Posts tagged with “nintendo”

In case you missed ‘em, here are Part 1 and Part 2. This is Part 3!

After making the robot prototype we felt it was time to work on what we hoped would become the actual game. We decided to switch to flash so that we could release on PC if necessary (i.e. if we couldn’t get a deal to release on the PS3/360/Wii), and we started from scratch with all new assets so that we owned everything.

We also knew what changes we wanted to make as well. We wanted more complex building that felt more involved than simply placing pipes, and we wanted it to have a puzzle-y feel. Fighting and building were too disjoint so a goal became tying the two together better. We also wanted to make the goal more clear (just build a building!) and we were certain that 4 way multiplayer was key. After around 3 months of jamming here’s what we came up with!

Once again you’ll notice some huge changes. A conveyor belt was added with shaped tangram blocks providing the building materials as opposed to just piles of stuff (you can see how this was the precursor for building with blocks that made it into the final SBS version). The tangram blocks could be stacked in any way, and the whole tower had a “squishiness” where things would expand, crunch, and sway a little in the wind. World of Goo was a big inspiration for that.

We tried to tie the fighting in more with the building by making it so that every thing you built with could be used to fight – blocks could be thrown, wires could zap, and we even had an early power up called “anti-freeze” that would kill all the ice monsters (it’s kind of an early analog to our bomb). Even then the fighting and building were pretty separate, and the strategy often broke down into “you build, I’ll fight”.

The game itself was much more polished than the earlier versions, as we spent lots of time getting it to the point where we could pitch it to publishers and to the major console developers. The characters in the game were supposed to be kind of “punk” superheros, and we based their fashion in part off of a crazy fashion book called Fruits. While we got rid of the pipes we decided to keep the electricity as we felt there were interesting opportunities, but even those wires didn’t survive past this iteration.

The goal of the game was to fill a large blueprint in the background, at which point a giant boss would come and fight you. The brick counter on the left side of the screen showed you how you were doing with progress. We ultimately didn’t like this design much, as it felt very contrived and would frequently lead to wars of attrition for new users who would keep playing forever and not quite winning or losing. Also the game got tiring when you played for a long time on the same area and not much changed.

Some features in this prototype wound up getting removed for the fourth iteration and put back in for the final version, like health bars underneath players (here they are just under the enemies) and building with complete block shapes. Other features of Slam Bolt Scrappers were solutions to deficiencies in this prototype, like relatively fixed cameras to avoid the feeling of nasuea people sometimes got from the quick in/out zooming.

We finished this prototype in February 2009, and started pitching it to everyone we could… and it was brutal. More or less everyone said no, and we were heartbroken. For a while we though we would take the game to WiiWare as Nintendo was willing to let us put it on the Wii but with no financial support we didn’t know how we could make it happen. Luckily Harmonix came along and asked us to help out for with a new game they wanted to make that would eventually turn into Dance Central.

Seeing as how we were stuck with a mediocre prototype and no prospects for finishing it we decided to take a break and spent the next 6 months prototyping Dance Central with Harmonix, putting our game on hold in the meantime. When we finished with that we went back to our game and decided we needed to make one more version to address the problems with this iteration, and I’ll tell the story of that tomorrow in part 4.

This article was originally posted on March 1, 2010. We’re reposting this classic article now because it’s still fun to read, dammit. Enjoy!

Abstract

The four console incarnations of Mario Kart (SNES, N64, GC, and Wii) are compared in terms of difficulty to complete 150cc races (the hardest setting) with a gold medal, that games’ highest honor. A team of game development ninjas were unleashed upon the game over a 36 hour period to determine comparative difficulty, playing single player races in every 150cc cup event for the four titles. Collected data indicate that the order of difficulty is:

Super Nintendo SMK > GameCube MK:DD > N64 MK64 > Wii MKW

The original Super Nintendo title is the most difficult, and the newest Wii title is the easiest. Readers are welcome to verify and corroborate our findings with their own experimentation.

Introduction

The Mario Kart franchise is one of the most beloved racing series in existence, boasting a title on every major Nintendo console since the Super Nintendo. While most users simply play the game in battle mode against inebriated comrades, the astute gamer will note that hidden away in the main menu there is also a “single player” mode in which users can race against the computer in a series of races. When played on the hardest “150cc” setting these races are infuriatingly challenging, and we therefore felt it was necessary to have an understanding of the relative difficulty of the four main console Mario Karts (the SNES original, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Mario Kart Wii).

Methodology

For the complete game completion marathon team Fire Hose decided to race each and every Grand Prix cup event and win the gold medal on the hardest 150cc setting, meaning 20 gold medals (4 SNES, 4 N64, 4 GC, and 8 Wii). Researchers/minions were locked in an airtight room at GAMBIT and not allowed to leave for food, water, or sanitary reasons until all 20 gold medals were earned. Difficulty was determined by listening for the amount of cursing emanating from the room, how long each medal took to earn, and how often researchers swore they would “never play this fucking game again, for any reason”.

