E3 conference video featuring Lorne Lanning

[Lampion]

O know this is old news, but, since I'm not sure someone has talked about this in this forum, I'm gonna do that, just in case...

The xbox site has a video 1 hour and eight minutes long, from the E3 conference of 05/16/2001, featuring the most important xbox games, Munch's Oddysee and Halo, along with a few info about the console and other games.

The first 10 minutes or so of the show is with Lorne, talking about Munch and the XBOX, and Actually playing a demo of the game, not that one we saw from Gamestock, but one with in-game sounds, and lots of new sequences. Remember those 19 new screenshots? Watch that in real time video!!!

Here is the link:
E3 Press Conference - Full Rebroadcast

enjoy it!

[Pacen]

Thanks Lampion that video is excellent. I thought Lorne's joke about the album was funny.

So that guy with the weird hair is a "tomahawker" (spelling) thus that weapon is a tomahawk. For those who can't see the video, in one part Abe chants and transforms other mudokons into these tomahawkers. I thought that was excellent too.

[Lampion]

Yeah, that sequence was very clearing.

Remember a couple of months ago, when people started to especulate about the ability to create new characters in Munch's Oddysee? Someone said it would be possible to choose different weapons, and special abilities, and diferent personalities, making the combination of these features a unique new character.

Well, when I read that, I actually thought that kind of "creating character" feature was too complex to fit into Oddworld philosofy to make gameplay experience very easy to any gamer, not only the hardcore gamers.

So, after seeing those pictures of the white funny guy with Abe in front of a shrine "zapping" a green mudokon, I realised that the ability to create new characters is in fact the possibility to upgrade existing characters of the environment, a ery simple thing to do.

But I was not sure about that, until I saw the video I mentioned above with that sequence with the white guys, funny hair and a big club, or "tomahawk". Abe finds six pale green "raw"mudokons, without any paintings or tatoos on their bodies, and even without ponytails. Then he make them follow him colser to the shrine where he can chant to make a blue lightning bolt hit the "raw" mudokon and "upgrade"him into a new kind of character, the Tomahawker. Cool, isn't?

I suppose Abe will be able to do the same thing with possessed sligs, to upgrade them, and with Glukkons (one of the main goals of the game is to transform a low level status glukkon called LULU into a high status executive Glukkon, so that he can have access to more restricted areas of the game, and letting Abe and Munch also to have access of an specific part of the game.

I guess now the mistery of the creating characters ability is solved.

Oh, people out there, if you wanna have a quick glimpse of what to expect from XBOX games, watch the full video. You will find demontrations of about 6 diferent games, including Dead or Alive and A.I.

[Pacen]

Yeah, creating a character in this way makes more sense. OWI are trying to make the game very advanced but simple & easy to play, so it better suits the game and what they hope to achieve. Personally I am pleased that characters can be upgraded in this way.

I guess as Abe develops spiritually, so does his ability to upgrade characters, allowing him to upgrade more characters and make them more advanced & stronger.

I think Abe could be able to upgrade glukkons, but I don't think he'd be able to upgrade sligs. The slig would have to stand near the shrine while you chant to upgrade him. The slig would NOT do this. He would shoot/beat Abe on site or if he could not see Abe, he would run. As I see it, the only way he could change enemies like this was if they were trapped/sleeping/injured and Abe was in a position where they could not attack him, ie - out of range.

I think this is an exciting and valuable addition to the game and can't wait to try it out.

[Lampion]

Actualy when I said that Abe is going to be able to upgrade Sligs and Glukkons into higher status, I don't think he will use shrines and lightning bolts to upgrade them, because these facilities are based on Spooce, and Sligs and glukkons status is based on Moolah.

That's how I think it will work: Abe has to possess a Slig first, then bring him close to a vending machine, something like a automated telling machine to gain more moolah, and therefore, upgrade to a higher status. with more moolah, a slig can buy a bigger and heavier armour, being respected for that.

I read at the xboxaddict interview with Lorne Lanning that we will be able to possess Glukkons and steal their Moolah, maybe to give to LULU, I don't know.

Talking about GAMESPEAK, we know that it is going to be more natural and complex than Abe's games, but it is going to be very much easier to control.

Especulations

Gamespeak in Munch's Oddysee will use just two buttons, without "shift" keys, that's for sure, Lorne said that. I can't figure how its gonna work, maybe one of the buttons will work as a greetings button, and the other will work as a ask-for-help button.

It seems that the characters will be more aware of objects and other characters nearby. the relationships characters have to each other will drive the use of the sentences.
In the demo there is many examples:

The first time, Abe and Munch say "Hello". But after taht, Munch says "Hello" (he is looking at Abe) and Abe answers back saying "Hey, Munch". I suppose only one button was used here (the grettings button).

Munch also says to Abe: "Get'em!"(I suppose the ask-for-help or action button is used here) and it is the command Munch give to the fuzzles to make them attack enemies. But there is no enemies here, just Abe, and he answers "I don't think so..." followed by a low laugh from Munch, meaning "I'm just joking, dude", hehe.

when Abe gets to the closed gate, the guard of the gate is aware of Abe's presence. So, he says "hey Abe" and opens the gate to allow Abe and Munch to proceed.

I guess the analog buttons can be used to make characters yell to "all'ya!". If you just tap the button, he is going to say "hello". If you press it hard, it will yell, "al'ya!"

Again its all speculations.


I loved the way Munch answers Abe. He says: "Ok, dude!" Hilarious.