A Xeno Metaseries Community
katimus_prime wrote:Thanks for continuing with these, Gwendal! When I get the chance, I want to get thesee up on the wiki, with your permission of course.
Designer/Responsible for Effects
Tomonori Hasegawa
Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Hasegawa, and I've been fortunate enough to be given the responsibility for various monster-related effects in battle, continuing this work from EP1. My name appeared in the EP1 credits under the mysterious title of "Battle Effects Designer", so [I'm supposed to be] someone who designs effects in battle then? [This bit flows better in the original, since he translates his English title directly into Japanese to try to explain it]
I fight against the meaning of that term to some extent every day, and lately I've really been wishing I had a slightly smarter title.
So when a peon like me received a request for comments that were going to be used for HP publishing, I wanted to push the task onto some other, more distinguished people, or to just go back to developing EP2 while showing concern for the content that might have to be cut. [A little unsure about this part, but should be in the vicinity]
I created various effects for mechs, creatures and so on, and in my opinion it was very challenging to make bosses' special attacks and the like flashy within a limited memory budget and to give them a good tempo within a fixed span of time, working within those kinds of contradictory circumstances. Another challenging part was that I had to come up with original skills particular to almost every enemy. Even if I'd already decided [broadly] what kind of skill to give them, I had to think up a new way to implement them visually every time.
And with the direction of battle [attack animations], players would get sick of them if they were too long, and if they were too short, everyone would think we were cutting corners and would shower us with icy glares. It was challenging to find the right balance.
Well, I'd write more, but the parts that were really hard only consist of things I can't tell you about here. Doing that would be risky, so I'll just put a lid on it instead.
In general, I've only been responsible for working on old people, old fogies and the like, so there's been a definite lack of moe elements. Something like that. As far as I'm concerned, this is a big problem hindering my passion for the development work. I'll be more motivated if we can also get some nicer enemies next time.
...hmm, you'll be holding all the belongings from my booth until the development of EP2 is finished? Hmm...thank you...
Programmer
Masato Shimajiri
Hey. I'm Shimajiri, an effects programmer. Or so I'd say, but what I've actually been working on is the system parts, and it's the artists who create the actual effects, but...
Still, since we've optimized the loading times now by making [data?] processing lighter, there should be less stress due to waiting for things to load now compared to the previous game.
This isn't related related to my work, but compared to the previous game we've also got some lovely movie compression this time around. Considering how much time I spent re-encoding the battle movies in that game, this is great technological step forwards.
I've been rambling on for a bit now, so please just look forward to Episode 2.
Neosmith wrote:Hey Gwendal, thanks a lot!
I've been a little absent lately, because this is hell month for a grad student like me, but I'm reading the entries as they come in and I really love these posts. Hasegawa in particular seems displeased with how things are turning out and is barely hiding it. The cut content reference is really interesting.
Keep up the good work! We still have a little left to go before running out of stuff to translate, so thank you for doing this so well and so quickly.
Programmer
Kenjiro Iwase
Nice to meet you. I'm Iwase, a programmer.
The tasks I've been responsible for on this game include character movement programming, event reconstruction routines and so on, [all] mainly related to the visual side of things. Apart from that, I also did a little bit of work on some special effects and the like.
As a programmer, I feel like I've been given the opportunity to only work on the "delicious" parts [of the project], so I'll put in a word of thanks here to my bosses for that.
Now development is coming to an end, and first of all, I feel that there's been an evolution that really stands out in the visual side. I'm confident that all of you waiting eagerly for the release date will be satsified by the unfolding Xenosaga story and the high quality graphics we're presenting it in.
In terms of the gameplay, I personally enjoy being able to destroy all kinds of different objects, to the extent I find myself thinking "what, you can even destroy this!?". There's also a lot of sidequests unrelated to the main story, but I haven't been able to solve all of them yet...
So there's all kinds of variety to the gameplay. There are ingenious touches to make sure the player doesn't get bored at every turn, and as [an example of] an individual user, I was emotionally moved.
The release date for this [new] Xenosaga is finally right in front of us now. To all of you waiting for it, thank you for your patience with us.
Planner/Responsible for Quests
Ryo Tanaka
Hello, Xenosaga fans. My name is Tanaka, and I'm a planner who worked on the map camera and event parts.
I joined the project when the development work was starting in earnest. Watching the busy staff coming and going around me, what surprised me more than anything was how strong everyone's determination was. I saw them get on with their work while holding on to ambitious goals, without any sign of compromise, and I felt like the scales fell from my eyes.
After working on this project, I now know the great importance of cooperation through first-hand experience.
I've learned many things, had many wonderful experiences, and I'm proud of what I've accomplished with this game.
And now I'm at a point where I just need to take those experiences and work hard to put them into practice in the future too.
Thank you very much.
Planner/Responsible for Quests
Masafumi Ueno
Nice to meet you, everyone.
