Description

About

Published: 10-05-2000
Host: Super Console
Author: Paul O’Connor
Game: Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Format: Archived Online

Note

The following article was translated from Italian into English by GPT.

The Designer Diary

Dress Rehearsal

Finally, it is autumn and I can look back with a certain tranquility at the nightmare days we experienced this summer... a period in which most of the team and I said goodbye to weekends and quiet evenings to complete a working demo of Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee. Obviously, we knew from the start that we would have to prepare a demo; in fact, we will almost certainly have to create another one when the game is ready to be released, to show all the improvements implemented in recent months. The development team HATES preparing demos, but demos have many positive aspects: they not only allow developers to touch the finished product but also to find out how much remains to be done. In our theorizing, we always had some sort of "final test" in mind, but seeing it materialize is one of the most rewarding aspects of the last few months of development.

For example, this morning I received an email outlining fifteen important points about our "assembly line": the assembly line is that series of processes and procedures that moves some elements of the game from one group of people to another. A region of the game, for example, starts its life as a sketch on paper, becomes a complete project, evolves into a 3D model, and finally ends up in the hands of the graphic and 3D designers who give it the look that everyone will see. The approval and "transformation" phases that occur in each part of this process make up the assembly line.

Thanks to the work done in preparing the demo, we identified a couple of flaws in our assembly line. We found out, for example, that we were not using a standard naming convention for 3D objects, which resulted in some of them getting lost. So we now have a document defining the nomenclature for 3D objects that must follow a certain number of conventions: everyone must use an identical system for naming 3D objects, use the same grid, and know the "color coding" of the various three-dimensional models (so that everyone can immediately understand which parts of an object must remain intact and which can be modified to achieve the best aesthetic result).

These all seem like trivialities, but they are essential for the success of a project of this size and represent the kind of "taken for granted" things that, unfortunately, are not tackled right away, until you try to put something advanced together: often these problems do not become apparent until a first alpha version of the game is created (or, even worse, until the game hits the stores...). It's an endless task, like running a mini-alpha "bootcamp" for a team to untangle the knots, even if that means a lot of stress, discussions, and heartburn from too much fast food.

So, how did the demo go? Pretty well. We managed to complete the demo on time, achieve many of the goals we had set earlier, and include enough elements to show the American press various aspects of the gameplay of Munch’s Oddysee. The journalists' reactions were unanimously positive - and in some cases literally enthusiastic - and the general opinion seems to be forming: Munch’s Oddysee will be the number one reason to buy a PlayStation 2. It's useless to say that we are extremely satisfied with this, given that we have been working on this game for a long time... The demo also highlights many aspects of the game that we have been describing for months at this point: it effectively showcases some innovations that are difficult to describe with words (such as our very effective camera system) and how we managed to transport the elements that made the first Oddworld titles famous into a three-dimensional environment. It also includes innovations like the ability to change the character you're controlling on the fly, between Abe and the protagonist Munch.

Several familiar characters for Oddworld fans have made their return, such as the evil Sligs and the brave Mudokons. But we also introduced a new character, Big Bro Slig, a kind of ultra-pumped-up super-Slig, capable of a very rapid fire with a Blitzpacker Brew (seen in the photo). Big Bro Slig is definitely the star of the most interesting part of the demo, the one that takes place in the "gun room," which shows how our new camera system guarantees significant fluidity of movement, including cinematic visual elements to show the damage Big Bro Slig can do when he gets angry... all while ensuring the player never loses control of their character.

We also managed to show how clumsy Munch is on land and how he moves like a dolphin once in the water. We demonstrated the power-ups available from vending machines, which allow Abe to run like an obsessed person, jump like Jordan, and climb walls. We showed how Abe can gather a group of friendly Mudokons and, through careful planning, lead their rebellion against a surprise Slig guard. We showed Munch sitting in his wheelchair and racing through the factory corridors, performing nearly impossible stunts like a motocross champion.

Additionally, we improved our camera system, implemented some light effects, scripted the AI for many inhabitants of Oddworld, and made sure the ground and sky looked... um, like ground and sky (ground and sky are central to Oddworld, obviously!). We also remembered all the things we could control during testing and the impact of small last-minute changes. Finally, we strengthened our group identity, which is particularly important for everyone’s first job here with us.

A good job, I would say. The American press definitely appreciated it. It was nice to send them a piece of the project we are working on. We worked like crazy, but it was worth it. And it would have been worth it even if we had missed the demo date, because all these essential "rehearsals" described earlier are so crucial... and above all, because, as hard as the days of this long, long summer were, these last few months of production, which lie ahead, will be even harder. Let’s move forward.

Paul O’Connor

10-05-2000