Oddworld Questions & Answers VI

[Xavier]

please don't do this bestmen go play your game somewhere else!

[moxco]

That pic was new to me when I opened the book, so I guess it's not available on the net

New to you?

[Wil]

It hadn’t been seen before.

[Slaveless]

I have (yet another) question. That thing that comes from the ceiling and sees that Abe is escaping in the beginning video in AO... How come it appears like that is pretty much the only time we've seen only that thing? Is it some sort of camera?

[Zerox]

I assume it's merely some sort of security camera, but Oddworld didn't seem bothered enough to use it as a background prop later. It would mainly have been used for the sense of 'you've been spotted', and zooming in on him.

They may usually be hidden in the ceiling, hence to why it comes down form above, and then zooms.

[Wil]

There were going to be security cameras in Munch’s Oddysee. Maybe they would have had a similar design.

[Slaveless]

Was AE never intended to be released? It seemed like that some sort development on the story was at least made before AO had received a great review. I know AE and AO had orginally had the same storyline, where they really weren't seperate journeys for Abe. Yet, I mean the game must have intended to be released. I just read it on one of the old websites (Oddworld Universe) and it said AE was never intended to be released. Is this true?

[Wil]

It simply means that there was never intended to be a game released between Abe’s Oddysee and Munch’s Oddysee. Development was going to move straight from one onto the other, but, as we all know, AO’s popularity made it a sensible idea to expand on Oddworld before the next generation of game console technology came along.

[Slaveless]

So how exactly could they start a project only a little after AO was released? I know that they could reuse the technology they already have for AE from AO, but a year's worth of production simply seems too small.

[Jordan]

My thoughts are that there were scraps and bits of levels that were left out in AO, and some of these were used in AE.
AE uses the same system as AO, all that's changed really is the speech, the level design, and the creatures allowed to be possessed.
The story wouldn't have been a huge problem: Evil comes back to Abe. So what would OWI need to do? Think of another way that the Glukkons could take over the world. I think it was just a way to keep fans happy until they released MO.

[Nate]

Also, I reckon they must have been working on AE before AO was released; Lorne must have known then that the game systems weren't powerful enough for what he wanted to do with MO so it seems logical that they would have started preproduction whilst AO was still in production.

[Zerox]

The levels were created differently to AO. Rather than each screen being individually rendered, certain objects were drawn, then resized and reused in different screens. This was quicker, and still looked impressive.

Maybe during part of the production of MO they started? It took 2 years just to design Munch. I wouldn't think it would take the whole staff to work on Munch...they could be doing other things, though that may have been programming anyway, but I dunno...

[Slaveless]

All I know is that some conception sketches of Necrum were made before AO was released into the public. The earliest date I have found is that one conception design of Necrum was August 27, 1997. About four days before AO was released into North America.

What I know about MO is that it started production in 1996. I think even Steven Olds had worked on MO, as you can see that one Chronicler design and Vykker Labs conception sketch was designed by him, and was clearly labeled MUNCH. (My theory was that Steven Olds was hired by OWI to make conception sketches for them, up until the point in time where AO was released. Which would 1997, making it possible for him to have worked on MO, being that it was first in production 1996)

@Jordan: I have to agree with you on that. The team already had a feel for the world they were entering, since it wasn't that much long ago that AO was made. However, the idea of SoulStorm Brew was already invented before AE, in fact around the time AO was around in production.

[Jordan]

Yeah, wasn't AO originally going to be called Soulstorm? For all we know, the levels and designs from AE could have been made for AO, but were cancelled for some reason.

[Zerox]

For all we know, the levels and designs from AE could have been made for AO, but were cancelled for some reason.

I somehow doubt that.

4 days before AO's release, Slaveless? That's hardly all that early, games tend to have been 'finished' and ready for release for a fair while before they are, things like age rating and stuff need to be done, and other such things which don't require (or at least not the whole) workforce.

[Slaveless]

Necrum designs were made after AO was made, not during production. So it couldn't be possible that Necrum levels were made at the time of AO's production.

Anyway, I do realize that games are made before they are released. But yet, GT Interactive Software could not have been given the results of AO before it was even released. AE must at least had been encouraged to have been made by GT Interactive Software (according this information) after AO was released. So if days before AO was released that conception images were made, it could be very well possible that AE's complete story was already invented.

[Hulaabeo]

What does a searex face look like?

[Slaveless]

I wish I could bring up an image, but there isn't really a good one that comes to mind... I will edit this post if I find a concept picture in TOGG.

Anyway, a Searex's face is much like what we have seen. The head lacks eyes, and sort of has a Sloggish look to it. The head is clean and doesn't look like it has the horns or crown that a Slog has. It's mouth is formed to make sort of smile and bears teeth. That is pretty much all I can remember of it.

[Paul]

My thoughts are that there were scraps and bits of levels that were left out in AO, and some of these were used in AE.
AE uses the same system as AO, all that's changed really is the speech, the level design, and the creatures allowed to be possessed.
The story wouldn't have been a huge problem: Evil comes back to Abe. So what would OWI need to do? Think of another way that the Glukkons could take over the world. I think it was just a way to keep fans happy until they released MO.

from a technical standpoint... they actually changed a LOT within the game engine, just the final output looks kinda the same and the pc ps1 emulation code was the same
lots of extra new AI etc, simlar file systems though
I'd say they used the AO engine as a base and rewrote most of it

[Jordan]

I remember seeing a picture, it just looks like a giant tadpole to me.

[skillya_glowi]

Well, I got this. It may be a bit...small....but gives you the general idea.

[Zerox]

Where'd you find that? Is it a scan or something? I thought the one in the book had a darker background. Ugh, confusion...

[Wil]

I’m guessing it’s from Ballistic’s collection of page thumbnails, which is perfectly legitimate.

[Mistress of Oddworld]

what IS that tadpole "thing"

[Wil]

It’s a Sea Rex. Hulaabeo just asked what it looked like.

[Mistress of Oddworld]

was it ever intended to be in an owi game? or is it just part of the background?

[Wil]

It was going to be in Munch’s Oddysee gameplay, but then it’s role was reduced to cinematic appearances because of its size. Then it was cut from the game altogether. It appeared in an early Munch video and quickly became a fan favourite, and OWI made sure to include that video on Movies of Oddworld.

[skillya_glowi]

Does the Oddworld Cinema happen to have that video? :-B

[Wil]

Nope, don’t think so. Maybe that’s something we can work on…

[Jordan]

Good idea Skillya. I'd like to see some of those videos from the Oddworld DVD.