I'm Ueno, the disciple of dodgy plans.
On Episode II, I've been responsible for the map movement camera, event parts, and some dialog for characters in the towns.
This has also been my first time working on a game, so I've been full of eagerness to go at it, but my actual abilities haven't been all that great, so I've been an ineffective first-timer. So I've ended up being a familiar face here and there, and fell into a regular routine of buying cup noodles from the convenience store in front of our building night after night.
Anyway, this might be a bit abrupt, but I also want to write about an episode that made an impression on me during development, one that was particularly challenging.
"1 frame"
This term refers to 1/30th of a second, which as far as I'm concerned is such a short enough span of time that you normally wouldn't notice it at all. But it's a completely different story when it comes to character dialog (voice acting). If the lip-syncing and the beginning of the character's dialog is off by even one frame, the whole thing will feel off to the player.
One night, I was told that there were several such one-frame gaps in the dialog, and I remember checking it while turning pale from several people [looking at me].
Now I'm one of several people [here] who startle whenever we hear the word "one frame".
Such as the planner Mr. Y or the programmer Mr. I, for instance?
All in all I've enjoyed many things working on this game, while also feeling some tension at times, and I think I've grown as a person. Of course that's no different from the rest of the staff.
We've managed to create a game of very high quality. The release date is very close now, so please wait [a little longer]. Well then, goodbye...!
Designer/Responsible for Events
Tarou Nakamura
Nice to meet you, everyone. I'm Nakamura, responsible for facial animation in the event movie sequences.
Well, we've finally, finally decided on a release date for EP2 now. This is the first game I've ever worked on, so I'm very emotional about the whole thing.
I had the opportunity to do facial animation for this game, and since the Xenosaga characters all have such strong personalities, both good and bad, it was very satisfying to work with them. Jr. and
Albedo in particular were rich in facial expressions, so I had to make sure not to over- or underdo it and make careful adjustments with each cut to get them just right. At times, for example when a deadline was looming, they'd even get into my dreams, probably because I watched and listened to the same scene over and over for a whole day...they really are such troubled children.
While we're on the subject, chaos and KOS-MOS were easier to animate, since they're so calm.
...of course, that doesn't mean I could just sit on my hands. Chaos needed to be eloquent and have a mythical feel, and KOS-MOS had to be beautiful and cool from every point of view. Every character had their own concept that had to be established properly, leading me to keep thinking "is this the right facial expression(?)", and it'd make me happy if you would pay attention to these things as you play.
Well then, there's just a little longer now until the release date of "Xenosaga Episode 2", so please look forward to it.
Designer/Animator
Nahoko Satou
Nice to meet you. I'm Nakoko Satou, one of the battle animators.
Since we've settled on a release date for "Xenosaga Episode 2", I've already started feeling nervous these days.
Various people have been writing about the battle system in this column up to now, so I wanted to take this chance to write down some of my personal thoughts [instead].
I've been responsible for enemy animations for this game. I've mainly had the opportunity to work on the enemy characters that appear in the dungeons. These enemies meander around, stalk you greedily and stagger on their feet (?), all of them brimming with personality, and I've had a lot of fun creating them.
Even though they're awful creatures and I'd be completely overpowered if I were to be attacked by them in real life, I've developed a certain fondness for them anyway after seeing their faces every day...now I just think of them as my bunch of cute kids. When I see one of them now with the background graphics, effects and voices added, I find myself thinking "Ah, there he is, all grown up now", with a motherly feeling.
[My creations] range the full gamut from puny characters to extremely powerful ones, and I think you'll get to meet them in all kinds of different locations. You'll probably have to struggle quite a bit to defeat the really powerful ones, but the weak ones might get destroyed in one hit without even getting in a single attack of their own...these are the kinds of silly things I worry about every day. As much as I can, I want to do some of this and some of that to make all you players [have to] worry [a bit], but...no, no, that's just me being a selfish developer, right? Please just go ahead and crush them all!
If all of you are able to get some enjoyment from the various enemies, I'll be happy. Please do spend some time playing with my "kids".
Designer/Animator
Hosei Takakubo
Nice to meet you, I'm Takakubo, the person responsible for quest animations. Hmm, what should I write for this...I'm writing this the day before the deadline. (Sweatdrop)
I don't have much in the way of literary talents, sorry.
For this game, I created a lot of quest event and townspeople animations! It was pretty tough...
If you're wondering what exactly was so tough about it, well, Xenosaga has a very rich story;
too rich, it's almost bottomless!
You have to make sure everything fits with the story, and to make good animations for the NPCs and main characters to bring them to life...that's the very important job I did, yes, that's what I did...
At the beginning of development, it was [like] the "Dance of Tenteko", with my brain dancing around inside my head.
What I actually did was to create animations fitting the characters, by observing the movements of the people walking around outside [the office] and referencing that while applying animations to the characters. Aah, I miss those days.
