December 2, 2011 - Yoshiyuki Miyagawa Chrono Cross Memoirs
General Information[edit]
Japanese[edit]
あなたを必要とする理由・グラフィッカー募集の超補足
先日に引き続き新スタジオでのスタッフ募集FAQシリーズ、今日はグラフィック編です。
しかし、グラフィックさんって呼び方いろいろですよね。企画もいろいろでしたが。
グラフィッカー デザイナー アーティスト モデラー アニメーター キャラデザ エフェクト UI 背景画 絵師
っと、読み上げればキリがないのでざっくり「絵描き」「グラフィック」と呼ぶことが自分的には多いです。
しかし、各分野の経験者さんから言えば「おいおい、グラフィック募集って言うけど、いったいどんな分野の人材が欲しいんだい？」って話でもありますよね。
募集する側から言えば３D・２Dなどの作品サンプルを送っていただいて、これから作ろうとしてるゲームに是非この絵を入れたい！！採用だーー！！、という流れが望ましいのですが、もう少し方向性がわからないと、このスタジオで働きたいのかどうかもわかりにくいと思うので、今日は方向性の話をしたいと思います。
これまでの作品の方向性
これまで（株）ゼペットは社員のいない個人会社で、私が個人でモックアップを作り、絵もおおざっぱな原型を作った後に、グラフィックのプロの知人に委託して高いレベルの絵で作り直してもらうという手法をとってきました。
ちなみに私は絵はあんまり旨くないのですが、映像編集は昔から超やってて、これも私の編集だったりします。
（ポケベガについては公式サイト見れば、スクショもたくさんあるので分かりやすいと思います）
iYamatoとポケットベガス、この二つを例で言えば、iPhoneという超絶に大量のゲームが出る中、パッと見でユーザーの心に引っかかるモノがないと速攻で埋もれてしまうので、絵的に主題となるもの（iYamatoなら大和、ポケットベガスなら宇宙と地球）を決め、そこからプロの人が、ユーザーの心に深々と刺さるようにクオリティを磨きまくってもらう、という手法でやっています。
長所と短所
私が最初にゲームの原型を作り、各グラフィック担当者が磨いてく手法の長所として、「描いて絵を組み合わせてゲームにして見たら全然合わなくて１から企画のやり直し」といった一番がっくりくるパターンは無くなり、方向性の主題も明確なので、絵的な提案を暗中模索するリスクも激減できたと思います。
これまで、iPhoneゲームって比較的低予算な割に、確実にユーザーに刺さるものにしなければならない、という意識が強かったので、この手法は割と必然なものでした。
しかし、欠点がないわけではありません。
一番の問題はグラフィックサイドの提案を入れにくい流れになりがちと思いました。
なにせ、私が原型を作り、それを描き直してもらってお金を払うという仕組みなので、必然、全然別の提案をする行程がないんですよね。
また、これまではスタジオが無く、各自の作業場で仕事をするので、雑談でアイディアを出し合うということも少な目なものでした。
欠点克服に向けて
っというわけで、新スタジオでは皆がアイディアを出し合える行程＝雑談が面白くできるよう休憩スペースにはかなりこだわってます。
12畳の巨大和室がそのために割り当てられてるのですが、現在、続々と備品が搬入されてて、先日もドア並にでかい３Dテレビが入って来ました。
管理された進行も大事ですが、皆で会議室でネタだしするより、こうした部屋で同じもの見て笑ってアイディアの練りが深まるのって同じくらい大事と思うわけです。
ゲーム開発の現場ってプログラマ・デザイナ・企画で机も分かれてしまって、悪くすると職種間を超えて話すことも少なくなって、そうなると比例して自分の専門以外に関わるアイディアを出そうという気分も減ってく、そんなこともあると思います。
しかし、新スタジオは規模的にも設備的にも、ちょうど良い感じじゃないかと思ってて、「もっと意見を出してゲーム作ってきたいぜ！！」なグラフィックの人にはかなり、水を得た魚的に働いてもらえるのでは、、と私的には画策している所です。
どれだけデザイナーが大事か
新スタジオを作るということは、これから働くスタッフをもてなす心が大事なわけで、必然、選ぶ機材ももてなしの気持ちに恥じない一級のものを用意しまくってる今日この頃です。
特に、映像系のプログラマとグラフィックってお互いに尊重、もてなし合う心が死ぬほど大事なんですよね。
（一応、私は属性的にはプログラマ・・・コード書いてるより書類書く方が多いかもだけど。。）
特に、私がどれほどデザイナーを大事かと思ってるかを語る上で、スクウェアに在籍してた時代の恩人的なグラフィックの方々との仕事は外せない思い出です。
ほぼ余談でもありますが、デザイナがどれほど大事かを語るエピソードとして、ちょっと昔話を。
人生最大のピンチと人生最高の出世作
