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Naughty Dog designer: we are using only 30-40% of PS3's power
Richard Lemarchandm, Co-Lead Game Designer at Naughty Dog, sat down with Three Speech in a lengthy interview to talk about their latest developments. He goes on extensively about how Uncharted: Drake's Fortune's trophies were implemented, Cell architecture, and one tidbit of detail concerning rooms in Home, but it's nothing new if you've been keeping up. If you want to read the man's own words, Three Speech has your interview right here. Unfortunately, Lemarchand is rather reticent about Naughty Dog's next project, offering no information other than they are "quite a way into our next production cycle now. " He does, however, give his two cents about the future of multiplatform games: with a set of tools "developed on the Naughty Dog premises, actually, by a group of very, very senior games programmer, some from Naughty Dog and some from elsewhere" called Edge, he believes third-party developers "are going to be able to use them in their own ways, to get more and more and more out of the PS3 over the years." In fact, Lemarchand believes that even Naughty Dog is currently only using 30 to 40 percent of the PS3's power. The video game designer concludes the interview with by speaking well of the relationship they have with other PS3 developers: "We have this culture of open communication ... we're always trading war-stories with Insomniac and Evolution and Sucker Punch. We're just one block away from Sony Santa Monica -- the guys who made God Of War -- and we get our designers together ... and I think it makes everybody stronger and smarter." Sounds about right to us.
Trophies: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Read more 'Uncharted' stories So by now you probably know that the Uncharted Trophy patch has dropped and are itching to get your hands on some more glittering prizes. We've listed out every Trophy in the game, including those with the mysterious "???" title. Here's the full Trophy list. View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
Uncharted trophies patch hits North America
Well look-y here. Europe got a patch earlier in the day (or should we say at the same time of the day, given the time zones), but now North America can too avail of the sweet goodness of pirates, curses, and gold with added trophy hunting. You can download the 13MB patch for Uncharted trophies as of right now. Go on and get ready to replay the game and grab those trophies.[Thanks everyone who sent this in!]
Uncharted trophy patch drops in Europe
What? No fanfare? The trophy patch for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is now available. At the moment this is only true for Europe, but no doubt the patch for other regions will be up soon. We'll be sure to update you when that happens. This patch contains a full set of 48 trophies, 47 of which correspond to the medal system already found in the game. The final, platinum, trophy is only achievable once you've obtained the others. So go ahead and give Uncharted a dusting off, stick it in the drive and start collecting. Your PSN level depends on it! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Uncharted Trophies discovered in Europe, US [update]
Surprise! Naughty Dog has released the Uncharted 1.10 patch, bringing 48 Trophies and whatever else is packed into a 13 MB update to the game, according to numerous tips we've received this morning. The catch? The patch is only available in Europe at the moment. We're furiously booting and rebooting here in the US and will let you know as soon as we're able to start earning Trophies of our own. (Hopefully, later today.) Update: The patch is live on US servers! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Uncharted's Trophies identical to in-game medals
An interview with Naughty Dog's Arne Meyer revealed a few details about Uncharted's upcoming Trophy patch which confirms what we've suspected all along. Trophies will be identical to the in-game rewards system ("medals"). The evidence? Arne says the game has 48 Trophies, 47 regular ones and 1 Platinum for completionists. The original game also featured 47 medals. Descriptions of certain Trophies, like killing fifty enemies in a row without dying should be familiar to those that already earned those medals. "The Trophies are tied to the medal rewards which already exist in Uncharted. The requirement to get each Trophy is exactly the same as the one for the associated medal."Unfortunately, there is no retroactive rewards system for Uncharted. If you want Trophies, you're going to have to start all over from the beginning. "To receive Trophies in Uncharted you will have to start a brand new save game without any medals or rewards unlocked."Also, don't expect any new content in the upcoming patch. It's all about Trophies. Expect the patch to go live in just a few more weeks.[Thanks, AlterEgo!]
Uncharted getting Trophy support by mid-August
We've known for some time now that Naughty Dog's incredible fan-favorite Uncharted is getting Trophy support via an upcoming patch. However, we haven't heard of a time frame ... until now. An interview with Joystiq reveals that the patch was "incredibly easy" to implement because the game "already contains preliminary support fro Trophies via its Medals rewards system." However, don't expect to get any Trophies retroactively ... you're going to have to earn them all over again. (Considering how good the game is, we won't complain!)Interestingly, Naughty Dog's Evan Wells included these "hooks" for Trophy support because the team believed Sony would implement the feature before the launch of Uncharted last November. Guess those guys were a bit too foward-thinking. Regardless, we can't wait to boost our PlayStation Level.