Since I enjoyed my work, it felt like the development period went by in a flash (hmm, in a flash?).
The "Episode 2" we managed to create in the period shouldn't be boring, nope, not at all! ↠(Quick remark)
I did some playtesting too, but unfortunately I can't tell you anything about the contents of the story...
Like I think several people wrote about the previous game, it was awesome! Yes. Not just "great", "awesome!". Many different things will happen. Think will become clear. Jr. will...heh, heh.
It'll take a little longer until we can bring you all the finished game, so please look forward to the release date! I definitely am!
There's a lot of townspeople in the game, so please do talk to them. Please look closely at the events too. Bye bye!
Planner/Responsible for Quests
Mayumi Yagi
My name is Yagi, and I'm responsible for quest events. Continuing on from the previous game, I've been fortunate enough to take part [in developing] Episode 2, and to have to chance to study various things.
I've been working on quest events rendered on the actual hardware, not movie sequences, making the characters act out the story in accordance with the scenario. Our methods have changed in some areas compared to the last game, which really gave me headaches [sometimes]. Still, now that it's over I don't really think about that anymore, and I'm just waiting for the release date instead.
Personally, [when I saw] Allen in the ending, I thought "nice, it'll be fine!".
In any case, I think I'll have fun playing through the game again, not just looking at the story and characters, but also trying to trace the different elements [right]?
Designer/Responsible for Objects
Takashi Miyata
My name is Miyata, and I was fortunate enough to be responsible for mech and object models.
With the mechs, I mainly worked with Mr. Mugitani's designs. Turning 2D into 3D...while I was working and worried about how to pull that off, I'd see him complete and turn out new designs, and then I'd forget about my problems and feel like I had no choice but to want to make them. That's how I felt at the time. [A little unsure about that last part, sorry]
Rather than just focusing on the shape, I tried to take the feelings and intentions in the design and turn that into three-dimensional objects.
There are many mech-related high points in Episode 2, so please look forward to it.
Planner/Responsible for Objects
Hiromi Fuchi
Hello, my name is Fuchi.
For this game, I had the chance to work on aspects of character designs, as well as model creation.
I did some work with 2D designs on the previous game, but this was my first time working with 3D models, so I had to learn many things and saw my workload increase substantially. It was a very busy but also satisfying development period.
This time, I'll talk a little about something I personally invested particular effort into. Like the previous game, the main cast are very rich in personality, but for this game I also created many more townspeople, and I wanted to give them "just as much of a personality, too!".
One by one, I tried to give them some soul while I kept working away...but I also got a bit carried away sometimes and ended up creating some characters that were so distinctive they stood out a bit too much. Just like the previous game, there will be all kinds of friendly (?) supporting characters making their appearance, so please look forward to meeting them.
I was assigned to other tasks during playtesting, which means that I'll be playing through the game after the release date along with you all. I wonder what turns the story will take...I'm anxiously waiting for release.
Well then, I hope you'll all enjoy Episode 2.
*By the way, It'd also make me happy if you would take a close look at the save data icons.
Designer/Responsible for Maps
Sayaka Matsuzawa [the "tu" is a romanization error; there's no such syllable in Japanese, should be "tsu"]
Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Matsuzawa. I worked on the maps for this game. This project, Episode 2, was my first time working in game development. Thinking back on it now, it was always hectic, and I worked as hard as I could since "I had to find something to suit Xenosaga's graphics [style]!". Still, I got to learn about many things, it felt worthwhile, and all in all I enjoyed it very much.
Apart from working on the graphics, I also did some playtesting, and I'll share one impression here...
..it's already totally awesome!!!
The gameplay is a lot of fun, but just by stopping and looking around for a bit, I was totally immersed in the Xenosaga universe!! During playtesting, I kept thinking along the lines of "how did they make such a lush world for us to walk around in!?"
Ah, umm...since I worked on the maps, I shouldn't really be saying that. Seriously, though, it's all polished down to the smallest details, the lighting is beautiful, and it's just amazing!
I think you'll all feel the same way once you get to play the game. Ah, I can't wait for that.
Well, please enjoy Xenosaga Episode 2!!
Designer/Responsible for Maps
Naoshi Ito
Hello.
For this game, Xenosaga Episode 2, I've been working on all sorts of backdrops, from sci-fi worlds to settings that aren't sci-fi-like at all, and as a developer it's been very enjoyable for me to have the chance to do this.
I think I'll get to have the enjoyment of seeing you all enjoying all these different worlds. Well then, enjoy Episode 2.
Neosmith wrote:Cool! Thanks a lot! Looks like we only have two volumes left to go. Damn, you're fast.
Programmer
Takahiro Matsuzawa
Hello, everyone. My name is Matsuzawa, and I was responsible for special effects in battles.
