Earlier this month
What follows an in-depth Q&A exclusive to XCN members, with Yutaka Haruki, Producer of Dead Rising at Capcom.
Is there any plans to take the photo elements of Dead Rising any further? For example, letting us upload the photos we take to somewhere online?
Allowing users to upload photos that they had taken was something we looked at during the development process, but unfortunately were not able to implement it in the final version.
How challenging was it to get so many zombies on screen at once and still keep a steady framerate? Will the final game be totally free of slowdowns?
Well, first off let me say that having so many zombies on screen was only possible thanks to the processing power of the Xbox 360. It was always a clear vision for the development team that in Dead Rising the player should face wave upon wave of zombies and we are certainly very happy with the quantity we have achieved.
What’s your favorite weapon for destroying the zombies? Who came up with the ideas?
To be honest I can’t single one out as there are so many
Why is a journalist the main character of a game? Why was Frank West not a cop or a regular civilian?
We chose Frank’s profession to be a photo-journalist for a number of reasons. Firstly it gives him a motive for going to Willamette – he wants to find out what is happening there, why the Army is not allowing people in or out and hopefully post a story that is going to make him famous across the globe. It also allowed us to implement the photography feature into the game something which adds another dimension to the already multi-faceted gameplay. Finally I believe that while Frank is a photo-journalist, in many ways he is just an ordinary person like you or me and therefore has to make use of the items he finds in the shopping mall in order to stay alive. Sure, the longer he survives the more skills he can obtain, but when he first enters the mall he is just an ordinary guy.
Was it hard to implement and generate the record number of zombies coming in never-ending waves. Do zombies have a unique behavior and appearance?
While each of the zombies does not exhibit individual characteristics, there are a number of zombie types and each of these behaves in its own way. Also, as day changes to night all the zombies become far more aggressive making Frank’s task of survival even harder.
How many different endings will the players find in “Dead Rising�
All I can really say is that there are many endings and these will differ depending on the way you play the game.
How many zombies can there be on screen at any one time? Any special technical accomplishments you are proud of in that respect?
Nobody knows, we want you to count them !!
What is the online side like, is it player v player or do you team up with people across LIVE ? Or is it both?
Dead Rising does not feature any form of multiplayer mode as we always wanted it to be a single player game as we felt that Dead Rising provides a unique experience that would be lost if we had included a co-op or any other multiplayer mode.
What variety of scenarios does the game take place in?
All the game takes place in the Willamette Mall, but as this is a US mall it is vast, with many sections on a number of levels and naturally includes areas such as a food hall, cinema and many different shops. In addition, the player will be able to explore the outside area between the mall.
With downloadable content on the way, how much longer will you be supporting the current release?
We have already released a number of picture packs and desktop themes but as for game content there will be eight brand new outfits for Frank to wear available at launch, with more to come at a later date.
Is there anything you wanted to include in the game but had to be cut?
Whenever you are developing games there are certain items that don’t make it into the final game, but I can’t say that any were omitted because they were too over the top.
Do you plan a continuation of Dead Rising with maybe a different story?
At the moment the team is taking a well deserved break so we are not really thinking about another title right now. Also, we want to see the feedback we get from the people who have played Dead Rising as this would have an impact on any new title.
was invited as part of the Microsoft Xbox Community Network (XCN) to submit a selection of questions, which would be answered in a Q&A session with the developers of the upcoming title, Dead Rising from Capcom. We put this to our community via our forum and in return we received some pressing questions from our members. Five of the most interesting and inventive questions were selected and submitted towards the Q&A interview.
What follows an in-depth Q&A exclusive to XCN members, with Yutaka Haruki, Producer of Dead Rising at Capcom.
Is there any plans to take the photo elements of Dead Rising any further? For example, letting us upload the photos we take to somewhere online?
Allowing users to upload photos that they had taken was something we looked at during the development process, but unfortunately were not able to implement it in the final version.
How challenging was it to get so many zombies on screen at once and still keep a steady framerate? Will the final game be totally free of slowdowns?
Well, first off let me say that having so many zombies on screen was only possible thanks to the processing power of the Xbox 360. It was always a clear vision for the development team that in Dead Rising the player should face wave upon wave of zombies and we are certainly very happy with the quantity we have achieved.
What’s your favorite weapon for destroying the zombies? Who came up with the ideas?
To be honest I can’t single one out as there are so many
Why is a journalist the main character of a game? Why was Frank West not a cop or a regular civilian?
We chose Frank’s profession to be a photo-journalist for a number of reasons. Firstly it gives him a motive for going to Willamette – he wants to find out what is happening there, why the Army is not allowing people in or out and hopefully post a story that is going to make him famous across the globe. It also allowed us to implement the photography feature into the game something which adds another dimension to the already multi-faceted gameplay. Finally I believe that while Frank is a photo-journalist, in many ways he is just an ordinary person like you or me and therefore has to make use of the items he finds in the shopping mall in order to stay alive. Sure, the longer he survives the more skills he can obtain, but when he first enters the mall he is just an ordinary guy.
Was it hard to implement and generate the record number of zombies coming in never-ending waves. Do zombies have a unique behavior and appearance?
While each of the zombies does not exhibit individual characteristics, there are a number of zombie types and each of these behaves in its own way. Also, as day changes to night all the zombies become far more aggressive making Frank’s task of survival even harder.
How many different endings will the players find in “Dead Rising�
All I can really say is that there are many endings and these will differ depending on the way you play the game.
How many zombies can there be on screen at any one time? Any special technical accomplishments you are proud of in that respect?
Nobody knows, we want you to count them !!
What is the online side like, is it player v player or do you team up with people across LIVE ? Or is it both?
Dead Rising does not feature any form of multiplayer mode as we always wanted it to be a single player game as we felt that Dead Rising provides a unique experience that would be lost if we had included a co-op or any other multiplayer mode.
What variety of scenarios does the game take place in?
All the game takes place in the Willamette Mall, but as this is a US mall it is vast, with many sections on a number of levels and naturally includes areas such as a food hall, cinema and many different shops. In addition, the player will be able to explore the outside area between the mall.
With downloadable content on the way, how much longer will you be supporting the current release?
We have already released a number of picture packs and desktop themes but as for game content there will be eight brand new outfits for Frank to wear available at launch, with more to come at a later date.
Is there anything you wanted to include in the game but had to be cut?
Whenever you are developing games there are certain items that don’t make it into the final game, but I can’t say that any were omitted because they were too over the top.
Do you plan a continuation of Dead Rising with maybe a different story?
At the moment the team is taking a well deserved break so we are not really thinking about another title right now. Also, we want to see the feedback we get from the people who have played Dead Rising as this would have an impact on any new title.
