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C3 Exclusive Interview | Frontier Games Talks LostWinds on Nintendo’s WiiWare
on 04.08.2008 at 20:57
Posted by Jorge (jb) 
Comments: 6 
Reads: 2916
Tags:
LostWinds, WiiWare, Nintendo, Wii, Frontier Games
Posted by Jorge (jb) Comments: 6 Reads: 2916 Tags:
LostWinds, WiiWare, Nintendo, Wii, Frontier Games Related Stories
LostWinds has already stirred up a storm on the WiiWare download service for Nintendo's Wii, proving to be the favourite of the launch line-up in most critics' eyes and going on to be a best-seller on the new channel that aims to give Third Parties free rein to experiment more due to the lower costs and risks involved when compared to going down the retail route. Cubed³'s Adam Riley was lucky enough to catch up with David Braben, CEO of Frontier Games, to talk about one of the hottest WiiWare games so far and see what the future holds.
Cubed³'s Adam Riley: First of all, what made you bring the Lost Winds to WiiWare, rather than XBLA or PSN? And was it always destined to be a download-only title or were there ever plans for a full retail release (if so, why the change of direction)?
David Braben, CEO of Frontier Games: Our plan was to make LostWinds the best game we could for the Wii, to make the best use of the unique control system we possibly could and fulfil our own pent up desire for a Wii game that offers a good depth of gameplay with a beautiful skin. Late in 2007, Nintendo invited us to a meeting to discuss 'WiiWare' – and this seemed a perfect way to bring LostWinds to market.
AR: It has been stated previously that the idea for LostWinds existed before seeing the Wii. What was the initial plan to be for the control system?
DB: LostWinds began as a wistful idea by one of our designers, Steve Burgess. Frontier used to be based in a farmhouse outside Cambridge, and on a windy day, watching leaves blow around outside the window triggered the beginnings of the idea. In other words the idea came first, even before the Wii. When we first saw the announcement of the Wii (called 'Revolution' at the time), we knew this would be a great platform for LostWinds, but we didn't have the time available to work on it then.
AR: What inspired the particular artistic style taken for both the game's look and soundtrack?
DB: Inspiration for the artistic style grew naturally from the ideas behind the world of Mistralis, and was taken from a mix of styles from mountain-dwelling cultures – as this seemed appropriate for the 'wind' theme of the game – so a mix of Mayan, Tibetan and Patagonian styles was used as inspiration, and similarly for the music.
AR: What were some of the biggest hurdles faced when trying to implement the various motion controls, as well as with having to keep the game within the set WiiWare size limits in general?
DB: The very first thing we tackled with the game was the control system, as we knew the game would live or die depending on how it felt. We did this quickly, without any polished graphics - that meant we could get the controls right before spending all the time getting the other parts together.
The size limits really weren't an issue. We are always bumping up against limits when writing games – usually graphical performance or memory – and it is these limits that concentrate the mind to get the best out of a system. Way back in the 80s, "Elite" had to fit into 22K – the equivalent today of a small email message. Today's restrictions are nothing in comparison.
AR: To what extent, if at all, did Nintendo help with your first WiiWare project?
DB: Nintendo have been very open and encouraging, but didn't get involved in the development of the game. Providing WiiWare in the first place was, of course, a huge help. Without it, I don't think we would have made LostWinds – not yet, at least. I don't see WiiWare as very different to producing a Wii disc-based game, something we did with the very successful roller coaster theme park game "Thrillville Off the Rails" with LucasArts last year, it's just a difference in distribution method rather than implying any difference in technology or indeed quality.
AR: Now the game's development has finished and the reviews are flowing in, is there anything you look back on and wish you had done differently? Or have there been any suggestions from feedback that have made you go 'Ah, why didn't I think of that!'?
DB: I've never been involved with making a game where the good ideas don't flow continuously throughout the process. Some of them make it into the game, and others can be saved, for if there is a sequel.
One of the problems new ideas cause is the potential endless reworking to incorporate any new ideas, so you do have to be disciplined – but having said that, I think we are all pleased with how it turned out, and with how it has been received.
AR: Can you talk a little about the world of Mistralis? What was the reason for not including a map to help gamers navigate the world?
DB: We wanted the world of Mistralis to reward exploration, in keeping with LostWinds' playful control system. Also, when we first designed it, we wanted to keep the controls and mechanics of the game as simple and straightforward as possible, with no sub-menus, no inventory, and yes, no map. We did test the game with people who hadn't seen it before, and they played it through happily in between about 3 and 4 and a half hours, but from feedback we have had since, I think having a map would probably have helped some people.
AR: Since release in Europe, the game has been rated higher on the popularity table found in the Wii Shop than Square Enix's My Life as a King. How does this make you feel? And should this encourage more of the smaller developers to tackle the service as well?
DB: From a recent announcement by Nintendo, we are also the top-selling game, which of course is great! The important thing is the most liked games, whatever they are, are given priority like this – which in turn encourages quality. One of the problems I have with XBLA, for example, is there are rafts of mediocre games which makes it hard to judge which ones are worth a go. I don't want to spend my life playing uninteresting and frequently derivative demos.
AR: Are there plans to bring this to the Japanese WiiWare service as well?
DB: It's an interesting question; there are of course cultural issues to be wary of – games that are popular in the west are not always as well received in Japan.
AR: A sequel has already been confirmed, but can you talk about any timescales for release yet or even if it will definitely be a WiiWare-only product? Or even any other preliminary details such as new control elements, length, etc?