Naughty Dog: Uncharted Trophies coming 'very soon'
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune developer Naughty Dog tells us that a patch to add PlayStation Trophy support to the game will be available by mid-August. Company co-president Evan Wells says that the update has already been submitted for quality assurance testing and could hit sooner. According to Wells, the patch was "incredibly easy" to implement because the game already contains preliminary support for Trophies via its Medals reward system. He further revealed that these hooks were actually included because Naughty Dog thought Sony would roll out Trophies before Uncharted's November 2007 launch. As with other PS3 titles getting retroactive Trophy support, Uncharted will require those who've already completed the game to play through again in order to unlock Trophies, even if they had previously earned every Medal. Wells says this is primarily to prevent people from simply using someone else's save data to artificially bolster their Trophy collection. Shame on you for even thinking about it.
Uncharted and 'every game' getting PS3 Trophies
PSN director of operations, Eric Lampel, has confirmed that Naughty Dog's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune will receive a Trophy update "at some point in the foreseeable future." In fact, Lampel told GameSpy, "Ultimately, we'll have trophies for every game." But ultimately is without a deadline currently, suggesting Trophy patches will be trickling out for the, um, foreseeable future. Still, we imagine Sony is leaning on certain studios to allocate resources to Trophy building asap. Certainly there's a greater demand for Trophy support in Uncharted than in, let's say, Genji: Days of the Blade. Then again, an actual, historically accurate award for sticking the giant crab's weak point might be reason enough to procure Genji from a dusty bargain bin and suffer through the ill-fated launch title. Massive Damage Trophy? We so want that one. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Uncharted getting a trophy patch in the 'foreseeable future'
Want more trophies? Firmware 2.40 isn't even out yet (though it should be only a matter of hours at this point) and we've already have Criterion reveal that Burnout Paradise will be patched in at some point "soon." Now, in a post-announcement interview with GameSpy, Eric Lempel has revealed that Uncharted will also get a trophy patch in "the foreseeable future". No other details were mentioned but no doubt we'll hear more about Naughty Dog's plans on the PlayStation Blog. Hopefully, fairly soon.
Source: Uncharted optioned for movie adaptation
It's time for another installment of Anonymous Hollywood Insider Reports, here on Joystiq. Last time we caught wind of some Hollywood fat cats eying up the BioShock license like a so many pounds of plasmid-injected steak (Take-Two's chairman later listed a cinematic adaptation of the property under "potential opportunities"). This time, a well-placed source close to the deal tells us that the movie rights to Naughty Dog's highly cinematic action-adventure game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, have been optioned by Atlas Entertainment. There isn't much else to go on besides that; the project has yet to be formally announced and is still in the earliest stages (that is to say: being written). When asked for comment, an SCEA spokesperson told us, "We have not made any announcements regarding movie options." With the original tomb raider hitting theaters again this year, and a sequel to the well-received game all but confirmed, a Hollywood tie-in seems like a perfect fit (and by perfect fit, we mean half-tucked). The real debate will be over who plays dashing (yet pirate-murdering) hero, Nathan Drake. Our lunch money is on that guy from Firefly ... he's perfect, right? And get this: his name is already Nathan. Talk about kismet.
Learn to make Uncharted at home!
Okay, so you won't actually be able to recreate Uncharted without thousands of dollars worth of software, a PlayStation 3 dev kit and a considerable amount of talent. However, for anyone who is interested in various aspects of how the game was put together, Naughty Dog has very kindly placed their GDC powerpoint presentations up on their website for anyone to take a peek at. Topics covered include a post-mortem of the game (which everyone should see), a look at Uncharted's animation pipeline and Naughty Dog's use of the high-detail modeling package, Mudbox, and how it integrates into other modeling software. Some of these will be very technical and might not be particularly interesting to everyone. Animation and 3D modeling students, however, have some new game-specific reading material to sift through. Get stuck in![Via PlayStation.Blog]
GDC08: The Uncharted post-mortem
At Game Developer's Conference, our pal, Richard Lemarchand from Naughty Dog hosted a post-mortem on Uncharted entitled "Amazing Feats of Daring." His talk covered the various challenges the team encountered on their first PS3 project, and the tricks they've learned along the way. The audience was jam-packed, as representatives of gaming's most proclaimed development teams attended the session.
Ex-Naughty Dog staffers start Big Red Button Entertainment
It's been said that the ultimate user interface would be "a little box with a single red button; when pushed it would give you exactly what you need exactly when you need it." We'd like to think that this was the inspiration that led two ex-Naughty Dog staffers to create game studio Big Red Button Entertainment. Or maybe their inspiration was a little less high-minded. We don't know.Anyway, the new studio has vowed to become the "United Artists of games" (much like EA) by creating "original character based intellectual properties for cross platform and cross media development." OK, so that doesn't really mean anything, but with titles like Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune to the creators' credit, we're still excited about the possibilities. Hey, maybe they should design some games for the Buzz controller. Y'know ... because it has a big red button ...? No? Not funny? FINE! WHO ASKED YOU?!