Results

Mario Kart Wii was first title tackled and the easiest of the bunch; an expert user can expect to win these races on a regular basis, and the various boost mechanics (popping wheelies, power sliding, midair tricks, and prolific booster pads) offer multiple opportunities to get ahead of the competition. Mario Kart 64 is only slightly more difficult, as the rubber banding mechanics aren’t so punishing as to prevent the first place racer from occasionally acquiring useful items. There is a large element of chance in this game though from environmental hazards, such as cars in Toad’s Turnpike and Bullet Bills in Rainbow Road.

Mario Kart: Double Dash is somewhat harder than the previously mentioned titles; rubber banding on items is more pronounced making it harder to keep a first place lead, blue shells are plentiful for racers towards the end of the pack, and the computerized opponents are adept at power sliding and stealing items from the unwary player. However, the hardest game of the bunch by far is the original Super Mario Kart. This game’s 150cc mode can be aptly described as “dickish”; computerized players have unlimited at-will abilities such as a feather jump and special attack that are severely damaging and often unavoidable, there is no rubber banding of items to help a player catch up from behind, computerized players that fall behind gain super human speed in order to catch up, and the coin mechanic (ditched in later games) adds an unnecessary level of complexity and another potential failure point.

Discussion

The original Super Mario Kart was likely so brutally difficult due to an inability to program especially smart AIs. Rather than spending lots of time trying to (most likely unsuccessfully) make smart AIs the programmers simply opted to create a set of advantages for computer players that just feel flat out unfair. Perhaps this helps to explain why the N64 version was easier, as maybe the developers wanted to create a more accessible sequel that would be less frustrating. With the advent of the Gamecube, a system designed to speak more to “hardcore” gamers, it seems that Nintendo made their greatest effort to create a truly balanced Mario Kart that would appeal to and work for a broader slice of audiences. Of course, with the Wii’s focus on a more casual audience it made sense to tone down the competitive nature of the game to make it easier for less frequent gamers to pick up and play (and play well).

Was this Nintendo’s actual thought process making these games? We don’t know, but after playing these games all weekend we’d like to think so.

References

Complete Game Completion Marathon Website (you can still donate!)

Fire Hose for Haiti’s games list

Alec and I spent the last week in sunny, sunny LA at E3, the video game press hoedown. And we got some press! Specifically, there is a kick ass article on Joystiq by one Alexander Sliwinski reviewing our game, and there is another awesome piece onSBS at PlayStation LifeStyle, courtesy of Josh Fernandes. Rock on!

But you already know about our game if you’re here, and this year had a heavy focus on new gaming hardware, so let’s talk about the stars of the show: the PlayStation Move, the Microsoft Kinect, and the Nintendo 3DS (by the way, how hilarious are the models pretending to use the systems in those links?). I’ve seen a lot of articles and comments around the interwebs claiming that Nintendo “won” the show (if such a thing is possible) with their 3DS, and that the Move and Kinect had a weaker showing. I personally don’t agree with this assessment, as I think that the unveiling of new hardware by Sony and Microsoft shows a shift in their marketing strategies.

Both the Kinect and Move are designed to compete with Nintendo, but in different ways. The XBox is currently a system for “hardcore” gamers, guys who have grown up playing games and still want to spend lots of time with new titles. This reputation may have caused it to do well with men but the system trails with women, especially behind the popular Wii. MS has recently been trying to broaden the scope of who the system appeals to with the addition of Netflix and Facebook to the system, and the Kinect will go even further in this direction. The games coming out on the Kinect aren’t designed for hardcore gamers, they’re designed for their girlfriends, wives, or non-gaming friends. These people think Halo and GTA4 look stupid but might be willing to give a dancing or fitness game a shot. And bridging the gap between gamer and non-gamer can be incredibly important in a home where there are such disparate views on gaming. So think of the Kinect as a “gateway controller” for older non-gamers living with hardcore gamers.

The Move, on the other hand, is designed to capture the hearts and minds of kids. It is a shiny, easily approachable controller for the PS3, complete with a beautiful colored light ball on top. Of the games I saw demoed at E3 a majority were aimed at small children and had child actors playing the games in the trailers. I think that Sony has a long term strategy in mind with the Move wherein they hook small children with the controller now and get them to be PlayStation gamers for life. Look at Nintendo – they have an insanely loyal customer base of fanatics who remembered and loved playing the NES and SNES as children. Sony wants to duplicate that loyalty with the next generation of gamers, and the Move is a salvo designed to hook these children. And with the cheap price point of the controller they just might be able to do it.

I curious how much of an impact the 3DS will ultimately have. There are a lot of DSes out there, and though the 3DS has some cool new features I wonder how quick fans will be to trade in their older version for a new one. Then again people regularly upgrade their iPods, and it doesn’t pay to bet against Nintendo so I’m going to guess that it will turn out to be a hit.

Ultimately I’m incredibly excited about all of these systems and can’t wait to play with them all. It’s going to be a good year for gamers, old and new alike.