DB: No – we are not releasing details yet.
AR: Has the game brought in sufficient sales so far to make you devote more than the 12 members of the first project to its sequel? And how does the commercial side of WiiWare compare to releasing a retail game – favourably or not?
DB: Adding more people doesn't always make for a better game! Of course we will look at how best to produce other LostWinds games, but the number of people is not a major factor. We want to make sure any other LostWinds games stay true to the ideals and appeal of the first game whilst delivering new experiences for players.
Certainly WiiWare has been good for us, as we would not have released the game at retail (yet), as this is a much more expensive process because of the production and distribution of discs and so on.
AR: The setting of the game and the possibilities for expanding upon the story side seem like they could lend themselves very well to a side-scrolling action RPG style affair. Do you think it viable to develop the game in such a manner, or could that remove some of the accessibility of a straight-up platform adventure?
DB: I am always a little sceptical about trying to too narrowly categorise how a game plays, and pigeon-hole it as a result. The plan is to develop the game as well as we can, and if that means we include RPG-like elements (like a map!) then we will. I certainly wouldn't want to be constrained by what people might currently consider to be a 'platform adventure'.
AR: If / when a sequel does appear on WiiWare, could you foresee a potential price-drop for the first game, or is that decision simply up to Nintendo? And any chance of seeing both game appear on one Wii retail disc at some point?
DB: We see the first game standing alone, independent of any sequels, and we would expect/hope people to play the first LostWinds before playing such a sequel. As for seeing the game on a disc some time in the future, who knows?
AR: Could you see the LostWinds gameplay mechanic translating well onto the DS with its touch-screen controls? And would this be a direction your team would consider going in at some point?
DB: Other people have mentioned this to us, and it could probably work well, I think.
AR: Following on from LostWinds, would you ever consider making a game focusing on other elements, such as LostFires or LostEarths?
DB: Perhaps you should look at 'The History of Mistralis' on the Frontier website… *smiles*
AR: LostWinds was a Game of the Week winner. Does this mean we will be seeing other winning ideas from other weeks appearing on WiiWare in the near future?
DB: Game of the Week is our internal forum where anyone and everyone at Frontier can submit and discuss game ideas, and indeed LostWinds did prove to be very popular. Our plan is to do other Game of the Week games too. For each game, we will choose the platform that is most appropriate. For some they will be WiiWare too, for others, not.
AR: There has been speculation about a fourth Elite game being made by David Braben after The Outsider is completed. Is there anything you can tell us about this? And could a back-to-basics approach on WiiWare be the perfect way to re-launch Elite?
DB: We are not discussing this at the moment.
AR: Does Frontier hold the rights to the original Elite and if so, for the sake of old school fans, would you consider letting Nintendo put any version of it on Virtual Console, be it the C64, NES or even MSX edition?
DB: This is unlikely, I'm afraid.
AR: Do you think a project such as The Outsider could be made on Wii?
DB: The Outsider isn't really suited to Wii; it hasn't been designed for the system. Elements of The Outsider could perhaps be realised on the Wii, but not the current game as it stands.
AR: What are your thoughts on the storage issue of Wii? Should Nintendo buckle under the consumer demand for an official external USB hard-drive, or is the current solution of 'clearing the fridge' every once in a while more than adequate in your eyes?
DB: It would of course be great if Nintendo did do something – but people will always want more storage on a system – in a sense it is a reflection of the number of good games that are available. Having said that, the storage space is not a big restriction in practice, as it is easy and quick to re-download titles if you want to.
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I am not.
52
L6 Deku Scrub
I have yet to play this game, but it looks very interesting.
Thinking vinyl kicks ass
215
L21 Shy Guy
LostWinds is the only game I've downloaded from WiiWare, and I think it is great. Can't wait for the sequel.
Endless Ocean 2 Adventures of the Deep - review now live!
12189
News Editor
I'm definitely interested in what other Game of the Week ideas get transferred to WiiWare!
bored -_-
3787
L87 Eggman
i cant wait to see the next part of lostwinds come to wii i will be geting it
feeling Fragile.
2038
L72 Samus
Some good senesible answers.
You can always tell and old school developer; They know we have shitloads of space these days, and more space does not mean more quality :p
Personaly, I hope they dont release any Lost Winds on disc anyway.
Digital Distribution FTW!
Purhapes some advertising, but discs and giving the publisher a cut is a waste of money imho.
In almost completely unrelated news, Dr Horrible rules;
http://www.hulu.com/watch/28343/dr-horribles-sing-along-blog
Darkflames Favorate Games! - Darkflames Favorate Films! - Darkflames Favorate Foods?!
Dissagree with me?
Make your own reviews at;
www.rateoholic.co.uk : Reviews for anything, by anyone.
You can always tell and old school developer; They know we have shitloads of space these days, and more space does not mean more quality :p
Personaly, I hope they dont release any Lost Winds on disc anyway.
Digital Distribution FTW!
Purhapes some advertising, but discs and giving the publisher a cut is a waste of money imho.
In almost completely unrelated news, Dr Horrible rules;
http://www.hulu.com/watch/28343/dr-horribles-sing-along-blog
Dissagree with me?
Make your own reviews at;
www.rateoholic.co.uk : Reviews for anything, by anyone.
The Fuzz now out: http://zafarali.posterous.com/the-fuzz-1 free mp3s
1518
L62 Krystal
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