PSP World

No Gravity Developer Interview

This week we got a chance to talk to the developers behind the PSP exclsuive title No Gravity: The Plague of Mind. This game, which is described as a fast-paced 3D shooter set in space, is currently available for download on the European and North American Playstation Store. We spoke to the guys about the challenges of designing for a handheld, the opportunities represented by digital distribution, and some nitty-gritty features included in their game. It is a very informative interview and you can check out the full text below.

PSP World: No Gravity has one of the most amazing 3D engines we've seen to date on the PSP. Can you tell us a bit about your 3D technology and how you have implemented it in this game?

Anozor: Thank you for that first sentence. The game looks good because we feature many technologies, sometimes simultaneously on the screen. In the game, you will find dynamic lighting, bloom effects, environment mapping, lots of post effects and a high number of particles.

We also used some built-in PSP capabilities such as tri-linear filtering, which improves the rendering quality but also the drawing speed.

We also used the unique PSP ATRAC capabilities for the music which provides great compression for a good quality and the VFPU (Vector Floating Point Unit) to make the game faster.

Globally, we tried to give a lot of entertainment per megabyte (on average, a level fits in much less than 2MB: 31 levels for 51MB). It would be very long to explain how we use all of them, and we are not sure we wouldn't break our non disclosure agreement with Sony doing so.

PSP World: What things did you enjoy about developing for a handheld platform?

Anozor: Developing for a handheld is cool because you have lots of memory constraints and limited power, which gives you the possibility of showing off, while staying in a limited environment in terms of production costs.

In some sense, it is harder to get the power from a handheld console than it is from, let's say a PS3.

PSP World: No Gravity is coming out as a digital download on the PlayStation Store. What do you think of this new digital distribution model, and what do you think Sony needs to do to make it even more popular?

[Seb, Anozor's executive producer answering here:]

For all hardware, they need more quality games only available via download. It does not have to be AAA titles only -- it can be smaller, but quality, games.

Most young people cannot buy games on the internet stores because they do not have credit cards, therefore it would be great to make vouchers more easily available. I guess the "problem" here is sharing the result of the sales with the other elements of the distribution chain (the physical retailers).

From a PSP perspective, It could be a great console to lead the digital distribution model because of the small(er) data size, etc. They need to make the hardware more appealing. The digital distribution model is great, it lowers cost in manufacturing, could reduce the shelve space, etc... So let's take it to the extreme.

For example, you could think about having a PSP with a separate and optional UMD dock. You could use the dock separately (and sell it separately) to watch UMD games and transfer, from the UMD, big games (or old games) to your PSP, while most of your day-to-day usage would be done by downloadable content (well, that's what I was saying 3 years ago, when I was working for Sony!).

You could reduce the size, therefore the cost, of the PSP more easily, since the height of the screen would not be anymore constrained by the height of the UMD.

Of course, you have to consider countries where broadband is underdeveloped but Sony has some great technologies they could use to provide (physical) stores around the globe with game dispenser machines (like an ATM but for games) and not purchasing the dock would reduce the cost for consumers and help penetrate these markets.

From a developer perspective, you need to make the console more appealing, and a first thing to do would be able to develop games on normal consoles (technically speaking, it would be a piece of cake) to lower development
costs.

I can't predict what Sony is up to, but it definitely makes sense and Sony could do anything!

There are a variety of dfferent challenges and environments in No Gravity besides the vastness the empty space.

PSP World: What are some inspiring shooters you've played that have influenced development of No Gravity? Personally I was a big fan of Xyanide for the PSP but sadly, it never saw release in North America. What are the most important ingredients of an arcade shooter, do you think?

Anozor: No Gravity took its inspiration from several games and films. The games you can find inspiration from are the great historical successes in the genre, such as Elite, Starglider, Epic, Wing commander, Starfox, Colony Wars.

I have to warn you that "No Gravity" is not merely a space shooter. You have a strategic dimension to the game where you play, sometimes in solo, sometimes with a team, trying to achieve your objectives: this makes the game rather complex.

PSP World: Tell us a bit about gameplay. For example, how do you handle targeting and aiming in this game?

Anozor: You can select one of the targets that is in front of you. Since it would be impossible with a moving target, and since the game is set in the future, you can expect firing help predicting the motion of the target.

This is rather effective at short distance, and less effective at long distance. The only problem is that enemies have the same abilities, so you will have to use evasive maneuvers.

Most of the time, the issue is not targeting/firing, but staying alive and thinking one step ahead, because of the tactical/strategic aspect of the game. You will have to select your targets in the best possible order to make sure your mission is successful.

PSP World: What is the coolest weapon you've added to the game, in your opinion?

Anozor: The first cool weapon we like the plasma gun because of it charges in a few seconds and then releases extreme power.

The other very cool weapon you could use is the ion blaster, but it only works at close range. This weapon is very effective on some specific targets (I won't tell you which ones, I wouldn't want to spoil your experience!).

PSP World: I could spend $10 on a small ham and pepperoni pizza from the Italian place down the street. Why should I (and everyone else) pick up your game instead? Keep in mind that these folks make the best pizza in Seattle and I'm pretty hungry.

Anozor: Come on man, you really need a pizza? The pleasure will only last a few minutes, while if you buy No Gravity, you won't need the pizza, because you will be hooked by the game for many long hours!

Actually, we should say No Gravity is the best medication on earth: First, you will not eat a pizza, therefore you'll lose weight, and secondly you will train your brain to find the solutions to the different levels.

Actually, I believe the cost of our game should be reimbursed by all national health insurances or by any national education system!

It was a tough sell, but in the end Seb and the rest of the team at Anozor convinced me that video games are more important than food. I also had a chance to check out a final build of the game, and was quite impressed with what I saw. This game really is one of the best looking titles to appear on the handheld, which is saying a lot. You will be able to check out our full official review of No Gravity soon.