VG Aficionado
02-20-2007, 01:48 AM
http://www.psu.com/node/8058
From the world of Ghostbusters comes a new IP from Zootfly, Time0. PSU recently spoke with CEO Bostjan Troha and got an exclusive inside scoop on this new gritty action adventure and the development tools behind it.
PSU: How long has Time0 been in development?
Bostjan Troha: We're working on a 15-20-minute vertical slice since November last year. In parallel, we are developing and porting the Xubl engine to PS3.
PSU: The tech demo was shown on Xbox 360 hardware, will Time 0 be seen on other platforms PS3? Wii?
Troha: That depends on the publisher to great extent. We'd like to have TimeO on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. I am not sure about the Wii, though. I think it's a great platform, but our engine is just to complex to port to the Wii at this point. We are definitely planning to develop for the Wii, though.
PSU: In terms of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, what are you finding most exciting/helpful about the hardware that is helping Time0 shape into a great new title?
Troha: The Xbox360 has a great tool chain, and I am sure PlayStation3 will soon catch up. PS3 is a bleeding edge technology, in a good way, of course, and it's understandable to have some hiccups. I find it essential that customers have the possibility of choice. This drives progress, which at the end is beneficial primarily to customers, not necessarily to Microsoft or Sony. Maybe what I like most about PS3 is the devkit. It's an amazing piece of hardware & a black, sleek, rack-mountable monolith, with LEDs and switches. Awesome!
PSU: The game engine Xubl sounds amazing! Supporting everything from HRD lighting to normal mapping, next gen AI scripting to high poly count assets. What other features about the Xubl should gamers and developers know about that would set it above any others?
Troha: Xubl is a great piece of technology. It's platform-independent architecture allowed us to port the engine and the TimeO vertical slice to Xbox 360 in under a month. Xubl is completely integrated with Autodesk. Maya. Everything from modeling, mapping, animation to placing triggers, events, particle emitters, sound sources etc. is done in Maya. This allows us to prototype and develop very efficiently, not losing precious time debugging an editor.
PSU: How does Time0 tie into the world of Ghostbusters?
Troha: It was and still is a long evolution, as we wanted to differentiate TimeO from Ghostbusters to a large degree. This is in large extent due to the deepest respect we have for the creators of Ghostbusters. We didn't want to violate the holy relic of our youth.
PSU: Will other members of the Ghostbusters movies be lending their voices and mo-cap to the game other than Dan Aykroyd?
Troha: It's hard to tell right now. Let's wait and see.
PSU: What is one of your favorite features in Time0?
Troha: The Frook. It's a device that helps Zed manipulate with objects, like a grapnel, except much more fun. For example, you can smash an enemy by frooking two dumpsters together. And, there's buildering & Zed is an avid climber, and he'll climb house fronts just for kicks.
PSU: Will ZootFly be utilizing the SIXAXIS controls in Time0? If so, any examples?
Troha: In a game like TimeO, SIXAXIS will be great fun. For example, you'll kick in doors by thrusting the controller forward, or break window bars by pulling swiftly it towards you.
PSU: What is the top resolution (1080p?) and frame rate you are looking to achieve in Time0?
Troha: Currently the game runs smoothly at 720p on an Xbox360. As for PS3, we'll have to do some more porting and optimizing to see what we can achieve.
PSU: Is there an estimated released date?
Troha: We're shopping for a publisher right now. However, if there won't be major changes, the game should be out by Christmas 2008.
We would like to thank Bostjan Troha for the interview and stay tuned for more information on Time0 as the game reaches closer to its release. Be sure to check out our exclusive new Time0 screenshots as well.This interview doesn't make me feel excited about it to be honest.
From the world of Ghostbusters comes a new IP from Zootfly, Time0. PSU recently spoke with CEO Bostjan Troha and got an exclusive inside scoop on this new gritty action adventure and the development tools behind it.
PSU: How long has Time0 been in development?
Bostjan Troha: We're working on a 15-20-minute vertical slice since November last year. In parallel, we are developing and porting the Xubl engine to PS3.
PSU: The tech demo was shown on Xbox 360 hardware, will Time 0 be seen on other platforms PS3? Wii?
Troha: That depends on the publisher to great extent. We'd like to have TimeO on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. I am not sure about the Wii, though. I think it's a great platform, but our engine is just to complex to port to the Wii at this point. We are definitely planning to develop for the Wii, though.
PSU: In terms of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, what are you finding most exciting/helpful about the hardware that is helping Time0 shape into a great new title?
Troha: The Xbox360 has a great tool chain, and I am sure PlayStation3 will soon catch up. PS3 is a bleeding edge technology, in a good way, of course, and it's understandable to have some hiccups. I find it essential that customers have the possibility of choice. This drives progress, which at the end is beneficial primarily to customers, not necessarily to Microsoft or Sony. Maybe what I like most about PS3 is the devkit. It's an amazing piece of hardware & a black, sleek, rack-mountable monolith, with LEDs and switches. Awesome!
PSU: The game engine Xubl sounds amazing! Supporting everything from HRD lighting to normal mapping, next gen AI scripting to high poly count assets. What other features about the Xubl should gamers and developers know about that would set it above any others?
Troha: Xubl is a great piece of technology. It's platform-independent architecture allowed us to port the engine and the TimeO vertical slice to Xbox 360 in under a month. Xubl is completely integrated with Autodesk. Maya. Everything from modeling, mapping, animation to placing triggers, events, particle emitters, sound sources etc. is done in Maya. This allows us to prototype and develop very efficiently, not losing precious time debugging an editor.
PSU: How does Time0 tie into the world of Ghostbusters?
Troha: It was and still is a long evolution, as we wanted to differentiate TimeO from Ghostbusters to a large degree. This is in large extent due to the deepest respect we have for the creators of Ghostbusters. We didn't want to violate the holy relic of our youth.
PSU: Will other members of the Ghostbusters movies be lending their voices and mo-cap to the game other than Dan Aykroyd?
Troha: It's hard to tell right now. Let's wait and see.
PSU: What is one of your favorite features in Time0?
Troha: The Frook. It's a device that helps Zed manipulate with objects, like a grapnel, except much more fun. For example, you can smash an enemy by frooking two dumpsters together. And, there's buildering & Zed is an avid climber, and he'll climb house fronts just for kicks.
PSU: Will ZootFly be utilizing the SIXAXIS controls in Time0? If so, any examples?
Troha: In a game like TimeO, SIXAXIS will be great fun. For example, you'll kick in doors by thrusting the controller forward, or break window bars by pulling swiftly it towards you.
PSU: What is the top resolution (1080p?) and frame rate you are looking to achieve in Time0?
Troha: Currently the game runs smoothly at 720p on an Xbox360. As for PS3, we'll have to do some more porting and optimizing to see what we can achieve.
PSU: Is there an estimated released date?
Troha: We're shopping for a publisher right now. However, if there won't be major changes, the game should be out by Christmas 2008.
We would like to thank Bostjan Troha for the interview and stay tuned for more information on Time0 as the game reaches closer to its release. Be sure to check out our exclusive new Time0 screenshots as well.This interview doesn't make me feel excited about it to be honest.