今でこそいろいろヒットを出してたり、社長という肩書きがあったり、資金を運用して社員を募集して次なるヒットを目指すぜ！、な、ゲーム・クリエーターライフを満喫（悪く言えば忙殺）ですが、そんな私も「人生ｵﾜﾀ＼(^o^)／」と思わざるを得ない暗黒の時期がありました。
私の経歴的には、個人的にはあまり嬉しくないのですがFinal Fantasy XIでメインプログラマだったことで「すげぇ！」的に言ってもらえることがあるのですが、嬉しくない理由としは、古い話だし、いろんなタイプの人が大勢いるプロジェクトの真ん中って大変なので、必然、良い思い出とは言い難い複雑な気持ちもいろいろあるのですが、やはりスクウェアに勤めた上でFFやったってのは少なからず自慢な話でもあるのは事実なのですが。。
そんな大役をいただく一個前のゲーム（クロノクロス）では、完全に詰み！というピンチを迎えて、退職もやむなしという状態だったりしました。
どんなピンチだったかと言うと、スタッフの割り当てが悪く「どう考えても自分で絵を描いた方がマシ」というグラフィックさんがチームに割り当てられ、随分と大変な思いをした思い出があります。
最終的には世に出たように、PS世代でも最高レベルのグラフィックになったのですが、プロジェクト終盤までは「同人レベルすぎる」という酷評を一身に浴びる羽目になった、暗黒のプロジェクトでした。
無論、全てのグラフィックさんが悪いわけでもなく、ずば抜けた人も多くいたプロジェクトだったのですが、この時、私は３Dグラフィックのアーキテクチャなどを担当してたのですが、特に担当してたエフェクト分野のグラフィックさんが、どうも心身ともに病んでしまった時期で上がるモノの質が著しく悪く、また、当時はエフェクトで作り出す映像次第で作品の３D技術の善し悪しを見られる時代でもあって、私の評価も清々しいほどに最悪でした（いろいろ悪いことが重なって初任給から一切給料も上がらなかったのも未だに定番の愚痴です）
そこで、クロノクロスでは、プロジェクトの半分の期間でプログラム関係を完了し、残りの期間で絵を描くという算段で進めることになるのですが（完全に同人のノリ）絵に集中出来ない、プログラムに集中してた時期に描く私の絵は輪をかけて悪く、「同人でもこんな酷いの無い」と言われながら、どんだけ不遇なことしてるのかわかってんのかてめぇ！な感じでやさぐれまくってもいました。
超効率化と統合システム
実際のところ、「そんな状況なら普通辞めるだろ」でも辞めずにいたのは当時は３Dゲーム時代の幕開けで（プレステ出た直後）、技術の進歩を作ってもっと凄いモノを見てみたいという欲求がとても強かったという理由が一つ。
もう一つは、今でこそ有名ですがQuakeやUnrealというゲームが出てたのもこの時代で、彼らも私同様、超個人レベルながらとんでもねぇゲームを作ってるというのを見て、自分も個人だからといってあきらめる気にはならなかったというか、「このままじゃいつか欧米に負ける！」という焦りも大きかった時でもありました（今や既に結果が出た感じでもありますが、この時はまだまだ負けねぇと思ってたんですよ）
会社自体は大きくなりつつあったなかで、クロノトリガーという超名作の続編でそこまで孤独ってのも変な話ですが、おそらく、Unreal作ったティムもQuakeのカーマックも、ぶち当たるのは効率の壁で、チームの大小関係なく、充実した深みと、たっぷり味わえるボリュームを作れる、環境の構築が大きな命題でした。
そこで、当時は珍しい、というか、他で作ってるのは聞いたことがないような統合環境を作り、カメラもライトもキャラ（キャラのアニメとかはインポート）もエフェクトも同時に編集できる状態にして、「おし、こっから先はグラフィックに集中だ！！」とざっくざっくと作り始めたのでした。
プロの壁
そうして作ったモノは最終的には「え、これ次世代機じゃないの？？」と言われるほど凄いものが量産されるようになるエンジンだったのですが、なにせ自分で用意した素材で動かしてる時は、「え、動きは凄いけど、なんか、、、微妙・・・」という感想ばかりで、変な話、グラフィックの増援はないけど、プログラマはいたので「プログラムだけでも増援すれば？」とか言い出されたりして、実際のところ、もしプログラマが増援されたら、当時は結構ぶっちぎりなレベルで実装してたので理解レベルが合わず無用なお荷物になるか、自分のレベルで仕事をされて（＝全体のレベルが下がる）それに見かねて私がキレて退職するかっていう、誰も得しない不毛な話ばかりが持ち上がりました。 （※随分と高飛車で恐縮ですが、当時は３Dは先端技術で、誰でも出来るというモノではなかったのです）
当たり前なのですが、欲しかったのはデザイナーだったのです（＾＾；
それでも、徹夜の連続で絵からプログラムから用意して微妙なレベルのゲームを作るという日が無情に続きました。
首の皮一枚での増援
そんな不遇の中、「どうやってもこのままでは間に合わない」という時期にさしかかると同時に、先行して発売したFF8のプロジェクトが終わったことで、そのスタッフを回してもらうという交渉を持ちかけることが出来ました。が、「ウチの一流スタッフをそんな弱小にはやれない」的なことを遠回しに言われる羽目になり、不遇さを満喫します（ウチのスタッフが欲しければXXちゃんの電話番号を聞いてこいと要求されるとか、弱みに存分につけ込まれました。ちなみに電話番号は聞いたのですが、彼氏がいるとのことでした）
