Xbox_incabrain : Hi Dan!
Oddworld_Dan : Hello there! Am I early or late?
Xbox_incabrain : You're on time
Oddworld_Dan : Well hot-diggety.
Xbox_incabrain : Just to let all you fans know, we're getting your questions and lining them up
Xbox_incabrain : I wish I time to respond to all of you, but, well... there's too dang many of you!
Xbox_incabrain : Look what the cat dragged in...
Xbox_incabrain : It's Lorne!
Xbox_incabrain : Hey let's get this shin-dig started
Xbox_incabrain : How's the Oddteam doing? tired?
Oddworld_Lorne : hello!
Oddworld_Chris : I'm feeling fresh as a daisy, myself.
Oddworld_Marquise : Hanging in there... and excited about what is happening here for E3
Xbox_incabrain : Hey let me tell everyone what each of you do...
Oddworld_Dan : If by tired you mean utterly and completely depleted of all energy and, in some cases, vital functions... yeah, kinda.
Xbox_incabrain : Lorne Lanning is Oddworld's president and creative director.
Xbox_incabrain : Chris Ulm is the assistant director for Munch's Oddysee.
Xbox_incabrain : Dan Kading is Oddworld's game designer.
Xbox_incabrain : Marquise Bent is a real-time modeler for Munch's Oddysee.
Xbox_incabrain : Did I get all that right?
Xbox_incabrain : :-)
Oddworld_Lorne : :-)
Xbox_incabrain : Lorne, how long has the team been working on Munch's Oddysee?
Oddworld_Lorne : Too long. About 2 1/2 years.
Xbox_incabrain : this is the first Oddworld game to be completely 3D, right? What challenges did you face in shifting the game-play from 2D to 3D?
Oddworld_Lorne : The gameplay transition wasn't bad...
Oddworld_Lorne : it was the code to get the gameplay to work in 3D that was a real killer!
Xbox_incabrain : Administrata: (gimme a "done" when you're ready to move to the next question)
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : :-)
Xbox_incabrain : so... okay, what is it about Xbox that made you put your development efforts behind this platform?
Oddworld_Lorne : more memory, more CPU power, far greater polygonal horsepower...
Oddworld_Lorne : broader bandwith for pipelines, more audio channels, did I mention MORE MEMORY!!!!
Xbox_incabrain : done?
Oddworld_Lorne : Also, Microsofts desire to support those titles that were trying to define the new edge. They wanted to support creativity... which was a huge breath of fresh air.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
*Xbox_incabrain had too much caffeine today.*
Xbox_incabrain : dwb1222 asks in the Lorne's presentation of Munch caught on video at xbox.com, near the end he mentioned the game will have a 'disturbing' touch to it. Could he tell us more about that?
Xbox_incabrain : erm... you get the point.
Oddworld_Lorne : got it.
Oddworld_Lorne : In order to create more compelling experiences, you need to create dynamic ranges for the emotional experience.
Oddworld_Lorne : This means, even though Munch and Abe are quite endearing, what makes them more endearing is to see them caught and dealing with more disturbing circumstances.
Oddworld_Lorne : hordes of attacking creatures, bully sligs and other enemies, we don't want these to be watered down, we want you to come to really dislike them... for the right reasons.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : Xmun asks How long did it take to get this game running from the ground up? From initial ideas to some playable form?
*Xbox_incabrain searches for the "clear buffer" command.*
Oddworld_Lorne : It took about a year to get the basics in place... but then many difficulties fell out once we were able to run.
Oddworld_Lorne : Then the PS2 threw a lot of wrenches into our plans, so we got sidetracked for a while trying to figure out what could be done on that machine... till we eventually just dropped it. Then, only after the Microsoft deal, were we actually able to (shortly..
Oddworld_Lorne : thereafter)
Oddworld_Lorne : ... were we able to get the experience we were looking for all along... to actually run.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : Someone asks the game seems to focus on many HUMAN problems even though the setting is entreched in fantasy...was that your aim?? a sort of social commentary?
Oddworld_Lorne : The aim is to create compelling experiences that are not just junk food. Fantasy is a great place to reveal dilemas that our human condition has to deal with...
