
Q: What is it all about ? What is "Oni Breaker" ? What is "Konoko Payne" ?
A:

- "Oni" is an old game (~2000) from Bungie, creators of Halo and Halo 2.

- "Oni Breaker" is a program I wrote to extract various data from Oni.

- "Konoko Payne" is the codename for a side-project of mine, sort of a game. I don't exactly have
  a clear goal in mind. Sometimes you can see it as a remake of Oni, sometimes it's a new game using
  the same data, sometimes it's just a test project to experiment with various algorithms.

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Q: What does it have to do with Max Payne ? How did you get the Max Payne source code ?
A:

  At first the basic idea was to introduce a "bullet time" mode (borrowed from Max Payne) in Oni, or
  at least in an Oni-like game. Hence the name, "Konoko Payne". Apart from that it has nothing to do
  with Max Payne.
  
  Contrary to what I've read in some forums, I'm not using either the Oni engine or the Max Payne one:
  I'm actually recreating everything from scratch. So I obviously don't have Oni's source code or Max
  Payne's source code.

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Q: What's the point ?
A:

  The point is to have fun and to learn new things - at the same time if possible.

  Polishing your 3D engine is interesting, but without actual data, without ever stress testing it by
  *actually using it*, it's unlikely this engine is good enough for the real world. Recreating a known
  game is a nice way to ensure your code is good or fast enough for the industry. Working with real
  artwork is also a lot more motivating, which brings the next point:

  It's a great way to learn new things. I'm mainly a graphics and physics guy, but thanks to this
  project I'm suddenly looking at AI, sound, networking, game design, and a lot of other things I would
  otherwise have found pretty boring.

  It's also a great way to truly appreciate the original. I found a lot of small details I hadn't noticed
  in Oni, while trying to recreate the same mood, the same gameplay, the same feelings. That's when you
  realize the huge amount of work required to create "a simple game"!

  Finally, I dare to say those hobby projects are a great opportunity to try fresh stuff. Considering
  what it costs today to create a game, it becomes more and more of a gamble to introduce new ideas,
  new gameplay, or new game logic in a product (I use that term on purpose here). Hobby developers on
  the other hand, can do whatever they want. There's a freedom here you might not find anymore in the
  game industry.

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Q: Why are you using the same graphics ? Why not new ones ?
A:

  I'm using the same data as in Oni because it's already there! I'm only a programmer and there's no
  way I can create new artwork, new sounds, or in particular new character motions for this project.
  The amount of data required in a modern game is daunting. Using already existing material is the only
  safe path for me.

  While I'm at it, I don't really care about graphics here. As you probably know, it's all about gameplay.
  Graphics programmers care about graphics. But players are usually pissed off with things like
  Dragon's Lair or Sword of Sodan (I use those ones on purpose to show it's an old issue...)

  Really good games pass the test of time. If a game goes from "great" to "lame" just by removing
  the graphics, it's probably not a good game :)

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Q: Wouldn't it be more interesting to create a brand new game then ?
A:

  Maybe. But I don't really have the time for this. It's easier to start from an existing world, and
  only do incremental changes from there. As I said, the goal is to have fun and learn new things: I'm
  not really concerned about actually creating a full game. A full game is just too big a project,
  especially a project like Oni. I'll just take this opportunity to test some things I didn't see in
  existing games, or things I'm curious about.

  So, I'm mainly interested in the technology behind Oni here. Most people don't realize the massive
  amount of technology included in that one... As a programmer, I think it's a hell of a lot more
  challenging programming Oni than programming, say Quake - or your favorite first person shooter.

  In particular, I'm interested in:
  - the character animation system
  - the hand-to-hand combat system
  - interactions between characters
  - the blend of fighting and shooting styles

  And maybe a bit of gameplay if I find the time...

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Q: Is the project dead ?
A:

  No! It's just going on very slowly, because:
  - I'm the only one working on it, and days only have 24 hours
  - I have a real job and I often have better things to do in my free time

  However this project can't really die. Here's how things work for me:

  - whenever I program something new in my free time, I include it in "Ice". This is my "framework" or
    "engine" or whatever name you want to give it.

  - the one and only real-world application using the full framework is "Konoko Payne". So it's actually
    upgraded and improved all the time, almost every day: when I fix a bug in the framework or when I
	implement a new feature for an external reason, I'm sort of indirectly working on Konoko Payne. But
	of course I don't update the webpage as long as no significant changes have been made. And even then,
	sometimes I forget or I'm too lazy.

 I once said it would take 10 years, and that might very well be true :)

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Q: Can you give me the source code ?
A:

  Not really. As explained above, that would actually mean giving up *all* my source code. "Konoko Payne"
  is currently implemented as a small "Ice" plugin. The plugin itself is mostly empty so far, simply
  loading relevant files and initializing things as needed. The interesting code lies in "Ice", and for
  various reasons I can't give it away. For example I'm using several commercial libraries like Novodex,
  PathEngine, etc, and I am not allowed to redistribute them.

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Q: Can I contribute ?
A:

  Yes and no.

  I would love to get new artwork, new characters, new sounds, etc. But there are two reasons why
  I'd rather stick to what I already have or what I can find on my own:

  - I don't want to disappoint anyone. I don't want to have you frustrated by the lack of updates
    or the lack of progress. I don't want to make promises I can't keep. The less people expect
	from this project, the better for my health ! I mean, I already have too much work supporting
	Flexporter and Opcode.

  - frankly speaking, it's unlikely your new artwork/etc is going to be better than Oni's one. And
    I wouldn't like to tell you your new texture is great whereas I think the opposite. This is a
	hobby project so I'd rather leave the team-related issues of the real world out of the loop!

  In short, I want to be the programmer on that one, not the project manager.


  ...