そんな余談もありますが、マジで終わらなくてヤバイという状況に勝るものはなく、結局、開発期間のラスト２ヶ月限定として、その一流スタッフ達が来てくれることになります。
っが、最初はやはり、弱小チームなので、圧倒的に人員に余裕のあるFFチームに比べ、不自由なことになるのでは、という心配を増援スタッフ達がしてるのは聞かずともわかりました。
統合環境の衝撃
言うまでもなく、増援が決まってからというもの早く来てくれないかとそわそわしっぱなしで、いつ実際来て一緒に働いてくれるのか、日めくりカレンダーに毎日「あとXX時間！」と書き込みたいくらい、一分一秒を心待ちにしていました。
なにせ、それまで１年半も水一滴ない砂漠で井戸を掘るような仕事をしてましたし、グラフィックのプロがフォトショップでグラフィックを描いて一緒にゲームを作ってくれるなんて、冗談抜きで想像を絶する夢の環境とまで思うほどでした。
しかし、手前味噌ながら「夢の環境」という台詞は、弱小チームで働くのを心配してた一流グラフィックの人達がその後次々と漏らすようになっていきます。
増援スタッフの仕事始めの日、当然のようにいろいろと「あれはどうするの？」という質問が交わされるのですが、ほとんどの質問は「このツールにファイルを放り込めば編集画面に出てくるので、それを好きなところにおいてください」という答えで終わるもので、それまで、統合環境という文化がなく、必ず「カメラ担当」「ライト担当」「これはプログラマと相談」と細かく分業した人達と絵コンテなど起こしてから連携して作業をしてくのに慣れてた彼らは、一人で仕事が完結することのストレス軽減と、何度も調整できるやりやすさでのクオリティアップに、それまでFFチームでやってたより圧倒的少人数・圧倒的短期間で圧倒的なクオリティになっていくことに驚いてた感じでした。
用意した私としても、言うなれば一度もサーキットを一周回ったことがないF-１マシンをずっと作ってたようなもので、クビになる直前、初めてプロが乗って一周回ってくれたら、あまりの好タイムで失神してしまったような話で、一夜にしてクビの心配もしなくて済むようになった衝撃の日となりました。 (※実際のところ、クビってことはないと思うのですが、あの汚い絵のまま発売してたら恥ずかしくてクビつってたかも知れません）
当初はプロジェクト末期の短期の助っ人だった増援スタッフ達も、それまでと一線を画すものが出来ていくことに夢中になってくれたのか、あれこれと追加注文をしてくれるようになり、私もそれまでの孤独が吹き飛ぶ勢いでいろいろなアイディアをその日のウチに実現できるように、躍起になって実装してきました（プログラムに純粋に集中できたあの幸せは忘れられないですね）
結局、増援スタッフ達との仕事は一ヶ月延長されて３ヶ月ほどだったのですが、その短期間で全てのモノが塗り替えられ、「PS世代最高のグラフィック」と言われるまでになり、他チームへのエンジンの提供の相談が持ち上がったり、しまいには増援された一流スタッフ達が「ココで働くのがベスト」と漏らし初めてくれた延長か、「じゃぁ、このチームでFF作ればいいじゃん」の空気になったのか、クロノクロスチームはFinalFantasy XIの母体となっていったのでした。
そんな調子で作ったクロノクロスはこちら。今見ると、とてもメインメモリ２Mでやるレベルじゃねぇと自分的に思ったりします。
誰にも教えてない裏話ですが、実はラスボスが感動的に死ぬシーンが作られたあと、編集データがなんかの拍子で消える事件があり、プロジェクトの最後の最後で皆グロッキーだったので、記憶を便りに私が人知れず作り直してぶち込みました。 （２分２０秒あたり）
余談ですが、この一個前に作ったXenogeasのラスボスが死ぬシーンは、完成直前になって誰も作ってないことが発覚し、締め切り前日、これも徹夜で人知れず１から作ってぶち込みました。 自分的にはそこそこの出来じゃない？と思ってたんですが、やっぱプロのアート担当の人のがよほどイイモノを作るとクロノクロスで知ることになります。（５分５０秒あたり）
そんな苦労をしたあとのFinalFantasyXIでは、既にやり方も理解されてるし、人員不足で悩むこともなくなり、病的な作り込みをする人もどんどん増えて天候変化や時間変化など無限のバリエーションを用意したり、ホントに多くの人が使いこなしてくれています（今も使ってると聞くのでもう１２年以上使われてる環境！）
スクウェア（今はスクエニ）を退職する時、そんなアーティストのとこによって「なんか作ってるとこ見せてくださいよ」とお願いしたら、飴細工のように３分くらいで派手なシーンを作ってくれたのはイイ思い出です。
まさに、人は見た目で判断する