Oddworld_Lorne : so long as it's just not about fantasy. When it's fantasy for fantasy sake... it's less interesting.
Oddworld_Lorne : To take what isn't talked about because it's taboo or politically (of corporate-ly) incorrect... is what makes fantasy far more interesting.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : A quick reminder
Xbox_incabrain : We're talking about the creation of Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee. If you would like to submit a question, please whisper your question to me. To whisper, double-click Xbox_incabrain on the right panel and type your question.
Xbox_incabrain : Lorne Lanning is Oddworld's president and creative director.
Xbox_incabrain : Chris Ulm is the assistant director for Munch's Oddysee.
Xbox_incabrain : Dan Kading is Oddworld's game designer.
Xbox_incabrain : Marquise Bent is a real-time modeler for Munch's Oddysee.
Xbox_incabrain : The_GiB asks Will we get to see Munch running on Final Hardware at E3?
Oddworld_Lorne : It will not be final hardware. The final hardware will be a bit better.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : recarrie asks Exactly how beneficial has the built in hard drive been to the development of Munch and development in general?
Oddworld_Lorne : It helps with things like save schemes, etc. But the truth is that...
Oddworld_Lorne : things like the hardrive haven't been factored into a lot of the console game designers out there... because designers didn't really foresee something...
Oddworld_Lorne : this strong being available to them. So I think the console designers are just beginning to realize that they have this new capability to rely on in the design stage.
Oddworld_Lorne : In time, we'll see a lot of creative uses for it.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : Hrmmm... someone wants to know what you're wearing... is that a legal question?
Oddworld_Lorne : pink tights and my bunny slippers.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Oddworld_Dan : Whatever it is, it's a safe bet it's black.
Xbox_incabrain : Havain asks Will either Munch or Abe get more playing time? Or is it split pretty evenly?
Oddworld_Lorne : It's split pretty evenly. They spend a lot of time together. There are things that need to get done that only one or the other can achieve... so they're pretty closely tied through most of the game. They need each others cooperation.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : How are you on time Lorne?
Oddworld_Lorne : couple more minutes.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : jeffbax asks in Munch, will Munch see more Moddukon's, or were they all COMPLETELY captured and done away with... Will there be any hiding out in the game to team up with?
Oddworld_Lorne : Yes, there will be a ton of Mudokons. Abe is always about helping the mudokon slaves that labor in the factories they come upon.
Oddworld_Lorne : Munch gets to be protected by them, but only Abe commands them.
Oddworld_Lorne : Munch does command Fuzzles... but if Abe tries to command fuzzles they growl at him.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : jackal38 asks Will the environments in Oddworld have swaying trees, moving grass blades, clouds, birds that fly by and things like that?
Oddworld_Lorne : We have not been trying to get into this level of detail for this game. Moving trees has been less important to us... than hundreds of trees that can change their health condition.
Oddworld_Lorne : Grass blades might make it in by the end... but the gameplay is more important to us than many of these types of subtle details.
Oddworld_Lorne : Birds are used as health meters for our characters, so when you see birds it means your taking a beating :-)
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : Yum. Good game play rocks, IMO.
Xbox_incabrain : Jon_ArbCom asks ask if there's any kung fu in the game :-)
Oddworld_Lorne : It's more like kung fu being attempted by complete klutzs. Very funny stuff happening that we'll be showing at E3 that has never been seen before in any of our previous demos or visualizations.
Oddworld_Lorne : lots of gang fights going on at different times... funny stuff. Funny voices and sounds.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : OoOoOo! Please spill the beans about what we can expect at E3 - then we'll let you go Lorne...
Xbox_incabrain : (Lorne is a bizy guy)
Oddworld_Lorne : too much to list for now. We will be showing quite a bit more than was seen at Gamestock. Not just environments, but basic gameplay.
Oddworld_Lorne : E3 will focus on gameplay.
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Oddworld_Lorne : That's it. Gotta run. Have fun!
