Japanese developers describe working on the Xbox 360
by Dan Choi 
{ Aug 31st 2005 at 7:32PM }
Famitsu Xbox may have been starved for information in the
past, but with the 360 launch just around the corner (and a
rush of support for the console from local developers), they're getting their hands on more and better interviews
of Japanese game creators than ever before. This time around, they've got the latest word on what it's like to work on
the 360, as well as how friendly the development environment is.
Dead or Alive 4 producer/director/all-around guru Tomonobu Itagaki praised the 360's graphics, sound, and interactive capabilities, and Yuke's Wrestle Kingdom director and chief planner both talked up the visual realism afforded by the 360's impressive graphics hardware. Though Capcom producer Keiji Inafune feels that many games won't take full advantage of the system's multi-core architecture (especially considering how much time and effort must be made to make the next-generation leap in visual quality), most of the developers interviewed seemed to like the Direct X-based development environment and flexible programming tools.
Perhaps the most interesting bit of news to come out of the interviews, however, was that From Software had already filled up the 360 DVD game disc with their RPG launch title Enchant Arm. In fact, they may need two (or even more) discs to adequately release the game they have planned. I guess Itagaki was right about disc space limitations after all. Where's our next-gen optical disc format when we need it? Of course, the original PlayStation had many games span two or more discs back in the day, but it is a mite embarrassing (unless you're into boasting 'bout how many megabits your games take up and such).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Glenn @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
"I guess Itagaki was right about disc space limitations after all. Wheres our next-gen optical disc format when we need it?"
Don't say that!!! You're going to confuse all of your readers who insist that this is a PS3 bashing site!
thies @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
so the 360 already has problems with too small media and it's too difficult to use more than once of the three cores while the PS3 has a pitiful gpu. I start wondering why I should want to buy any of those machines.
Alkaiser @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
#2:
The answer is simple. It's because they're $400.
Oh wait, that's not it at all...thought I had it for a second. Oh well.
thies @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
#3 I assume you are going the route of "omg, 400 is cheap!!! PCs cost u twice as much at dell.com!!!". The problem with such comparisons is that economies of scale come and bite you in the arse. A dell has a multitude of competitors and is replaced by a new machine in the lineup within a few months. A gaming console has 2 competitors and sells millions of units over many years while being subsidized by the software sales.
jakk, blackrock @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
say... i havent heard good ol jackie boy condemning anything lately. has anyone else?
epobirs @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Keep in mind this is an RPG featuring lots of prerendered FMV sequences that are likely targeting an HD resolution, either 720p or 1080i. Far more so than most game genres. Those same FMV sequences are a big marketing tool for selling the game and those additional discs contribute less than a dollar each to the manufacturing cost of the game.
OTOH, committing to a next generation disc format that may or may not become a standard will unquestionably raise the cost of the machine by $30-$40. Raising the retail price to cover this would have a negative effect on sales and thus a smaller installed base to buy software. For a publisher having a game cost a bit more per unit to produce is a far better situation than a substantially smaller market for the software.
LaughingTarget @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Gonna go with #6 on this. If they stopped wasting time with those huge pre-rendered videos using ancient codecs, then 9 gigs would be more than enough.
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Ol' jackie boy? But yeah, good to hear your insights, epobirs. You basically outlined my personal and financial reasons for supporting MS in their decision to delay HD-DVD/Blu-ray adoption. After reading what you have had to say on CAG on various occasions, I can certainly say that you're welcome here (though you've posted on Joystiq before). Feel free to chime in on my posts anytime.
Eran Hawke @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
If anyone has seen anything about Enchanted Arm they will see that the game looks like ass in the playable segments, no better than current generation works. It is also chock-full of poor 3D modeled pre-rendered video.
Why anyone would want to subject themself to that is beyond me.
I saw a thread on Evil Avatar where they showed screens where bare-chested men attacked enemies with heart-shaped saxophones. Wha?
http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4882&page=5&pp=10
Alkaiser @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Thies...post #3 was sarcasm...and you competely missed it.