  Now, if you're a super talented artist who loves BBGC/GITS/Oni/ZOE2 and badly wants to contribute
  some models, I guess you can contact me anyway :)

  I'm also looking for a good title !!!

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Q: What would be your ideal remake ? What would you want to include ?
A:

  That's a damn tricky question.... Let's see.

  Roughly, I'd like a game based on high velocity fights. The story would be useless at first, it
  would just be a good old arcade game - simple, efficient.

  Influences:

  - Goldrunner (Atari ST)
      - From Goldrunner I would of course borrow the insane speed. Ideally I would like to obtain
        the same feelings as when I first played this game (pure disbelief).

  - Sonic the Hedgehog (Dreamcast)
      - From Sonic I would also borrow the speed elements, and their consequences on gameplay.
        In particular, I would like to adapt the fast jump sequences on bumpers (the ones with
        increasing numbers, 1->2->3...). Here the bumpers would actually be the opponents, and
        the player would be able to quickly kick N of them, jumping from one to the other.

  - Thundercats (TV show)
      - I want to borrow from Thundercats the very fast runs of the female character (whose name
        I've forgotten). This is similar to how Johnny moved in Superminds (!) (TV show a.k.a. Misfits
        of Science)
      - Also the way they blur the background but leave the main character sharp, when it happens.
      - And of course the fast action and fast music.

  - Max Payne (PC)
      - The bullet time, as already stated
      - However at this point it's more a matter of borrowing from HK movies

  - Trailblazer (Atari ST)
      - The notion of irresistible speed and how it's often just a matter of reflexes. Same as in
        the last levels of R-Type, avoiding all the missiles: you don't really think there, it's
        pure reflexes.

  - Zone of The Enders 2 (PS2)
      - Flying mechas, counterpart of hardsuits in BBGC
      - Lot of nice-looking special effects
	  - Super fast, intense action

  - Dragonball (Manga)
      - The massive fights, of course.
      - The moment in Metal Kura when they're surrounded by a lot of enemies. The number of simultaneous
        opponents in Oni is too low, I'd like to increase it a lot (think Matrix II). At that point each
        enemy should be easily defeated since all of them are "small" nothing-special entities. It's the
        same as in old games like Kung-fu Master (Arcade) where you defeat the average Joe with a single
        punch or kick.
      - One of Mukade's move looks like a Kamehameha already
      - Don't tell me you don't want to see Konoko in Super Saiyan mode... Blame it on the Chrysalide.

  - Dead or Alive / Tekken
      - That's the opposite: each enemy is a "real" character with a personality and a history. You need
        a lot of time to defeat it.
      - I think Oni seen from the side, in a one-to-one combat setup, could look like a decent Tekken. So,
        from a technical point of view it's nice to start doing "just a Tekken", and then evolve to something
        more complex. This cuts down the difficulty quite a lot: no visibility issues, simplified collisions,
        no pathfinding needed, etc, etc
      - I'd also like to add some cheap cloth as in DOA but it's purely only a special FX

  - Kung-fu Kid (Sega Master System)
      - The way the hero was bouncing back on walls to reach higher places. Not physically correct (more like
        Jackie Chan-correct!) certainly fun, since I still remember this today.

  - Shadow Dancer (Sega Genesis)
      - The bonus stage where the ninja falls from a building and fights his opponents on his way to the ground.

  - Golden Axe (Arcade)
      - The magic potions and how you can use them whenever you want, as improved "smart bombs" (Fantasy Zone)
      - Just an opportunity to include cool effects or special combos requiring a long preparation (think
        Saint Seiya-style). The result of those attacks (and those attacks only) could introduce the fracture
        technology in the game (while preparing the attack you can also start precomputing expected fractures
        in the level!)

  - Saint Seiya (TV show)
      - The epic and dramatic battles
      - The unreal way crushed characters also destroy surrounding environment
      - The use of appropriate music at appropriate moments
      - The laser-like setup in one of the fight (Say laser room)
      - ...and the final conclusion of this fight with the slow motion/replay
      - The way Shun let his cosmo explode when fighting Pisces
	  - and a lot of other things actually

  - Power Stone (Dreamcast)
      - The way characters use the environment during fight
      - Actually Power Stone was almost a perfect game. I'd like to do the same kind, but with faster action.

  - Bubblegum Crisis, Appleseed, Ghost in the Shell, Orion...
      - The general themes: mechas, man and machine, etc. It's already in Oni anyway.
      - However I'd really like Konoko to use a hardsuit at some point! This would of course change her
        caps and fighting possibilities. She could also start flying as in BBGC, ZOE, Virtual-ON, etc
      - Fighting against Boomers ("Bio-mechanical replicants") instead of humans is a good way to avoid
        censuring issues :) Also it makes fracture more plausible when a body collides with a wall.

  - L'Incal (Moebius)
      - For the gigantic mechanical creatures (think Cardiogriff)

  - NightShade (PS2)
      - I just discovered this one and it looks pretty much like what I wanted to do !! Woah!
	  - Jumping from one enemy to the next, indeed!
	  - Speed trails
	  - "Tate" sequences
	  - Ninja magic == smart bombs

  - Iria Zeiram (Anime)
      - For the general ambience and sounds

  - Kill Bill (Movie)
      - For the sword fights, though it might not be appropriate in the Oni world

  - Silent Mobius (Anime)
      - For the general action and SFX

  - Sky Blue
  - Impossible Mission (Epyx)
  - Spy Fiction
  - Zillion
  - Metal Gear Solid 2
  - Aeon Flux (PS2)
  - Ninja Gaiden 2 (Xbox360)

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Q: How long is it going to take ?
A:

   Uh, I wish I knew. You shouldn't think about how long it will take anyway, else you'll probably
   never start...


