2024.01.01
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English Fan-Translation v0.9b1
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・Hiroyuki Onoda (Project Leader. Time Crisis)

・Takuya Iwasaki (Director. Klonoa, Ace Combat series)

・Dai Satō (from Frognation. Original Story Cooperation &
Screenplay)


Onoda：　Let's get in the groove for now. Mr. Satō suggested that
we hold a training camp... 

It was the first time for Namco to work with an outsider to
determine the content of a project or to create an original
story, and of course, it was our first time holding a training
camp. 


Iwasaki：　It'll be good, he said (laughs). That inn was really
our hideout. We had a PlayStation, and we lined up books in the
alcove with parts of the room...


Onoda：　I didn't get to watch a single tape (laughs). 


Satō：　We would all hang out together, and when we got bored, we
would play table tennis or go to the baths. 


Iwasaki：　And on the way home, I went to a toy store (laughs).

 
Onoda：　What was it like when you first read the synopsis? 

 
Satō：　I knew exactly what their worldview and tastes were. I
had a general idea of what they were going for, from the
cyberpunk-like visuals and the modern European architecture
they showed me.

So how do we make it more realistic? We wanted to satisfy the
fans, but we also wanted to attract people who like stories,
so it was a relatively difficult task to balance these two
goals.


Iwasaki：　In the case of this series, it tends to go in a more
and more enthusiast direction. However, I think this game is
fun enough to be enjoyed by people other than fighter fans. I
thought that if I wanted people to enjoy the fun of this game,
I should create a game with a different worldview.


Onoda：　Originally, AC was not designed as a simulator.

But I think that many of the people who actually played the
game were enthusiasts.

So we decided to change the style a little bit.


Iwasaki：　If we don't come up with something new and different,
people will say that the game is the same as before, even if
the hardware is changed and the specs have improved.

That is the point. The reason we chose the near future is
because, for example, it is not enough to just say that the
polygons have been rendered in great detail and that the visual
presentation has been improved.

If various aspects of the visuals had not been changed, people
would not have noticed the difference.

There are many different worldviews, such as the near future or
medieval times, but for this project, we decided to go with the
near future.

For example, the architecture is different when you look at it,
and the scenery changes ever so slightly.

I wanted to compete not only in terms of the technical quality
of the graphics, but also in this aspect. 

The initial concept was the brainchild of our graphic designer,
but presenting science fiction only in terms of graphics would
have been pointless, so we decided to make it science fiction
by including a proper storyline.

We decided to make the content not only visually appealing, but
also to let the audience enjoy the storyline and discover the
worldview of AC3. 


Satō：　We shared the common view that although we were going to
use animation, we did not want it to look cartoony.

Also, the staff were from the same generation, and had similar
tastes in what they had seen and liked, like movies and books.

It was difficult to coordinate our ideas, but the fact we were
so excited during the process was a big part of it.

We came up with a lot of ideas.

We would all say "wow, this sounds fun," but the next step was
that one of us had to put it all together in a way that was
easy to understand.

At the end, we were all stuck in a hotel again (laughs).

I wanted the story to be perfectly connected to the structure
of the game.

I didn't want the story to be the story and the game the game.

I had to keep an organic feel to the story, like, "It would be
fun to have this mission after hearing this line of dialogue,"
or "It would be better to reverse the order of this mission if
this line of dialogue is to be said. 

I would give them each sentence and they would ask me, "What do
you mean here?"

It was hard work, like writing next to a sleeping person who
was about to fall over, (laughs) but it was still fun.

It really felt like we made it together. 


Iwasaki：　Instead of requesting a script and then revising the
draft that came in, we really thought about it together and
then agreed on the script.


Satō：　When the keyword "cyberpunk" comes up, it is difficult to
say whether we will be able to enjoy it three years from now.

Blade Runner and other works by William Gibson were made in the
1980s, and I don't think it's a good idea to still be
referencing things that were made 20 years ago. 

I like them, but if a game is based on a bunch of references,
then there's no real point in being a part of it, really.

While working with the people from Namco, I could really feel
Namco's pride, which made me wonder about how much of Namco's
style I should leave out.

I think Namco's unique style comes out effortlessly.

If you're going to do it, how can you make something that
doesn't feel like you? 


Onoda: It was stimulating to collaborate with people from
outside the company, whereas up until now everything was being
handled in-house.

To be able to discuss things that I never would have thought
of... that's life, isn't it?

 
			(1999)