Game Informer - Factor 5 Q&A

[Lycan]

To come off as an idiot?

Sure, I guess that's his right. But then it's equally my right to judge him based on what he says. I haven't really cared what Eggebrecht has said for years. He's really never impressed me as someone whom I could trust to be unbiased. And since there are more unbiased developers out there talking, why listen?

I would be interested in whether the entirety of Factor 5 is like the guy. I mean, how does one studio sell themselves out to one platform every generation? Does everyone live or die by Eggebrecht's whim, or do they all agree? IMO, the time for platform wars from third parties is over. I think he's still living in the N64 days.

You're really harsh on him, come on ! Couldn't it be that he was impressed with the hardware the same way GC gained his favor ?
I'll hold my judgement util I see what he achieved technically. Until then, I'll give him the benefit of doubt !

 

[Carl B]

I personally could believe that the motion-sensing was in research for the PS3 controller from early days; the form factor of the 'boomerang' seemed perfect for it, and designs don't just come from the void.

Whatever the case, we just can't know with the information we have; Sony claims one thing, yet the chain of events seem suspicious. For F5's part, I have seen it discussed in the past that they pushed for motion control before it was ever announced as a feature. It's a thickly veiled world, and not many know what goes on at the top levels of SCEI in terms of strategy and technical direction, so...

In the meantime, I'm just sad the boomerang shape got tossed. I always liked it, and again, it would be better for the motion-sensing functionality than the present design I feel. And it certainly *is* full motion sensing along x, y, and z... not simply tilt-functionality, which some folk seem to have been under the impression of.

 

[rounin]

...

I just realized who you were. Too many promotions and name changes at one time threw me off

 

[Carl B]

I just realized who you were. Too many promotions and name changes at one time threw me off

LOL, actually the 'promotion' you speak of is more of a formality. Me and Acert (someone else you may not have noticed yet) have been part of the B3D staff now for a couple of months, but it wasn't reflected in our user handles. The flurry of changes recently is part of... well, something I can't talk about yet. But you'll notice that most every B3D staff member has lost their original handles and now operates under their real name. So... Vysez, Hupf, Uttar, Acert, myself... all working with our real names now. Not sure how Geo has escaped this so far, but ah well.

 

[Arwin]

Two very true claims. Factor five has made technically impressive games, but Imo, they lack in the area of gameplay.

You can't even remember your own claims, which were that "Julian never really gives honest answers to questions", which is a very grave accusation and is typical for some people on the internet who forego all sense of decency, and "sony is gonna drop them like a hot rock" if their game isn't good. Really, there's no point talking to you.

Julian never really gives honest answers to questions. well I hope his game is good or sony is gonna drop them like a hot rock.

 

[rounin]

EDIT: Ah ha! And I just noticed you were one of those thinking it was just tilt-detection Rounin. For shame...

I thought the MS Freestyle Pro was just a tilt-detection pad or am I wrong ? I was just reading off Wikipedia

 

[Carl B]

I thought the MS Freestyle Pro was just a tilt-detection pad or am I wrong ? I was just reading off Wikipedia

Uh.... don't mind me, my mind's not 'all there' right now. Didn't realize you were talking about the MS pad for some reason when I wrote that.

 

[scooby_dooby]

I personally could believe that the motion-sensing was in research for the PS3 controller from early days; the form factor of the 'boomerang' seemed perfect for it, and designs don't just come from the void.

In research or not, it certainly was a last minute implementation. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been such a surprise to developers, and would've had much better implementation in the first generation of games.

Lair was on their v1.0 at TGS 06, that tells you all you alot about when Sony decided to implement 6axis imo.

 

[DeathKnight]

Really, there's no point talking to you.

And there's no point in listening to you about anything regarding Sony or anything that falls under the Sony veil. Let's face it, I haven't seen a single post from you that's not downplaying, spinning, or making excuses for the poor decisions and general screw ups of Sony & Co. Damage control extraordinaire. You take an extreme euphemistic approach to your arguments and rebuttals that's simply becoming stale and tacky.