長い話でしたが、今も使わてるFF11の長寿エンジンの元を作ったクロノクロスも、作ってる時は新しいシステム過ぎる割に絵が酷いことで「プログラマーの空まわり」のように言われるだけでしたが、前述の増援スタッフが来たことで「前代未聞のエンジン」と言われるまでになり、その違いって人生が変わるくらいといっても過言じゃないと思うんですよね。
長かったですが、とにもかくも絵が大事と痛感した、私にとって忘れられないエピソードです。
アート好きなプログラマ
そんわけで映像関係は随分やったのですが、当然、そういうの大好きでやってたわけで、総じてグラフィック系プログラマは私に言わせれば、筆の代わりにプログラムを使うアーティストみたいなモノだと思います。
とりわけ、プログラマがアートを追求するメガデモというのが大好きで、文化の元祖であるAmiga500を高校生ながらバイトして買って、当時の王者State of the artを死ぬほど繰り返しみてました。
（700kbのディスクをブートした瞬間に音楽が鳴りだしてダンスが始まるクールさは電撃的な衝撃）
２０年前はフロッピー１枚でどんだけ表現が出来るかを競ってましたが、３Dシーンが計算で作れる現代ではファイルサイズ4k以下で音楽もグラフィックも生成して作る世界が流行ってます。
どちらも「おまえドンだけコンピュータの中にアートを見いだしてるんだよ」と突っ込まざるを得ない世界観を持ってますが、大事なのは、そういう追求心を持ってるプログラマとアーティストが出会うことに他なりません。
この手プログラマは常に、今あるマシンの可能性はまだまだ引き出せておらず、爆発的にそれまでの常識を超越した芸術があるハズだと思うように出来てるのですが、一言で言うととんでもない奴で、そのとんでもなさと同じ歩幅で歩けるプログラマとデザイナが合流した時の面白さったらハンパじゃないんですよね。
前述の通り、私は何年も良いデザイナーとの縁がなく飢えと苦しみの時代をさまよいましたが、そんな私と同様、素晴らしい絵の才能を持っていても、それをぶつけるプログラマーに出会えてない人もいると思います。
実は、募集的にはプログラマの方が早くに集まりつつあるのですが、募集時に提出してもらってる課題を見る上で、これはデザイナにもかなりのチャンスになりつつあるな、と唸らざるを得ない勢いを感じ始めています。
鬼に金棒
新スタジオでの募集を初めて２週間、既に「いずれ彼らはUnityの鬼になる」と思わせられる応募作がいくつかあり、私自身も来年は新しい次元での仕事が出来ると思い、非常にわくわくしています。
（応募作のレベルの高さを言うと、応募しようと思ってる人へのハードルを上げてしまうので言わないようにしてたのですが、、割と第一募集での定員間近で、かつ、レベルも高くなってしまったなぁ。。。と思います）
そんな彼らが、以前の私と同様、グラフィックの人員不足で力を出し切れない、という状況にするわけにはいかないという思いも強く、今回の補足を書きました。
特に今のようにUnityやUnrealなど、世界中の人が平等の武器を持ってる現代って、ある意味、鬼のように強くなる人と出会えるかが全てといっても過言ではないと思います。
そして、ここまで読んで「ぬぬ！？」と思うデザイナーの方は、自分の作品を何枚かZipに詰め込んで
geppetto.recruit@gmail.com
に是非メールしてください。詳しいことはコチラ
小さなスタジオなので、特定分野に特化した仕事というよりは、出来そうなものはいろいろとやってもらうと思いますが、既に集まってるメンツもUnityをベースに、なんでもやれる人が集ってるので、技術とアートの境目緩く、いろいろ楽しく話し合えるのではと思いますし、お互いに教えあえる仲間になってくれればと思います。
新スタジオでのプログラマ・デザイナの出会いで、かつての私のように、多くの人が良い方向へ変わるような仕事が出来る機会になることを願っています。
我々と共に、ベストiPhoneゲームを塗り替えましょう。
hotmiyacchi 8年前
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English[edit]
Reasons Why We Need You / Super Supplement to Graphic Recruitment
Continuing our FAQ series on recruiting staff for a new studio from the other day, today we have a graphics section.
But Mr. Graphics is called many different things, isn't it? There were many different projects, too.
Graphic artist Designer Artist Modeler Animators Character Designers Effects UI background painters Painter
