IRC Chat with Tetsuya Mizuguchi: Logged.

[Spaff]

Earlier on Ysbreker and I attended the Aforementioned IRC chat with Tetsuya Mizuguchi; the creator of Lumines, Meteos and of course REZ. What follows is the log and whilst we missed the first 10 minutes or so, we have most of it for you... Engrish remains as typed

Question: How did you start working with Mondo Grosso?

Mizuguchi: While making Lumines I went to a Southern Island...

it's called "Okinawa", located in Japan. I was thinking about Lumines on the beach...

then I heard Mondo Grosso's song...Dawn, then night, lots of stars were at the sky...

it was very beautiful. Then I was thinking; if stars shine corresponding to music, that would be really interesting...

Question: How hands on were you during the actual play mechanics of Lumines? What were some of the changes Hattori-san made to your vision?

Mizuguchi: Hattori is sitting next to me now...

we've been creating games together for 15 years...

He was with me when I was struggling to create Rez...

We can share and understand each other with less words...

He's a great staff who can understand my ideas very well...

Question: Can you briefly explain us what is your game, Lumines, for the players who donRt know this title?

Mizuguchi: Sure! This is a puzzle game, but, all the control/play sounds are on the music sheet. The sound you play will become a song just like making music by playing puzzles, a fusion of puzzle game and music... sorry... kinda very normal explanation...haha =)

Question: What inspire red you when making the sound and visual presentation of Lumines?

Mizuguchi: Well... there is a drama behind it:

After the sunset... stars started shining... then i had a dream...when i realized... it was already sunrise... then morning...it was like a show...

I asked our art director Yokota to create such a "show" with music and visual

Question: Where do you basically get your 'game' ideas from? Spending time on your desk and waiting until something is on paper or...?

Mizuguchi: that's a good question...

I always think about different ideas simultaneously in my head, but while I’m thinking, usually I cannot come up with good ideas. But after I think a lot, when I start doing something totally not related to game development, usually great ideas come to me!

For instance: talking to people from different industries, while driving... or on airplane...when just watching outside from the window...but the important thing is to talk to people...

Question: how big was the team that worked on Lumines ?

6 people! The smallest team ever. But since I didn't really work hard... so I should say 5.5 people =P

Question: I heard that Meteos only took three days to get a working version on the Nintendo DS. I was wondering how long did it take you to get Lumines running on the PSP? Is it a lot more difficult to work on the PSP than the Nintendo DS?

Mizuguchi: In case of Lumines we created 3 prototypes in a month. I don't think PSP is more difficult than DS, I think not different, however when we started Lumines development, PSP hardware itself wasn't available yet so we had to proceed Lumines development on PC for a while.

Question: Did you expect the US and European versions of Lumines to outsell the Japanese edition?

Mizuguchi: Honestly; we wanted to change music for each territory; however so many people suggested me that US and European fans would like the music we selected...

Of course, I want to create different music version of Lumines, but I believe US and European fans would love the music and game more than Japanese fans!

Question: At Q!, are you going to keep focusing on music and rhythm-driven games for the games you direct yourself, or are you also going to direct other efforts?

Mizuguchi: To continue to create a fusion of game and music or a game with a solid style is one of things we always want to do however, we will continue to challenge new things other than that...We are currently working on Xbox360 game called N3 (Ninety-nine Nights) is one of the challenges

Question: do you play your own game, after they are release? if so which one do you play most, meteos or Lumines?

Mizuguchi: that's a... mean question =P honestly I've played Lumines quite often recently...I've travelled a lot recentlyand on airplane, I just keep playing Lumines until a flight attendant tells me... "we're landing now!" but... I still cannot stop playing it !

=)

Question: What's your highest score on Lumines?

Mizuguchi: 999,999, of course !

Question: What genres of music, bands and songs do you like yourself? Are there artists whose music you would like to have in the next Lumines?

Mizuguchi: I like all kinds of music really, if possible, I’d like to use Beatles songs for next Lumines ! All need is love, classics sound good, too Recently I’ve listened to Chemical Brothers and Far Boy Slim a lot

Question: Will there really be a Lumines 2, if yes.. what are gonna be the major changes

Mizuguchi: We haven't announced about Lumines 2 yet, but we've been trying out many things for Lumines 2…well...sorry... I cannot tell you more than that at this point...

Question: Apart from Mondo Grosso and Eri Nobuchika who provided two songs each, who else contributed to the game soundtrack? How many songs are available in Lumines?

Mizuguchi: The rest of the songs were created by Takayuki Nakamura and Yokota

Takayuki Nakamura was in charge of Vertur Fighter 1's music at Sega...

Question: when making games, how often do creators consider the high level players when tuning their games?

Mizuguchi: When I create games, I always try to make the entrance very wide but make it so deep... Entrance is wide... which means, everybody can easily try out the games...

but it will be difficult to reach further...it sounds easy, but actually it is really difficult to make a game...It always give me headaches !

Question: What is your favourite game released in the last year or so?

Mizuguchi: Of course Lumines! I made Lumines because I wanted to play it =)

Question: In Rez (awesome game, by the way) the last level (5) was really special, very specific and different from the other levels, and that really made a huge impression on me. In Lumines the same can be said for the "Lights" level with, as you describe, a sunset. Is this a very concious decision on your part, to hold some stuff back for the finale? Michel Ancel said surprise is very important to a game, do you agree with that?