 

[Inane_Dork]

You're really harsh on him, come on ! Couldn't it be that he was impressed with the hardware the same way GC gained his favor ?

Oh, I'm not saying he has no reason to decide as he has. I'm sure there are at least somewhat good reasons. I just don't see the reason why he always puts all his eggs in one basket and then publically speaks poorly of other baskets. Besides being somewhat childish, surely its not such a smart thing to do in the industry where you're only as good as your last game. There are ways to favor specific platforms without going as far as Eggebrecht often goes.

I'll hold my judgement util I see what he achieved technically. Until then, I'll give him the benefit of doubt !

Well, I have little doubt about Factor 5's technical ability. But, they're not unrivaled and their rivals are not all on the PS3. That's why his words are suspect.

 

[Carl B]

In research or not, it certainly was a last minute implementation. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been such a surprise to developers, and would've had much better implementation in the first generation of games.

Lair was on their v1.0 at TGS 06, that tells you all you alot about when Sony decided to implement 6axis imo.

That's a fair point to make. At the same time, in all honesty the motion sensing announcement was far enough in advance IMO that games otherwise without motion sensing could have been adapted to it to whatever extent the developers saw fit. I know at E3 last year, whatever the case, certain first-party devs knew about the motion sensing far enough in advance of the E3 announcement to make their games compliant; aka Warhawk playable demo.

But you're right, there's nothing to indicate that the decision to implement stemmed from elsewhere than the Wii. Maybe (hopefully) one day we'll know more about it.

 

[patsu]

Motion sensing is a natural next step. It's used in PC games before. Allard revisited it for Xbox too but decided to pass.

The only difference is how these companies approach the problem/opportunity. Nintendo made it into a strategic tool to usher new, casual players into the game. Sony sees it as yet another tactical capability for PS3 (perhaps combined with EyeToy, or perhaps to replace the out-going rumble).

As for the "last minute" argument... I won't use it as a proof that Sony stole the idea from Nintendo. Judging from recent developments, the PS3 is still "evolving" (e.g., hardware scaler). It may be because Sony is behind schedule

 

[Qroach]

You can't even remember your own claims, which were that "Julian never really gives honest answers to questions", which is a very grave accusation and is typical for some people on the internet who forego all sense of decency, and "sony is gonna drop them like a hot rock" if their game isn't good. Really, there's no point talking to you.

Julian never gives honest answers to questions ABOUT other platforms an/or hardware he's not working on. I guess you were blind to the sentence that preceded those two comments?

Quincy wrote: "Anyway as usual, when it comes to console specific comments I don't put ANY weight into anything factor 5 or Julian says as a developer"

Which is true if you go back and look at his history from other interviews. Drop the "sense of decency" act and say it like it is. BTW, I don't see why you are getting all worked up over a comment I made, it's almost like I offended you. Judging from your response perhaps you need to take a break from this thread, or responding to my posts. Generally you have some "ok" arguments for the Sony side of the fence, but when you start acting like like I personally offended your friend or child, then there's NO point in talking to you.

btw, sony IS gonna drop factor 5 like a hot rock if their game isn't good. Why that would be a problem or offend you, is something you need to deal with.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

QRoach is right for obvious reasons. Come on. Everyone has to see that Julian is a cheerleader for whoever is funding his game. He's particularly well known for that. Same with Itagaki-san and X360. It's all bullshit. Let's get back to a real discussion.

 

[Crayon]

@Qroach:

Your two statements sound no less audacious.
And I sympithize with Arwin's frustration. Even though he probably should not have called you out like that, you should at least understand where he's coming from. Your arguments and veiwpoints -in general- are predictable and conspicuous.

I personally didn't predict your shady response above. In it, you come back at Arwin with a back-handed comment implying that he is immature. I found it seriously disengenuous. Shame on you, Qroach! What would your mother say? =D

On the interview front, I found it rather harmless. Little boring, maybe. Sort of fun to read the viewpoint of a developer who was in their position. Being "Star Wars Guys" for so long and now getting the chance to do and origional IP. The corporate spin is there, but it only hurts his own image. It's certainly not fooling me.