There is no end to the list, so I often refer to myself as a "painter" or "graphic designer.
However, experienced people in each field may say, "Hey, hey, you say you are looking for a graphic artist, but what kind of person are you looking for? I think that's what they are saying.
From the recruiter's point of view, if you send us samples of your 3D and 2D artwork, and tell us that you would like to include these pictures in the game you are going to make, we will be happy to hire you! We want to hire you! However, I think it is difficult to know if you want to work at this studio if you don't know the direction of your work.
Direction of the work so far
I made mock-ups and rough prototypes, and then commissioned a professional graphic designer friend of mine to create high-level pictures for me.
Incidentally, I am not a very good artist, but I have been a video editor for a long time, and this is one of my edits.
(For more information about PocketVegas, please visit the official website, which has many screenshots.)
In the case of iYamato and PocketVegas, to use these two examples, there are a huge number of iPhone games out there, and if you don't have something that catches the user's attention at a glance, you'll be buried in the pack very quickly. We decide on a subject (Yamato for iYamato, Space and Earth for Pocket Vegas), and then have a professional polish the quality so that it will deeply touch the users' hearts and minds.
Pros and Cons
The advantage of the method where I first create the prototype of the game and then each graphic designer refines it is that it eliminates the most disappointing pattern of "I drew the pictures, combined them into a game, and when I tried it, it didn't fit at all, so I had to start the project over from scratch. The risk of groping in the dark for a pictorial proposal has also been drastically reduced.
Until now, iPhone games have been relatively low-budget, but we had a strong sense that we had to make sure the game would appeal to users, so this approach was rather inevitable.
However, it is not without its drawbacks.
The first problem was that it tended to make it difficult to include suggestions from the graphic side.