Xbox_incabrain : Hey, man, we're glad you stopped by - we're gonna poke on the other three Oddies here, now
Oddworld_Lorne : done
Xbox_incabrain : Make me a good game, baby.
Xbox_incabrain : Dan, so you're a game designer - geez, that sounds sweet - what exactly does that mean?
*Xbox_incabrain wants to be a game designer (no really).*
Oddworld_Dan : If I had a nickel for every time I'd been asked that, I'd have almost a buck-fifty. I'll see what I can cover...
Oddworld_Dan : At the moment, I write scripts for character AI... this is a simplified sort of high-level programming, so we're part Programmer.
Oddworld_Dan : We build geometry in 3DSMax that eventually becomes the environments that the characters play in, so we're part Modeler. We prepare documents that describe the story and how game-mechanics work, so we're part Storyteller and Tech-Writer.
Oddworld_Dan : And of course we put in the puzzles, plan chases, arrange gunfights, place landmines, and set up grand, seemingly inescapable situations for our heroes with overwhelming odds...
Xbox_incabrain : Hrmm... sounds like traffic in Seattle.
Xbox_incabrain : Did you design that?
Oddworld_Dan : while leaving some key weakness for the player to discover and subsequently use to overcome their opponents and emerge victorious to move onto the next obstacle... and that's probably the task that gives us the title 'Designer'.
Oddworld_Dan : done. And I hate the traffic in Seattle, so I certainly hope not.
Xbox_incabrain : But... you said... seemingly inescapable situations... so I just thought...
Xbox_incabrain : nevermind. :-)
Xbox_incabrain : Marquise, what are some of your favorite modeling tools (both 2D and 3D)?
Oddworld_Dan : That's the thing: traffic in Seattle is -wholly- inescapable. We at least give you a chance. *done*
Xbox_incabrain : (ah)
Oddworld_Marquise : I really enjoy working with 3DS Max and Photoshop. They make a good team.
Oddworld_Marquise : I've worked with Rhino nurbs modeling tool as well and that really compliments 3Ds Max
Oddworld_Marquise : done
Xbox_incabrain : what would you say to encourage women who aspire to work in the gaming industry?
Oddworld_Marquise : well, we certainly could use a few more women in the industry and I'm glad to see games trying to include them in the demographics
Oddworld_Marquise : I would say to just go for it. Learn as many aspects about the industry as you can, have a good heart, work hard, can't go wrong.
Oddworld_Marquise : done.
Xbox_incabrain : ShockwaveTXB asks for Bent: what inspires you with each character design you come up with?
Oddworld_Marquise : well... actually, the realtime team counts on the production design team to design the characters...and we get really inspired by their creativity. There is a ton of talent there.
Oddworld_Dan : Tru dat.
Oddworld_Chris : Agreed!
Oddworld_Marquise : The animators come up with moves based on the designs from the pdd team. you see them acting out the charactera alot in the office.. it's kinda funny :-)
Oddworld_Marquise : done
Xbox_incabrain : Someone asks Chris, can you give us a short history lesson in the storyline of Oddworld?
Oddworld_Dan : Chris doesn't do 'short' history lessons.
Xbox_incabrain : uh oh
Oddworld_Chris : Eeek!
Xbox_incabrain quickly tries to recind the question.
Oddworld_Chris : Where to start...
Oddworld_Dan : Too late, Pandora's box is opened.
Oddworld_Chris : Okay, Oddworld is an enormous place, many times the size of Earth...
*Xbox_incabrain ducks for cover.*
Oddworld_Chris : So there's lots of room...
Oddworld_Chris : In the distant past, the species of OW respected the natural order and were in balance...
Oddworld_Chris : But that's all changed now.
Oddworld_Chris : These ancient forces of balance and wisdom have been subjugated by rampant greed and consumerism...
Oddworld_Chris : Glukkons, Vykkers, Sligs, and lots more..
Oddworld_Dan : *waits for Chris to work the word 'palanquin' into this*
Oddworld_Chris : So against this backdrop, Lorne has designed a "Quintology" of stories featuring very unlikely heroes...
Oddworld_Chris : Hey, its coming...
