October 2024 Update
Development Update
We’re down to the last quarter of the year. Looking back, time sure went fast.
How are you all enjoying your long autumn evenings?
This month’s project update comes to you from Ishii.
ARMED FANTASIA October 2024 Project News
It’s October, and I’m Chief Director Ishii.
The seasons are changing now, so I’m trying to take care of my health. Fortunately, no one on the development team has gotten so sick that they’ve had to stay in bed all day, but we can’t be too careful.
Speaking of which, do epidemics exist in Londenium?
Kaneko’s sitting right over there, so let’s ask him.
“Yes, they have everything.”
This month’s report will focus on battle effects.
Battle Effect Production Process
Battle effects can be a highlight of any RPG. They can enhance how good attacks feel and how spectacular the battle screen looks by one or two levels depending on their quality. They’re also important in a different sense from the effects of games where players control the action themselves, since with turn-based battle systems, you’re often staring at the screen as you think about what tactics to use on your next turn.
Here’s how we go about creating the actual effects. First, we talk to the planner about any points that are unclear to us, based on the specifications they’ve given us. If we don’t take our time and do this step properly, we could end up with something like a fireball that flies up into the air when they actually needed a pillar of fire rising up from the ground. With things like breath, we need to make sure that matches up with the model’s motions. Also, when it comes to something big like special move cutscenes, we often get orders to handle everything on the effects side, including the ground breaking up, countless swords sticking up, universe, planets, etc.
Since effect work is downstream in the production process, we really hate it when we get orders like that in the middle of an already tight schedule. However, I think that some of you have seen cutscenes similar to what I described above in the Wild Arms series… Well, I’m the one who created those. I owe a great deal to the effects team I worked with. I think we all did a great job.
It’s been a while since ‘2’, ‘3’, and ‘F’ came out, so it’s okay to talk about this, right?
Actual Production
Once we’ve heard all their requirements, the next step is to figure out how to put all these effects together. These days, I think most effects are created using particle bases, but depending on the processing power of the hardware, people choose other methods such as model bases in order to prevent processing lag. In terms of the expression, we need on what’s right for the atmosphere of the game. Should it be magic-based, chemical-based…should we go for a more realistic style, or anime style, etc.
This is where the person in charge’s sense of style really comes into play. More than anything, it requires a wide range of knowledge. Effect artists often collect videos of lightning strikes, explosions, and tornadoes for times like these. They aren’t just collecting those things for fun.
Incidentally, Kaneko also collects the above videos, but I think he’s just doing it for fun. I saw him giggling at a video showing how snake fireworks work…
In any case, this is how we’re going about creating the effects. Now, I’d like to do something unusual and show you some videos of WIP effects that will be used in Armed Fantasia. It’s very rare for the public to be able to see videos like this.
Light Invocation (Temporary Name)
The first one is Light Invocation, an elemental self-destruct move. Since it’s a self-destruct move, it does a lot of damage….or at least, it should, but since it’s rather smooth at the end, it might look softer than you expect. From that point on, I’d like to add a more pleasing effect when all the energy escapes outward. It needs a little more color, too.
In action games where moves are performed in succession, effects often overlap on top of one another, so it’s important to keep them divided up by color. But in my opinion as the chief director, I think one or two additional colors should be added to effects for command-based RPGs.
I think the distortion of space when it explodes and the way the power’s charged up have really good flavor to them. It’s also nice how even though the same distortion is continuing, there’s still some variety to be found there.
Incidentally, the anomaly that uses this technique is Ignis Fattus, one that we’ve never revealed before.
I heard that they’re troublesome creatures who possess different elemental affinities depending on their habitats. Let’s ask Kaneko, who once again happens to be right next to me, what kind of anomaly the Ignis Fattus is.
“It’s a light-elemental insect monster based on a firefly…so how did it turn out like this?”
…A lot happens over the course of a game’s production.
Invincible (Temporary Name)
The second video is “Invincible,” a defense technique. It makes the user harder.
I think the raised shield is the center of the effect, but when viewed from the front, I thought it may look better if the center was a bit lower. It’s interesting how that ceases to really matter once you’re looking down on it from above during the second half.
We created this effect using red, which expresses the “powering up” aspect, and “blue,” which expresses the “hardening” aspect. It’s interesting, but the color blending is a little off, so it still needs to be adjusted. The end of the effect doesn’t look very hard – which is a pretty risky move, so I like it.
I gathered all the WIP footage I could for this update, so there’s a high possibility that things will change a lot, especially concerning the technique names and effects.
Hmm?
And I hear that the scenario is also being revised with a lot of new details added?
Apparently, the first draft written by Kaneko is being revised by Sekiya, the scenario director, from a third-party perspective, so the already rich characters are being refined even further.
Some characters were named random things like “Villager A” since Kaneko wanted to emphasize the momentum of his writing at the start, but they’re all getting proper names now.
Hmm, I need to get going on the storyboards…
Well, that’s all for this time.
See you next month.