I would make a prototype, have it redrawn, and pay for the redrawing, so inevitably there was no process for making completely different suggestions.
Also, until now, we have had no studio and each person works in his or her own workshop, so there has been little opportunity to chat and exchange ideas.
Toward Overcoming Shortcomings
Therefore, in the new studio, we are very particular about the break space so that the process of sharing ideas can be interesting.
A huge 12-mat Japanese-style room has been allocated for this purpose, and equipment is being brought in one after another, and a 3D TV as big as a door came in the other day.
I think it is important to have a well organized process, but I think it is equally important to have a room like this to laugh at the same things and deepen the development of ideas, instead of having everyone in the meeting room to come up with new ideas.
In game development, the desks of programmers, designers, and project planners are divided, and if worse comes to worse, there is less opportunity to talk across occupational boundaries, which in turn reduces the desire to come up with ideas outside of one's own specialty.
However, I think the new studio is just right in terms of size and facilities, and I think it will be a great place for graphic artists to express their opinions and make games! I'm planning to make it possible for graphic designers who "want to have more opinions and make games!
How important are designers?
The creation of a new studio means that it is important to be hospitable to the staff who will be working there, so we are preparing a lot of first-rate equipment that does not shy away from the hospitality that we offer.
In particular, I have fond memories of working with the graphic designers who were my benefactors during my time at Square, and I cannot leave out how much I think designers are important.
Almost as an afterthought, I'd like to share an old story that illustrates how important designers are.
The biggest pinch of my life and the best success of my life
Now I've had a lot of hits, I have the title of president, I'm managing my funds, recruiting employees, and trying to get the next hit! I am enjoying (or worse, I am busy killing myself) the life of a game creator, but there was a dark period in my life when I had to think, "My life is over＼!
I was the main programmer for Final Fantasy XI, which is not something I am personally very happy about, but I have had people say, "Wow! The reason I am not happy is that it is an old story and it is hard to be in the middle of a project with many different types of people. I am proud of the fact that I worked for Square and played FF.
In the previous game (Chrono Cross), in which I was given such a big role, I was completely stuck! I was in such a pinch that I had no choice but to resign.
I remember how hard it was, because the staff assignments were so bad that the team was assigned a graphic artist who said, "No matter how you think about it, it would be better if I drew the pictures myself," and I had a very hard time.
In the end, the graphics were among the best of the PS generation, but by the end of the project, it was a dark project that received a lot of criticism for being "too much on the level of a doujinshi.
Of course, not all the graphic artists were bad, and there were many outstanding ones, but at that time, I was in charge of 3D graphic architecture, and one graphic artist in particular, who was in charge of effects, became very sick, both physically and mentally. The quality of the work was extremely poor, and at that time, the quality of the 3D technology could be judged by the images created by the effects, and my evaluation was so bad that it was refreshing (I still have the standard complaint that my salary did not increase at all from my starting salary due to a combination of various bad things). (I still complain about this as a standard complaint).
So, at Chrono Cross, we were supposed to complete the program in half of the project period and draw pictures in the remaining period (completely in the style of doujinshi), but I couldn't concentrate on the pictures, and my pictures were even worse than the ones I drew when I was concentrating on the program, and people said "even doujinshi don't have such bad pictures". I was told, "Even doujins don't have pictures this bad," and I was going through a period of being told, "Don't you realize how unfair you're being? I was also in a state of insanity.
Super Efficiency and Integrated Systems
In fact, one of the reasons I didn't quit, even though I would have quit under such circumstances, was that it was the dawn of the 3D game era (right after PlayStation came out), and I had a strong desire to make technological advances and see even more amazing things.
Another reason was that it was during this period that games such as Quake and Unreal, which are now famous, were being released, and like myself, I saw that they were making amazing games on a very personal level. If we don't do this, we will lose to the West someday! (I felt that the results had already been achieved, but at that time, I still thought that we would never lose).
It's strange to be so lonely in a sequel of a great game like Chrono Trigger, but both Tim, who made Unreal, and Carmack, who made Quake, probably hit the wall of efficiency, and it was a big challenge to create an environment where we could create a full, deep, and enjoyable volume, regardless of the size of the team. The big challenge was to create an environment that would allow us to create a full, deep, and enjoyable volume of work, regardless of the size of the team.
