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| Behind the Scenes with the Creators of Animaniacs: A Gigantic Adventure | |
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Ray Ellis : I was Producer of the game for SouthPeak Interactive . We are partners with Warner Bros. to use their licenses to develop interactive family entertainment on the PC and other platforms. We develop games in-house, but also partner with outside developers with quality engines to produce external titles. "A Gigantic Adventure " was a great team effort between SouthPeak Interactive and Engineering Animation Inc. (EAI ). I wanted to make sure this game captured the fun-loving personality and hilarious humor of the Animaniacs' cartoon characters and also the same wacky environmental feel of the cartoon itself, while also giving the player an immersive, fun interactive experience. I worked with EAI's team on the game's design and art to accomplish this goal. They put together a group of really talented and creative people for this project and their undying dedication is one of the main reasons this game turned out to be so much fun. Laura Williams was EAI's Producer on the project and she managed the team in Ames, Iowa. Since I was based in North Carolina, we communicated daily via phone, e-mail, or the Web. They worked on the preliminary game design, and through many meetings and discussions, both our teams refined it. There was also a Web site set up so that Laura's team could post character animations, level art, game design revisions, etc., and I could review them instantaneously. I could provide feedback and approval through the Web site as well, so the process was very efficient. At SouthPeak , we have a unique idea of the Publisher/Developer relationship. We try to make sure the relationship is one that fosters creativity and passion for the project. The end result is great games. Zone: What do you like most about your job? Ray Ellis : Are you kidding? Who wouldn't like taking hilarious cartoon characters and making fun interactive games with them? And I get paid for this! Zone: What do you like most about working in a gaming community? Ray Ellis : It is such a strange, beautiful thing. The gaming community contains some of the most creative people I've ever worked with. That creativity makes for a working experience that is hard to beat. And it doesn't hurt that games bring out the kid in all of us. It makes for a lot of fun. Zone: Did you and your team watch the Animaniacs cartoon series before creating this game? What were some of your first impressions of this cartoon? Ray Ellis : We were all familiar with the show and were big fans. The Animaniacs, I think, is the first cartoon series since LOONEY TUNES to successfully intertwine adult humor and children's humor in such a way that makes it appeal to people of all ages. At the beginning of the project, we watched hours and hours of episodes to educate ourselves about the subtleties of their universe. This enabled us to have a good working knowledge of the characters and their humor and implement a game design that reflected the cartoon's personality. Laura Williams : I sometimes wonder if I was chosen as producer for Animaniacs: A Gigantic Adventure because of the Animaniacs screen saver I still proudly display on my office PC. I have been an Animaniacs fan for years, as are the majority of team members that were involved in production. When production began, Animaniacs ties, T-shirts, toys, pins, books, and even snow globes appeared almost instantaneously in cubicles and team rooms. One of our 2D animators about fell out of his skin when he found out we were doing this game. He proudly presented me with the Animaniacs pillow he had sat on each and every day for the past five years as he animated. In the beginning, Glennis McClellan (co-producer) and I established a prerequisite of at least four hours of Animaniacs cartoon watching. It wasn't hard to reinforce. We then participated in hours of critiques in which character animation, backgrounds, palettes, sound effects, music, humor, and style were all discussed. Zone: Do you have a favorite Animaniacs episode? And why is it your favorite? Laura Williams : The team was partial to Draculee Dracula. It ended up being the inspiration for level 9, Frank's Stein. But ultimately, who can resist Dot and Ralph the Guard doing the Macadamia nut! Zone: Did you work with some of the artists at Warner Bros. Studios to computerize Yakko, Wakko, and Dot? Ray Ellis : Through Warner Bros., I provided Laura with the Animaniacs' model sheets for all the characters. EAI's artists would pencil sketch the character's rough animation and then post them to the project's Web site, where I could download and review the art. Once I gave the SouthPeak approval, I would send the pencil sketches on to Warner Bros. Interactive , where their artists would review them. We'd make any changes that the Warner Bros. artists requested and resubmit the animations. Once everyone approved the pencil sketches, the artists colorized the characters and we'd go through the process once again. Zone: What are some of the challenges of taking a popular cartoon series and turning it into an online multiplayer game? What were some of your goals for and challenges to creating this game? Laura Williams : One particular challenge was making 2D characters work in a 3D environment without looking strange or out of place. The environments needed to be rich and inviting yet maintain a unified look with the action taking place. The Animaniacs lend themselves to an action adventure by their very nature. Madcap, zany, and chaotic isn't a bad place to start when designing a game. Our goal was to include as many of the successful pieces of the Animaniacs puzzle in the game as possible: action, adventure, visual interest, and humor. Zone: How did you and your team come up with all these power-ups and puzzle ideas? Laura Williams : Game design was lead by Chris Takami, Fritz Bronner, Glennis McClellan, and myself. Under direction from Chris and Fritz, Glennis and I were able to involve the team in conceiving and developing each and every level. We began with simple level concepts which eventually became complex level maps. We posted these maps on our client Web site for Ray and the SouthPeak team to evaluate. There were many revisions and the planning was quite a large endeavor. In addition to brainstorming sessions during the workweek, we held volunteer game design meetings on Saturdays where interested team members could come and review the maps and discuss game play and design. Fun ideas sometimes came from local events such as the Iowa State Fair and from everyday activities. What was important was that everyone give creative input. Design continued throughout production. What worked on paper didn't always work in practice! It was a process of evolution, as is any creative process. Zone: Which Animaniac do you like best -- Yakko, Wakko, or Dot -- and why? Ray Ellis : I'm a big Wakko fan. The guy is a role model for the footloose and fancy-free lifestyle that we all should lead. Why stress out? Be happy! Laura Williams : I have to say that Wakko is my favorite as well. The first pencil test we created was of Wakko in a jumping cycle. Seeing that little guy squash and stretch on my computer screen was great. He is seemingly simple, without the cunning of Yakko or the vanity of Dot, but filled with energy, fun, and a downright disregard for those who take life too seriously. Zone: What do you like best about this game? Ray Ellis : The varied and gorgeous 3D environments, the variety of villains and creatures you have to battle, and the rich character animations all work together to make it for me. I love arcade games and I think this is one that the entire family can enjoy. It's challenging for the young player as well as the adult side-scroller fan. Laura Williams : In the commercial battle of boy versus girl games, I love that this game appeals to both. Not only is a player engaged by action, adventure, humor, and a variety of 3D environments but with problem solving as well. This side-scroller is neat because it forces the player to think and pay attention if they actually want to win the game. At the same time, it's just plain fun to run through a studio set as fast as you can, bopping villains, jumping obstacles, and smashing items to collect the secrets hidden within them. Zone: Is there anything you wish you could add to or change about this game? Ray Ellis : There are always certain things that you have to leave out of the game for budget or scheduling reasons. I would've loved to have been able to add more levels, only because the ones we completed were so good. It doesn't hurt to have more of a good thing. We do have a solid list of new design elements for when the public demands a sequel. Laura Williams : During production, we actually kept a wish list of extra special items that would require additional planning or technical consideration. Great ideas develop throughout production, but as Ray said, eventually scheduling and budgetary constraints take precedence. We are definitely prepared for an excellent sequel! Zone: Any other comments or suggestions you'd like to share with your Zone players? Ray Ellis : Good luck and good fun! Now get those film cans, time's a-wastin'! The Zone thanks Ray Ellis and Laura Williams for giving us a special glimpse behind the scenes! Now that you know how the game was created, scramble into a game room and start playing! And remember to have fun! If you have an original content submission or idea for the Zone, please e-mail us at Zidea@microsoft.com. Thanks! |
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