I'd say the flashiest battle effect is definitely KOS-MOS' X-BUSTER. It's been powered up even more now, going as far as having two [guns/barrels?] instead of just one, for example. We've also done quite a bit of polish on the other effects, which I think you'll notice.
Well then, please enjoy Episode 2.
Programmer
Hiroki Omiya
Hello, I'm Omiya. Please do enjoy Episode 2.
...would probably be a bit on the short side for a comment, so yes, hmm...I'll write a bit about something that was probably around the eighth most important thing on my mind during development.
When I was playtesting the game during development, I played through skipping as many events and so on as I possibly could. If you're wondering why I'd do something like that, it's because "I wanted to be able to play through the story in the final version of the game without knowing anything in advance, to experience it properly!!".
And since I didn't have headphones, I'll get to enjoy the music [for the first time] too. Aren't I lucky? So all this means that I'm eagerly waiting for Episode 2 to be released too.
Go buy it!
Planner/Responsible for Battles
Jun Kuramoto
Nice to meet you. My name is Kuramoto, and I was responsible for enemies in battle.
I worked on events back in Episode 1, but with this game I was able to transition to battles instead, something I've dreamed of doing for many years now. My job invovles various things such as enemies in general and menus, miscellaneous things, pre-boss battle events, and so on.
The days after development was over were a living Hell, but the feeling of accomplishment at finally finishing the game was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. In any case, I'll talk a little about the different parts of my job and my feelings on them, even if I'll have to simplify somewhat...
"Enemies"
The game's setting determines their design, skills and effect movements and behaviors. All of these were packed full of my harebrained plans (this also goes for battle D, to an extent). Due to this, I've probably caused some annoyance to people in the other sections...
I'm especially fond of "that woman". She proved to be a bit of a wild horse, but...
"Menus"
I tried to give the user interface and screen layout more of a sci-fi feel than before. Oh, and when you start getting used to the game, please try going into the options menu and setting the menu navigation to EXPERT. If that makes you feel a much better sense of control, I'd be thrilled!!
"Pre-boss battle events"
Since I was responsible for events for the previous game, I was able to create these boss events without too much trouble. Since I also put some of my unruly ideas into the dialogue in them, please do watch them at least once without skipping them.
I'll end with just one more phrase:
Much appreciated [for sticking with us]!
Designer/Responsible for Objects
Shoko Fukuchi
Nice to meet you, hello. My name is Shoko Fukuchi. I was responsible for making character models.
With just under a month left until the release date, we'll be able to give you all the chance to play the game very soon now. My own mental state [right now] is half happiness and half anxiousness, as I go back and forth between anticipation and fear of seeing your reactions to the game. I hope that Episode 2 will stay in your hearts after you complete it, even just in a small way.
For this game, my main job was to create models for townspeople, and in addition to that I also had the chance to secretly do some designs. When I was done working on those characters, I also did things like adding subtitles to the movie scenes...
As for the character work, it made for a very fun work environment. Like I've also mentioned in this column before, I'd come up with some characters that would stand out too much, and then give a particular name to that group of characters with such a strong impact, and we wouldn't be able to stop laughing (or was that just me?). Please do keep an eye out for all those characters with strong personalities too.
Like all of you, I won't know how the full story turns out until I get to play the game either, and I think we'll be able to present it all with a feel of high quality.
Well then, please enjoy Xenosaga Episode 2.
Designer/Animator
Hideki Susa
Nice to meet you. My name is Susa, and I'm responsible for quest animations.
This was my first time working in game development, so I had to deal with various challenges, but I very much enjoyed my job since I had the chance to help develop a title I'm very fond of.
My job was fundamentally about using the concept art as a base to give the characters [appropriate] movements. Since I acted out the gestures for each character myself, I'd probably have looked like a very strange person to anyone passing by. Adding the animations for the female characters was especially embarrassing.
This is the way I created the animations, aiming for realistic movements. All the characters are rich in personality, and please do enjoy their animations.
Look forward to the release date of Xenosaga Episode 2 on June 24.
Designer/Animator
Hideki Tanaka
Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Tanaka, and I'm responsible for the battle animations.
I joined the development team halfway through, making animations for the enemies. "How should...?"
"How come...?"
I worked in this kind of probing way, so maybe...I...managed...to...help out...a little bit?
It's natural that animation is usually about movements, and it's a subtle part of development where delicate gestures can easily stand out, so I'll be happy if my efforts have contributed to making things even a little more pleasant for the players.
I've also been doing some playtesting and debugging, and I was moved to tears while playing this game. No how many times I saw the scenes over and over again, I was still charmed and excited. There are many scenes like this. I especially liked seeing the relationship between Ziggy, MOMO and Yuli and how it was put under such burdens. I wonder which character scenes will resonate the most with you all when you play the game?
I'll keep working hard from now on, too, while praying that the animations I've created will find their way into your hearts. You probably won't have to put up with my awful scribblings anymore either. There's a lot to enjoy in Xenosaga Episode 2 (and the rest of the series) for those of you who are going to play it, and you'll soon find yourselves finishing it, so please do enjoy it to your heart's content!
