The『Monster Hunter World』Team discuss the complex development history of the Zora Magudaros and other game features such as the Pillaging and Automatic Compounding system! (Complete edition)
By KBJ on November 2, 2017
Translated by: mimemindmine
http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/001/621/1621848/
Capcom announced in an interview that the Playstation 4 version of Monster Hunter World will be released on January 1, 2018.
From Left to Right: Mr. Fujioka, Mr. Tokuda, and Mr. Tsujimoto
This is the latest entry into the Monster Hunter franchise and the Hunting-Action game genre. The team has constructed and given life to a new world filled with a rich diversity of terrains and ecosystems. By forcing the player to utilize all their resources, the team hopes to allow the player to personalize the hunter-gather life style.
This interview occurred at Capcom’s Osaka branch during the Media Tour event. The interview participants include Mr. Tsujimoto Ryozo (the game’s producer), Mr. Fujioka Kaname (the series’ Executive Director and Art Designer) and Mr.Tokuda Yuya (the game’s Director). These three will discuss the game’s current development status, circumstances, and the team’s current fixation on the setting and its impact on the franchise’s mechanics.
From here on, titles will be omitted.
Domestically and internationally, the demo has been reviewing well.
— So, how is the current development?
Tsujimoto: We’re at the final stage and are currently bug testing! We’re hoping that there won’t be any major bugs on release.
— Why have you participated in this Media tour?
Tsujimoto: We wanted to see and measure the player feedback. We didn’t really have an opportunity to do so before. So, when we saw an opportunity the Media Tour, we wanted to let people try and play our game.[1]
(Interviewer’s aside: Later, I planned on seeing the team’s workplace in Osaka. Since they were almost done with the game, my chance to see the place was shrinking. Despite their busy schedule, they still allowed me to see the place.)
At the Tokyo Gameshow, domestic players tried the Demo. How was the Feedback？
Tsujimoto: I’m really happy with the feedback— there’s been a lot of positive feedback and a wide variety of opinions. We consistently ran out of tickets, so a lot of people will have to wait till this fall to personally experience the game. [2]
Fujioka: Because the people playing were smiling delightfully, I was put at ease. Since a twenty-minute demo isn’t enough to truly understand the game, the people who came to the event asked us a lot questions. The range of questions had such a wide range and we couldn’t answer them all this time. Thus, we’ve been considered making time to introduce some more details.
Tsujimoto: Anyways, the reaction to character creation was especially amazing.
Tokuda: Yeah, that process confirms my belief that Japan loves to have creative options.
Tsujimoto thought we could save time when he asked, “Isn’t it fine if we only have male characters?” However, our development staff worked hard to create cute female characters and I didn’t want to propose something impossible. So, we happily published their work. (Laughs)
Fujioka: A member of the character creation team told me that he was “glad for the positive feedback.” There were a lot of comments that felt that the character creation was creatively liberating and whenever someone commented that it (the character creation) was great, I didn’t realize it was that important to people until I had opened Pandora’s box. I think that discussion was a weight off their shoulders. [3]
Tokuda: We were able to explain the component of the battle system, but it was a surface level explanation and further explanation was delayed until the Tokyo Game Show. This time we were finally able to publicly discuss the nitty-gritty details. The members in charge of the battle system were delighted and were exclaiming, “Finally! Our turn has come!” They were quite happy to hear the feedback and they are still looking quite pleased with themselves.
The playtest received an incredibly warm reaction. And people who had played Monster Hunter and had their interest renewed. During the Tokyo Game Show and Gamescom, the test demo was cleared by almost everyone and it was universally reported that the degree of difficulty was a selling point.
By the way, in the Tokyo Game Show there was 1 instance each for a single player and a multiplayer team to successfully suppress the Ratholos. There were no reports about the mission being unbalanced or disappointing, however we had about five instances where the player was forcefully retired. So, the difficulty seems just about right. (Laughs)
Fujioka: In this game, outside of specific target quests, the difficulty level will fluctuate and add additional difficulty to those who seek to challenge themselves with monster suppression. However, this is something that any challenger would understand. To put it simply, the player is expected to gather information before taking the challenge head on.
Tokuda: Speaking of gathering information — At Gamescom, there was a group of people that made it their goal to suppress a Ratholos. For two consecutive days, they came to our booth. And while they had incredibly enthusiastic strategy meetings, the still started blaming each other when they failed the quest.[4]
Tsujimoto: How incredibly human! Wonder if it’s like that outside of Japan.
Monster Hunter’s booth line at Gamecom.
