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SONIC TEAM INTERVIEW
BURNING RANGERS
Interview conducted by Warren Harrod, for Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) (issue 31,
May '98).
Q. When did the BR project start?
A. It started around December 1996.
Q. What was the main idea behind doing a firefighting game?
A. We wanted to create a game where you could rescue people. Nowadays, there are
so many games where you just kill people. Instead we decided to make a rescue
game. In addition, right from the start, it seemed that fire was the most
appropriate way to dreate that sensation of fear and tension. So in the end we
combined these two elements.
Q. Why do you think people find firefighters so fascinating?
A. Rescuing people, and many of the other things that a firefighter does, are in
fact the very essence of a Sonic Team game. The firefighter is a hero people can
identify with because they exist in our current everyday lives.
Q. So why did you decide to choose a futuristic stage for your firefighters?
A. The picture we want to paint of the future is not like that seen in the
Terminator movies, where the world has been reduced to a devastated wilderness.
Rather, we want a clean and beautiful future. A place where we dream our
children can grow up happily. However, no matter how good this future world is,
there are still disasters that will occur. We wanted to create heroes that could
protect these people from those disasters.
Q. How did you come up with the ideas for the Burning Rangers' futuristic
technology?
A. The basis of future we established was one of a a world that uses clean
energy. Our ideas then flowed from this point. The first thing we talked about
was the Burneer unit. At the time, we considered that a future firefighter would
be very acrobatic, with lots of dexterous movements. In order to get into places
where normal people couldn't go and rescue trapped people, it was necessary to
place some kind of survival unit on their backs.
Q. How did you come up with the name "Burning Rangers"?
A. To tell the truth, the original name was "Firefighter", but we wanted a
cooler sounding name so we changed the title. I don't know about Western
audiences, but to us Japanese, that "burning" meaning has a great "Go for it!"
image. It seemed to fit the disaster-rescue nature of the game perfectly. Now,
"ranger" has a little bit of a stranger image to it because in English it refers
to someone who looks after a forest. However, we wanted to strongly emphasize
it's "Power Ranger" image. We know that we were going to use the same name for
all the international versions, so we checked the name with some foreigners.
They all said it was OK.
Q. What kind of player did you create Burning Rangers for?
A. Well of course we created it for people who like action games, but we
also created it for are fans of Sonic Team games. BR is completely different
from our other games, so we'd like to increase the number of people who see it,
think it's enjoyable and become interested in it.
Q. Was it your intention from the very beginning to create a suitably
dramatic atmosphere for this game?
A. Wes, it was. The main theme of the game is both tension and the sensation
of actually being present in the game. To develop the feeling of being in a
real-life situation we created the navigation system.
Q. Did you work out this game's story before development started?
A. To a certain degree we decided on the direction of the story before the
game's development began, but in reality we occasionally all got together and
thought out parts of the story that we no longer thought were very good.
Q. Can you tell us why the BR numbers aren't sequential? Where are BR no. 2
and no. 4?
A. At the moment we can't tell you that. It's a secret. It's still a hidden part
of BR. For the present, we don't have any plans to reveal the meaning behind
this, not even in Japan. To the extent that it might even be linked to Burning
Rangers 2, it's still a long way off.
Q. How does the style of gameplay in BR differ from that in NiGHTS?
A. I think that in the case of NiGHTS, the main idea was to give players the
feeling of true flight. However, in BR, it's difficult to do flying leaps so you
have the thrill of success and failure. If you succeed in doing a difficult jump
you think "Yes, I did it!".
Q. At what point in development did you decide to include the auto-jump
system?
A. From the time we first saw the game in 3D we understood that it would be
difficult for players to judge depth and distance. Just looking at the screen
and being able to do a jump was hard, we though that since we'd come this
far we might as well just let them jump automatically.
Q. Where exactly is the auto-jump sensor? Is it in the BR boots?
A. (Laughs) I really don't think that in reality they would have such a system.
The real BR would probably be able to judge all the jumps perfectly himself
without needing a sensor. It's been added to the game as a "new product" for the
users' benefit, in order to bring the character's actions closer to the real BR
and make the jumps look as cool as the real thing.
Q. Did you use any motion capture for the smooth character motions?
A. In the beginning, as an experiment, we recorded some motion capture footage.
We spent a lot of time trying to take motion capture data for all kinds of
different poses. However in the end we only really used the motion capture data
for the walking motion. No matter what we did we just couldn't get real people
who could perform the kind of special motions that we needed. We tried it, but
it didn't work. It was certainly realistic, but it didn't look very good. In the
end we created most of the motions by hand.