We created an integrated environment that was rare at the time, or at least I had never heard of it being created anywhere else, where cameras, lights, characters (importing character animations and the like), and effects could all be edited at the same time, and we said, "Okay, let's concentrate on graphics from here on! I started to create the graphics in a jiffy.
The Wall of Professionals
The end result was something so amazing that people said, "Oh, isn't this a next-generation machine? But when I ran the engine with the materials I had prepared, all I could think was, "Well, the movement is great, but it's kind of... subtle..." The funny thing is, I didn't have any graphic reinforcements, but I did have a programmer, so I thought, "Why not just reinforce the program? Why don't we just reinforce the program?" In fact, if the programmers were sent in, they would either become a useless burden because their level of understanding did not match mine, since I was implementing at a level that was pretty much off the charts at the time, or they would work at my level (which would lower the overall level) and I would lose my temper and resign, which would be to no one's benefit. All these sterile discussions were brought up. (*I am sorry to sound so high-handed, but 3D was a cutting-edge technology at that time, and not just anyone could do it.)
It was obvious, but it was the designers who wanted it.
Even so, I spent many all-night nights preparing pictures and programs to create a game at a delicate level.
Reinforcement by the skin of my neck
In the midst of such unfavorable circumstances, we reached a point where we knew we would not make it no matter how we tried, and at the same time, we were able to negotiate to bring in staff from the FF8 project, which had been released earlier in the year. However, I was told in a roundabout way that "we can't give our top-notch staff to such a small company," and I enjoyed the unfavorable treatment (I was taken advantage of to the fullest extent, such as being asked to get XX-chan's phone number if I wanted our staff. I asked for her phone number, but she told me she had a boyfriend.)
) But nothing can beat a situation like this, and in the end, these top-notch staff members came to us for the last two months of the development period only.
But at first, I could tell without listening to them that they were worried that they would be inconvenienced because they were a small team, compared to the FF team, which was overwhelmingly well-staffed.
The Impact of an Integrated Environment
Needless to say, ever since the reinforcements were announced, I have been anxiously awaiting their arrival, wondering when they would actually come and work with us. I was looking forward to every minute of the day so much that I wanted to write on my daily calendar, "XX more hours!
I had been digging a well in the desert without a drop of water for a year and a half, and the idea of having a graphics professional draw graphics in Photoshop and work with me to create a game was, no joke, an unimaginable dream environment.
However, the phrase "dream environment" was uttered one after another by top graphic artists who were worried about working for a small team.
On the first day of work for the reinforcement staff, the question "What are you going to do about that? Most of the questions ended with the answer, "Throw the file into this tool and it will appear on the editing screen, then put it wherever you want. They were accustomed to working with people who had a detailed division of labor, such as storyboarding, and they were amazed at the stress reduction of having only one person to complete the work, and the improvement in quality due to the ease of making adjustments over and over again, and the overwhelming improvement in quality with a much smaller number of people and in a much shorter time than the FF team had previously worked with. I was amazed at the quality that was achieved with a much smaller number of people and in a much shorter period of time than the FF team had been able to achieve.
It was like building an F-1 car that had never driven around a circuit before. Just before I was fired, a professional drove the car around the circuit for the first time and the time was so good that I fainted. It was a shocking day when I no longer had to worry about it. (*Actually, I don't think I was fired, but if I had released the product with that dirty picture, I would have been fired out of embarrassment.)
The reinforcement staff, who had initially been short-term help at the end of the project, became so absorbed in the creation of something so different that they began to order more and more things, and I was so excited to be able to implement various ideas on the same day that my loneliness had been shattered. (I will never forget how happy I was to be able to focus purely on the program.)
In the end, I worked with the reinforcements for about 3 months, but in that short period of time, everything was painted over and it was called "the best graphics of the PS generation", we were asked to provide engines for other teams, and eventually, the reinforcements were asked to provide the first-class engine for other teams. Perhaps it was the extension of the first time that staff members mentioned that working here was the best place for them to work, or perhaps it was the atmosphere that said, "Well, why don't we just use this team to make a FF?
Here is the Chrono Cross we made in that fashion. When I look at it now, I think to myself that it's not really at the level of what I could do with 2M of main memory.