Whenever you have time to kill. It's just something I've seen for some time and wondered heavily about. I don't trust a wiki saying something ya know.Nikkolas wrote:Hey Gwendal, I realize this has nothing at all to do with Xenosaga but you're the only guy I know who can read Japanese. I don't need an actual translation - just a confirmation from a source I can trust and I know I can trust you due to all the invaluable assistance you've given us Xeno fans.
http://starocean.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Grigori
That wiki link has a comment citing a link in Japanese that says SO4 does not take place in the Eternal Sphere of Star Ocean 3. If you have the time could you read over the Japanese page and tell me if it says anything like that?
No rush at all!!
Designer/Responsible for Effects
Takumi Nakamura
Nice to meet you. I'm Takumi Nakamura, working on effects!
On Episode 2, I mainly worked on event scene effects;
for example, making chaos' hand-held display screen pop up when they're surrounded by enemies and in big trouble, or making sure Jr.'s beloved Magnum keeps firing red-hot bullets, or having the giant robots' handsome eyes line up with the camera and glint brightly...those are the kinds of things I've had the chance to contribute to.
There's not much longer until Episode 2 will be released now. Naturally, our work on the game as developers is already finished. (Which makes me a bit emotional)
And then, and I know this is a bit of a cliché, the game will be truly finished when all of you start playing it, finish it and react in various ways to it. That's how I see it.
I'll be happy if some of what we're trying to convey in Episode 2 helps enrich your lives in some way.
Well then, please look forward to the 24th this month...
Mech Designer
Junya Ishigaki
I started doing design work for Episode 2 about two years ago. Personally, I think I was able to come up with this new style precisely because I was working on Xenosaga, and this combined with the contrast and balance with the mechs Mr. Mugitani created, as well as the high level of skill shown by the Monolith Soft development team, makes me confident to say that we've created something at an exceedingly high level that other works are powerless to match. Therefore, I urge you to please enjoy something that is not just a fantasy of 4000 years in the future, but rather a voyage through a future world.
Mech Designer
Kouichi Mugitani
My name is Mugitani, and I was fortunate enough to work on mech designs, continuing on from Episode 1.
Now that there's just a day left until release, I'm writing this comment while stocking up on food so I can shut myself away and play the game.
To be honest, on the design side there were quite a few things that "weren't requested, but I drew them anyway since they didn't exist and then stored them away".
They don't appear in the game, but this includes things like Ziggy's swimsuit (Boomerang), chaos' swimsuit (Boomerang), Cherenkov's swimsuit (Boomerang), KOS-MOS' swimsuit (school swimsuit), MOMO's underwear, and so on...maybe you can imagine them in your mind's eye.
Well then, everyone, let's enjoy Episode 2 together tomorrow.
Programmer
Katsutoshi Yamamoto
There were many people saying the battle system was a bit complicated in the previous game, so for Episode 2, I came up with a plan aiming to make it simpler. Still, once it was actually done and I tried it, it turns out it's probably a bit complicated after all...
As long as you make sure to attack enemies' vulnerable zones, I think you'll be able to get past everything other than the bosses with relative ease.
Oh, and we've also increased the variety of background music playing during battles this time, so please do enjoy it when you get to play the game.
Programmer
Atsushi Yoshikawa
Hello, my name is Yoshikawa. I was fortunate enough to be responsible for the menu programming in this game.
One of the things I tried to pay particular attention to during my work was responsiveness. The menu screen is basically like a data browser inside the game. As for its controls, once you start getting used to the game, you'll want to be able to navigate it in an effective way. So I tried to shorten the amount of time [the system] wouldn't accept button presses as much as possible. Button presses are even accepted during the animations when you're changing displays, for instance, so I think we managed to create a control system that minimizes stress.
There's also an "EXPERT" setting you can toggle in the options, and in the beginning this was supposed to be the [only] control scheme. Since it turned out to be hard to understand for people when they first tried it, we came up with the "BASIC" mode instead. But once you get used to the game, please do give the "EXPERT" setting a try. I my opinion, using the L and R buttons together makes for a more comfortable control scheme.
Please enjoy Episode 2. Until next time.
Designer/Responisble for Objects
Takashi Seki
Hello, everyone. I'm Seki, and I worked on monster models for this game.
Yes, this is finally the day, isn't it! Sorry we've made you all wait so long. Episode 2 can be seen from many viewpoints, but as you all play through the content, I'll talk a little bit about my role.
I was responsible for monsters, mainly Gnosis and creatures that appear in battles. There's really a huge variety on display there...(sweatdrop)
As a developer, my days have been filled with enjoyment, but on the other hand, it's also been stressful. At times I couldn't even take any breaks, but I just put my nose to the grindstone to create even better things! (↠That's just to be expected, but...)