Fujioka: We’ve received various reactions from the international community. Even at the Tokyo Game Show, there were a lot of foreign players and I’m still trying to gauge their reactions.
Tsujimoto: Our reception at the Tokyo Game Show was especially large this time. I think those who couldn’t try the demo at Gamescom gathered to try it at the Tokyo Game Show.
What do you think the players are going to come and ask about?
Tsujimoto: I’m worried about the sheer volume of their inquiries.
Fujioka: I predict that there will be a lot of questions about the environments and monsters though.
—In Japan, there’s a heavy density of people playing Monster Hunter. To the people who are only playing the main story, would you consider the campaign worthwhile?
Fujioka: When you play the same game, you countlessly revisit the same places. This time we tried to spice it up a little: there are new things to discover and the mission structure has been altered. We feel that these changes are important as it will help the player understand the game’s “world” better and allow for a more enjoyable experience.
—I was astonished by the level of detail in the tutorial screen. Can we talk more about that?
Tsujimoto: That was carefully designed. Because of the stronger hardware, the UI could demonstrate more minute details.
Fuijoka: In addition, the presentation screen is large and attention to detail is this generation’s specialty. Previous screen resolutions really can’t compare. So, we had to adapt to that.
The terror of the Aberrant Zorah Magdaros!?
— Before I even started playing the game, I felt that the Zorah Magadaros was going to be an issue. That feeling only grew as the story progressed.
Tokuda: Well, it was in the opening sequences, so that might be a natural reaction. Before arriving to the new area, series veterans already know what to expect. So, to create any kind of player agency, we needed something that would leave an impression. It had to be something that regular players would understand, something that could restrict player freedom, and something that would inspire players to explore and survey the land. We were hoping to create that kind of level design.
Fujioka: We wanted to inspire caution onto the players and encourage them to gradually become bolder.
Tsujimoto: Because I decided to accommodate for the player, I thought of an easily understandable narrative structure that would “lead and convince the player to want seek progress.”
—Well, that sounds like a key quest. So, are there going to be “Liberation” quests like that?
Tokuda: In this game, we made it difficult to get lost while you are trying to progress. “If you do this mission, you will progress” was something we wanted each mission to confirm. In the previous games, even if players were constantly playing, there were times where they would ask, “Why aren’t I progressing?” So, we wanted to avoid that this time.
—Stories involving ecological investigation have been done before. In fact, this franchise has already explored this theme. Admittedly, I feel that this entry dives deeper into this theme than its predecessors.
Fujioka: Upon reaching the Coral Highlands, this game’s setting makes you wonder what happened to the environment bit by bit. Before arriving to that question, the player’s interaction to the world is interrupted by the Zorah Magadaros.
—Can you tell us about the Zorah Magadaros?
Fujioka: When this monster begins its Elder Dragon Migration, the player begins the story in a party of five. As they play through the story, they will come to understand the Zorah Magadaros.
Tsujimoto: It is currently the largest monster in the series.
Fujioka: The player will understand that the monsters are environmental burdens that must be dealt with. In comparison to the daily quests, confronting the Zorah Magadaros will surely be treated as a climatic event.
Tokuda: Because of its enormous size, developing and balancing this monster has been especially difficult. (Tokuda releases out a strained expression)
Fujioka: Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that: The Monster and Environment development teams operate separately. They do their fair share of work, but because the Monsters are burdening the environment, they are occasionally forced to work together. In those situations, people have asked: “Who’s in charge?”
Fujioka: Somewhere along the line, we formed an unusual team. While the Environment team has been asked to revise their work, the situation isn’t one-sided: The Environment Team also dictates how some monsters must be designed and how their behavioral habits must be animated. In our situation, it is hard to coordinate our teams and know who’s in charge.
Tokuda: As a matter of fact, throughout the game’s development, modifying a monster to better fit the environment and then bug testing the new adjustment was our most time consuming, but necessary task.
Fujioka: Furthermore, if the decision to create a monster larger than the Zorah Magadaros was made, we would have a difficult problem on our hands. If we were to properly make a monster of that size, it would certainly be a monster called “The Walking Earth.”
What’s with the Garnish!? A Master Chef Fixation towards the approaching Deadline.
—You have been telling me about several narrative points, however it also feels like the team has been absorbed with other elements as well.
Fujioka: I oversaw the story’s development. So, whenever I'm asked to present on the topic, I imagine how the story came together and how the details were ironed out. When there are cut-scenes, I recall how we worked on subtly invoking emotion while creating a smooth transition.
Tsujimoto: In previous games, we created an opening cinematic for each monster’s stage entrance. But, this time it was decided that the monsters will emerge in real time. So, that also has impacted development.
