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Oni: Difference between revisions
linked to new Localizations article; removed list of languages that received box+manual translations because the list is growing, and it will be catalogued on Localizations from now on
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However, unbeknownst to the public, development of Oni was troubled from the start. The team was young and inexperienced, and development suffered from a lack of direction. A great deal of code had been written and assets created without producing a story that was playable from start to finish. Transferring data from the professional software used for level modeling and animation into Oni wasn't even possible until the very end of 1997.<!-- | However, unbeknownst to the public, development of Oni was troubled from the start. The team was young and inexperienced, and development suffered from a lack of direction. A great deal of code had been written and assets created without producing a story that was playable from start to finish. Transferring data from the professional software used for level modeling and animation into Oni wasn't even possible until the very end of 1997.<!-- | ||
--><ref group=note><cite class="note">"After almost a year all they had were some stick figures walking in a box; hardly a killer demo, much less a new frontier in gaming. […] Eventually, Brent had a 'eureka' - just before New Year's Eve 1998, he had a breakthrough. He was able to match the power of these professional tools with their new engine." [http://web.archive.org/web/20010302193919/http://www.insidemacgames.com/previews/99/oni/oni2.shtml Inside Mac Games, "Sneak Preview: Oni", 1999].</cite></ref><!-- | --><ref group=note><cite class="note">"After almost a year all they had were some stick figures walking in a box; hardly a killer demo, much less a new frontier in gaming. […] Eventually, Brent had a 'eureka' - just before New Year's Eve 1998, he had a breakthrough. He was able to match the power of these professional tools with their new engine." [http://web.archive.org/web/20010302193919/http://www.insidemacgames.com/previews/99/oni/oni2.shtml Inside Mac Games, "Sneak Preview: Oni", 1999].</cite></ref><!-- | ||
--> | --> It became increasingly became clear to management back in Chicago that the game was not going to be ready by the end of 1999. | ||
At the same time, turnover at the Bungie West office began with the departure of the AI programmer in the summer of 1999 (a replacement would not be | When Hardy LeBel was added to the team as Design Lead in mid-1999, he leveraged his greater experience in game development to focus the development efforts and help produce a shippable product. At the same time, turnover at the Bungie West office began with the departure of the AI programmer in the summer of 1999 (a replacement would not be onboarded until January 2000).<!-- | ||
--><ref>[http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=1808 Oni Central Forum, "I'm pretty sure Chris Butcher has joined Oni", Jan. 23, 2000].</ref><!-- | |||
--> The end of 1999 saw the departure of one of the level designers, and then Brent Pease himself (with his Project Lead title being passed to Michael Evans). | |||
LeBel | Evans, LeBel and the team began honing the gameplay, shaping the final story, and figuring out what features or content would have to be dropped in order to ship the game before it was too late; Bungie was secretly suffering from serious money problems (see {{SectionLink||Buyout}} below). In May of 2000, it was announced that multiplayer was being removed from the game due to latency issues and lack of time to create suitable arena levels for network play. The mecha enemy known as the Iron Demon and an additional level of the game were also cut due to lack of time to complete them. | ||
In June of 2000, it was announced that Bungie had been acquired by Microsoft. This caused an upset among Bungie's fan base, which mostly consisted of Mac users. They considered Microsoft to be Apple's nemesis, and now the company behind the upcoming Xbox console had taken the most popular game developer from the Mac world and would be incorporating them into their office complex. The effect of the acquisition on Oni's development was dire: it meant that Bungie West | In June of 2000, it was announced publicly that Bungie had been acquired by Microsoft. This caused an upset among Bungie's fan base, which mostly consisted of Mac users. They considered Microsoft to be Apple's nemesis, and now the company behind the upcoming Xbox console had taken the most popular game developer from the Mac world and would be incorporating them into their office complex in order to bring Halo to the Xbox. The effect of the acquisition on Oni's development was dire: it meant that Bungie West had a few short months to finish their work and join the rest of Bungie in Redmond, Washington. | ||
In order to ship the game by year-end, the Bungie West staff worked massive overtime for several months straight.<!-- | In order to ship the game by year-end, the Bungie West staff worked massive overtime for several months straight.<!-- | ||
--><ref group=note><cite class="note">Michael Evans said, "Most of us were working 14 hours a day 7 days a week" in [https://web.archive.org/web/20010128191200/http://hypothermia.gamershardware.com/interviews/interview_oni.html this interview].</cite></ref><!-- | --><ref group=note><cite class="note">Michael Evans said, "Most of us were working 14 hours a day 7 days a week" in [https://web.archive.org/web/20010128191200/http://hypothermia.gamershardware.com/interviews/interview_oni.html this interview].</cite></ref><!-- | ||
