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Jak X Q&A Feature
Derek dela Fuente
26/09/2005
Jak & Daxter are back in Naughty Dog's X-Plosive racer; TVG chats to the Creative Director...
A delightful mix of gaming ideas with 20 stunning tracks, five new characters with loads of customisable combat vehicles, power-ups, weapons and endless strategies and that is only half of the thrilling features that make up this exhilarating experience as Derek dela Fuente found out as he spoke with E. Daniel Arey the Creative Director at Naughty Dog
Console gamers have been presented with a steady stream of combat racing titles so if you took Jak and Dexter out of the equation, do you feel it would stand up as a blockbuster game on the pure merits of the racing experience?
By its very nature, racing as a genre is first and foremost about two things ā“ response and feel. Although the Jak and Daxter universe is a wonderful playground, it would be a thin patina if we didnāt have a great racing game under the hood to back it up, and thatās exactly what we think weāve achieved with Jak X. The rigid-body physics system was tweaked and re-tweaked, tuned and re-tuned, so that the player really felt the skill mechanic of driving on the tracks. We wanted people to feel they had proper control and that their responses and twitch action could make the difference in their lap times and in combat survival. Every car was tested to feel unique in handling, and the weapons system was balanced over thousand of hours of play testing. Again, the story and characters of Jakās world add significantly to the racing experience, a genre that has been traditionally light in story and we feel needed this emotional boost, but in the end it was about solid, fast action multiplayer racing that put the smile on our face, and we hope it will do the same for our players and fans of the universe.
In terms of design of the game, firstly have the team thoroughly researched similar titles and got feedback from a number of sources and what part has technology played in the creation of the game?
We love racing games at Naughty Dog ā“ everything from solid sim driving right down to simple party kart racing titles. With Richard Lemarchand (Jak X Design Lead) leading the way, we played them all, then decided to make a game that would combine the best elements of each racing sub-genre. The solid and lively physics and unique per vehicle handling of a racing sim like Gran Turismo, the modification, customization, and upgrade elements of an enthusiast racing game like Need for Speed, the weapons combat fun of a Twisted Metal, and of course the easy to play, anyone can come from behind to win, fast action play of a kart racer like Crash Team Racing. Itās all there in Jak X, and our unique ācocktail mixā of these play elements combined with our full animation adventure story, and Jakās world to race through, it makes for a very special and fun experience. The best of all worlds we think!
Please can you tell our readers about some of the interesting features within the 20 tracks and 8 open arenas you have created ā“ together with a few of the interesting in-game tasks that the players have to undertake?
There are tracks and arenas for every taste in Jak X. The Jak universe provided for a great diversity of places to visit for fans of the series, and some new places in the universe everyone said they wanted us to explore. Thereās a fast night time racing track on the streets of Kras City (the burg where Krew came from) that provides for lots of 90 degree turns and even some dead end alleys to avoid. You get to go back to places in Jak 3 and race through the dusty streets of Spargus City, but this time at lightning speeds! You get to visit where the icy Marauders originated and tested their driving skills. You get to go back to the Sewer underworld of Jak IIās Haven and see if you can avoid being flushed with the trash, and of course many new places that flesh out the unexplored universe and add to the mythos. In addition, the arenas provide intense play head-to-head for both two player and online play with a variety of play types including frag fests, collection tasks, hunts, and team play. Most of the tracks were designed by Yasuhara-san (level designer for all the original Sonic series and our own Jak series), and his unique play insight provides for a wide spectrum of driving experiences.
"Iām sure CTTR will be a wonderful game, and there will be lots of room for both products."
Can you tell us a little about the varying power-upās available and what form weapons take within the game?
True to Jakās universe, everything is powered by eco, and just like in Jakās previous adventures, the different eco colors correlate to what fans of the franchise have come to expect. Blue eco is for fast motion, so it powers the turbo. Yellow is for forward weapons like gun and missiles, Red eco powers explosives and defensive weapons, Green powers the damage control system on your car, and yes, thereās a Dark Eco meter that when powered up gives all your weapons a huge boost. Weapons in Jak X were designed to be strategic, with plenty of counter measures. There are good times and BETTER times to use each, and there are always strategies to defend against them. Players will have a ton of fun trying to match strategies against their friends both in person and on-line.
How extensive and customizable are the combat vehicles and do they vary that much in their handling characteristics depending on how they are customised?