Fujioka: The designers put in a lot of effort into making the assets. So, we had plenty of material to work with to make something narratively tight. For that reason, the scenes were prepped and the story was adjusted to create something like a well-crafted movie. We wanted to invoke some sort of feeling, so that people would feel excited and happy during the real-time events.
—Speaking of that, when the camera closed on the hunter's face, I was really surprised.
Fujioka: It was decided that we were going to include facial expressions. So, we utilized the close-up to make certain feelings less difficult to understand. The player alone decides to leave and I think that widens the player's agency.
— Can that even be true if the Hunter has no voice in this game?
Fujioka: The player's avatar is the protagonist. During a cutscene, the character is voiceless. However, players will inject a personality onto the Hunter. If we chose the hunter’s voice and personality, it would solidify a character. Thus, to allow for projection to occur, we decided that the hunter had to have no lines.
—This has nothing to do with the story, but the ending scene at the food hall, when the Master Chef gently garnishes the dish with leaves was well made.
Tokuda: Gently placing the leaves... (Laughs)
Fujioka: It was a small detail, but...it was skillfully done. (laughs)
Tsujimoto: Wait. That could be considered a skill!? (Laughs)
Fujioka: Whenever a higher level is obtainable, the natural reaction is to fixate on getting better.
—Is it possible to meet up with that person responsible for that scene's creation?
Fujioka: That scene was a team effort, however there was a member that came up with the idea. "I sound important, but I really didn’t do anything..." are the humble feelings of this mastermind you are referring to. (Laughs)
Stressing the game's sheer scale
—Could you tell us about your conceptual vision of our setting?
Tokuda: The conceptual design of this game is based off a survey party. The Survey Corps is composed of five divisions and each have a long history. In other words, this game's concept situates the player as a member of the Survey Corp where you are supposed to expand and civilize new territory.
Fujioka: By utilizing the material that they had transported and by deforesting the area around their boat, the survey party would manage to create their living quarters. The Second Division’s worth would become clear after this is done; they are composed of engineers and craftsman and will be tasked with using raw material to craft supplies. The third division would generally be away from camp; their duty would be to scout around the area. And the forth division to material allocation. In addition to this, there will be numerous people residing around the area.
In this way, the divisions feel like they are working towards expanding their territory. The player gets to choose the color and personalize the design of their core's flag.
—There has been a lot information shared about the vastness of the setting. I don't think I've had even time to process everything. [5]
Fujioka: We wanted to make a setting that people could feel like they could get lost in, so we decided against making a compact environment and went for a wider level design.
Tokuda: The scope of the investigation was supposed to feel like you are mapping out an entire continent. To do that, we created a setting that was so huge, that the topography and boundaries of reality remained unclear.
—To help players navigate through this world, I felt that the NPCs had to have more realistic names, so that they would be easily understood and somewhat familiar.
Tokuda: We had spent a decent amount of time considering the names of the NPCs. However, the player has a lot on their plate in this new world. So, we designed the characters to have a memorable name that could indicate their purpose.
Fujioka: Whenever it was possible, we wanted to consistently present an idea that was easily understood, so in this game, the characters were designed to indicate their role and relation to the game.
—In this game, it's incredibly easy for newbies to understand the equipment structure.
Fujioka: That was the part that Tokuda had been especially mindful of. In recent years, skill variety has increased and equipment sets that activate only one skill have become unfavorable. This development has encouraged players to forge various armor sets and we wanted to simplify the process. So now, the equipment structure has been changed and you only need one piece to enjoy a specific skill.
We are hoping that this would allow players to more whimsically choose their armor sets. So, starting from a single piece and then customizing your armor has become easier, we think.
Tsujimoto: Well, we still think that the cost and material will still limit a lot of players, but it still encourages players to try new ways of making the best defensive gear.
Tokuda: Even though the Equipment system has been simplified, it’s still fun. If one understands the equipment system, then they could more easily control their production costs. However, that won't necessarily be the case. (laughs)
—The equipment this time around looks a bit more realistic.
Fujioka: When you play, you generally only see the back of your character, but since the armor is now organized by parts, various designs are now possible. We are hoping that more people would use the preview option at the blacksmith's so that they could see the minute details.
—Speaking of gear, there's a wide variety of cool, cute, and even joke armor sets in the game. Do you mind talking about that?
Fujioka: We were thinking about how to switch between gear easily. One of the consequences of the armor variety is that the player’s silhouette is not naturally static. This lead us to become more conscious about the player’s individuality and the kind of tone they wish to project.
