ST Report 1136 Rayman Interview

Jeff Norwood: WELCOME EVERYONE!
Welcome to CompuServe and the Atari Gaming Forum

This is a very special conference with just ONE guest.
He is from Ubi Soft, the publisher of the highly
awaited "Rayman" on the Atari Jaguar.

So, on this great U.S. Holiday, LABOR DAY, please
welcome

FRANK SLATER!

Hi Frank.

Frank Slater: Thank you for that great introduction, Jeff, and thank
you for setting up this conference....


Jeff Norwood: Frank, can I just ask you. Do you have any on hand
helpers with you ? GA


Frank Slater: I’m here with Philippe Malfroy, the head of the Jag
programming team...


and Agnes Haegel, the Project Manager for Rayman. GA


Loic Duval (Atari): Hi everybody


Jeff Norwood: Okay, let's begin the questions.
Dana, GA


Dana @ STReport: Thanks for being here Frank, Philippe, and Agnes....
For starters, perhaps the attendees here, and our
readers...
would like to know exactly what type of game Rayman
is, a brief description...
of sorts. What can we expect to see? GA


Frank Slater: A good question to start with, Dana...
Rayman is a "platform" game, although this is not
really a descriptive-enough term...
to describe what awaits you!
It is a side-scrolling action/adventure...
-with non-linear action, and powers that accumulate
as you go
the gaming press in the US and Europe has been
calling it the greatest platform game, ever, period....
and we obviously agree! <g>





GA
Jeff Norwood: ?
Jeff Norwood: Okay Dana, you can go before me! GA


Dana @ STReport: Sorry, Jeff! <g>
Thanks Frank. Now, the 64K question..... when can we
expect to see it? GA


Frank Slater: Rayman will be on sale in the US on September 16th
and in the UK and the rest of Europe on September 23. GA





Jeff Norwood: Okay, my turn.
Are there any differences between the Jaguar version of
Rayman and the CD versions (and the 32X version)? GA


Frank Slater: First off, the 32X version was a project and we have
decided not to see it through to completion.
There are some differences between the thr other
versions (Jag, PlayStation and Saturn)
but one very important thing to emphasize is that all
three versions have the same great colors
the same outstanding graphics, and the same tremendous
gameplay... GA





Jeff Norwood: Craig, GA!


Craig Harris: Ok, one...what does the UBI in UBI Soft stand for? <g>
Two, have the programmers/developers learned enough
about the Jaguar (corporation-wise and hardware-wise)
to justify another Jaguar project? i.e. what's next for
UBI Soft. GA.





Frank Slater: Craig, great question
It’s Ubi actually, not UBI
and so it doesn’t stand for anything!
The company was founded ten years ago by three
brothers...
and the Latin root of "Ubi" means "all" or "everyone"
(I think)
so maybe that’s where they got it. As for question two...


Jeff Norwood:


Frank Slater:


..right now, we are concentrating on all of the
release activities for Rayman
before deciding what projects come next. GA


Okay, it’s me again!

Is there a 3DO version in the works, as previously
reported. And 2 - you said that all the versions...
were almost the same, yet many magazines like GamePro
have rated the Jag version lower than the rest. Any
reason for this? GA


There is no 3DO version in the works.
We aren’t 100% sure why so many mags have rated the Jag


version lower ... no doubt as Jag fans you have...
some of the same explanations as we do: "anti-Jag
racism", preference for the "new" consoles,

bla bla bla ... GA


Jeff Norwood: Dana, GA


Dana @ STReport: Well, I want to make sure that all of the Ubi Soft


team gets some action, so...

Philippe, what do you feel was the hardest part of
programming on the Jaguar?

Was the "new" technology such a large new learning
curve to make doing a game...

on the Jaguar as difficult as we’re to believe? GA





Frank Slater/Philippe: Integrating the sound was difficult, especially


Jeff Norwood:


Craig Harris:


Frank Slater:


Jeff Norwood:


Travis Q A





i
FO:
EO :





because we had really high standards for the
sound quality

but learning the Jaguar isn't any more difficult
than learning any other new system. It's all in
assembler (we're not sure of the English term
for this, Philippe is French)

I just wanted to say that our team of testers,
who often worked testing all three versions

of Rayman, almost always, without exception,





preferred the Jaguar version for it's
"controlability". GA


Craig, GA


Is Rayman strictly a two-dimensional side-scroller, or
were there any 3D special effects (bitmap scaling,
rotation) thrown in for good measure? GA


We chose to put our efforts on producing superb 2D
animation-quality graphics

than to "waste" memory space with 3D graphics that don't
necessarily add to the game and in fact

often take away from the game play. Which is why you all
buy the games you buy, right? GA


Travis, GA
Hello Frank!