Oddworld_Chris : Abe was the first: a clueless meat factory worker that discovered that his peeps were next on the menu
Oddworld_Chris : And now, we're meeting Munch, the last Gabbit on Oddworld.
Xbox_incabrain : (that sounds like a line an old girlfriend of mine used)
Oddworld_Chris : Munch is a big headed amphibious dude with a sonar unit grafted to his head -- some unfortunate cosmetic surgery.
Oddworld_Chris : So now, Munch needs to get the last can of Gabbiar (Gabbit Eggs) and restore his species.
Oddworld_Chris : Whew
Oddworld_Chris : Done.
Xbox_incabrain : So anyone, and everyone, LiQuid|G-TXB asks What is the drink of choice for the late night programiing?
Oddworld_Chris : Caffeine in any of its many sweet forms.
Oddworld_Dan : 2 tablets of Powdered Vivarin mixed in the beverage of your choice.
Xbox_incabrain : azflo asks Will the game be seperated into levels or will it be one long segment?
Xbox_incabrain : (anyone)
Oddworld_Dan : I'll take that one..
Oddworld_Chris : Dan's gonna answer.
Oddworld_Chris : Because he's a glory shark.
Oddworld_Dan : Anybody who's familiar with the traditional video-game level layout will find that yes, it's divided into what we call "Regions", and when a region is completed, there's no returning.
Oddworld_Dan : However...
Oddworld_Dan : The Regions are huge, and generally include a space the equivalent of a few square miles, with multiple buildings and natural features that merit exploration to boot, all of which -can- be visited multiple times.
Oddworld_Dan : Before you leave a Region, you'll know it, a level won't end unexpectedly... you'll make the conscious decision to move on, so you have a chance to go back and rescue straggling fuzzles, or improve the environment for that extra bit of Quarma.
Oddworld_Dan : *done*
Xbox_incabrain : So Dan, along the same lines, Pacen asks How long will the game be for the player to experience everything Munch's Oddysee has to offer? I've read it's over 200 hours, is this true?
Oddworld_Dan : I know -I've- played it for well over 200 hours, that's for sure...
Xbox_incabrain : heh
Oddworld_Marquise : Diet Mountain Dew (Caffine of choice... sorry, had to run to the little girl's room... drinking too much of the stuff apparently)
Xbox_incabrain : (no one knows it, but I did too) shhhh! it's our little secret.
Xbox_incabrain : doh!
Oddworld_Dan : But this is something I personally have never been able to really gauge myself... I've played games that claim 100+ hours of gameplay, and depending on how you play them, that's truth.
Oddworld_Dan : Anybody who plays Munch's Oddysee and wants to see both the endings, wants to rescue (or even kill) every single fuzzle and mudokon, wants to get the most possible Moolah in each facility... they'll be playing for a -lot- longer than 200 hours.
Oddworld_Dan : *done*
Xbox_incabrain : Chris, image_efx asks Will this game feature dolby 5.1?
Xbox_incabrain : Did we lose Chris?
Oddworld_Chris : We are taking advantage of everything that we can...so the magic 8ball says "Most definitely possibly likely"
Oddworld_Dan : Nope, we're just scurrying about like frightened mice trying to find the official answer.
Xbox_incabrain : sweet... I'm going to be lynched after this chat, eh?
Xbox_incabrain : Wilbur_Whately asks So what are those furry things in all the trailers and character arts of Munch?
Xbox_incabrain : anyone?
Oddworld_Dan : Da Fuzzles!!!
Oddworld_Chris : That's one I can answer
Oddworld_Dan : Go Ulm!
Oddworld_Chris : Fuzzles are Munch's little buddies...
Oddworld_Chris : sweet as pie one minute...
Oddworld_Chris : Crazed carnivores the next!
Oddworld_Marquise : HeeHeehee.. Fuzzles make me happy
Oddworld_Chris : The Fuzzles are some of my favorite characters so far...
Oddworld_Dan : That's because you have a Tribble fetish.
Oddworld_Chris : And that make US happy, Marquise.
Oddworld_Marquise : :-)
Xbox_incabrain : Oy! good one.... ripthesystem asks to everyone: what kind of music do you listen to, and did it have any infulence on the music you created for the game?
