| Hyper, June 2000 | |||
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| Cover of Hyper Issue 80. | |||
| Issue No. | 80 | ||
| Page(s) | 40-41 | ||
| Interviewee(s) | Andrew Kennedy Chris Sorrell James Shepherd | ||
| Interview Subject | MediEvil 2 | ||
| Language | English | ||
| URL available? | Yes | ||
An interview with Andrew Kennedy, Chris Sorrell, and James Shepherd from June 2000 published in Hyper magazine issue 80.
Transcript
MediEvil 2 Team Q&A
Hyper caught up with Andrew Kennedy (Producer), James Shepherd (Creative Director) and Chris Sorrell (MediEvil 1 Producer), the developers behind MediEvil 1 & 2, to pick their brains about MediEvil 2, developing games and the PlayStation 2...
MediEvil was a hit amongst gamers looking for that "Ghouls and Ghosts 3D" game. Was this old classic (Ghouls and Ghosts) an inspiration for the MediEvil games?
Chris Sorrell - There were two main inspirations behind MediEvil: the arcade classic 'Ghouls 'n' Ghosts’ for its spooky feel and platform/shooting gameplay mix, and the art style of Tim Burton’s 'Nightmare Before Christmas’. Rather than closely copying either, we wanted to fuse together elements of both and present a look and feel quite different to any previous PlayStation game.
What other games or things influenced MediEvil 1 & 2?
CS - Essentially, just as Tim Burton obviously did with Nightmare Before Christmas, we wanted to explore the imagery and tongue-in-cheek horror surrounding Halloween and bring this to life as a game world and characters. This feel is exemplified by words such as ’ghoulish’, ’spooky’ or 'icky', all of which could be used to descibe MediEvil’s content!
What did you set out to achieve with MediEvil 2?
Andrew Kennedy - The first thing we did as soon as we had an idea of what we planned to do with MediEvil2, was to organise some focus groups in Europe and the US to see what the punters themselves thought of the original title, and what they were after in a sequel. Using this and the feedback from magazine reviews we set about a 3-month Design period, and endless discussion meetings aiming to identify absolutely every area we had to simply address or wanted to improve...
Improved enemy AI
We found that the combat in Medievil1 was accused of being too 'hack’n’slash’ (though it also is worth pointing out that a lot of people liked that non-too-strategic balance). We aimed to give the enemies better AI to increase the combat strategy, such that they would react better to the player’s approach, blocking, retreating, attacking, etc.
More powerful and diverse range of strategic weapons
We aimed to give the player a better balance of weapons to increase the strategy side of the game, and to encourage the player to get the level chalices. Also, as it was to be set in the Victorian age, we wanted to give Dan some more ’oomph’ in the selection of weapons, and better clarity as to their effectiveness on specific enemies.
We also wanted the player to be able to deal with enemies at long and short ranges simultaneously, without having to pause the action to change weapon, plus we wanted more gruesome reward for the player. We wanted to be able to chop bits off zombies, set fire to them, decapitate them, squash them... you get the idea.
Improved puzzle-play
Puzzle-play was a well-received part of Medievil1, but some criticism was aimed at the lack of any sort of difficulty curve with these. Some players felt they were thrown in at the deep end, and some puzzles actually prevented some players from progressing. We obviously did not want this to happen again, so we aimed to simplify the clarity and execution of puzzles, and present them to the player in such a way that they learn techniques from each that help them in the later, more complex ones. Bigger more detailed levels The exploration aspect of Medievili was essential and very much appreciated by players because the levels were so beautifully crafted. However, there was some criticism that the levels were too linear.
We wanted to allow the player to roam about much larger areas, but keep the graphical variation and quality (as larger doesn’t always mean better). Also, it seemed obvious to extend the maps up as well as out, so we needed to give Dan the ability to climb.
Improved characterisation and story line
Level selection on Medievil1 was accessed through a static 2D screen. We wanted the player to stay as Dan for as much of the gaming experience as possible, so level selection needed to be part of the gameplay.
Similarly, the roles of the help and shop mechanisms in Medievil1 were supplied by static gargoyles, so we replaced them with a cheeky help ghost and a wheeling-dealing spiv.
More playable characters
The idea of allowing the player to be a second and complimentary character appealed to us greatly, so DanHand was born. He would be essential not just for gameplay variation, but to offer reward and level revisits to the player. Additionally, the Dragon armour idea from Medievil1 was we liked by the punters, and so we wanted to give Dan some new disguises and outfits to wear.
