Taking part were Genki Yokota, Koh Kojima, Kazuho Hyodo, Yuichiro Takeda and Tetsuya Takahashi.
The first excerpt we've picked out has more of the (laughs) that we enjoy from these interviews, in this case in relation to online play:
So we decided to focus on creating an online RPG where players will be "loosely connected," and not feel afraid to play. Kojima-san especially put a lot of thought into the "loosely connected" aspect.
"Loosely connected" online game?
That's right.
But...Kojima-san doesn't look like someone that's afraid to connect with strangers! (laughs)
(laughs)
Actually, Kojima-san is very sensitive.
Yes, I'm actually sensitive! (laughs)
...And sometimes, there are random missions assigned to the 32 players who are connected, such as "Go defeat 10 bugs!" and "Go gather 10 pieces of fruit!"
What should the players who want to focus on their own game do if they receive these missions?
They can just ignore them. But even if they don't participate, they can still see the progress of the mission, like the number of bugs defeated.
So even if some players decide to ignore the mission, they can see that other players are defeating bugs.
Right. And if the mission is completed, a reward goes out to everyone connected.
Um...so even the players that didn't participate in the mission get a reward, too?
Yes, everyone is rewarded.
Well, that's pretty nice. (laughs)
If players clear missions like these, sometimes a special mission like a boss battle is activated. This is the only time when up to four players can actually connect and complete a mission together.
So this is when players could actually see the people they are connected with for the first time.
Right. This is when the avatar you've created is really brought to life.
Most RPGs have been designed for people to play alone, but in Xenoblade Chronicles X, RPG fans can connect loosely while they play their own games. So your challenge is letting these players experience what being loosely connected online is like.
Yes, that's our challenge. Connecting loosely with other players isn't troublesome, but feeling the presence of other players online won't make you lonely. So I hope players won't be afraid to try this feature out.
So, we created "Skell insurance"! (laughs) Even if your Skell is destroyed, it will be fixed for free up to three times.
Wow, that sounds pretty realistic! (laughs)
However, the insurance won't be valid after it breaks for the fourth time, so you'll have to pay an expensive fee to get it fixed. I honestly wanted the Skells to be broken for good once they were destroyed. So once it's destroyed, it's gone for good.
You wanted players to take care of their Skell as if it was their car in real life?
Yes, but the staff voiced their opinion that it's too harsh to make the players buy a new one when it breaks...
From there, the "Skell insurance" idea was created, and there's also an "insurance on insurance" system, too.
An "insurance on insurance" system?
This system is that if you push the button at the right time to abort when the Skell's HP becomes zero and is destroyed, the Skell will be fixed without having to use insurance.
So that's why it's an "insurance on insurance"! (laughs)
Yes. (Makoto) Shimamoto-san14 in our staff is the lead battle designer, and he's a very kind man, unlike me.
I see. (laughs)
And I strictly told him to just let the Skell break when it was destroyed...but he added the "insurance on insurance" function without my consent.
(laughs)
I'm not a skilled player, so for me someone like him is worthy of worship! (laughs)
Just remember that this feature came solely from his kindness.
Sure! (laughs)
Since the game is first coming out in Japan, it will be released in America well after everything about the game has been revealed to the public. That raises the hurdle, but on the flipside, if everyone who plays the game in Japan talks about how much they enjoyed the game world, and how their experiences were different from one another, that would be something great for the western audience to hear. If people outside of Japan hear a lot of positive news about the game, I feel like we can throw an answer to the question of what the future holds for JRPGs. It would be this game, this is the answer to that question, in the form of a video game.
That's right.
As of this interview, the game is yet to be released in Japan and we're still trickling out promotional videos, but we already have people overseas talking positively about the title. This is because, as Takahashi-san described earlier, you all put in so much energy that the game virtually became a crystallization of everyone's blood and tears, and people overseas noticed. I think they'll all be excited for the day when they will be able to roam the vast field to their hearts' content and fly a Skell high in the sky to see the world from above.
Right.
You've all finally come this far, overcoming many obstacles. I'm sure, like me, that you all can't wait to see the customers' reactions once they start playing.
Yeah, we're really excited.
Everyone, thank you for such hard work over a long period of time.
It's certainly worth reading the full article linked below. We're sure looking forward to getting our hands on the localised version of Xenoblade Chronicles X later this year.
[source iwataasks.nintendo.com]
Comments 20
It's gonna be hard to wait for this one.
So hyped for this game, from the create your own character, customizable skells, and huge planet to explore this could be my favorite wii u game this year! Online co-op will be tons of fun too!
@Shiryu the wait is unbearable!
online Coool!!!!
I can see now how much work and passion got into this game. This game feels gigantic and i cant wait until this game comes out. Big respect for the developers and everyone at monolith studio and people who worked on the game. Very interesting review
I love how evident their passion, dedication and love are in this interview. It is passionate creators like Monolithsoft that make gaming such a fantastic hobby for me, and Xenoblade Chronicles X is a dream come true. I don't know how many hours of my free time I'll spend on it, but I am looking forwards to finding out.
For anybody who hasn't sen it yet, the 8 min vid showcased on the top of the Wii U eShop is really good. If that airborne drone has gyroscopic controls I'm going to be sending a lot of time spinning around my living room.
Fortuantley I'm in no rush, only 20 hours in to Xenoblade, and at the rate I'm going it'll probably take me well over 100 hours, so probably fall.
The only thing you need for being hyped with this game is to experience xenoblade for Wii/N3ds (especially the ending). If you also see the gameplay and what is told about X...ufffff, your head can explode of excitement.
And exactly as I said, almost every day, another article on Xenoblade Chronicles X. If I don't end up burned out on seeing and hearing about this before it releases, at this point, that will be the miracle.
Give us a release date, a collector's edition everyone has access to and stop talking about it until launch.
(laughs)
This is going to be absolutely amazing!
After MH4U this is my most hyped up game of the year! Looks absolutely amazing and love the way it carries on the legacy of Xenoblade Chronicles. My body will be ready when it comes out
I just hope that this "loosely connected" isnt a must so i would be unable to play if my internet is down/way in the future when their servers are down. But im guessing it isnt NEEDED to play.
Please Understand
@Xenjamin
+1. I am not a big fan of online gaming in solo jrpgs. That and the customizable character are my only two concerns.
Just nitpicking once again, but why only 32 players? It seems like a strange number considering you're not directly interacting with anyone. It seems to me that that number would feel a little awkward.
It would probably be more natural if there were at least 100 players "loosely connected" together, like in a Monster Hunter 3 town gate.
There is an exchange between Iwata and the devs in the "Loosely Connected" section that talks about their reluctance for online communication. I think it gives good insight into their rationale.
Haven't been into a JRPG since FFVI but this might be the one that gets me back in.
The recorded lines list.....
I hope that it comes out this year and doesn't get pushed to 2016. It's been years since I have been this hyped up for a game release. At least in the time being I have the 3ds version to veg on.
This is really shaping up to be quite the massive adventure. At this point, I'm more excited for this than Zelda Wii U!
Reading that the battle dialog was 11,000 lines and made the voice actors lose their voices, I decided to check who the Japanese cast was. For the female avatars, you have a bunch of choices including Atsuko Tanaka (Major Kusangi from GITS), and Shiori Katsuta (Melia from Xenoblade). #$!@!!!
I REALLY hope they include the Japanese voices in the Western releases, but it's a lot of data >_<
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