Q. In order design the game's stages, did you visit any special places?
A. Some of the Sonic Team members went to Hong Kong for some enjoyment and while
they were there they thought that they might find some interesting things. This
was right during the starting phase of development. We wanted to go over before
Hong Kong reverted back to China. In terms of actually gathering materials
before that, we went over to Universal Studios in America to experience the Back
draft adventure. At the time we thought it would be great if we could generate
that kind of sensation in a game.
Q. Did you have any opportunities to see real fires?
A. Well, fires are always breaking out over here, but in Japan there aren't that
many of them. However, we did go to a special firefighting event in Tokyo where
real firefighters displayed their techniques. when we saw robots putting out
fires, we were really surprised to see that compared of our image of the future.
Even present day firefighting is incredible! The robot had special infrared
sensors and a camera and could do through fires, which even firefighters
couldn't. Also at the show, the firefighters were using a special flame
extinguisher gun as well.
Q. During the game's development, did you get and advice from professional
firefighters?
A. No we didn't. We had the impression that if real firefighters were to see the
game they would have said that real firefighting wasn't that simple. We imagine
that our game wouldn't be well received. At the Tokyo Game Show, a real
firefighter did actually comment that he thought that the costumes were too
thin. The problem is that the game isn't real. It's set in the future and so
there's a difference in the realities involved. If we made any part of the game
too real then the gap between that and the rest of the game would be exaggerated
even more.
Q. If you compare BR to real firefighting how real do you think the game is?
A. We think that a certain extent we've been able to make a realistic game. In
reality we've never been to a disaster area and I'm sure that if we did it would
be very different from how we imagine it would be. A real firefighter risks his
life to save others and although we, as ordinary people, have never done this
kind of thing we can imagine how hard that work is. So of course it might be
incorrect, but but we've just taken the good sections, the parts that look cool
and put them into the game.
Q. How do the graphics engines used in NiGHTS and BR differ?
A. When we created NiGHTS we had only just started to program for the Sega
Saturn. If you take another look at every part of the engine, you'll see that
the speed has been increased considerably. We also managed to accurately portray
the fires as well. We've been able to increase he number of things that are now
possible over what was possible in NiGHTS.
Q. Were you confident that you could create these very large and detailed
stage areas when you started development?
A. First of all we created all the corridors, then we placed tee fires inside
them. After that we added the lighting effects and finally the characters. This
time, the two things we really wanted to do were the lighting effects and
feeling of real fire. We certainly aimed for something more than what we thought
we could achieve. It wasn't so much about having confidence, we just did it! You
can't let yourself worry about whether or not you can do this or that. Everyone
in the team wanted to put so much into the game that we only completed about
half of what we wanted to do.
Q. Could your remaining ideas appear in a Burning Rangers 2?
A. They might (laughs).
Q. What was your strategy for putting together the stages?
A. For stage one, our main aim was to have players become used to the game. We
didn't want to send players all over the place because it would confuse them.
For stage two we increased the number of routes. For stage three onwards we
started to make players think in three dimensions. Finally, we increased of
places that you could go so that you could explore that you hadn't been to
before.
Q. Where did you get the inspiration for the wonderful character designs?
A. We originally wanted the silhouette of the BR with the Burneer Unit to look
like the silhouette of an angel with their wings opened up. We wanted to create
the image that angels were moving safely through the burning flames. All through
development someone kept wanting to call it "Burning Angels", but it was a
little to direct so we had to change it.
Q. Of all the BR characters, Big Landman is the most unique. Please could you
explain a little about his design?
A. He's the oldest and most experienced of the BR team. He's very strong and
smart, but he's also very kind and gentle. He's someone who can be relied on.
However, when he was young he was too eager to rescue people and as a result he
received many injuries. Because of this he's now half cyborg and you get the
feeling that he's now more than human. The bionics on the top of his head are
actually sensors.
Q. How did you approach the game's impressive bosses?
A. Obviously one aspect was to make them really big so as to give them plenty of
impact. The image we had in mind was that at a first glance players would get
the impression that they just couldn't defeat these creations.
Q. Did you think it was really necessary to include bosses in this kind of
rescue game?
A. A Sonic Team game is never limited to just any one target. It's our goal to
have no limit in having fun. The primary task in BR is to put out fires and
that's what's always at the back of their minds. However, it's because they are
the BR that they feel that should rescue people as well.
Q. How did the development of the navigation system progress?
A. BR is completely different from anything we've ever done before so we
completely rethought all the ideas of what should be included in the game. From
the start we decided not to use any on-screen maps, but just to create a game
where you could play with the voice navigation. We did many experiments and
there was a lot of trial and error. At the outset, the voice navigation system
said every single direction. We playtested a lot of navigation systems and from
these we picked the best one and that's the one we're using now.