--> During this "crunch" period, the unexpected departure of the graphics programmer led to his replacement and a minor overhaul of the graphics code.<!-- | --> During this "crunch" period, the unexpected departure of the graphics programmer led to his replacement and a minor overhaul of the graphics code to fix bugs with certain graphics cards and to improve performance.<!-- | ||
--><ref>[https://archive.is/njEe3#:~:text=Fun%20fact eBay | --><ref group=note>Stefan Sinclair tells the story in the Description section of [https://archive.is/njEe3#:~:text=Fun%20fact this eBay auction] of how he was sent in by Bungie to pick up where the previous programmer left off in August 2000.<!--We know that he replaced the previous programmer in August 2000 because that's when Stefan started asking questions on the Khronos.org forum about OpenGL ^_^. It can be confirmed by looking at the dates on his source files in the Oni codebase.--> After having rewritten much of the core graphics routines, he alluded to the massive performance boost he gave the game in [https://community.khronos.org/t/how-expensive-are-redundant-state-changes/38974 this forum post].</ref><!-- | ||
--> Technical and/or gameplay issues required all 14 levels to have their geometry significantly altered over the course of 7 months.<!-- | --> Technical and/or gameplay issues required all 14 levels to have their geometry significantly altered over the course of 7 months.<!-- | ||
--><ref name="conquer" /><!-- | --><ref name="conquer" /><!-- | ||
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--><ref>[http://oni.bungie.org/newsarchives/2001/jan01.html Oni Central News Archive, Jan. 2001].</ref><!-- | --><ref>[http://oni.bungie.org/newsarchives/2001/jan01.html Oni Central News Archive, Jan. 2001].</ref><!-- | ||
--> The game retailed in the U.S. for $39.95 on Macintosh and Windows and $49.95 on PlayStation 2,<!-- | --> The game retailed in the U.S. for $39.95 on Macintosh and Windows and $49.95 on PlayStation 2,<!-- | ||
--><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010205103400/http://store.bungie.com/info/80 Bungie Store: Oni Bundle]. The UK price seems to have been £30 per [https://web.archive.org/web/20010417161303/http://www.pcgamer.co.uk/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=6816 this review].</ref><!-- | --><ref>See [https://web.archive.org/web/20010205103400/http://store.bungie.com/info/80 Bungie Store: Oni Bundle] for prices on Mac/Win and PS2, and [https://web.archive.org/web/20010419103127/http://www.gamestop.com/product-detail.jsp?origin=genrPSX2-Fighting&sku=280086 GameStop.com: Oni] for proof that game stores were selling Oni for the PS2 at the $50 price point. The UK price seems to have been £30 per [https://web.archive.org/web/20010417161303/http://www.pcgamer.co.uk/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=6816 this review].</ref><!-- | ||
--> and was rated "T" for Teen by the [[wp:Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]].<ref name="GOD release" /> | --> and was rated "T" for Teen by the [[wp:Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]].<ref name="GOD release" /> | ||
Oni was translated into other languages: Russian, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese.<!-- | Oni was translated into other languages: Russian, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese.<!-- | ||
--><ref>[http://oni.bungie.org/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2102 Oni Central Forum, "What language is your copy of Oni in?", Sep. 2011].</ref><!-- | --><ref>[http://oni.bungie.org/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2102 Oni Central Forum, "What language is your copy of Oni in?", Sep. 2011].</ref><!-- | ||
--> These localizations included re-dubbed dialogue except for the Chinese localization which only translated the in-game text. The localizations were critical to building Oni's fan base, much of which is outside of primarily-English-speaking countries. Additional distributions of the game | --> These localizations included re-dubbed dialogue, except for the Chinese localization which only translated the in-game text. The localizations were critical to building Oni's fan base, much of which is outside of primarily-English-speaking countries. Additional distributions of the game in smaller markets only translated the box and manual and did not change any of the data on the game disc. The European-language releases for Mac and PlayStation 2 were delayed until March 2001. The Japanese releases for Windows and Mac didn't come out until the fall of 2001. | ||
Oni's storyline is fairly straightforward, although it has been called "understated". Because the story takes place over about a week and a half in the game's timeline, there is little room to develop the characters or setting, although large amounts of additional information are to be found in consoles scattered throughout the levels. | Oni's storyline is fairly straightforward, although it has been called "understated". Because the story takes place over about a week and a half in the game's timeline, there is little room to develop the characters or setting, although large amounts of additional information are to be found in consoles scattered throughout the levels. | ||
