1UP: Team Ninja's Itagaki Interviewed

["Nerve-Damage"]

1UP: Team Ninja's Itagaki Interviewed

1UP: Let's talk about real-time versus prerendered for a moment. Regarding the CG cinemas in DOAX2, since the game looks so sharp now, why even bother with CG at this point?

Tomonobu Itagaki: Our first priority as far as creating the prerendered cinemas is to split up the work volume in a sense. Obviously there are some issues with being able to do more things with prerendered movies. If I had to do all of the development work including the cinemas then it would increase my workload a lot. I have a friend who directs TV commercials and is a big fan of DOA and he's done the prerendered cinemas in most of our games. I've asked him to work on this for me and that allows me to concentrate on the things I need to do within the game to get it done.

The second reason is that the real-time assets and cinemas are just that -- they are made for use within the game. They have to look good from any angle. No matter how you move them around in a 3D space, they have to look the part. For prerendered sequences the cameras angles are fixed in preproduction so you're able to go in there and add a level of detail that wouldn't otherwise be possible. So that's why prerendered scenes are very good for storytelling purposes and accentuating certain points.

I've heard there have been a number of people who cried at the movie in the ending movie of DOA4 and doing something that detailed, frame to frame... creating at that level in real-time would be impossible. It all comes down to a number of logical reasons of why I choose to use prerendered movies -- that's why I do it. We know that the trend in the industry is to move towards doing everything in real-time. We were one of the people that kind of started that. We're not going to start compromising the quality of our real-time stuff, and will always look at what best fits that situation.

1UP: Do you think that the hardware is now at the point that, if you had the hardware and resources, you could make the cut-scenes represent the game as well as pre-rendered ones do?

TI: No, that's impossible. You can tell just by looking at or comparing the two. Anyone who thinks that you'd be able to do that in real-time doesn't know much about film-making or video. To put in a frame of reference that is easier to understand: the quality of the CG that we use for prerendered is the same as a Hollywood movie production. For you to say, "hey can you put that on a PS3 or 360?" would be like saying "would you be able to render Hollywood computer graphics effects on a PS3 or 360?"

So to further clarify things a bit, when you say cut-scenes I would agree that those should all be completed in real-time. I wasn't really thrilled with how we did some of the original Ninja Gaiden (for the Xbox) cut-scenes in prerendered CG; that was just necessary in splitting up the work load at that time. I think that everything that tells the story or moves it along while the game is taking place should use the same models and everything in engine. For opening and ending movies, where you are establishing or ending something, I think prerendered cinemas are a very viable option.

1UP: ...about you developing for the PS3?

TI: Well, yes. This line of questioning feels like it is going in a negative fashion

 

[-NakedZ-]

Finally, an interviewer who at least tried to get to the point [regarding PS3]. Many previous [Itagaki] interviewer seem intimidated.

.Z

 

[Powderkeg]

Finally, an interviewer who at least tried to get to the point [regarding PS3]. Many previous [Itagaki] interviewer seem intimidated.

.Z

What point would that have been?

Seems to me if he was trying to get to a point he could have done it with a single question. Looks to me like he got his answer, and just didn't want to accept it. Itagaki likes the 360, and he doesn't care about anything else. He said that the first time it was asked, no need to ask him 10 more times just to get the same answer every time.

That's not making a point, that's being dense.

 

[22psi]

Reviewer was a bit annoying imo.

 

[-NakedZ-]

What point would that have been?

Seems to me if he was trying to get to a point he could have done it with a single question. Looks to me like he got his answer, and just didn't want to accept it. Itagaki likes the 360, and he doesn't care about anything else. He said that the first time it was asked, no need to ask him 10 more times just to get the same answer every time.

That's not making a point, that's being dense.

I said "tried." Because many interviewers in the past are not as pushy to avoid upsetting Itagaki. Although I don't read much interviews because many don't really give you anything [such as this], so I must've missed something.

Personally I kinda dislike Itagaki like how he downplays other team and their games without validating his thoughts. But I love his games though.

.Z

 

[Moonblade]

I like this part:

1UP: So did you create separate teams in order to facilitate simultaneous development of other things such as Sigma in addition to what the core staff of Team Ninja is working on?

TI: I am the core of Team Ninja. I am the chief software designer of Team Ninja and I will be making new games for the Xbox 360. As I have proven here today, look at DOAX2. That's all the proof that you need. If you feel negative in any way yourself about...

...

People say that my games raise the bar. Well, I am the one raising the bar. I am sitting here in front of you and telling you that I am going to continue making new games for the Xbox 360. People who have enjoyed my games and loved what I have done in the past have absolutely nothing to worry about.

That's itagaki fo sure

 

[aselto]

Isn't megalomania sort of disease?
Anyway, changed artstyle in Ninja Gaiden 2 is definitely great news

 

[fulcizombie]

That is one hell of an interview and it's not the journalist's fault that people have highlighted the wrong parts (if he is developing for the ps3 blahblahblah).

It seems to me that NG2 will abandon the semi-cartoony trademark Team Ninja Style.Whether this will be for better or for worse is up to debate until we see the game.

 

[Dr. Nick]

Anyway, changed artstyle in Ninja Gaiden 2 is definitely great news

I don't think it would be right to say that just yet. What he is talking about might not be what you are thinking. We should just wait and see what NG2 will look like. The NG series with all of it's monsters seems to be a more viable platform for the use of new tech than DOA. DOA has a rabid fan following and doing anything like changing the look of the girls could upset them. Without these fans who knows where the DOA series would be.

 

[Acert93]

As I said elsewhere, this is a horrible interview. Very disrespectful -- kind of like the badgering some of the noobs have given developers here at times (thankfully the mod team cleans that mess up). How many times can you ask the same question, in the same and different ways? Why waste the interview time? Would they treat Kojima like this? I surely hope not. Some good stuff later in the interview, but the first part is annoying. Of course Itagaki's comments about the Sigma team lead were not too flattering either, but I think we kind of expect that from him. Anyhow, as a former journalist all I can say is

 

[Nesh]

I like this part:


That's itagaki fo sure

I sometimes like his style btw. I really do.