Abstract

The four console incarnations of Mario Kart (SNES, N64, GC, and Wii) are compared in terms of difficulty to complete 150cc races (the hardest setting) with a gold medal, that games’ highest honor. A team of game development ninjas were unleashed upon the game over a 36 hour period to determine comparative difficulty, playing single player races in every 150cc cup event for the four titles. Collected data indicate that the order of difficulty is

SNES SMK > GC MK:DD > N64 MK64 > Wii MKW

With the original Super Nintendo title being the most difficult, and the newest Wii title being the easiest. Readers are welcome to verify and corroborate our findings with their own experimentation.

Introduction

The Mario Kart franchise is one of the most beloved racing series in existence, boasting a title on every major Nintendo console since the Super Nintendo. While most users simple play the game in battle mode against inebriated comrades, the astute gamer will note that hidden away in the main menu there is also a “single player” mode in which users can race against the computer in a series of races. When played on the hardest “150cc” setting these races are infuriatingly challenging, and we therefore felt it was necessary to have an understanding of the relative difficulty of the four main console Mario Karts (the SNES original, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Mario Kart Wii).

Methodology

For the complete game completion marathon team Fire Hose decided to race each and every Grand Prix cup event and win the gold medal on the hardest 150cc setting, meaning 20 gold medals (4 SNES, 4 N64, 4 GC, and 8 Wii). Researchers/minions were locked in an airtight room at GAMBIT and not allowed to leave for food, water, or sanitary reasons until all 20 gold medals were earned. Difficulty was determined by listening for the amount of cursing emanating from the room, how long each medal took, and how often researchers swore they would “never play this fucking game again, for any reason”.

Results

Mario Kart Wii was first title tackled and the easiest of the bunch; an expert user can expect to win these races on a regular basis, and the various boost mechanics (popping wheelies, power sliding, midair tricks, and prolific booster pads) offer multiple opportunities to get ahead of the competition. Mario Kart 64 is only slightly more difficult, as the rubber banding mechanics aren’t so punishing as to prevent the first place racer from occasionally acquiring useful items. There is a large element of chance in this game though from environmental hazards, such as cars in Toad’s Turnpike and Bullet Bills in Rainbow Road.

Mario Kart: Double Dash is somewhat harder than the previously mentioned titles; rubber banding on items is more pronounced making it harder to keep a first place lead, blue shells are plentiful for racers towards the end of the pack, and the computerized opponents are adept at power sliding and stealing items from the unwary player. However, the hardest game of the bunch by far is the original Super Mario Kart. This game’s 150cc mode can be aptly described as “dickish”; computerized players have at-will abilities such as a feather jump and special attack that are severely damaging and often unavoidable, there is no rubber banding of items to help a player catch up from behind, computerized players that fall behind gain super human speed in order to catch up, and the coin mechanic (ditched in later games) adds an unnecessary level of complexity and another potential failure point.

Discussion

The original Super Mario Kart was likely so brutally difficult due to an inability to program especially smart AIs. Rather than spending lots of time trying to (most likely unsuccessfully) make smart AIs the programmers simply opted to create a set of advantages for computer players that just feel flat out unfair. Perhaps this helps to explain why the N64 version was easier, as maybe the developers wanted to create a more accessible sequel that would be less frustrating. With the advent of the Gamecube, a system designed to speak more to “hardcore” gamers, it seems that Nintendo made their greatest effort to create a truly balanced Mario Kart that would appeal to and work for a broader slice of audiences. Of course, with the Wii’s focus on a more casual audience it made sense to tone down the competitive nature of the game to make it easier for less frequent gamers to pick up and play (and play well).

Was this Nintendo’s actual thought process making these games? We don’t know, but after playing these games all weekend we’d like to think so.

References

Complete Game Completion Marathon Website (you can still donate!)

Fire Hose for Haiti’s games list

I got a copy of Rhythm Heaven at GDC, and I got around to spending some time with it recently. It’s fun, and does a great job of teaching rhythm in an innovative and fun way. There are a bunch of minigames you have to play, all of which involve tapping and flicking along with a changing beat. The minigames themselves have a lot of style and little touches that make them enjoyable – rather than trying to get your guy to sing in a choir, you have to get him to shut up (making noise is the easy part). You get to head up a fan club full of monkeys clapping along to a famous singer. And… you get to play ping pong.

And that’s where I stopped playing. The game was always difficult, but when you get to the ping pong level the game just starts sucking. The two big problems as I see it is the lack of useful feedback on how well you’re doing and the (very Japanese) habit of kicking you when you’re down and telling you that you suck when you fail. The feedback problem is the worst though, as you never know how well you have to do to beat a level, and if you fail early on in you have to wait until the end of the level to find out. I once made it through ping pong and only missed 5 or 6 volleys, but even that was enough to lose! UNACCEPTABLE.

So, give Rhythm Heaven a shot if you want a fun new game and are a glutton for punishment.