All of that effort has been for this day!
I'll be happy if we've managed to create [enemies] that players can stand up with all their might and even feel a little stressful about, that'll stay lodged in the corners of your minds. ("Man, that guy's strong...", something like that). [There's some parts in this paragraph I'm a little unsure about, but it should be along these lines]
Episode 2 is a mixture of the imaginations of many people, and I urge you all to please experience it for yourselves! I'm confident it'll live up to your expectations. Personally, I wish I could experience it as a regular fan too.
Designer/Animator
Kazuki Suwa
I've just realized it's already June. The game will probably be on sale by the time this comment is published. This was my first time working on a game, so in the beginning I made [lots of] blunders, and there were times I was afraid I'd be fired any minute, but in the end that didn't happen. (Smile)
My main responsibilities for this game was event movie animations and camera work, but since the majority of the work was done in advance, I haven't really felt much until now, until I got to watch the ad for Episode 2 and finally had that surge of pride that I'd actually made a game.
We used motion capture for the majority of the character performances in the event movies for this game, which means that the actual work of the animator often comes down to simply making small adjustments, animating finger gestures, or other such things that don't really stand out. We made most of the robot animations from scratch, so that was the most enjoyable part of the job to me personally.
We also used motion capture for the sword fight scenes, where we thought it was really worth it to fine-tune the movements and timing. Now the only thing left to do is pray that it'll look good when you all see it while playing the game.
Episode 2 is filled to the brim with action and drama, and it'd make me happy if you would enjoy those parts of it just as much as the gameplay.
Please do enjoy "not just a fantasy, but the future"!
Designer/Animator
Shingo Senda
Very nice to meet you. My name is Senda, and I was responsible for event movie animation and camera work.
We're at a point now where development on Episode 2 is done, the only thing left to do is wait for the relelase date, and when we open the drawers of our desks here at the office...there's the Episode 2 storyboards!! Turning those pages, we'll bring all those lovely days back to life as it were yesterday, saying things like:
"Oh, I made the movements for this robot!"
"I worked really hard on these camera movements..."
"Ah! It leaped! It leaped! It slashed! It slashed!"
"Car, car, car..."
"Waah!!!"
Well, I might joke about it like this, but Episode 2 was my first time taking part in the development of a game. Before that, I'd only been on the player side, and now being on the developer side meant being in a new environment, being like "Hmm, what animations would look best here?", "What kind of camera work would best convey the characters' personality here?", "How should I position these...?", "What timing...?", "Oh! This neat little trick is...", spending every day studying and discovering things like this. (And I still am)
While you're all busy studying and analyzing the great tale known as Xenosaga, [partly] made up of the movies I created through trial and error and somehow being able to keep coming up with minor miracles, it'd make me very happy if we've also been able to make you feel delighted and moved.
I've only been going on about animations and camera work since those were my responsiblities, but there are many other parts of the finished Episode 2 that are worth looking closer at, worth playing with, and that have been powered up [from before], so please do try playing the game.
Now, which day was it again...?
Designer/Responsible for Effects
Kei Watanabe
Everyone, nice to meet you. I'm Watanabe, responsible for effects. Huh, so you'll be getting this message when the game's already been released? In that case, I think playing the actual game would probably give you a clearer message from the developers than sitting around reading my words. (Smile)
...
That would probably be the note to end it on, but then again, I do have my thoughts on the things I've been responsible for, so...
For this game I've mainly been responsible for the event movie effects, and the real-time hardware effects used during regular gameplay. So when you think of effects like those, explosions would probably be the most noticeable ones, right? Yep, I've made lots of those, explosions and fires. From
gas stoves to explosions in space. There's explosions on parade all over the place, this is a world that's mad about explosions. (Smile)
There's also things like splashes and flying dust, which would also go into the "explosions" category as far as I'm concerned, and naturally they're quite flashy too.
No matter what discipline you're looking at (effects, maps, animation, etc.), they've all got their own stories to tell. Even with a single explosion, it goes through a sequence of flash-shockwave-smoke-disappearance. But if you focus too much on that, it'll turn out too bold when it's time to combine it with all the other parts, and there won't be any point. You need to keep striving to turn all of it into a single coherent picture in order to make it complete.
One of the themes we decided on early in the process for this game was to "make sure not to cause the player stress, by cutting excessive cinematics and giving a sense of speed!"
Because of that, we had to make quite a few painful cuts.
Even so, since we had contradictory instructions to "make it prettier and flashier!" and "Make the data lighter!"
(Even if it didn't help the speed much to reduce the processing...), it was a hard slog to try to balance those three tings.
As a result of that hard work, I think we managed to create effects that brought those three themes to life. Some of them might seem a bit plain, but I think they work well if you look at all of it as a whole.
In this work we call a "video game", there are messages from each designer in various places. I already mentioned this in the beginning of this comment, but please do pay attention to them!