Former Naughty Dog staff form new team, Big Red Button
Naughty Dog, known for their work on Sony franchises, like Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter and most recently, Uncharted, is one of the most well-respected development teams in the industry today. So, when two high-profile former staff of Naughty Dog go somewhere new, heads undoubtedly turn.The two co-founders have a long history with Naughty Dog: Bob Rafei was the Art Director of Naughty Dog for the past 13 years. E. Daniel Arey acted as Senior Designer and Creative Director of Naughty Dog for ten years. The two have teamed up to make a studio focused on original characters -- they want to become "the United Artists of games."According to their website: "Our commitment is to make not just fun, engaging and compelling games, but games that everyone can play, and everyone will want to play. We at BRB share this long term vision, intending to grow the gaming market, both in terms of age and gender demographics, as well as in emotional appeal." Currently, they have six IPs in "concept development." We wish this new team best of luck, but looking at the pedigree of their games, we doubt they need it.[Via Joystiq]
PlayStation Fancast 014: Naughty Dog Edition
You thought it would never happen (and, at times, neither did we), but here's another episode of the PlayStation Fancast. Join the writers of PS3 & PSP Fanboy as we get the opportunity to chat with Naughty Dog's Richard Lemarchand. Two Englishmen in one episode? Surely not! Episode 14 features Jem Alexander, Andrew Yoon, Nick Doerr and our special guest, Richard Lemarchand. This shortened episode mainly features our discussion with Richard about Uncharted and, among other things, its critical reception and the now iconic half-tuck. We'll have more episodes for you soon, promise! Complete Show [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. [RSS] Add the PlayStation Fancast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. Use m.pspfanboy.com to add the show to your PSP system's RSS feeds. [iTunes] Subscribe to the Fancast directly in iTunes. As always, feel free to leave your comments with us, either here in the post or via email to Jem[at]Joystiq.com. Also, if you're a fan of the show, please join our PS Fanboy Facebook group.
Wii Ware gets some naughty dogs
Naughty Dog itself isn't developing for the Wii, but two of its former developers are. Ex-dogs Jason Hughes and Andrew Gilmour formed a company called Steel Penny Games last year, which will be making a game for Wii Ware. The company has been spending the past year creating an engine for the Wii platform. Steel Penny's first game for the Wii will be a new IP designed for Wii Ware, one that they hope will turn into a series of multiple games. The game, called Bruiser and Scratch in the Case of the Puzzling Paw, will be a puzzle adventure title with fantasy elements and characters.Hughes said that he was "impressed with the egalitarian approach Nintendo has taken toward Wii Ware developers," and thinks that Wii Ware is a good way for developers to get a foothold in the industry.A format that's good for fledgling developers? That's certainly something we can get behind.
Former Naughty Dogs go to work on 'Bruising' WiiWare puzzler
Ex-Naughty Dog developers John Hughes and Andrew Gilmour have announced the first title from their new studio, Steel Penny Games. Bruiser and Scratch in the Case of the Puzzling Paw is said to "blend a challenging puzzle game with dramatic fantasy environments and appealing characters for an exceptionally satisfying experience." That's a similar description we'd give to critical darlings Zack & Wiki and Sam & Max. Here's hoping Bruiser enjoys the latter's commercial success (and not, unfortunately, the former's dearth in sales). In addition to WiiWare, Steel Penny Games is also reportedly certified for Xbox Live Arcade titles. Bruiser and Scratch is reportedly scheduled for a mid-2008 release. Nintendo's WiiWare service is rumored to have a March launch. [Via VideoGamer]
PS3 Fanboy mini-interview: Naughty Dog's Evan Wells
This mini-interview may be short, but in answering these questions Evan Wells of Naughty Dog puts pay to a few little niggles we had regarding Uncharted and its potential future. Discussions are underway within the Naughty Dog offices regarding where the series can go next. We can't wait to see what they come up with. Beware going beyond the jump; there be spoilers (and pirates).Why was the option for an "Install" feature not added to the game?We wanted gamers to be able to start playing the game as rapidly as possible. It's always frustrating as a player to be so excited to start playing a game that you've been looking forward to for so long and you just can't wait any longer and then when you pop in the disc it makes you sit through an agonizingly long install screen. With Uncharted we designed the game so that you can play through the entire experience without a load screen AND without installing a bunch of extra data to fill up your hard drive.
Rumor: Development on Uncharted 2 has been approved
It could just be a funky translation error, but if we believe what we read over at Jeux-France, Uncharted 2 has already started its development cycle. Naughty Dog VP, Christophe Balestra, has confirmed that the game has performed well enough to have the story continued in a second title, though any details beyond that are as difficult to find as all the treasures Nate searched for in the original.We're glad the game will get a second entry, as there are many exciting unexplored ruins for Nate and crew to seek out and fight pirates in. Or ninjas, depending on the locale. Should they seek the lost civilization of Mu for some reason, they'll end up fighting some pirates off the coast of Japan, who could also be ninjas. It's anyone's guess. If Nate seeks Atlantis, he'll fight ... mermen? Aliens? Let us hear your wacky ideas for Nate's second adventure!