Oddworld_Chris : All the dirty laundry comes out.
Oddworld_Dan : That'd be Ulm again...
Xbox_incabrain : He listens to music?
Oddworld_Chris : Michael Bross is actually the sound designer/composer for the game
Oddworld_Chris : But, I am a fan of geek rock (go figure!) so, give me Weezer or give me death!
Xbox_incabrain : Marquise... your fav music?
Oddworld_Chris : The music for the game is highly designed to be integrated with the action.
Oddworld_Marquise : Opening music drawer...B52s, Gregorian Chants, Christian Alternative stuff
Xbox_incabrain : Daniel Amos, perchance?
Oddworld_Chris : In terms of the game, we don't slap pre-existing music or vocal tracks into either the game or movies...
Oddworld_Marquise : Who is Daniel Amos? :-)
Xbox_incabrain : *grrr*
Xbox_incabrain : :-)
Oddworld_Dan : Barenaked Ladies, TOOL, Journey, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, but that's all inconsequential... the kicker is I actually listen to video-game music. To that end, everybody should hear the soundtrack to Chrono Cross at least -once-.
Xbox_incabrain : Well, we're winding down our chat - maybe we can get a few more in
Xbox_incabrain : JediJared asks I would like to know how it was to develop for the XBox as opposed to other systems.
Xbox_incabrain : Anyone?
Oddworld_Chris : Developing for Xbox has been great!
Oddworld_Chris : The level of support is very strong and the machine leads the class in terms of power, memory, speed, etc.
Oddworld_Chris : done
Xbox_incabrain : PS2XBOXNGCRULZ asks Question: What other games do you people play?
Oddworld_Chris : Twister
Oddworld_Dan : It's nice to program for a system who's devkit manual isn't in Japanese.
Oddworld_Dan : Chrono Trigger for the SNES was the best storytelling I've seen in any game, though almost all Square RPGs move me… Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night on PSX was the finest exploratory adventure game I've played since Metroid…
Oddworld_Dan : and Bionic Commando for the 8-bit Nintendo was the straight-up mindless action game that I've revered for almost a decade now.
Oddworld_Chris : Crazy Taxi, Diablo II, Black And White...
Oddworld_Marquise : Centipede, Diddy Kong Racing, Paper Boy is a fav.
Oddworld_Chris : Done
Oddworld_Dan : Blaster Master on the NES, Curse Of The Azure Bonds for PC (as well as the other gold-box TSR games), Dragon Force for the Saturn, the Street Fighter arcade franchise, Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Haunted House on Atari 2600..
Xbox_incabrain : Um, Dan...
Oddworld_Chris : Dan once had a life but he lost it
Oddworld_Dan : *spins wildly out of control*
Xbox_incabrain : I need to counsel you if you're still playing Atari 2600 games
Oddworld_Dan : Feh, you young'uns these days...
Xbox_incabrain : Okay, well we're out of time...
Xbox_incabrain : dang it.
Oddworld_Chris : Dan, whats your favorite Vic 20 game..?
Oddworld_Marquise : awwwhhhh
Xbox_incabrain : We're very, very, grateful you took time to stop by. E3 is killing us over here too. It's gonna rock.
Oddworld_Dan : Uh... wasn't that the thing in the arcade in "Tron"?
Oddworld_Chris : Thanks everyone!
Oddworld_Dan : Goodbye all! I hope you like what you see at E3!
Oddworld_Marquise : Thanks! This was fun!
Xbox_incabrain : Hey - shameless plug - we're going to carry E3 live here on Xbox.com
Xbox_incabrain : Check back next week when we being our preliminary coverage.
Xbox_incabrain : Any parting gifts for your fans, Oddies?
Xbox_incabrain : They bugged out... so to speak
Xbox_incabrain : Thanks everyone! We'll post a transcript later today...
Xbox_incabrain : Those of you who missed Lorne in the first 20 minutes will want to check back then.
Xbox_incabrain : thanks for coming... we gotta get back to E3 stuff.
*Xbox_incabrain pouts.*