person Bushido Blade from Square-Enix? I've been waiting for a proper follow up (you know, without crazy load times) for years.

Rate of change in the game industry

[iota]

That the console video game industry must change is nothing new. In order to survive in the industry, game developers must have one skill more than any other, and that is the capacity to adapt to change. Fifteen years ago it was about getting the maximum value from the minimum number of sprites. A little over ten years ago programmers and artists needed to learn to make 3D models, animations, cameras, etc. very quickly in order to get the first generation of 3D games out the door. Since that time, "game designer" has become an accepted industry position and games are no longer designed on a whiteboard by the lead programmer and producer. And of course, network programming, multi-core programming, complex materials and shaders, etc. have all changed the way games are made.

"This is one of the reasons Square Enix will collaborate with Taito, a company that produces physical hardware," he said. "In our talks with Taito, ideas for an actual physical product have come up. In any case, we will be releasing some 'thing.' It's interesting in that it's not the sort of thing you expect from Square Enix."

The only real suggestion that's being made here is that the interface between the gamer and the game will change. But we've seen that happen as well. From the floor pad and the light gun to the eye toy and the Wii controller, the interface is being adapted all the time.

Certainly even integration with toys has been considered before - but it's often been rejected due to the expense and the low-profit margin for the developer (making an already niche application even more expensive.)

The real excitement now, I think, is that there are so many options at once for console games to connect with the other things. Games can potentially connect to cellphones via SMS (or even voice!); to the player while he's away using IM or email; post updates on blogs; control local bluetooth devices; or sync with handhelds and PDAs.

Yesterday developers needed to create the devices that changed how players interact with their games. Today these devices already exist in the hands of our players and what we need to do is find creative ways to take advange of that.

Re:TIE Fighter

[atomicstrawberry]

The TIE Fighter, Bomber and Interceptor have no shields, yes. However you also spend a decent amount of time flying TIE Advanced and Assault Gunboats, and if you had the expansion, TIE Defender and Missile Boats. Those all had shields.

Besides, I'd argue that removing the shields made the game that much more challenging. And there's nothing quite like the feeling of blowing up rebel X-Wings in a TIE.

And their first game is...

[master_p]

the Secret of the Robot Monkey MechaLand(TM)!

The adventure starts with Guybrush Threepwood finding himself in a mecha robot ready to do battle with LeChuck's robot!

What a game it would be! combining pirate adventuring with mecha warfare!

Or, the most obvious

[LKM]

Your on-screen saber behaves like a real sword would, e.g. it remains where it would remain if you had hit something hard. As soon as you move your controller into a position which would be physically possible again, the on-screen saber snaps to that position.

The on-screen saber could also constantly move to the "nearest physically possible" position without moving through any on-screen objects while you move your controller through "impossible" positions.