Info and Scans thanks to Duckroll from GAF
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Famitsu this week has a scoop on the Lost Odyssey which has recently been completed. They also interviewed Sakaguchi about the game which provides some pretty interesting details.
Highlights from the Sakaguchi interview in Famitsu:
- 30 fps (dark10x cry cry)
- In the opening movie for Lost Odyssey you can seamlessly input commands for the battle scene.
- Combat is not action driven but command menu driven.
- The playable demo lasts for 40-60 minutes.
- The final game will have even higher quality than the demo.
- The modeling for the movies are almost identical to the realtime models.
- Inoue (the character designer) is personally checking all the models.
- The demo's battles will just the most basic part of the system. The more indepth systems will be excluded.
- The character growth systems and so on will be in the final game only.
- Surviving enemies inherit the powers of those who are killed.
- Since the main character cannot die either there will not be a possibility of game over.
- The final game will use a physics engine.
- The final text message on the playable demo was written by Shigematsu (scenario writer for the various short stories that make up the game).
- Lost Odyssey will be playable at TGS, with the demo disc being released with Famitsu in early November.
- Lost Odyssey will be out in 2007.
- Blue Dragon will DEFINITELY be released within 2006.
- ASH is being targeted for the first half of 2007.
- There will be more titles being announced from Mistwalker.
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Translation of the Famitsu Interview Posted by Blimblim from GAF:
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Famitsu Lost Odyssey Interview
Hamamura(Famitsu Guy): It's been a long time, I heard you finally show us Lost Odyssey Demo, Right? Is it gone Gold?
Sakaguchi(Mistwalker): Yeah it's finalized at last. Let's start playing here.
- Sakaguchi start Lost Odyssey Demo. I can see its beautiful but really magnificent opening movie,
and it changed first ingame battle seamlessly.with Xbox360's power these gorgeous gameplay took our breath away.
His total playing time of this demo was almost 40min. He said it took you roughly 60min playing if first time.
We put some beautiful screens and some captions around pages. -
Hamamura : Wow..Now I can say the demo is finalized as you told.
Sakaguchi : Yup the demo is done.
Hamamura : I can be frankly to talk you this, but these goodness really approve the power of Next-Gen.
Sakaguchi : I've been to make these kind of things since early days of making plots.
For example, We couldn't put these crowds of soldiers in early developments.
But we made hard works and make its speed faster,then we can fill huge amounts of mobs in full of screen.
Hamamura : The first scene of opening reminds me LoTR movie. Massive amounts of mobs and soldiers were fighting like that.
Sakaguchi : Exactly,That's what I have been hoping to run real-time.
Hamamura : Yes, Actually I could understand if it was only a "Movie" though,
It didn't end as usual,but start gameplay seamlessly! I really thanks to Next-Gen to make these things possible.
Sakaguchi : It works and gets along somehow. But I think we can put more efforts in visuals for release day.
I can say it's only 80% done in visual aspects.
Hamamura : I also remembered that when you were SE employee, You showed us some of FF7 in development.
You still remember that??
Sakaguchi : Hey Hamamura. you changed your intonations in a Kansai accent. what's wrong with you (Laugh)
Hamamura : (Laugh) I'm sorry, yeah I know I'm really excited at this Demo.
Well,It was SNES era and we were very pleased it's visual quality. But we were really shocked at seeing FF7's pre-rendered CGIs
Cuz it showed us that we can play games in such a quality.
Sakaguchi : I can agree that.In LO we use almost same character model, texture's resolutions and artworks are almost same as well.
(I know they are different and) we can put lots of times in making "Movie" carefully, camera-works etc.
but we can make "real-times" looks almost same as "Movies", I think it's similar to Films.
We can check these 30 frames running and render them beautifully in real-time.
Hamamura : But, If you really want to make it Film-like, Only You should do was using real films.
But I can say there are lot of "feelings" from original artworks. It's really nice.
Sakaguchi : Kindly, Mr.Inoue did special efforts in these artworks, I want audiences also could "feel" his touch.
Actually, All of completed 3D model were checked by him. We send him 3D model datas which is rendered in several point of views.
He could correct some of them like "make this eyebrow little longer" then send us back. We had tons of these correction about details.
So, I believe Mr.Inoue is very satisfied as well.
Hamamura : Good thing that he's also satisfied.
Sakaguchi : And you can see that LO has low-color tones such as smokes, muddy water, dust etc.
I think you could feel that you were running in shallow muddy waters and jumping around.
Which is from Mr.Inoue's "Vagabond" manga, I wanted to make such atmospheres.
/* Vagabond : Inoue's VERY famous manga. one of his masterpieces.*/
Hamamura : I can admit it. I believe Next-Gen power really helps that, bringing originals to game as it is.
Sakaguchi : I believe Mr.Inoue's influence was really huge. Since hardware is Soo powerful,
we could make more eye-candy in monsters and visual effects. but we afraid them spoil Inoue's atmosphere.
Having been in Inoue's world, We could easily make a decision about LO's art directions.
Hamamura : Looks like its battle system is almost done as well.
Sakaguchi : No, this is pretty basic one. In this Demo version, we didn't implement two of key features,
character's "growing"(he didn't say LvLing) and "control-able".
Hamamura : Interesting. How it works?