Improved player control
There were a few frustrating areas of Dan control in Medievil1, specifically, he could push but not pull, so rooms could not have corners or he would not be able to retrieve an object that was pushed into a corner. So we had to have 'pull’. Also, the desire to expand the map sizes for exploration purposes promoted the need for Dan to climb, and finally because of some of the platform areas of the game, we felt a need to tighten Dan’s control. We wanted him to be able to land on a ’sixpence’!
How long did it take to make and what is the average day like in a development studio?
AK — From initial brief to completed product the game took 18 months to complete. There is no average day in the development studio. We all start at 9:ooam, half the team break off around 12:30 to play network Quake, (These guys rock! - Ed.) and then instead of going home at 5:30pm, the curries get ordered around 7:00pm and they provide sustenance to get through to midnight. There have been people here all night on occasions, but as a rule, in comparison to other titles developed in this studio, Medievil2 has been quite straightforward, hitting the milestones on time, and not causing the team to have to do too many late nights.
The actual Production phase itself lasted just 4 or 5 months, but we needed a team of 30 people to reach Alpha on time, and since then the numbers have slowly reduced as we have travelled through Post-production towards Master Submission.
There’s a lot of humour in the game, did you have a lot of fun making it?
lames Shephard - Yes we had our moments, but writing a funny script is just as much hard work as a serious one, sometimes harder as people have very different ideas about what is funny. However, a number of things in the game always make me laugh, such as when you squash a fat lady with your powered up hammer, always gets me every time!
It is rewarding for us to see people play the game and laugh at all the right moments.
Was there anything you didn't have time to include, or cool things you thought of when it was too late?
JS - Dan can take his head off and put it on a severed hand, to form Danhand. Late in development, we realised how cool it would be for Dan to have the ability to place a bomb on a hand to form ’bomb-hand’, that could run to the nearest enemy and blow him to smithereens.
We put in a number of costume changes, because Dan is such a quirky character, he looks even more ridiculous when done-up in a fancy costume, so there were some other costume changes that we considered getting into the game.... Such as ’Deep-sea-diver-Dan’ and ’Chicken-Dan’.
Would you ever want to see MediEvil become an animated CGI movie or something similar?
AK — That would be brilliant! A whole CGI movie in the style of our in-game FMV. There have been some enquiries and efforts made in this area by a number of people in different countries, and as far as we know these are still on-going, so you’ll have to watch what happens in the future.
JS - A live action movie would be good too... as long as Catherine Zeta-Jones got to play Kiya, naked apart from her bandages... phwoarr!!!
Have you had thoughts of MediEvil 3 yet?
JS - In truth yes... of course. The whole team has enjoyed working on Medievil2 immensely, and there is strong support for doing a sequel. However, it is highly unlikely Dan will be back on PlayStation1, but as for Fortesque on PlayStation2? Personally I would love to bring him back as I’ve grown quite attached to the bony little bugger.
AK - It would be true to say there are thoughts about doing a second Medievil sequel, but for the time being, just completing this title is taking 110% of our concentration, so ask us in July!
We also really have to see if Medievil2 is a success first... We have tried to offer the public more than just a sequel with Medievil2, and reaction to that could go either way. However, we are very pleased with the results, and confident the game-playing public will like it too.
As for the setting, with a fantastical game such as Medievil, there are no restrictions... especially as Dan has the ability to ’time-travel’. Perhaps your readers could suggest some new scenarios for us?
What do you see in the future for gaming?
JS - The cliched response would be internet gaming, and to be honest it is likely to be a massive influence on future gaming. But also, with the advent of PlayStation2 and similar next generation consoles, there is definitely a place for graphically beautiful story-led adventures, and further ’self-pleasuring’.
To explain... just as people enjoy reading books by themselves, so game players throughout the world will continue to enjoy immersing themselves in action adventure titles, and this area will probably grow as the technology to create almost ’real’ worlds develops.
What’s your next project?
AK - We are pleased to say that we are to stay as a team, and shall be working on a PlayStation2 title. We have to cross the T’s and dot the I’s on Medievil2, then we shall be free to catch up on missed holiday, and return refreshed for a new start in a few months... Can’t wait!
Thanks guys!