Mizuguchi: I'd like to thank you, who asked this question. Indeed, Rez 5th level and Lumines Lights have something in common, if some of you don't really understand how they are similar, sorry...but... the point is...I always want to put some message in games...

It could be a small message, but I want players to feel something...

From now on...more games will be like that...Once games become Hi-Def completely; it will be definitely like that...

Question: My favourite skin in Lumines is probably Shake Your Body because of the intense background changes. What is your favourite Track / skin from the game?

Mizuguchi: Shini' and Lights are my favorites

Question: Why not make a remake of REZ for the PSP, beacuse of the high popularity with Lumines on the system?

Mizuguchi: Umm...I created Rez when I was at Sega...Sega has all the copy rights...

Ryosan: Mizuguchi-san, do you want to say something to your fans to finish this live chat?

Mizuguchi: It's 11 pm in Tokyo...

A big tyhoon hit Tokyo and it was very windy...but now it's completely fine... just like the sky of Shinin'...I think it's around 3pm there

I think this is great that I can get to know you guys through a game...

I’m very happy about it...Let's meet somewhere, sometime ! I'm going to Paris on 9/22 I'll attend the Game Hotel event there...See you everyone there !

Ryosan I guess that’s it then. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, especially at that hour for you. And a special thanks to Michiko, our marvellous translator ^__^

A full transcript of the live chat will be posted on the Lumines official website in the coming days. Stay tuned!

Mizuguchi: Goodbye, everyone

UbiRazz: http://www.gamehotel.net/2005/08/program_of_pari.html - here's the Game Hotel link for everyone

* ysbreker has left #lumines

[vimes]

There's something touching and disarming about japanese game designers and developers : they see their craft as something very easy and very staightforward.

When they talk about making games, they sound like painters who just have to get an idea and then begin painting... technical difficulties or rationnalisation don't seem to be issues for them.

Maybe that's why they are the only ones who dare to begin development based on what might sound like a stupid / simplistic gameplay idea... and maybe that's why the are the only creators who can print their nationality/personnality in their games. [i.e. one can spot at first sight if a game is japanese or not... I think.]

Western developers could use that kind of state of mind.

[miffy495]

God I love Japan. I have no idea what broke their culture so far off of the western norm, but we desperately need it over here. I've always used "Well, they ARE the only culture that's been hit with a nuclear bomb..." as a jokey way of explaining the differences to myself, but whatever it is that makes the creativity and wackiness flow, import it now. As sweet as Meteos is, the DS's screens look like hell in natural light, so I've found myself playing Lumines a lot more on the train and such. Such awesome games.

Also, YES! Remake Rez! At this point, it seems like it'll be the only way I can get my hands on it!

[ysbreker]

Maybe it's because they live on an island that is relatively isolated from the rest of the world?

[Chris]

Well, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Eastern and Western cultures collided heavily, and that's still clearly evident in many aspects of society. It's particularly noticeable in music. All Eastern music, with pretty much the only exception being Japanese Noh, which is becoming rarer and rarer all the time, is completely based on the Western system. Even when you hear "Japanese" or "Chinese" music, it's really just Western music with superficial Asian elements. Attempts to resurrect ancient music (which don't even happen as often as you'd think) never succeed because literally none of it survived. The traditional music of those cultures doesn't really exist any more due to the fanatacism towards classical and romantic composers that went on in those countries for some time, and since the music of Asian cultures was orally recorded rather than written, it didn't take much for it to pretty much be lost entirely.

I mean that's just one thing but there's a lot of adoption of culture that went on during those times, they didn't really stay separate.

[Knar]

Well, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Eastern and Western cultures collided heavily, and that's still clearly evident in many aspects of society. It's particularly noticeable in music. All Eastern music, with pretty much the only exception being Japanese Noh, which is becoming rarer and rarer all the time, is completely based on the Western system. Even when you hear "Japanese" or "Chinese" music, it's really just Western music with superficial Asian elements. Attempts to resurrect ancient music (which don't even happen as often as you'd think) never succeed because literally none of it survived. The traditional music of those cultures doesn't really exist any more due to the fanatacism towards classical and romantic composers that went on in those countries for some time, and since the music of Asian cultures was orally recorded rather than written, it didn't take much for it to pretty much be lost entirely.

I mean that's just one thing but there's a lot of adoption of culture that went on during those times, they didn't really stay separate.

Is that 100% true? I mean, listening to Chinese Opera - it's a very unique art form and truth be told, very non-western. A cry is very dramatic and not very western at all. Actually I think Chinese Opera sounds very much like cats yowling at night. Don't tell my grandma that, she loves the stuff.

The Guqin

and the Erhu

have very unique sounds and some of the "older" compositions I've heard tend to have very unique asian elements. Things such as note choice and tempo.

These are instruments that are staples in Chinese soap operas displaying the olden days with Emperors and the like. The music is a bit cliched, yes, usually playing the same song, but they don't sound remotely classical or from the romantic period from what I can tell.

For you guys who don't know the Erhu or Guqin, they're the main instruments used in olden day china kung fu movies. I was about to say "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", but Yo Yo Ma composed the entire soundtrack and he plays the cello.

They're both string instruments, the Guqin being a plucking instrument and the Erhu is a bow instrument.