Sorry if this has been asked before, but when is the
expected "in store" date for RayMan (Jaguar)? GA


Frank Slater: Hi Travis - 9/16 in the USA, 9/23 in Europe. GA





Travis @ AEO: =)
AEO: Done for now....








Jeff Norwood: Dana, GA - D. Lee, you're after, so wait. GA


Dana @ STReport: Back to the "guts" of Rayman...
Who are the good guys, and "baddies" we can expect


CO-SeES
And what is the object of the game (besides to win!
<g>)? GA

Frank Slater: I’ll answer this briefly, Dana


Dana @ STReport: Don't give away too much! <g>


Frank Slater: but there is only one real way to meet all of Rayman's
40+ characters
and that is (you guessed it) to buy the game!! :)
You can also visit us on the Web at
http/::www.ubisoft.com, where there are GIFs of lots of
the game’s crazier characters...
Basically, Rayman lives in a world that has been
destabilized by the evil Mister Dark...
who stole the Great Protoon and scattered its Electoons
all over the world
You have to help Rayman find all of the cages of
Electoons and free them, to restore the harmony
to the world. Friends and foes are all along the
trail... GA

















Dana @ STReport: Thanks Frank!





Brian Carloni: I was wondering if you have set a definite release dat
for shipping yet?


Jeff Norwood: Dana, done? GA
Dana @ STReport: For the moment! <g>


D. Lee: First, thanks to people at Ubisoft for taking the time to
answer questions. I'd like to know what Ubisoft Jag
programmers feel about its networking capabilities. Have
you tried any demo games that utilize Jag networking, either
locally or thru a modem? GA


Frank Slater/Philippe: We haven’t tried networking ... yet! But it’s
definitely one of the projects we are working
on. Stay tuned for Rayman II? GA


D. Lee: Follow-up...
Frank Slater: Ooops, typo in the Web address, it’s


http://www.ubisoft.com GA
Jeff Norwood: Hold on D - after Travis is done. GA





Travis @ AEO: Hi again! What's UbiSoft's next title for Jaguar? GA


Frank Slater: Travis, as we said earlier, right now we are all


mobilized for the release activities for Rayman. Once
that’s

finished (and frankly, once we see how it sells) we’1l
start thinking about the "after-Rayman" era. GA





Travis @ AEO: So "Red Hot Soccer" is still uncertain to appear? GA


Frank Slater: Sorry for all of the typos!! GA





[Editor's note: We fixed ’em for you, Frank! ]





Travis @ AEO: No prob! :)

Frank Slater: Travis, Red Hot Soccer is a definite for the PC CD-ROM
platform, it will be coming out in early October
but we have made our final decision for the Jag version
of this game. What do you all think? GA

Dana @ STReport: Have, or haven’t?


Jeff Norwood: What do u all think? Tell him everyone! GA


Frank Slater: We haven’t made our decision ... geez, too many typos. GA
I meant to type haven’t, not have.


Dana @ STReport: Go For It!





Travis @ AEO: What do we think? Well, I'd like to see a great soccer
game for the Jag. GA
Done for now. GA


D. Lee: So Philippe or others haven't had the opp Please network
the Jag Soccer game!


Jeff Norwood: D Lee — GA; Craig, you are next.
But wait!
I have to ask Frank something privately ... back ina
sec... GA
(just talk)





[Editor’s note: idle chatter ensues for a few minutes, steaks hit the
grill, a few bottles of beer are opened... you get the picture! <g>]


Kevin Palmer: Frank, anything the quality of Rayman would be greatly
appreciated for the Jag (re: Red Hot Soccer)


D. Lee: Why don’t they network the Jag so that 8 or even 800 players
can compete at once?





Travis @ AEO: D.Lee, usually, they're in a hurry to get the game out.


Craig Harris: 800 players??? Can you imagine the beta-testing grid???





Travis @ AEO: If you’re looking for an 8-player game, BattleSphere
will fill the bill!


Frank Slater: We’re back!!


Jeff Norwood: Okay, we're back.
Travis @ AEO: Shhhh.....








Jeff Norwood: D. Lee, you have a question. GA


D. Lee: Travis: but I’d think programmers wouldn’t have any problem
redirecting the I/O.
Thanks...





Frank and Ubisoft, you’ve now created a cart game...

what do you feel is the future of software delivery to
consoles? Is it the new cable modems that transfer data at
5-10 Mbits/sec?


