Interview with Effects Team (complete)

[Corinth]

Famitsu Xbox 360's latest series of interviews is with the Effects Team.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 3 of the interview now up.

[Corrderio]

Pretty interesting read.

Kinda shocked how good interview was comapred to the previous ones. Since most interviews were kind of medicore or crappy due to the typical "We'll think about it" responses or other dumb answers

[sruon]

Tsutsui: Kind of like “well, we don’t know what to do with this so…. let’s pass it to the Effects Team”.


They must get a lot of work.

[Not Kuno]

Wow the effects team is awesome.

Hatae: I was on the team when FFXI first came online. From then, I continued to work on Rise of the Zilart until I was taken off the team to work on FFXII instead. After that was finished, I came back to FFXI. (laughs) So really I was only gone for the period surrounding Chains of Promathia.

This made me laugh.

[LD]

Well, the visual portion of the game as always been good. For a lot of people, it's a big reason they still compare FFXI favorably to WoW despite its technical inferiority.

I hope they interview the zone designers, the environments were always one of my favorite parts of the game. Attohwa Chasm in particular. I always liked the view from the land-bridges in the chasm and how Parradamo Tor looks like a simple prop from a distance, but when you get close, it turns out you can actually climb it (one of the few challenges in the game that comes purely from the environment). Even though it wasn't always enjoyable, the gas wall mazes and the poison plants add a lot to the atmosphere.

[Lordwafik]

From an artist standpoint it's always nice to see the thought process of another artist, nice interview.


Except for this, it made me lol :

Hatae: For anything that is displayed in the game in Japanese, we also have to make it in the 3 other languages. Requests for new status icons are also often made to the Effects Team for some reason. (laughs) Things relating to the User Interface and menus are handled by Producer Tanaka though. The status icons made by the Effects Team are the ones you see at the top of your screen.

[ringthree]

From an artist standpoint it's always nice to see the thought process of another artist, nice interview.


Except for this, it made me lol :

Sounds like they misspoke, it was written incorrectly or it was mistranslated.

EDIT: Or it could be they were talking about something else, like item icons or the like.

[Thistle]

Tashiro: I have lots of those! I look at them and think “ahh…. If I had made it with the skills I have now, it would ook a little bit cooler…”.

Ha ha, wonder if they cringe when they look at the Selbina water now. Hello sheet of green jello! Good thing the ferry flies over the top of it insted of sailing through it?

Interesting interview though! :D

[Karbuncle]

Was thinking the same thing..

Wonder if they had a Chance to redo all the weaponskills, would they?

it would be fun to see new effects, or upgraded effects for the old WS =o cause they all look so cool.

[Ramses]

Hatae: It’s not so much the size as it is the type of movement.

Sure it is.

[Corinth]

Sounds like they misspoke, it was written incorrectly or it was mistranslated.

EDIT: Or it could be they were talking about something else, like item icons or the like.

I probably could have worded it better looking at it now. Basically, she mentions the status icons. then mentions the UI and how that part is done by Tanaka. afterwards, she says again that the status icons shes talking about are the ones at the top of your screen.

She is kinda hard to translate for because of the way she talks. it's fun to read and she sounds like a really fun person but.... ^^;

[Seraphus]

Hatae: It’s not so much the size as it is the type of movement.

Sure it is.

HA HA HAAAA... references.

[ringthree]

I probably could have worded it better looking at it now. Basically, she mentions the status icons. then mentions the UI and how that part is done by Tanaka. afterwards, she says again that the status icons shes talking about are the ones at the top of your screen.

She is kinda hard to translate for because of the way she talks. it's fun to read and she sounds like a really fun person but.... ^^;

Your work is incredible by the way. When I say mistranslation, I mean a difference in meaning instead of a mistaken translation. I wasn't trying to imply that you were wrong, only that in translation, it is sometimes difficult to discern the exact meaning or intent of the speaker as you said.

[Corinth]

Hatae continues to be a wacky crazy kinda of talker in Part 2. At least.... she sure talks a lot. and likes odd words

anyhoo! Part 2 is now up on JPB for your reading pleasure
Part 2 of the Effects Team Interview

[Corrderio]

What?! What’s written on the firework? I’m really curious now.

Tashiro: If you look really carefully at the tubing, it says 婆那砲 in kanji which, when sounded out, is like ヴァナほう(Vana-hou). (laughs) It’a a Vana-Cannon! is what I was thinking when I made it but then it got a pretty official name later.

I actually got a good laugh out of that >.>

EDIT:

The way you see the world completely changes depending on your character’s race. It’s pretty dangerous to be a Tarutaru because everyone holds their fireworks at the same level as your face. (laughs) Oh, if you switch to first person view while running along the shore, the way the water splashes is amazing!

Hmm.... firework in tarutaru's face huh? I gotta get me some fireworks >:3

[Spira]

lovely interview. I like the insight into the games creation..
the effects team seem like they really enjoy their job and would be nice to work with. I guess when you have to be creative like that it requires a positive mindset.

[Araelus]

This is delightful! I always enjoy behind-the-scenes with people who get to be creative in terms of content design. Thanks, Corinth! :D

You have to decide how to build the new motion from motions that already exist in the game and have it match up with the number of attacks specified in the order. To do this, first, we try to build the motion and then add additional effects that work with that motion.

Woah. They were quite forward-looking when setting up those basic motions. While working in AltanaView with chroma-keying I found many of the new WotG animations contain pieces of the NPC movements we've seen since original release. It's not just starting and ending points, often it's the way a weapon will move on the character, or the breathing pattern is the same so only the arms move differently. I figured it was an efficiency thing, but not to the extent she implies...

The Easter Eggs on Goshikitenge and in the Tonberry attacks are a nice touch. What have they snuck in no-one's noticed yet?

[Corinth]

Part 3

Part 3 of the interview now up. This is the last part of the interview minus a little extra I'll post at a later time.

[Aro]

"Hatae: If you stay in the same place all day long, there’s a chance something might change."

This is interesting. I spend all day in my MH waiting for pts, and all the dam moogle does is whirl for hours.

[Spira]

i love the effects team interviews..
said this before but i have to say it again..

and theres really little cause for complaint.. they've been doing an awesome job and are still getting better.. this 7 year old game still looks so good because of all the effort they put in....

now when i look back at the hours i spend just scrolling thru effects on AV, i feel like im paying tribute to them