Wow...seems like I ended up writing something serious after all...
Shion – Ai Maeda
Interviewer: How did you prepare for playing the role of Shion?
Maeda: I drew up a diagram showing the relationships between the various characters, and while I kept those in mind, I also considered what it'd be like to be a Chief [engineer] at that [young] age. I did my best to bring out her strong points and weak points, building on various factors such as how the things she accomplished in her past would be shaping her.
Interviewer: What was it like to reprise your role from the previous game?
Maeda: The mysteries grew ever deeper...
Interviewer: In playing the role of Shion, in what ways do you feel she resembles you, and in what ways does she differ from you?
Maeda: Resemblances: When it really matters, she gives a hundred percent. Differences: Her ability to leap into action.
Interviewer: What things did you pay particular attention to while performing the role, and was there anything that gave you an especially hard time?
Maeda: Whenever I had to say something complicated and technical in a natural and fluent way.
Interviewer: Do you have anything to say to all the fans out there?
Maeda: Alongside all the other wonderful actors and actresses and the fantastic development staff, I've been putting my heart and soul into crafting the world of Xenosaga. We need help from all of you to expand this world in an even better direction. As long as you enjoy it, I'll be happy. Please do stick with us in the future, too!
MOMO – Rumi Shishido
Interviewer: How did you prepare for playing the role of MOMO?
Shishido: In order to bring out my "inner MOMO", I tried to be relaxed while performing.
Interviewer: What was it like to reprise your role from the previous game?
Shishido: It was exciting to see the mysteries start coming clearer into view.
Interviewer: In playing the role of MOMO, in what ways do you feel she resembles you, and in what ways does she differ from you?
Shishido: I guess she's kind of like me when she's calm.
Interviewer: What things did you pay particular attention to while performing the role, and was there anything that gave you an especially hard time?
Shishido: I was already friends with the other actors and actresses, so I had fun recording.
Interviewer: If you have any interesting anecdotes from the recording sessions, please do share them with us.
Shishido: My stomach kept rumbling, which made me blush. [A little unsure about this one, seems to use some kind of slang]
Interviewer: Do you have anything to say to all the fans out there?
Shishido: I'm proud of this great game and its world. I'm glad I had the chance to take part in making this game.
chaos – Soichiro Hoshi
Interviewer: How did you prepare for playing the role of chaos?
Hoshi: It's definitely a very challenging role, so...I just go in there and try my best!
Interviewer: What was it like to reprise your role from the previous game?
Hoshi: I loved it! ...is what I'd say, but I'm someone who needs to get out of the house [anyway], so...(Laughs) [A little unsure about that last part, sorry]
Interviewer: In playing the role of chaos, in what ways do you feel he resembles you, and in what ways does he differ from you?
Hoshi: Hmm, I think he's just about my polar opposite, really. (Strained laugh)
Interviewer: What things did you pay particular attention to while performing the role, and was there anything that gave you an especially hard time?
Hoshi: The parts where it becomes really apparent that he's very different from ordinary people, his mysterious atmosphere...all sorts of things.
Interviewer: Do you have anything to say to all the fans out there?
Hoshi: Just that "Xenosaga Episode 2" is on an epic scale, and that I'd really like them to make sure to play it all the way through to the end!
Jin – Hideyuki Tanaka
Interviewer: How did you prepare for playing the role of Jin?
Tanaka: Jin is calm and collected, but he also has a hidden inner strength. That's what I wanted to convey.
Interviewer: What was it like to reprise your role from the previous game?
Tanaka: I tried to make sure not to ruin his feel from the previous game.
Interviewer: In playing the role of Jin, in what ways do you feel he resembles you, and in what ways does he differ from you?
Tanaka: I'm not really able to be that calm.
Interviewer: Do you have anything to say to all the fans out there?
Tanaka: I think this game is even richer than the first one in terms of content. Please do enjoy it.
KOS-MOS – Mariko Suzuki
Interviewer: How did you prepare for playing the role of KOS-MOS?
Suzuki: Well, she's very devoted to Shion, and focuses on carrying out her mission, [speaking] in a deadpan way without much emotion. But I also had an awareness that she's an entity concealing a very important key [within herself].
Interviewer: What was it like to reprise your role from the previous game?
Suzuki: It was a very long wait, so I was very happy to be able to do it. "I'll get to fight alongside everyone again!". I was very excited about [the game] (as an individual user). Still, I kind of wanted to spend a little more time with everyone...
Interviewer: In playing the role of KOS-MOS, in what ways do you feel she resembles you, and in what ways does she differ from you?
Suzuki: Resemblance: Maybe she hasn't awakened to her true self yet!?
Difference: Everything else, absolutely everything. She is a weapon, after all.
Interviewer: What things did you pay particular attention to while performing the role, and was there anything that gave you an especially hard time?