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The developers achieved a unique blend of gunplay and hand-to-hand combat, with fluid controls and a camera that ensures that the action is always visible. Gunplay is fairly standard for the action genre, with some added emphasis on realism (Konoko only carries one weapon at a time, and a gun's ammo is tracked persistently whether it is being handled by the player or an enemy). The melee component of the game is particularly complex, employing over 2000 animations, and is frequently the main element that fans point to when praising the uniqueness of the gameplay. | The developers achieved a unique blend of gunplay and hand-to-hand combat, with fluid controls and a camera that ensures that the action is always visible. Gunplay is fairly standard for the action genre, with some added emphasis on realism (Konoko only carries one weapon at a time, and a gun's ammo is tracked persistently whether it is being handled by the player or an enemy). The melee component of the game is particularly complex, employing over 2000 animations, and is frequently the main element that fans point to when praising the uniqueness of the gameplay. | ||
Oni uses an in-house graphics engine developed for this game; it was optimized for handling levels with larger indoor environments than typical games of the time. The levels were designed by actual architects, giving them a more realistic look than many contemporary game worlds. The texturing in the game is minimalist, a style chosen to try to match the look of [[ | Oni uses an in-house graphics engine developed for this game; it was optimized for handling levels with larger indoor environments than typical games of the time. The levels were designed by actual architects, giving them a more realistic look than many contemporary game worlds. The texturing in the game is minimalist, a style chosen to try to match the look of [[animé]]. | ||
''Further reading:'' [[Gameplay]], [[Chapters|Plot summary]], [[Quotes/Consoles|Console text]]. | ''Further reading:'' [[Localizations]], [[Releases]], [[Gameplay]], [[Chapters|Plot summary]], [[Quotes/Consoles|Console text]]. | ||
==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
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--> (However some hidden AI abilities have been found in Oni's engine, either disabled, unfinished, or not utilized by the game's mission scripts.) | --> (However some hidden AI abilities have been found in Oni's engine, either disabled, unfinished, or not utilized by the game's mission scripts.) | ||
There was disappointment at the cutting of some planned content was cut as well. This included an entire planned level ([[BGI|BGI HQ]]) and the highly anticipated [[Iron Demon]], the large mech shown in-game in the 1999 trailer. Gaps in the numbering of the [[GameDataFolder|game files]] led fans to believe that at least five chapters were cut before release, but this was mainly due to content that was moved around or consolidated into fewer levels.<ref name="HL cuts" /> | |||
''Further reading:'' [[Pre-beta content]], [[Pre-beta features]], [[Reviews]], [[Multiplayer]]. | ''Further reading:'' [[Pre-beta content]], [[Pre-beta features]], [[Reviews]], [[Multiplayer]]. | ||
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--> (though Bungie also began porting their games to Windows starting with Marathon 2). Bungie took advantage of their indie status to avoid the strict deadlines which are normally enforced by video game publishers, refusing to release their games until they were totally satisfied with them. | --> (though Bungie also began porting their games to Windows starting with Marathon 2). Bungie took advantage of their indie status to avoid the strict deadlines which are normally enforced by video game publishers, refusing to release their games until they were totally satisfied with them. | ||
It is believed that Bungie began suffering from a shortage of cash around 1998 when the [[Myth]] II uninstaller bug was discovered and cost them at least $800,000 to correct.<ref>[https://chicagoreader.com/news | It is believed that Bungie began suffering from a shortage of cash around 1998 when the [[Myth]] II uninstaller bug was discovered and cost them at least $800,000 to correct.<ref>[https://chicagoreader.com/news/monsters-in-a-box/ Chicago Reader, "Monsters in a Box", Mar. 23, 2000].</ref> This might have been difficult to absorb for a studio not accustomed to a disciplined release schedule. The next game to release after Myth II was to be Oni in 1999, but as Oni's release date began to slip further and further, it became clear that Bungie had underestimated the time required to finish the game by more than usual. In the meantime, Bungie was bankrolling two studios instead of one. Thus, the decision was made to partner with Take-Two Interactive; on August 13, 1999, it was announced that Take-Two would acquire 19.9% of Bungie in exchange for the publishing rights to Oni and Halo.<ref>[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/946581/0000891554-00-000145.txt SEC 10-K filing for Take-Two Interactive, Oct. 31, 1999].</ref> Take-Two also began work on a port of Oni for the upcoming PlayStation 2 console. | ||