With the rigid body physics system each car feels very unique. As to customization, there are so many options, and each has an impact on a vehicle more or less depending on the model. Again this is part of the fun in finding your special mix of parts that makes your ride look better and scream through lap times faster than your friends. But the player is in control of the choices. For example, the Road Blade is a great handling starter car, and it will take a few upgrades growing with the player, but as you put on engine upgrades (especially after reaching engine level 5 or 6) the car begins to get a bit loose, requiring better player skills to handle the extra power. Each vehicle has a different upgrade path like this, and some can grow better than others. In addition to performance mods, you can customize the paint colors, wheels, hood styles, side panels, fenders, and even a few fun upgrades like a bobbing Daxter Head antennae you can unlock.
How do you feel about Jax X squaring up against Vivendi-Universalās Crash Tag Team Racing?
Jak X is not a kart racer. We made that decision early on, so the two titles are safely separate from each other. Donāt forget, Naughty Dog made the first Crash Team Racing game back in 1999, and I shared design lead on that with Evan Wells (so long ago!), so we love those titles believe me, but Jakās universe is more sophisticated than a cartoon racing world. We wanted a more dark, adult theme to the story, we wanted more realistic vehicles in both control and style, we wanted a more aggressive mix of weapons and collateral damage, and more car enthusiast chrome and shine to the models. Iām sure CTTR will be a wonderful game, and there will be lots of room for both products.
Please tell us about the adventure mode; what tasks are presented and does a background story play a significant part, does this tie-in with the Precursor trilogy?
We feel Jak Xās adventure mode is a unique layer for racing in that it provides for a real motivational and emotional reason for racing across the tracks. Just as we did in the previous adventure series, we applied the same high production animation team to flesh out a story with all the humor and intrigue of fans have come to expect. Since we completed the trilogy in Jak 3, this story is not about the Precursors. We wanted to go off in a new direction that wasnāt about saving the world (tough to do on a race track anyway!) This is a stand alone story about Jak and his friends, about loyalty and betrayal, and about how the past can come back to haunt you. It reveals fresh insights into characters we all know from the series, while adding new insight into new characters and places in Jakās world he has yet to visit. The game tasks are presented in a very open, non-linear way, and include everything from Time Trials, to full on races, to collection tasks, tasks to earn rewards, hunting in vehicles, and good old fashion high speed boss races. We feel the story adds a much needed boost to the emotional impact of the racing experience.
"Right now we are hard at work finishing up Jak X and want to make sure that game is the best it can be. After thatā¦weāll see."
What kind of damage do the vehicles suffer ā“ does a badly deformed car have a real effect on how fast and precise you can control your vehicle and you spoken about strategies that can be partaken; expand please?
From our earliest design meetings, we wanted the rewards of combat racing to be evident and visibly empirical to the players. To this end, the vehicles exhibit real time deformation and damage scaring. Hit a wall on the right side and the carās right fenders will deform. Take a missile hit in the rear and your spoiler will fall off. Car parts will drop off right down to the frame cage! Catch fire and see your cool paint job melt to black char. Tumble and watch your wheels fall off and see a tire go rolling by on fire. These real-time elements add to the excitement and rewards for a well placed shot. But thatās nothing to the scream of pain youāll hear over your online head-set from a āfriendā 500 miles away who youāve just smoked with a well placed missile barrage! Now thatās priceless!
Could you elaborate on how Jak X connects to the PSP for extra bonuses, characters, etc?
We are working very closely with our friends at Ready at Dawn who are making the Daxter PSP game. I have even been involved with the story, writing dialogue, and directed the voice acting sessions to help ensure that the feel of the Daxter PSP story matches the previous Jak titles. The RAD team is incredibly talented and doing a great job, and Daxter PSP will be a ton of fun for old and new Jak and Daxter fans alike! As both teams we in concurrent development (with Jak X having a slight lead time) both Naughty Dog and RAD wanted to make sure we had a connection between the gamesā¦so when either platform notices a saved game from the other game, each will unlock secrets. What the secrets are is a mystery only players with the resolve to get both games together will uncover. Trust me though, itās worth it!
Finally will Jak & Daxter be put out to pasture similar to what happened to Crash Bandicoot or do you have future plans for the duo?
Just like any developer, we at the Dog Pound love the games we create. Theyāre our babies, and we live with them day and night (often long nights), and nurture them for years. When we moved on after making four Crash titles it was hard, like sending your baby off to college. As for the Jak and Daxter games, weāve had a wonderful time making the series and watching it grow. Itās a great universe to play in! Right now we are hard at work finishing up Jak X and want to make sure that game is the best it can be. After thatā¦weāll see.
TVG would like to thank Naughty Dog for providing the answers to our questionsā¦
Stuck with PS2
Date Added:Thu 13th Dec 2007 19:16
Anonymous
Date Added:Thu 1st Mar 2007 23:58