Sakaguchi : Pardon?(Laugh)
Hamamura : c'mon
Sakaguchi : I can reveal only about "growing" though. Well there are some other guys who can't die like Kaim but will join your party.
In opposit there are "normal" people who can join your party as well.
When "normal" members are dying "abnormal" members have choice to merge their "ability" or not.
Hamamura : Ah, You told little about that at last interview we had.
Sakaguchi : Yeah.Who is able to "die" or not is depends on LO's game system, and it links to story.
I bet you will be WTF and hesitate to absorb some of their power.
It will knock your morals and make you dazzling. I wanna make LO's system like that.
Hamamura : It really sounds fun!
Sakaguchi : Yes, but I think LO will be really "unique" game,
main theme is "A man who can't die" and Kaim will be waking up even he is defeated.
I that terms there is no "game over" in this game. cuz you can't die.
Hamamura : It means never invincible but you "can't" die. In Demo, one soldier wondered and asked Kaim "why the hell you still alive?",
I got strong feeling at that scene.
Sakaguchi : That is main theme and make story driven. LO is so unique but It's gonna be new experience as well.
Hamamura : I noticed some fun factors, like you can kick a can and its movement is physically simulated.(Laugh)
Sakaguchi : Kicking is only you can do though.I think it's not proper way to use physics. much wastes of power.(Laugh)
I will implement physics into game systems as some secret or gimmicks or such.
But In Demo version, All you can do is Kicking a Can.
Hamamura : I also noticed that you can tear off posters. Kaim found it and gave a glance.
Sakaguchi : This kinds of fun is set as basic concept. LO has HUGE environments with LONG story.
So I wanted to put these "fun" much around to react your actions. But there are not enough in Demo.
Hamamura : I could find some amount of that though.
Sakaguchi : We will add them in final stage of development.
wanna put these useless fun factors, also wanna make NPC's extra stories as well.
Hamamura : When demo ended, there are short message appeared. What is this?
Sakaguchi : Mr.Shigematsu's work. yeah I know it's really short. The message tells you how the Demo ends.
it's not so loud but very meaningful. I like his choice of this word.
Hamamura : Yea. I was really moved.
Sakaguchi : You can check it out by playing Demo. You can see different massage in retail version.
It will be bit longer to tell about Story and its back-end.
Hamamura : I will. Speaking about Mr.Shigematsu, How much did he write up stories?
Sakaguchi : He is still working(Laugh) He has been busy on this since first day. He asked me "When is this finished???"(laugh)
I bet he already wrote up same amount of a novel. We implement it as Kaim's thousand year's dreams
and sometimes they appear as main scenario. there are tons of sad story.
Even most of them are shorter than normal "short story" it still makes me cry sometimes.
Hamamura : Everytime I can shed tears at his novels.
--
Hamamura : Let's go back to talk about Demo itself. How you willing to bring this Demo to customers?
Sakaguchi : You can play at TGS for sure. And we put Demo disc on Famitsu early November.
I think users can't play full of demo at TGS, So I hope them to check Famitsu and play everything.
Hamamura : I can't wait it as well. So when are you thinking final version will be released?
Sakaguchi : The release date should be 2007. I cant figure it though but we are trying to make it fast.
Since Demo is up. most of basic systems are already done.
So I need to work on map editing and some of event directions right now.
Hamamura : You're putting so much things to the last as you were.
Like last 20% of development takes same period of times of past 80%.
Sakaguchi : My staffs are already crying. They calls my corrections "Devil's Report" (Laugh)
Hamamura : (Laugh)Pls Do it more to make it better. Well Can I ask you about your other projects?
Sakaguchi : I'm pretty sure we can release Blue Dragon in this year. You can check it in TGS as well.
I can accept another interview about this.
If there are no problems in developing, I can say NDS game ASH will be out in 1st half of 2007.
Then Lost Odyssey and CryOn There are some of secret projects going on, but I can't tell atm.
Maybe We can talk about them near future.
Hamamura : Seems you are really gearing up so hard these days. Every your projects sounds fun!
I'm really looking forward them. Thanks.
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Staff:
LOST ODYSSEY
Director
Daisuke Fukugawa :
Final Fantasy Tactics battle planner
Legend of Mana world map system design chief and sub system design
Takehiro Kaminagayoshi:
Legend of dragoon event script and event director
Magic Knight Rayearth assistant planner (Sega Saturn)
Producer
Hironobu Sakaguchi
Hiroshi Kawai:
Final Fantasy VII character programmer
Final Fantasy IX and Parasite Eve main programmer
Magatama programmer and producer
Movie Director
Katsuyuki Motohiro:
Bayside Shakedown, Space Travelers, Transparent: Tribute to a Sad Genius director
Art Director
Takamasa Ohsawa:
Shadow Heart:Covenant art director
Koudelka art director
Concept Artist
Eric Feng
Christian Lorenz Scheurer : FF9, FF the Spirit Within, Dark City, Titanic, etc.
Character Designer
Takehiko Inoue
Character Modeler
Hiroshi Arai
Tengai Makyou Zero game designer
Final Fantasy VII main character modeler
Final Fantasy IX character modeler
Parasite Eve 3D character director
Music
Nobuo Uematsu
Scenario
Kiyoshi Shigematsu (famous Japanese novelist)
Jam it back in, in the dark.
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