Interview von Nokia.com mit "One"-Macher (DEM Prügelspiel auf dem N-Gage) :
Are You the ONE?
Console players may be used to deep 3D fighting games with plenty of customization and multiplayer features. But no game maker has been able to deliver such an experience on a portable device.
That is, until now.
Exclusive to the N-Gage is ONE, a gorgeous fighting game with a boatload of bells and whistles. N-Gage.com sat down with Nokia producer Ralph Laemmche to give us the details on this summer title.
N-Gage.com: Thanks for joining us. What is the concept behind ONE?
Ralph: ONE is a 3D fighting game exclusively for the N-Gage. Think "connected gaming" -- people will compete head to head wirelessly through Bluetooth and in the near future, people will play wherever they are against others around the globe through cell networks. Plus, we wanted gamers to identify with their character so our customization tool takes care of that.
N-Gage.com: Can you tell us more about this customization?
Ralph: What makes ONE unique is that its game-play features a more realistic approach of fighting and fully customizable characters. The game concentrates on urban street fighting without weapons. A lot of the fighting is from Jeet Kune Do, which is very street effective. We have a story mode, a versus mode and survival mode. When you advance through the story mode, you can fully customize the look of your character by unlocking more clothing, for example.
N-Gage.com: Can you also upgrade your fighters repertoire of moves?
Ralph: No, you cannot customize attributes, as that would make balancing of the title a lot harder. Thats not to say that it will not happen in a future version in the series. But in the story mode, you can also unlock new opponents and fighting locations, as well as gain access to more and more accessories that you can use to customize your fighter.
N-Gage.com: Who is your favorite character?
Ralph: The character I like most is mine, of course! Thats the whole point, you dont identify with a given character -- you go and create your own. As far as in-game opponents are concerned, I like Tigre a lot since he lives in the Caribbean, renting jet skis for a living.
N-Gage.com: We hear there was serious motion-capture used to help animate the fighters. Please tell us about that.
Ralph: ONE is the first mobile game that uses this level of motion capturing. We captured more than 300 animations for the game. Because of this, and other factors, the development of the title is comparable to console game development much more than to mobile game development.
N-Gage.com: Can you give us an example of a cool location? How many are there in total?
Ralph: We have more than ten different arenas but I dont give away the exact number as some of them are hidden. We have a rooftop in Barcelona, where the game is developed by Digital Legends. I am spending a lot of time there and let me tell you -- it is a really nice city. We shot the location on top of the office. Basically you will see locations from around the globe.
N-Gage.com: Can you let us in on some others?
Ralph: Sure. You will find yourself fighting in New York, the Caribbean, Area 51, and many others.
N-Gage.com: Lets talk more about the multiplayer component.
Ralph: Two players can challenge each other via Bluetooth. In the game you proceed to fight the strongest opponents in order to improve your personal ranking. You send your ranking to the N-Gage Arena and will try to become the ONE! Its a special ranking code similar to ELO from chess. It makes sure that we have a realistic World Wide Ranking system in place through Arena. There will also be sponsored Nokia tournaments.
N-Gage.com: Please tell us how gamers will control these fighters?
Ralph: Well, we have three standard positions that we call offensive, neutral and defensive. Depending in which position youre in, you will have access to different moves and combos. Players are free to configure the keys to their liking but to give you an idea: there is a key for punches, one for kicks and one for defense.
Also, moving away from your opponent will put you in some kind of defense as well. Then the game features one hand grabs as well as two-handed grabs. You can dodge, block, counterattack etc. We are spending a lot of time to polish the controls to make it as fun as possible on the N-Gage.
N-Gage.com: What was the hardest part about making this game? How are you overcoming these issues?
Ralph: A few things. Balancing the game-play -- we are at this moment still working on it. Getting a look and feel to the game that is more realistic but still fun to look at and fun to play. Also, fitting all of our ideas into a 32 MB MMC! We handled this by compression and more compression.
N-Gage.com: What will ONE gamers talk about after playing?
Ralph: How much fun it is to play against others through Bluetooth. Its easy to get in but also complex to master. And people love the character customization.
N-Gage.com: Thanks Ralph!
Ralph: Youre welcome.
-- Marc Saltzman