—Whenever a part breaks off, players get an extra carve/carve another material, but the limb remains.
Tokuda: Carving is intertwined with chance. In other words, this section is essentially a lottery. It's the same with ore, but feels different. When you are mining, it’s a bit easier to remain level headed about the drops and you are more concern about maximizing the number of drops you receive before the deposit disappears.
Fujioka: However, that’s not same with severed pieces. Because players get distracted by their extra carve, we leave the limb behind.
Tokuda: However, when players get that rare material, they forget about their initial tension and curiosity and start celebrating.
Fujioka: It doesn’t look like you agree with that. (laughs) When people do something, they hope for the optimal outcome.
― Playing with a headset, I felt like I could faintly sense the monsters' presences. I was using an ordinary headset, yet I still found myself immersed by the game's atmosphere. And that surprised me.
Tsujimoto: You are picking up on Yamaha's stereophonic sound synthesis technology, the ViReal. It may be a normal set of headphones, but the system was designed to be three dimensional. While Yamaha does not sponsor us, we have utilized their technology.
Tokuda: On the 3DS, we tried implementing this system so that players would know what direction a monster had roared from. We thought it was a great system and wanted the system to be enjoyed even with normal headphones. Depending on the surrounding environment, the sound would reverberate, so I definitely recommend that players play with headphones.
Fujioka: It is an incredibly immersive system, so I sincerely hope that players would try and experience this system for themselves.
In addition, the Background music has also been changed from previous games. The music will change depending on the situation: even when a monster is running away, or when the hunter is being chased, or even when a fight is interrupted, the background music will change. To accommodate for that, the composer had to surpass a difficult hurdle and develop a score that could blend past themes together.
—How was the music chosen?
Fujioka: When it comes to choosing our score, there’s are a few rules that we follow: the BGM must have a seamless transition, the sound design should compound the player’s tension, but not rattle them to the point of inaction. Those were some of the rules and goals that we had agreed upon from the very beginning.
Tokuda: The sound design adapts to the player’s actions. For example, the player’s distance from the monster will adjust the volume.
Fujioka: The BGM will respond to other situations. If the player is being chased or if the player manages to escape to another area, the music will change to magnify the player’s natural reaction. So, maintaining the player’s tension is the score’s ultimate goal.
—How will the game’s post-release development different from its current state?
Tsujimoto: As of right now, we feel that we will have the chance to host more event quests. Following this train of thought, we decided that the distribution of these special event quests will be time-limited.
Fujioka: We’ve already scheduled and planned to have various event quests.
Tokuda: If we have the chance though, we would like to update the hardware and start preparing a couple of things. We want to encourage players to consistently log-in, so we've been thinking about implementing something like a log-in bonus.[6]
—We’ll be looking for to it. And your fans appreciate your hard work. [7]
Translator’s notes: I know it was super late, but I got busy with school and work. If you notice anything translated improperly, please make sure to message me please.
[1] In a literal translation this is referred to a “game cycle.” In NA, the Game cycle refers to the sale and resale of games. However, that doesn’t fit the context here. According to a JPN blog, the Game Cycle can be broken down into three sections: “Action”, “Reaction”, and then “Extension.” Basically, the diagram states that “Action” or playing the game is within the player’s control. However, depending on their response or “Reaction” to the game, that may influence their desire to keep playing or “Extend” their playtime. While this is interesting, I think a localization was needed to make sure the localized flow was understandable.
Term defined from this blog post: http://rootport.hateblo.jp/entry/2015/04/03/020139
[2] Tsujimoto implies that the Monster Hunter Tokyo Game Show demo was a ticket reservation.
[3] Localization choice. Literally this phrased is “opened the lid” and this can refer to the legend of Urashima Taro—a story of a fisher who is taken to a magical palace, but is given a box and told not to open it. Taro ultimately opens the box. However, there was a reason why Taro was told not to open the box; the box sealed the amount of time that had passed during Taro’s stay at the palace. By opening the box, Taro feels a century pass by and then dies. I found that the context that this issued is akin Pandora’s box in which one doesn’t know the possible outcome and the decision to open the box is done to sate one’s curiosity.
[4] This section was added to transition to this comment better. A more “truthful”/literal translation would remove this transition
[5] [5] literal: if you showed me, it seems all that information flashed before my eyes)
[6] In the literal translation, Tokuda states that he wants to think players to think, “If I log-in, I might receive something good. So, I should log in for a bit…” However, I couldn’t exactly how to explain that briefly in one sentence, so I summarized his thought.
[7] It literally says that “Japan is thankful”, but I don’t really think that captures the nuance.