Suzuki: I focused on making sure she wouldn't sound too human, and on reacting to the other characters' dialogue without showing any emotion.
Interviewer: Do you have anything to say to all the fans out there?
Suzuki: Now we're one step closer to the heart of the story! Or so you'll think, but then the curtain falls!? Please hold out a just a little longer, until the day your hearts will be set free.
Jr. - Eriko Kawasaki
Interviewer: How did you prepare for playing the role of Jr.?
Kawasaki: Since reprising the role would be like going back in time, I had thoughts along the lines of "hmm, how should I prepare for the role this time?" when I went to the recording session, but the director just told me that "as long as Jr. is Jr., it'll be ok!" with a smile on his face!! So the Young Master is just the way he's always been! ♪
Interviewer: What was it like to reprise your role from the previous game?
Kawasaki: In contrast to the previous game, where he was surrounded by older characters, Jr. interacted much more with people his own age in this game. Because of that, I feel like we got a few glimpses of his real self.
Interviewer: What things did you pay particular attention to while performing the role, and was there anything that gave you an especially hard time?
Kawasaki: If I don't pay attention, I'll slip into "stupid Jr." mode...there was one battle scene where I didn't focus enough, and Mr. Koyasu (Tony) and Mr. Matsuno (Hammer) asked me "what the heck was that!!"
while laughing their heads off, and we had to do an NG...
I'd really like to just bury that take somewhere no one can ever find it!!
Interviewer: If you have any interesting anecdotes from the recording sessions, please do share them with us.
Kawasaki: Mr. Ebara, who plays Ziggy, really likes the smell of mint, and he'd do things like put mint extract on the back of the other actors' hands and on the recording equipment before he left.
...you could smell it through the whole studio.
Interviewer: Do you have anything to say to all the fans out there?
Kawasaki: I've enjoyed looking at the BBSes from time to time!! Please do help build the excitement and keep cheering Xenosaga on! ♪
Caanan – Hiroshi Kamiya
Interviewer: How did you feel when you found out you'd been assigned the role of Canaan, a character who first appears in Episode 2?
Kamiya: "Ah, I'll have to play through 'Episode 1' again really carefully now."
Interviewer: How did you prepare for playing the role of Canaan?
Kamiya: Since he's not exactly a regular human being, I tried not to make him too human-like...
Interviewer: In playing the role of Caanan, in what ways do you feel he resembles you, and in what ways does he differ from you?
Kamiya: He's not human, right...? So there's really no way I could resemble or differ from him.
Interviewer: What things did you pay particular attention to while performing the role, and was there anything that gave you an especially hard time?
Kamiya: Making sure he was very controlled emotionally, without being completely emotionless. It was really hard to get that balance right.
Interviewer: Do you have anything to say to all the fans out there?
I'm really happy to have been able to play a small part in the epic story of "Xenosaga". "Episode 3" is...wait, I'm getting bit ahead of things here, aren't I? Anyway, until "Episode 3" does arrive, please enjoy "Episode 2" to the point of exploring every little nook and cranny! Yeah!
Ziggy – Masahi Ebara
Interviewer: How did you prepare for playing the role of Ziggy?
Ebara: Since large parts of his body have been replaced with mechanical parts, I tried to prepare by considering to what extent his humanity remains, or whether it still exists at all.
Interviewer: What was it like to reprise your role from the previous game?
Ebara: Since he felt strong emotions from the unfolding story developments, I tried to emphasize how the human part of him would respond to that, and let that come across a bit more forcefully.
Interviewer: In playing the role of Ziggy, in what ways do you feel he resembles you, and in what ways does he differ from you?
Ebara: Unfortunately, I doubt I (or my consciousness) will ever be able to live that long. I guess I might be a bit like him when it comes to being introspective??
Interviewer: What things did you pay particular attention to while performing the role, and was there anything that gave you an especially hard time?
Ebara: I'll be happy if I've managed to convey that as the pressure increases, rather than the temperature, Ziggy isn't really such a cold person after all.
Interviewer: If you have any interesting anecdotes from the recording sessions, please do share them with us.
Ebara: As I put more feeling into it, the temperature increased rather than the pressure, which made the performance a bit unstable.
Interviewer: Do you have anything to say to all the fans out there?
Ebara: As his actor, please do keep an eye out for Ziggy as he's moments from losing his self-control!! I'm doing my best, persistently playing a mech-person.
Neosmith wrote:Alright, Gwendal, thanks a million!
These are insightful, at least in the sense that they reflect how differently the original voice recording is from the localization's "cold readings".
There are some bits remaining from the ODM -terms and interviews - that I would like to request translated or re-worked. Would you be open to look at them after I find them/repost them somewhere?
Neosmith wrote :
I couldn't think where else to post this - but the Romhackers had updated their site in February, with some pics from the DS Translation - apologies if this has been posted elsewhere already: http://aerie.wingdreams.net/?p=250
