Products
Examples
Interview
Simultaneous Release On Three Platforms
The Role of Middleware in The SOULCALIBUR II Project.
Platform
Products Installed
CRI ADX / CRI Sofdec / CRI Clipper
Middleware - fast becoming a must-use tool to improve efficiency and quality.
Facilitator: Actually, this is the first time CRI middleware has been used across three platforms. I'd love to hear your comments on what it was like using our middleware with 3 different types of hardware.
Yotoriyama: Without using it, we would not have been able to release SOULCALIBUR II in the timetable we did. We are really grateful that both Sofdec and ADX worked so well with all three platforms.
To tell you the truth, when we were creating the production schedule for this game, we realized that it would be impossible to complete it within the time-frame assigned to us by the company (laughs). So we had to start thinking about how to make the impossible possible, and the idea came up of using middleware. With the structure of Namco in the past, the idea of using middleware was not even an option. But we were put in the position of having to do something, anything - in order to realize SOULCALIBUR II - even if it meant breaking free from past molds.
Oshimi: So you used middleware for the first time?
Yotoriyama: Yes. To be honest, I personally was not entirely convinced of middleware's practical usefulness. But when the programmers told us "If we don't use this middleware, we'll be in deep trouble!", I had to give it a chance! (Laughs.) We made the decision just last October.
I really feel that we succeeded in this undertaking thanks to CRI's ADX and Sofdec.
Obama: In fact, the results we achieved and the trust built up in the process of using CRI middleware have become well known throughout the company.
Yotoriyama: Yes, yes. When talking with other Namco producers, they'll start asking me "How was ADX?" or "So, how did Sofdec work for you?" It even becomes a topic of conversation in discussions with developers from other companies. And every time I tell them, very honestly, that I was very happy to have used middleware. I intend to make active use of middleware again in future game development projects with the current team.
Oshimi: But it must have been very difficult to use a new technology for the first time. Even if the programmers say they want to use it, I imagine you had to convince other people in the company of the necessity of using middleware.
Yotoriyama: Yes, true. It was necessary to make certain adjustments within the company. But Namco has a very creator-oriented philosophy, and decisions are made on a project-to-project basis - it's an environment where if the producer says "We're gonna use this!", then that decision is respected.
Of course, not all game companies are like this, but I really think that the concept of taking full advantage of third party technology such as middleware and other tools to continually improve efficiency is something that the industry as a whole could benefit from.
Obama: That's a role that I would love to see CRI take on.
Oshimi: That's just one of the reasons we are so happy that middleware was used on SOULCALIBUR II. It was a simultaneous release on three platforms, all three versions run smoothly on their respective platforms, and they are all of impeccable quality. It really is the perfect promotion for us. In fact, at an Xbox middleware event last month and a PlayStation 2 developer-oriented conference held in America, we used SOULCALIBUR II as the subject of our presentation. And let me tell you, each time it received a lot of attention.