I never told anyone the backstory, but after the scene where the last boss dies emotionally, there was an incident where the editing data disappeared for some reason, and everyone was groggy at the end of the project. (around 2 minutes and 20 seconds)
As a side note, the scene where the last boss of Xenogeas dies, which I made before this one, was discovered just before completion that no one had made it, so the day before the deadline, I worked all night to make it again from scratch without anyone knowing. I thought it was pretty good. I thought it was pretty good, but I came to know through Chrono Cross that a professional art director can make a much better product. (around 5:50 min.)
After all these hardships, Final Fantasy XI has already been well understood, and we don't have to worry about the shortage of staff. (I hear that many people are still using it, so it has been in use for more than 12 years!)
When I was leaving Square (now Square-Eni), I went to one such artist and asked him to show me what he was working on, and he created a spectacular scene in about 3 minutes, like a candy craft.
It's just like that, people are judged by their looks.
It's a long story, but when we were making Chrono Cross, which was the basis of the long-lasting engine for FF11 that is still in use today, the pictures were terrible for a system that was too new, and people just called us "programmers running on empty". I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the difference is life-changing.
It was a long story, but it is an unforgettable episode that made me realize the importance of pictures.
A programmer who loves art.
I have been involved in the visual arts for a long time, but of course I loved it, and in general, graphic programmers are like artists who use programs instead of brushes, if I may say so.
In particular, I loved the mega-demos in which programmers pursued art, and I bought an Amiga 500, the original of the culture, with a part-time job while still in high school, and watched the champion of the time, Tate of the Art, over and over again to my death.
(The coolness of booting a 700kb disk and having the music start playing and the dancing begin was electrifying).
Twenty years ago, people competed to see how much expression they could achieve on a single floppy disk, but today, when 3D scenes can be created computationally, the world is a place where music and graphics can be generated and created with a file size of less than 4k. The trend is to create music and graphics with a file size of 4K or less.
Both of them have a view of the world that compels you to say, "How much art do you find in computers?
This kind of programmer is always made to think that the potential of the machine we have now has not yet been tapped, and that there must be some art that will explode and transcend the conventional wisdom, but in a word, he is an extraordinary guy, and when a programmer and designer who can walk in the same stride as that extraordinary guy join forces, it is interesting. It's a great fun when programmers and designers who can walk in the same stride as the outrageousness join forces.
As mentioned above, I wandered through a period of hunger and suffering without a good designer for many years, and like me, I think there are people who have great drawing talent but have not found a programmer to put it to use.
In fact, from a recruiting standpoint, programmers are getting together faster, but in looking at the assignments we are asking people to submit when we are recruiting, I am beginning to feel the momentum that is forcing me to groan and say that this is becoming quite an opportunity for designers as well.
the devil is in the details
Two weeks have passed since we started accepting applications for the new studio, and we have already received several submissions that make us believe that they will eventually become Unity demons, and I myself am very excited about the new level of work that we will be able to do next year.
(I didn't want to mention the high level of the entries because it would raise the bar for those who are thinking of applying, but the first call was rather close to capacity and the level of the entries was also high. (I think).
Especially nowadays, with Unity, Unreal, etc., where people all over the world have equal weapons, it is not too much to say that in a sense, it is all about whether you can meet someone who is as strong as a demon.
And if you read this far and think, "Nuh-uh!" If you are a designer who thinks "Nuh-uh!", pack some of your own work into a Zip.
) I wrote this supplement because I strongly felt that I could not allow them to be in a situation where they could not fully demonstrate their abilities due to the lack of graphics staff, as I had been in the past.
geppetto.recruit@gmail.com
Please email us at for more details.
We are a small studio, so rather than specializing in a particular field of work, we will ask you to do whatever you think you can do, but since we already have a group of people who can do anything based on Unity, I think we can have a lot of fun discussing things and loosening the boundaries between technology and art. I hope they will become friends who can teach each other.
I hope that the meeting of programmers and designers at the new studio will provide an opportunity to work together to change many people for the better, just as it did for me in the past.
Together with us, let's rewrite the best iPhone game.
hotmiyacchi 8 years ago
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Newer Article (2011-12-09)
FAQs for the imaphone interview
Past Article (2011-11-22)
Developers wanted☆Story about the part of creating excitement for a game.
From: Interviews