Shinen Interactive has been a pioneer when it comes to pushing Nintendos hardware as much as possible, whilst also delivering high quality products time and time again. More recently the German developer has become renowned for creating WiiWare games that push the limits of the system more than other companies do on Wii at retail. Its latest release, FAST Racing League, has just arrived and Cubed3 caught up with Manfred Linzner to discuss the project in more detail.
Adam Riley, Senior Editor at Cubed3: FAST Racing League has been finished for quite some time now. Why has it taken so long to finally be released, though?
Manfred Linzner, Shinen Interactive: That has mostly been to do with finding the right release dates for the US and Europe and for getting the approval in time over at Nintendo. We also had to change some minor stuff in terms of the Mii support. All in all, this took quite some time.
AR: Did FAST use the same technology that made Jett Rocket look so visually impressive?
ML: In some ways, yes, but there were also many additions. The difference between Jett Rocket and FAST is that the latter has much larger worlds, so we had to add some new custom tech to allow that. For this reason we added stuff like Occlusion Culling without which the game would have never been able to maintain its’ rock solid 60fps.
AR: The in-game music seems somewhat different from recent Shinen games. Was it a different team, or were you simply trying a different style?
ML: We think each style and each genre needs its own musical style. We think the FAST soundtrack does really nail the feeling of hyper-speed and futuristic design. We are actually pretty happy with it!
AR: What were some of the most difficult moments during development?
ML: It was clearly the physics code. For instance, with the insane speed of FAST, we had to invest a lot of work so that there is no ‘tunnelling’ effect within the collision geometry. Also, the AI for the computer controlled drivers took quite some time to get right in order to make competitors challenging without cheating on the player, like many racing games do.
AR: Can you please explain to readers what the phase shifting idea is?
ML: You can switch your vehicle between a light and a dark phase. On the tracks there are then light and dark installations that allow you to do special stuff like giant jumps, driving upside down, or trigger instant boosting. The trick is to know which of those installations work solely with your phase and ensuring the phase does match. This mechanic allows you to play each track differently each time to get that final extra bit of speed to beat your opponents. It also makes the AI much less predictable because they also try to get every benefit from the phase switching.
AR: Was this always going to be a key component of the game?
ML: Right from the prototyping stage we experimented with different mechanics and this was by far the most fun and innovative.
AR: Did you make any changes to the game during development after feedback from media / players?
ML: Yes, of course. We did a lot of play testing with experienced and casual gamers to find the right balance. This gave very valuable feedback.
AR: What sort of challenges and unlockable content can be expected?
ML: You can unlock 24 challenges, six cars, two additional leagues and even a jukebox to enjoy the songs with a cool looking music player. The challenges range from pure race missions to trick stunts and from destroying to collecting objectives. We think they are a great addition to the core gameplay.
AR: Why did you choose to only include three leagues? What racing modes have been included?
ML: The three leagues will keep you occupied for quite some time. All-in-all you have 36 tracks in the leagues to master, and the final league is really something for the professionals. Beside the league racing, you have a splendid multiplayer mode for up to four players and a Time Attack mode.
AR: The names of vehicles appear to be similar to Japanese businesses. Are any of these based on real companies, or are they all fictional? Also, are the name linked to the games story in any way?
ML: Thats actually a little secret that may be revealed further in upcoming titles from us!
AR: Several developers have expressed their displeasure with the WiiWare service, and even Nintendo itself has admitted it made mistakes with the download shop. However, Shinen keeps having success. What is your trick?
ML: Well, in the end I think it’s the game that matters to people, not the five minutes they hang around in the WiiWare channel. We try to make something that people really want. We try to make games that we would like to download ourselves.
AR: How much of an impact did the Jett Rocket demo have on overall sales? Do you wish there had been a chance to put up demos for Art of Balance and Fun! Fun! Minigolf as well? Also, will there be a FAST demo?
ML: The demo for Jett Rocket was a nice ‘breath of life’ for the sales, so we were pretty happy about it. I think it’s quite possible that at a later time we will publish more demos on WiiWare.
AR: Recently you announced Nano Assault for Nintendo 3DS. For anyone still confused, is this spiritually Nanostray 3?
ML: Nano Assault mixes a lot of unique ideas for a rocking ‘shmup’ experience. It’s a complete different game than Nanostray 1 or Nanostray 2. On the other hand, there are some tenuous bonds between the titles because they play in the same universe. I think people who know the Nanostray games will appreciate some of the direction we have taken with Nano Assault.
AR: Can you tell us any early details about the game, other than what Majesco has already revealed?
ML: I can only tell you to visit E3 and take a look for yourself. There will be an early build of Nano Assault playable.
AR: Are you working on other 3DS retail games? How about 3DSWare?
ML: I can’t comment currently on the retail question, but you will surely see a Shin’en 3DSWare game in the near future.
AR: Matt Bozon of WayForward has confirmed that he is ready and waiting to do a project with Shinen Multimedia. Will you accept the challenge of a new Shinen x WayForward project?
ML: It’s really a challenge, but I like the idea. As soon as I have some time to breathe, I should talk to Matt about that.
