Friday, July 03, 1998
As this is the first post, a little introduction is probably appropriate. I'm one of three level designers currently working on Wild 9. Along with the other two level designers Rich and Lori, I'm also working closely with Tom who is the Lead Designer on the project. Currently I'm working on the first and last level of the game titled Bombopolis and Karn's Palace, respectively. Along with level design, I'm also the Producer-Type-Guy on the Wild 9 team. Yes, "Producer-Type-Guy" is the official title and it's much too dry a story to tell here.
Kind of a quiet day here at Shiny. Most normal people have the day off, but we're here trying to get things polished for the impending release of the game. Along with application of polish on the Bombopolis level, I'm pounding away on Karn's Palace. Most of the level geometry in Palace is finished so I'm just entering the tuning stage. I expect this will consume the follow days as I tweak enemy and collectible placement, jump distances, and graphic design. Now if I can just my new machine up and running, I may actually get this stuff done.
Wednesday, July 08, 1998
After a good holiday weekend everyone is back to work and getting the game polished for the final full-scale focus test before Wild 9 ships. Reactions to the game from our previous focus tests have been excellent up to this point and we are hoping that this final one is no exception.
On a personal note, my new machine is just about 100% after 3 techs finally got the thing up and running. Although Karn's Palace is still a major priority, the emphasis this week has been final tweaks on Bombopolis for the focus test. Hopefully after this week I'll be able to get a final foundation laid for the Palace level and start to implement the level's game mechanics.
Tuesday, July 14, 1998
Let's see...what's the news as of late. The team is back to business as usual after a big push to get a clean rev for the focus test last week. The focus test was very positive once again and the team has just finished applying changes to the levels based upon comments given by the testers. The focus test this time was comprised of mostly young gamers so the feedback was not as articulate but still helpful nonetheless.
On a personal note, I've once again polished out Bombopolis so hopefully it's nearing 100% completion. Aside from the coding of Volstagg (one of the Wild 9 characters), I'd say the level is pretty clean. After Bombopolis, I've once again turned my attention toward Karn's Palace. As it's the last level, it is low priority on the list of code to get implemented but I hope to get some of the mechanics in by the end of this week. In the meantime, I'm trying to get the background finished which means that I'll be spending most of the week adding floors, ceiling collisions, enemy and collectible placement, and making sure that all the geometry is looking good.
The remainder of this evening I'll be going over the Interplay bug report and commenting on as many of the new issues as I can.
The below screenshots are of Bombopolis and Karn's Palace in their current form, click on them for an 800x600 shot.
(no tengo las imágenes
)
Wednesday, July 22, 1998
The past week has been hardcore to say the least. I feel like I am just now getting my head to stop spinning. This week has presented the team with more than a few important deadlines (aren't they all now) so everyone's been kicking ass getting all the last bits and pieces of the game in and working properly.
Karn's Palace has been a major challenge as of late. With deadlines looming ever closer, I've been spending as much time as possible trying to get the level to a finished state. The only reason I have a few minutes to write this journal entry is because I've passed the level to Lloyd this afternoon to get some lighting going. The paper maps looked great on paper, but as usual they have turned out to be a little too ambitious as far as the memory on the PSX is concerned. I made the brilliant decision (note the dripping sarcasm) last night at 1:00am that the level was too low on memory and that I needed to cut some geometry. Bad idea to start major surgery at that hour but through Hell and high water the level is once again running good. Once I get the lighting back from Lloyd I'll begin final tweaks.
Back to the levels, we're in the home stretch now.
Friday, August 07, 1998
It's been a little while since the last update…mostly because we've been so darn busy. This last week was one of the most productive I've experienced on the project. Not only are all the levels now in the game, but all of the mechanics are now implemented and working, and the Sony technical requirements are now nearly met. About the only things left to finish off are the end boss sequence and the Karn's Palace mid-boss.
For those unfamiliar with the worlds in the game, here's a quick breakdown of the locales Wex Major will be travelling to throughout the game.
