09.09.2010 19:53
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[JPV]XXX Interview
How would you describe yourself?
I am 41 years old, have two children and a wife, and only have time for Vietcong while at work or while taking care of the children.
What is your profession (other than making "cooperative (COOP)" game type based missions for Vietcong)?
I work as a freelance IT engineer; however, my goal was to become a computer game developer, which is not possible, as the console game market is the mainstream of the game industry here in Japan. Additionally, I did not find any of the Japanese computer games interesting.
What part of Japan are you from?
I live in the Chiba region, which is located next to Tokyo.
Computers are rumoured not to be widespread in Japan. What are your thoughts about computer gaming in your country?
In my opinion, the following are the reasons as to why computers are not so widespread in Japan. They are both expensive, and the educational system and computer spread policies are poor.
Most of the attractive computer games are developed outside of Japan. Japanese people have a tendency to avoid games that are not translated to their native language, which is because most Japanese persons do not speak foreign languages. Another fact is that Japan contains a particular culture called "anime". Most console game developers bear this culture in mind, and therefore create successful games for our country, which attracts the younger crowds.
Unfortunately, Japan does not have many computer game developers, and multiplayer games are not common due to Internet connection circumstances.
In terms of game development, Japan is eminent for its console systems. Are you an owner of a PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system or an Xbox video game system?
I am an owner of the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. However, I have not been using it much recently.
What is the difference between computer gaming and console gaming in your opinion?
I believe that the depth and quality of computer games are superior to console games. Computer games have large communities that create modifications, which are not available in the console communities. Computers also feature superior hardware, which also results in fewer limitations for its games, in contrary to consoles. For example, when playing the single player mode of a game, the artificial intelligence needs to be of high quality, as seen in Vietcong, in contrary to console games, which feature limited artificial intelligence due to the hardware specifications. However, multiplatform games are more common these days, which is a sad thing for computer enthusiasts.
What are the most known computer games in Japan in the first person shooter genre, and which computer game do you prefer?
Today's most known computer games are, in my opinion, Counter Strike, Call of Duty, Medal of Honour, Battlefield 1942, and Enemy Territory. I personally play Vietcong and Hidden and Dangerous 2 over the Internet with the "cooperative (COOP)" game type a lot, and I occasionally see myself playing Enemy Territory due to the team play.
How did you obtain a copy of the Vietcong game? Even though it was noticeable in retailers in Tokyo, it was well hidden behind other games.
When Vietcong was initially released, I somehow found a copy of the American version in a retailer in Tokyo and bought the game. At that time, I did not know of the title or anything about Vietcong, as I had not seen any advertisements before the release of the game. After having played the American version, I decided to purchase a copy of the United Kingdom and Japanese versions through an Internet web site.
Is the Vietcong game well-known among Japanese computer gamers?
Vietcong is, unfortunately, not well-known here in Japan. Even though Electronic Arts Japan released a Japanese version of the game, it seemed as if they did not advertise it much. Moreover, they decided not to release the Vietcong Fist Alpha add-on in the Japanese language, which consequently made many Japanese Vietcong fans leave the game.
How did you gain knowledge of writing scripts for Vietcong, and what were the most difficult problems that you were experiencing during this?
I studied the C# language to some extent, but did not use it frequently until I started creating scripts for Vietcong.
The difficult part of creating the scripts is to read the Vietcong Scripting manual, to add friendly AI, writing scripts for the Vietcong fighters, and creating standard scripts (JPV COOP Standard Scripts). In my opinion, the most difficult part is to seek features that operate with the multiplayer mode of Vietcong in the "cooperative (COOP)" game type.
What is, in your opinion, your best scripted level for Vietcong?
My best scripted levels for Vietcong are "[JPV] Betrayer" and "[JPV] Hamburger Hill". However, I personally do not think that they are good enough, as I have not obtained a copy of 3D Studio Max, and therefore only attempted to create scripts for previously created levels. However, people who play my multiplayer maps will still be able to enjoy the game scenarios, as well as, in my opinion, a well-scripted environment.
Considering both the programming and testing involved in creating new functional scripts, how long does it averagely take you to make a modification for Vietcong?
When attempting to add new features, it averagely takes up to one month, with a three-hour involvement per day, to assure that the new functions work. However, if I make use of the "JPV COOP Standard Scripts", it approximately takes three days to create, due to the simple use of the scripts. I additionally contact twenty excellent beta testers, who help and send suggestions for the levels.
I created the "JPV COOP Standard Scripts" last September, and have made use of it to create new multiplayer maps ever since. I am currently considering adding new features to the script pack; however, it will most likely require a patch for Vietcong to be released.
What is, in your opinion, the best feature of Vietcong?
The best features of Vietcong are the excellent AI behaviours and "cooperative (COOP)" game type. The artificial intelligence makes the mentioned game type much more enjoyable than in other games. I furthermore believe that PTERODON's modification support is excellent, which adds to the pleasant experience of the game. However, considering the excellent AI, I would like PTERODON to enhance the "cooperative (COOP)" game type.
Overall, I personally feel that no other game than Vietcong has featured such tense and excellent single- and multiplayer experiences.
Which feature would you personally have removed or changed in the next Vietcong game?
I would like to enhance the realism of Vietcong with new weapon damages, specifically if a player is shot, he would find it difficult to walk and lose his sight. However, such features are not common for a game, and therefore require an option to enable or disable the feature. I would furthermore like to see an option to enable environmental weather changes in the server settings, new weapons and missions based on the history of the Vietnam War, and, of course, the features that are available in the "JPV COOP Standard Scripts".
PTERODON is presumably not a well-known company in Japan. However, we are interested to find out if Japanese people know our home country, the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic has many experienced game developers. Most Japanese fans of computer games know the Operation Flashpoint game, needless to say that the techniques used by PTERODON are of high quality as well.
We, in Japan, are also paying attention to the next Vietcong game, and are looking forward to support PTERODON in the future.
I would like to thank everyone at PTERODON for interviewing me, and for giving me the opportunity of speaking about myself. It has been a great honour.
We would like to thank [JPV]XXX for participating in the interview, and inform you readers of his personal web site dedicated to his work for Vietcong at http://pc-netgames.com/.
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In terms of game development, Japan is eminent for its console systems. Are you an owner of a PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system or an Xbox video game system?)
Is the Vietcong game well-known among Japanese computer gamers?)
Considering both the programming and testing involved in creating new functional scripts, how long does it averagely take you to make a modification for Vietcong?)
PTERODON is presumably not a well-known company in Japan. However, we are interested to find out if Japanese people know our home country, the Czech Republic.