Q. With the voice navigation system you can't use any BGM. Did this make it
even more difficult to build a dramatic atmosphere?
A. From the very start, the main thing we considered was how to actually being
present in the game. First of all we decided to have no BGM at all. The sound
effects of the fire and the noise of the creaking walls are the only kinds of
sound we considered. On top of that, we didn't think that including a voice, for
the navigation system would be a problem at all.
Q. How did you go about choosing the voice actors for the game?
A. Everyone had their own image of who would be suitable. First of all we
designed all the characters and while looking at their pictures we built up an
image of how they should speak.
Q. What are you going to do about the foreign versions of the voice
navigation system?
A. Well, first off all there's only going to be one English language foreign
version. We would have liked to have done around six languages, but it's too
difficult. The volume of work involved is just too much. It's a difficult thing
being able to judge how well the English speech fits the game's image, but we
tried to pick those voices which matched the characters best. We believe that
some of the voice actors have appeared in American TV programs, but we're not
sure which ones. For those countries where they don't speak English, we would
have liked to have used sub-titles, but we couldn't push development that far.
Q. Who did you get to produce the animation cut scenes for you?
A. We had the animation done for us by TMS (Tokyo Movie Shinsha). This company
is famous for producing the Transformers and Sonic cartoon seies. They were also
involved in the production of Akira as well. This was the first time that we had
been in contact with them, but Sega has worked with them before. They produced
the Last Bronx animation for Sega as well.
Q. What kind of animation did you use?
A. This time we used digital animation. In normal animation. everything is done
on cells, but for digital animation it's all done on CD. Nowadays, everyone's
changing over to digital animation. This is different from the 3D CG used in
Beast Wars. It's more like the anime used in Disney's Aladdin. They didn't use
any cells for that either. It was completely digital.
Q. Was the use of different routes essential for BR?
A. To a certain extent you are searching for something and having to use your
head a little when playing a game makes it a lot more enjoyable. Although in
reality, with the navigation system you are being made to follow a single path.
The main reason for it's use is to give more variation in the game play and thus
make it more fun to play.
Q. Do the different routes have any effect on the game?
A. There aren't any big effects. You can locate items and find people who need
rescuing, but after you find them you return back to the main route again. There
aren't any changes to the story. Actually, in the beginning we wanted to have a
lot more routes throughout the game. However, in a 3D environment it's easy to
become confused and lose your sense of direction, so we limited ourselves to
just a few.
Q. Why did you include the Generate System?
Originally, we wanted a game that you could play again and again, any number of
times. However, if you keep playing the same stages then you'll lose that tense
atmosphere of not knowing what's going to happen next.
Q. How exactly does the Generate System work?
A. Well, for example, a door that you couldn't open the first time you play
through a stage may be opened the second time you play. This may lead to a new
room or become a new route. In addition, fires break out from different places
and walls burst into flames in alternative locations so you don't know where the
next danger is coming from. The Generate System creates a new map each time you
play and complete the game. Even if two players play and complete the game once
they'll get different maps the next time around. The maps are generated
completely at random and there are over 3000 variations. Also, each generated
stage has a password assigned to it. Built into the password is information
about the stage including which people need to b rescued and where they are
located. If you enter the password then you can play that level again and again.
In total there are 108 people who need rescuing. However, if you can't find
everyone you can exchange passwords with your friends. Maybe they've already
found a person who you're looking for.
Q. What part of BR are you most proud of?
Mr. Yuji Naka: As the producer, this is a new game for me, so I'm happy that we
were able to get a good overall balance for the game.
Mr. Takoao Miyoshi: I'm proud that we managed to create a navigation system that
was pretty much the same as gow we first imagined it would be.
Mr Naoto Oshima: One part of the game that I'm quite taken with are the
crystals. It's a fundamental rule that you have to use the crystals to power up
your shield.
Mr Takuya Matsumoto: As a programmer, the fact that we've been able to push the
Saturn this far is enough for me to die happy. Almost all the things I wanted to
do I was able to do.
Q. Do you have any advice or hints for players?
A. When a fire breaks out, don't just run around it. Look at the place you're in
and judge the conditions. If you do this then you'll sometimes discover that
there are routes other than the normal ones. Actually, the real fun of BR comes
after you've cleared the game once. Using the Generate System to find all the
people who need rescuing is the most enjoyable part.
Q. Do you have a message for you fans in the UK?
A. I'm sure that children like firefighters. Who knows, maybe by the time
they've grown up, Burning Rangers will have become a reality. In the BR world
you can realistically experience the role of the firefighter. By endeavoring to
save people's lives you can have fun playing the game. |
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