Frank Slater: Have you finished D Lee?
I assume so..
D. Lee: GA


Frank Slater: I (personally) do think that the middle-range future is
in cable modems that combine your TV and your
computer...
maybe in the long-range future we'll all just download
the operating system with the game, no more set-top
boxes...
it's all a question of baud rates and memory
capabilities, and all of that stuff...
changes practically overnight these days!











Wish I had a crystal ball ... GA
Jeff Norwood: I wonder who's next ... guess no one! <g> Just kidding.
Craig, GA
Craig Harris: Question for Philippe: Were there any limitations that


you hit on the Jaguar while programming Rayman? Were
there any hardware restrictions on the Jag that were
more easily work-aroundable on the other systems (or so
say the other systems’ programmers <g>)? Or, to put on
a more positive spin, was there anything easier to
implement on the Jaguar than the "other systems?" GA








Frank Slater: Philippe: It’s hard for me to say, because I only
worked on the Jag version but...
It did seem to be harder to debug than my colleague’s
versions
On the positive side, we didn’t have to build in memory
a model of what we wanted to show on the screen
the Jag developers kit and the actual construction of
the Jag console
that does that all by themselves. That was very handy.
GA


Dana @ STReport: Let’s get Agnes involved, shall we!...
What’s the SRP for Rayman..., and...
how was it to keep the programming team motivated to
work on Rayman? GA


Frank Slater: Actually, she has been very involved, just "silent"!
(I got elected typer...) GA


Dana @ STReport: Hehe! Good for her!


Frank Slater: SRP in the US is $69.95
Frank Slater: Agnes: The programmers were actually pretty





Travis @ AEO:





Frank Slater:


Travis @ AEO:





Craig Harris:


Frank Slater:


Jeff Norwood:


Frank Slater:


Steve Watkins:


Frank Slater:


Steve Watkins:


self-motivating

most of them love what they do so that helps...

what WAS difficult was having to clean up the 37 empty
pizza boxes every morning

during the rush to test it!! Ha ha, just kidding. GA


Frank, what does UbiSoft say to the net.rumors that Sony
moved to have Jaguar RayMan delayed until after the
introduction of the PSX? GA


Ha ha ha is what Ubi Soft says!!!
Where on earth DO these rumors come from? GA


The net -is- known as "The Net of a Million Lies." GA


Simple question <hehehe...>: What was the inspiration
for the character (and game for that matter) Rayman?


Rayman’s designer is named Michel Ancel

and rumor has it that Rayman looks a lot like him
when he first drew rayman, he had been working on
designing the road surface

images for a car racing game (boring gray colors over
and over again, all day, every day ...)

and he had a sudden urge for color and freakiness!
Rayman was born! GA


Wow! What a guy!
There is time for about 2 or 3 more questions.
Steve, GA


He is an amazing person. I wanted him to be here
tonight but he couldn’t make it. GA


As a 3rd party developer, can you tell us how much you
pay the different companies (SONY,ATARI) in licensing
fees per cart/CD and which company, Atari or Sony
offers a more attractive incentive to program for their
system. GA

Thought I’d toss a softball... <L>


Steve, I’m sorry, but that is not the kind of
information I’m at liberty to discuss. You know how
these things are. GA


Okay, can you tell us which company is more attractive
to develop for?


Dana @ STReport: Since we know how the net.rumors are, can you tell


Jeff Norwood:


Steve Watkins:


Frank Slater:


us which versions of Rayman will appear first? GA


Frank, answer Steve’s question first, then Dana.
Sorry, I thought you were done Steve. GA


No problem.


They each have their advantages and disadvantages.
Atari is a company filled with terrific people who are
always there for us. They also have a team in France,
which is handy for a French company such as ourselves.





Steve Watkins:


Frank Slater:


Dana @ STReport:


Frank Slater:


We’ve really enjoyed creating Rayman for them, and
"with" them. Now on to Dana





Thanks.


Both the Play Station and the Jag version will be
released on Sept 16th in the US. The Saturn version
will follow a few weeks later. GA





That ends _that_ rumor!


What rumor? GA


Dana @ STReport: That the PSX version was coming out before any other.