Bombopolis: Wex Major must fight his way through Karn's flying fortress. This huge structure is suspended in the atmosphere by a massive network of propellers. Points of interest include powerful turbine fans as well as heavy grinding machinery. Fun for the whole family!
Gulag: To save Nitro, Wex Major must break into the toughest prison in the galaxy. Getting in seems all too easy, but getting out will require some creativity on Wex Major's part. Karn has set some dangerous traps for Wex Major along the way including seemingly impassible spike barriers.
Light Armada: On the way to the next world, Wex Major will have to travel through Light Armada and deal with Karn's armored forces. Dealing with this Shock Trooper should be made easier through the use of Wex Major's speeder bike.
Craterscape: Looks like Karn got here before Wex Major did. In order to save Pokkit, Wex Major will have to carefully thread his way through this city under siege. Shouldn't be too difficult…then again, what's with that towering mechanical chap off in the distance…
Outpost Anom: In a further attempt to crush the Resistance, Karn has set up Rapid Troop Deployment tubes. Wex Major can use these RTD tubes to travel from one world to the next, but the Shock Troopers in transit surely won't be thrilled to see Wex Major crashing their party.
Quagmire Run: Blech…racing through swamps definitely isn't in the job description. Wex Major must make his way through this quagmire and take out Ramzig. Karn must be getting nervous…he's sending his Bounty Hunters now.
Drench: Just when the Rig was drying out from the last mission, Wex Major ended up in Drench…the name says it all, doesn't it? If B'Angus would quit complaining about his wet fur, maybe he could appreciate the beautiful foliage, like that huge carnivorous plant. I wonder what would happen if we tossed a Shock Trooper in there?
Beast Engine: This secret Karn base is a breeding ground for Karn's armies. This world kind of reminds one of running through a giant's innards. Beast Engine presents a really tough fight, but perhaps Wex Major might have an advantage if he rescued that trapped critter over there with the foaming mouth…
Beast Ride: Good thing that maniacal brute took a liking to Wex Major in the last world, he'll be a great ally as Wex Major begins the hunt for Colonel Kragg. In order to tip the scales in his favor, Kragg has donned a special attack suit which should make life difficult for Wex Major. Missiles won't work here…what is Kragg's weakness?
Crystal Mine: Crystal was last seen trying to sabotage Karn's mining facility. Believed to be captured, Wex Major must find Crystal and help her escape by empowering her with light energy. Just when Wex Major was getting used to taking out Shock Troopers, he now will have to be on the offense and defense if Crystal is to make it out safely.
Outpost Balor: Karn's second Rapid Troop Deployment tube is even more sinister than the first. More obstructions, more traps, more enemies…must be getting close to Karn now.
Mantiss: Time to face Karn's right hand man, Mantiss. Serving as Field commander in Karn's Insectoid Strike Force, Mantiss will make sure that this is no walk in the park. If this confrontation is overcome successfully, a meeting with Mantiss' boss is surely in the cards.
Palace Karn: Karn's palace is built over a giant lake of unrefined Little Evil Green Men goo. This will undoubtedly be the most terrifying mission of them all. Now the big question remains; what is going to get all those Little Evil Green Men explosion stains out of Wex's clothes?
Monday, October 12, 1998
Well, although it wasn't a particularly long development cycle for me, the hours put in over that time were grueling. It sure is nice to see the game on the store shelves and find out what people think of the game. With a few exceptions, I'm really happy to say that the game has been well accepted both critically as well as by the mass market.
Team Green certainly needs to be commended for a job well done under some, shall we say sometimes "challenging" circumstances. A special thanks definitely goes out to MissM who has done an outstanding job coding the Wild 9 web page as well as all the other web pages for the other games currently under development here at Shiny.
Thanks to all of you who've been signing the guestbook as well as those posting their thoughts on the game to the newsgroups. Even though I don't normally respond to these messages, myself as well as many others on the team take the time to read the posts so thanks for the valuable input.
With the exception of the Japanese version of Wild 9 then, that's about it. Thanks again to all the fans of the game out there, we'll look forward to continuing to read your comments on Wild 9. On to Stunt Copter, Messiah, and Sacrifice...
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