Tossell & Kameo's Code (2)

Phil Tossell, a coding genius, spoke with us about the processes involved in translating Kameo™: Element of Power™ from the original Xbox to Xbox 360. There was so much involved, and evolving one’s “baby” has the potential for both heartbreak and great pride!

How has your vision for the game’s software changed from when it was first conceived to more recent work done to make it ready for Xbox 360?
Vision is a bit of a strong word and for far greater people than me! As I said, I wasn’t there from the beginning, so my view of the game was perhaps slightly different from others’The thing that really grabbed me, and still excites me, is the morphing [of the Elemental Warriors] and the freedom and fluidity of mechanic that this gives. This became of central importance for me, and indeed is the reason I was first brought on to the team.

So, my main input initially was in the creation of the Elemental Warriors and the combat aspects. I really wanted to create 10 (at that time it was more) Elemental Warriors that looked, but more importantly felt, completely unique. So, if I’m playing Rubble (the rolling rock warrior) I really wanted him to feel like a pile of rolling rocks with the right inertia and physical animation control the player would expect. I also wanted to create attacks for each warrior that encapsulated what they are all about and that are sufficiently different that the player doesn’t just feel they are clones of each other.

The move to Xbox 360 really opened the floodgates in terms of possibilities, but given the short time frame and the harsh realities we had to stick closely to what we already had. Technically we obviously wanted to utilize everything that the 360 has to offer, but from a gameplay perspective we just went for the one main new element which became the battlefield. This was obviously a technical feat as well since we had to create a whole new system to deal with the numbers involved.

Did you have any concerns about switching over to the Xbox 360 platform? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?
Yeah, lots. How do we get the art and code up to the required standard in such a short time frame? Do we have the resources to do this? How are we going to deal with the expectations of the public? How do we deal with all the new technical aspects (LIVE, multiple CPU cores, no hard drive by default). The list was endless. We overcame them as people always do; through sheer hard work and commitment. There really is no magic answer.

What primary complications does including an Xbox Live-enabled element to the game pose to software developers?
Just the sheer amount of testing required and the complete lack of experience we had within the team. We had under a year to go from Xbox to Xbox 360; and we had no Xbox Live component, no Xbox Live programmers and no experience. Our primary Xbox Live programmer was taken on specifically to do this, and for a good while he was the only programmer we had working on this. We were able to leverage support from other teams within Rare to help us out, but it’s thanks to him and the other two engineers who came on subsequently that we got it done.

What benefits and frustrations did you have as a result of Kameo’s extended development period?
The main frustration is always the same: keeping enthusiasm, drive and focus over such a long period. It’s also difficult to keep the vision coherent and intact. It’s really crucial that one person has the overall vision which in our case came from George, our lead designer, and that everyone else buys into this. There were stages during development when things meandered a bit, but all throughout I was able to keep drawing inspiration from George.

The benefits come from the chance to really develop lots of unique ideas and push them as far as you can. So, with the extra year we’ve had moving to Xbox 360, we’ve been able to push the Elemental Warriors and the gameplay much further than we would have been able to. The game is much better now than when we were coming to a close on Xbox. Another benefit is the ability to forge a tight team that knows each other and works well together. This really can’t be overstated. It is team that makes games and not individuals. If the team doesn’t work, the game doesn’t get made, or you end up with something mediocre.

In conclusion, I’d like to re-iterate my thanks to all the other team members. Without you all, each and every one, we could not have done it. Also just to say to everyone out there, please buy Kameo and enjoy it!

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