Steve Watkins:


And all the forum squabbles. <G>


D. Lee: Thanks again to Ubisoft and Jeff Norwood...
I’d like to know what computers systems you’ve used
before...Amigas or STs? And if the Amiga, does Philippe
consider the Jag a cousin to it? GA


Frank Slater:


Jeff Norwood:


Travis @ AEO:





Frank Slater:


Travis Q AEO:





Jeff Norwood:


Travis Q AEO:





We've developed for just about every system that has
existed, including Amiga, ST, Nintendo, Super Nintendo,
Genesis, PC floppy

and we are currently developing for the Jag, the PSX,
the Saturn, and the Mac and PC CD-ROM. GA


I'm really getting confused. Travis is next, but who
else has a question? I have to get this down. I’ve
written them all down, but I am so messy. Who has a
question? GA

Say "i" GA


When did development of the PSX version of RayMan begin?
GA


Philippe: No real similarity, either between the Jag
and the Atari or the Jag and the ST, if you ask me.
They all started at about the same time. To be honest,
we DID think the Jaguar would be released first.
Believe me, many heads
have been banged against many walls over the delays
mostly due to the fact that we really really REALLY
wanted to make this game the very best game

that exists on the Jaguar, and so we went back to the
drawing board a few times

The early days of Rayman were mainly design - character
design, and background

the programming for all three consoles all began
seriously late last summer. GA

















PSX was started in early 94? I did not know that. GA
Anymore questions? GA


I know RayMan will be well received, no matter the
platform!

For Philippe: When you were finished, how much of Jag
RayMan runs on the 68000? GA


Frank Slater:
Frank Slater:





Jeff Norwood:


D. Lee: 10%





Travis @ AEO:


Frank Slater:





Travis @ AEO:


Jeff Norwood:


Frank Slater:


Steve Watkins:


Jeff Norwood:


I have to go soon, so I can only take one more question.
Philippe: About 70%, I think. GA


Okay, before you go,...
and it runs at 60 frames per sec wow!


That much? And your testers like it better than PSX?





Philippe: (direct quote) "Eh oui, eh oui!"

<grin> Thanks for appearing, UbiSoft!! GA

I'd like to help Frank giveaway a couple of Rayman
T-Shirts!

So, the fairest way is to put all your names in a hat,
and pull 3 names!


Thanks for having us.


Pull me! <L>





All of you who want in, say "I" now! GA


Dana @ STReport: I now!





Travis @ AEO:


Kevin Palmer:


Steve Watkins:


I


Sorry. <G,D,R>


D. Lee: I

Tony Talarico: i

Craig Harris: "I now!

D. Lee: Wow oui wow oui!





Travis @ AEO:
Jeff Norwood:
Frank Slater:
Steve Watkins:


Jeff Norwood:


Tony Talarico:
Jeff Norwood:
Steve Watkins:


Jeff Norwood:


D.Lee: <Grin>
Okay, here’s winner one:


D Lee has us laughing over here, too!





Eye


Tony Talarico!


Winner Two:








Thanks!
Kevin Palmer!
Fixed! Rigged!!!


And Winner Three:


Steve Watkins: :)


Kevin Palmer: Thanks! I’ll wear it proudly!!!





Loic Duval (Atari): ME?S


Frank Slater: Hey, Loic is here! Bonjour Loic!!





Jeff Norwood: Travis @ AEO!


Steve Watkins: Hi, Loic, Atari.


Travis @ AEO: Gosh! I’m flattered.





Jeff Norwood: Okay, thank you Frank Slater for coming!
Dana @ STReport: Thanks for being here, UbiSoft!!
Jeff Norwood: Thanks Philippe and Agnes too.


Loic Duval (Atari): Hi Philippe, Agnes. Thank you very much for your
conference. It was great.


Jeff Norwood: We can’t wait for Rayman...


Kevin Palmer: Frank, Philippe and Agnes, thanks for attending.
Jeff, thanks for organizing.


Frank Slater: Jeff, how do I get these guys snail mail
addresses -— those t-shirts will be hard to e-mail! GA


Steve Watkins: Thanks, Frank & UBI. Good answers. :)


Loic Duval (Atari): Faut qu’on se fasse une petite bouffe pour feter
la sortie de Rayman...


Jeff Norwood: and I am very sure that the CEO of Ubi Soft will have
$$$ in his eyes when he sees the sales figures of this
title!

Drive home safely, and once again,
thanks you for coming.


The Jaguar Journal


Frank Slater: Thanks to everyone who attended. We hope you'll love
Rayman as much as we do, and we'll be eagerly awaiting
your reactions on Sept 16th.


Steve Watkins: Yea, what Loic said! :) I should've taken French in
HS... <G>
D. Lee: Au revoir Ubi!


Jeff Norwood: To the winners of the t-shirts:
send me your addresses and T-shirt size and it will
be sent to you.


Frank Slater: Au revoir everybody! (From Agnes and Philippe) and
bye, happy Laborless Day from Frank.


Jeff Norwood: Bye Frank!