CV @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
I hate the pre-rendered videos in the Dead or Alive games. When Itagaki was disappointed with the lack of a next-gen optical drive, I didn't really care. I think the pre-rendered versions of the characters look a lot worse. They somehow look more unnatural, not just inconsistent with the real-time renderings. I'd rather have cutscenes done in-engine. Takes up much less space, has the potential to be a bit more dynamic, and it's not a jarring difference in aesthetics.
nod @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Note to the guy from Capcom: Yes, I realize developing games that take advantage of multi-core architecture is an arduous task. At the same time, serve us the same old shit with better graphics at your own peril.
kuyu @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Epobirs, it's great to read a post by someone who understands that gaming is still a business. Moving along the demand curve is not smart when the broad consumer base is highly sensitive to price. Is that elastic or inelastic? I can never remember...
I still want to see a poll of PS3 fanatics regarding HDTV ownership. They all scream Blu-Ray, but AFAIK only ~10% of people have one (yours truly included). What good are Blu-Ray movies on a standard def TV? About as useful as Ferrari's on a sand dune...
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Don't worry, nod: Keiji Inafune (that guy from Capcom) only said, "I believe that we'll be seeing two kinds of games for a while after the Xbox 360's launch: games that feel like something on current-generation consoles and games that feel like they're Xbox 360 titles." I don't think he meant that Capcom would be skimping on next-gen games. He probably only meant to express his concern about developers fully utilizing the 360's capabilities. Probably.
jakk, blackrock @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
jack thompson, political deuchebag extraordinair?
jakk, blackrock @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
did he give up?
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Umm... completely off-topic? I appreciate different opinions, jakk, blackrock, but these questions are better suited in a new games & politics bulletin-board forum thread. Any more posts that are similarly irrelevant to the subject at hand will be locked or deleted. Sorry.
ill trooper @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Kuyu, I understand what you're saying, but that's assuming things are frozen in time. More people will start to replace their TVs with HD-capable TVs as more TV programing and HD movies become available. Video game systems like the 360 and PS3 playing at higher-res HD will provide incentive for hardcore gamers/early adopters too. How often do you see VCRs on shelves at electronics stores? Not as much as you used to. Times and technologies change. I'm guessing that your '10%' will probably double in this coming year.
As for the 'Enchant Arm' game filling a DVD, we all know that games and their assets are different and I'm sure a lot of great games can still somehow manage to fit on that tiny DVD.
Alkaiser @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
#9:
Oh crap...you're dead on. That's just weak code and art filling up a disc there. Someone's saving their predenders at too high quality for what they are.
That game looks less impressive in terms of both visuals and gameplay than Star Ocean: Til the End of Time.
If anyone else wants to watch it, and skip the gratuitous trip to forums, click the link here:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=6971&type=mov
sandro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
I guess I will have to buy a new DVD holder that can hold thousand of DVDs just for my Xbox360 games :-O
Ciao,
jakk, blackrock @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
sorry about that dan.
mark @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
inelastic
Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
Hey, no problem, jb. As long as we come to an understanding about what's accepted here, we should be cool. No hard feelings, okay? =)
Oh, and if mark's contribution in comment #22 seems a bit off-topic, just check kuyu's post in comment #13 to see what he's referencing. Hope that helps.
LaughingTarget @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
The ownership levels are not likely to improve a whole lot, especially now with fuel prices going through the roof. No one is going to worry about dropping eight grand on a television set that can play BluRay disks to their full capacity when folks are paying 3 times as much to fill up their cars as they did two years ago. BluRay is technology too far advanced of the times. Sure, 10 or 15 years from now it would make sense, but by then something far better will be available.
Xeronius @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
If the Japanese didn't put such a huge emphasis on FMV (which eats up a LOT of space) and instead, especially with the way the graphics look, went with in engine cutscenes, perhaps they wouldn't have filled up an entire dvd-9 already.
Allard said that last/this gen, most of the Xbox games put out didn't use over 3gigs of their dvd space. They came nowhere near filling up a disk. I just think the whole thing is silly. If you are told, you have this much space to work with and you agree to it, you shouldn't complain about it later. But, on that note, I have no problem buying a game that spans more than one disc. See also most of the PS1 square rpgs...
Ken @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM
I want to know Keiji Inafune's Email address, he's Capcom producer.