"Actually, you can relax your mind for a bit. There's no need to rush to design the Titan cha; we still have plenty of ti."
"Plenty of ti?" The designer looked up suspiciously, saying, "What good is relaxing my mind? If I do that, it might just... just... Boss!!"
The designer stared for a mont, then suddenly realized sothing and quickly stood up, looking a bit flustered.
Takayuki shook his head and smiled, gesturing, "No need to be so nervous. We're not much different in age, so there's no need to panic."
"Boss, I didn't expect you to co. I just... "
Takayuki interrupted, "I just suggested you clear your mind, but it's not simply about emptying your mind. It's purposeful relaxation—do you understand?"
The designer was a bit confused.
Takayuki patiently explained, "The near-future Titan cha concept that I proposed is the artistic style tone for our ga, and we have to stick to that. But how we present it is indeed a bit tricky. However, I can pose so questions for you."
...
The designer quickly said, "Boss, please go ahead."
"Do you have any knowledge of modern military machinery?"
"Boss, are you talking about planes, tanks, and such?"
"Exactly, and also so military products still in the conceptual phase, like exoskeletons."
"Uh... no, I've always been in charge of designing fantasy or modern-style gas. This is my first ti working with a future setting for Titanfall."
Takayuki nodded. "No wonder. So I think you might be falling into a trap. If a designer wants to create sothing satisfying and convincing, I think the first step is to gather references, right?"
"You're right, but I really haven't found many references for this near-future style, so I'm having trouble finding the right direction."
"Well, let's do this. I'll give you a break. By the way, does your team have other designers?"
"Of course, I'm the Titan designer. I have a few colleagues who handle character design and environnt design."
In today's large-scale ga developnt, having just one designer and one music artist is no longer enough.
If one person were to handle all the design for a large ga, they'd likely burn out.
Even if they didn't, their designs could beco rigid.
So it's normal for a developnt team to have eight or ten designers, or even more.
Back in Japan, Takayuki had considered creating a dedicated design departnt for the company to handle basic style designs for most of their gas.
Takayuki said, "Then call in these people. I'll give all of you a month-long paid holiday, with a public-funded trip, of course. The destination will be major military museums, and any materials related to military and near-future films and literature will also be reimbursed. Your task during this month will be to absorb as much of this as you can. After one month, co back and think about how to design a satisfying Titan cha. What do you think?"
"Are you serious, boss? We can really do that?"
"This is a thod to quickly improve your design."
Get references, then use those references to create sothing of your own.
Takayuki could give them clear design directions, but he preferred to teach them how to find and use references rather than simply giving them the answers.
If he only ever told them what to do, what would they do when he eventually retired? Would they be left to start over again?
Wasting a bit of ti wasn't a big deal. Takayuki could accept that.
Even if the developnt cycle took two or three years, that was normal.
It wasn't normal to develop a top-tier ga in a year, like he had done before.
Now, Takayuki wanted to return to a normal developnt pace.
"I'll talk to the person in charge, and they'll listen seriously to what I say. You all pack up and go on your vacation. Hopefully, when you return, you'll have a design I'm satisfied with."
"Okay, boss!"
They were going to get paid vacation, with all expenses covered, which was a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity.
Of course, all of this was ultimately for work, but it still felt great.
They were happy to be working for a company that provided such benefits—other companies definitely wouldn't offer the sa treatnt.
"By the way, if the music artists also have similar problems, you can ask them to join you on the vacation, let them 'clear their minds' as well."
"Okay!"
The designer imdiately started packing up.
Takayuki didn't need to care where they went to get inspiration; that was up to them. No guidance was needed there.
After organizing everything, Takayuki went straight to the testing office.
The team leader, Arno, and several other key mbers were already waiting there. They had poured a lot of energy into developing this version of the demo, and fortunately, they had completed it just in ti for the deadline.
The door slowly opened, and Takayuki entered. Everyone imdiately straightened up.
"Boss, you're here," Arno imdiately stepped forward.
Takayuki said, "No need for those pointless formalities. Show the demo now."
"Sure."
Arno didn't waste any ti and imdiately powered on the latest GSX gaming console, which already had the first version of the Titanfall demo installed.
The first version of the demo was set up according to Takayuki's request, showcasing the ga's initial training level.
In the training level, 80% of the Titanfall gaplay chanics had been presented.
The remaining 20% involved more advanced chanics, which would be introduced during different gaplay experiences.
At this point, Titanfall didn't yet have finalized character designs. The models currently used were the default ones from the Unreal Engine.
First-person gas didn't have particularly high requirents for character modeling, so this was acceptable for now.
As for weapons and other items, they were also Unreal Engine's public models. These would be replaced later with near-future designs.
The main focus for now was showcasing the gaplay itself.
Takayuki picked up the controller, and imdiately, he felt a slight vibration.
"Boss, we made more adjustnts to the controller this ti, as you suggested. For example, we fine-tuned the vibration when shooting guns. How does it feel?"
Arno eagerly watched, waiting for Takayuki's reaction.
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