As for the the game itself, my money's still on it turning out garbage.

 

[Qroach]

@Qroach:
Your two statements sound no less audacious.
And I sympithize with Arwin's frustration. Even though he probably should not have called you out like that, you should at least understand where he's coming from. Your arguments and veiwpoints -in general- are predictable and conspicuous.

You can sympathize with arwin for all you like. Your both overreacting to my comments. He has no right to take something I said out of context and start throwing accusations about. I was pretty clear when I said with regards to console hardware Julian never give an honest opinion and I stand by that remark and back it up with comments/interviews he made 5 years ago regarding xbox ps2 and gamecube. Even more so there's no logical reason other than "fan-ism" for someone to take anything I said in a personal nature.

My post was no more predictable then arwin coming to the defense of sony and or anyone affiliated with them. The difference here is 5 years ago I had the same opinion of Julian and factor 5's games. Technically nice games that fall short on gameplay. I'll say that no matter what platform they are on, despite what you think. The fact is if factor fives game isn't good, I can bet sony won't be publishing their next game. BTW I've never been impressed by silicon knights either for that matter. Omigod was that predictable too????

I personally didn't predict your shady response above. In it, you come back at Arwin with a back-handed comment implying that he is immature. I found it seriously disengenuous. Shame on you, Qroach! What would your mother say? =D

Anybody that finds a comment they disagree with and starts to act like someone they know was personally insulted instead of simply saying they don't agree, and then responds with personal accusations in your direction, then yeah, I think that's a very immature response.


Can we get back on topic now instead of trying to attack or discredit "me"? thanks...

 

[Shompola]

Itagaki sounds like a funny guy. Eggbrecht is a boring/stiff person, atleast judging by the interviews people have had with him, including the documentary video in Rogue Leader.

 

[Natoma]

QRoach is right for obvious reasons. Come on. Everyone has to see that Julian is a cheerleader for whoever is funding his game. He's particularly well known for that. Same with Itagaki-san and X360. It's all bullshit. Let's get back to a real discussion.

In that light, maybe Nintendo is making overtures to Factor 5. Witness these comments:

http://www.portableplanet.co.uk/2007/02/10/f5-nintendo-wii-and-ps3-are-perfect-combo/

Forget Wii and Xbox 360 — the true “perfect combination” of consoles is Nintendo Wii And PS3. This is the opinion of Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht, the developer best known for the Star Wars Rogue Squadron titles.

Talking up Nintendo’s console, Eggebrecht told IGN: “I love it, absolutely. As I’ve said many, many times, the perfect combination of consoles to have at home is a PS3 and Wii. Everybody really should have one.”

But he’s not exactly thrilled about how other third party developers have been doing on the new console so far.

“Yes. I’m so disappointed knowing exactly what the Wii can do — and I still think nobody knows it better than we (no pun intended) [laughs]. I really have to say, boy, am I disappointed! They all have finally figured out, five years into the hardware’s life cycle, how to do at least basic shaders and a rim light, but that’s what everybody does,” he lamented.

Seems to me that F5 may work on Wii titles.

 

[Crayon]

@Qroach

Hey that's all well enough. I was just chiming in on it. I'll take my new orange square as a signal not to bother you anymore! =D

re: Itagaki
That guy is in a class of his own. He really goes out of his way to say some crazy stuff. I think that there was actually a dead or alive ad taht had the words "Tekken sucks" hidden in it somewhere.

 

[bRoNx]

I'll take my new orange square as a signal not to bother you anymore! =D

Classic!

I thought by now people would be used to dev's favouring the console that's hosting their game! C'mon, it's common sense - don't bite the hand that feeds you! Anyways, for every negative thing he had to say about the competition, you won't go far to find another dev there that's more than willing to drop the dime on the PS3 - tit for tat - same old shit!

Here's hoping that Lair turns out to be good - it certainly looked promising. And no, I don't think SONY would drop them if the game bombs... remember Guerilla and Shellshock?