This deal didn't seem to change business much for Bungie, especially since another studio was performing the PlayStation 2 port. But considerably more shocking news was revealed on June 19, 2000, when Bungie announced its acquisition by Microsoft.<!-- | This deal didn't seem to change business much for Bungie, especially since another studio was performing the PlayStation 2 port. But considerably more shocking news was revealed on June 19, 2000, when Bungie announced its acquisition by Microsoft.<!-- | ||
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--> It turned out that Bungie's monetary woes had not been solved by Take-Two's influx of cash, and so Peter Tamte, Bungie's executive vice president, had been tasked with finding a buyer for the company. Take-Two acquired (among other things) all rights to the Oni and Myth IPs in exchange for its stake in Bungie and its publishing rights for Halo. Take-Two valued the Oni IP at $2.8 million, and the Myth IP at $1.5 million.<!-- | --> It turned out that Bungie's monetary woes had not been solved by Take-Two's influx of cash, and so Peter Tamte, Bungie's executive vice president, had been tasked with finding a buyer for the company. Take-Two acquired (among other things) all rights to the Oni and Myth IPs in exchange for its stake in Bungie and its publishing rights for Halo. Take-Two valued the Oni IP at $2.8 million, and the Myth IP at $1.5 million.<!-- | ||
--><ref>[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/946581/000112528202003845/b320556.htm SEC 10-K filing for Take-Two Interactive, Oct. 31, 2002].</ref><!-- | --><ref>[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/946581/000112528202003845/b320556.htm SEC 10-K filing for Take-Two Interactive, Oct. 31, 2002].</ref><!-- | ||
--><ref group=note><cite class="note">The sale of Bungie to Microsoft has an interesting historical footnote: according to Ed Fries, who was VP of game publishing at Microsoft, Steve Jobs angrily called MS CEO Steve Ballmer immediately after the Bungie acquisition was announced; sources within Bungie have stated that Apple themselves had been close to offering to buy Bungie at the time. In order to appease Apple (a business partner of Microsoft) over the loss of a major Mac game developer, Microsoft helped form a new company which would publish a Mac port of Halo as well as other games. It was named Destineer, and headed up by none other than Peter Tamte of Bungie. Destineer would go on to publish a port of Halo for the Mac in 2003. (sources: [http://web.archive.org/web/20210116004457/https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/publishing/steve-jobs-raged-at-microsoft-over-game-studio-sale/], [http://web.archive.org/web/20201001195523/https://www.mcvuk.com/development-news/ex-bungie-dev-apple-got-close-to-buying-us/], [https://web.archive.org/web/20181019075755/http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/view.php?ID=173], [https://www.vice.com/en/article | --><ref group=note><cite class="note">The sale of Bungie to Microsoft has an interesting historical footnote: according to Ed Fries, who was VP of game publishing at Microsoft, Steve Jobs angrily called MS CEO Steve Ballmer immediately after the Bungie acquisition was announced; sources within Bungie have stated that Apple themselves had been close to offering to buy Bungie at the time. In order to appease Apple (a business partner of Microsoft) over the loss of a major Mac game developer, Microsoft helped form a new company which would publish a Mac port of Halo as well as other games. It was named Destineer, and headed up by none other than Peter Tamte of Bungie. Destineer would go on to publish a port of Halo for the Mac in 2003. (sources: [http://web.archive.org/web/20210116004457/https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/publishing/steve-jobs-raged-at-microsoft-over-game-studio-sale/], [http://web.archive.org/web/20201001195523/https://www.mcvuk.com/development-news/ex-bungie-dev-apple-got-close-to-buying-us/], [https://web.archive.org/web/20181019075755/http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/view.php?ID=173], [https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/])</cite></ref> | ||
The acquisition of Bungie by Microsoft also meant the dissolution of Bungie West as Bungie moved all their employees to a single office in Redmond, Washington. Some Oni developers stayed with Bungie and went on to contribute to the Halo series, such as LeBel, while some left to join or start other game studios. | The acquisition of Bungie by Microsoft also meant the dissolution of Bungie West as Bungie moved all their employees to a single office in Redmond, Washington. Some Oni developers stayed with Bungie and went on to contribute to the Halo series, such as LeBel, while some left to join or start other game studios. | ||
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When Oni was released, Bungie did not hold to their usual practice of releasing level-building tools for their games, since professional and costly software was used to produce Oni's levels.<!-- | When Oni was released, Bungie did not hold to their usual practice of releasing level-building tools for their games, since professional and costly software was used to produce Oni's levels.<!-- | ||
--><ref group=note><cite class="note">3D Studio MAX ($3,495) and the Character Studio plugin ($1,500) for character modeling and animation, AutoCAD ($3,750) | --><ref group=note><cite class="note">3D Studio MAX ($3,495) and the Character Studio plugin ($1,500) for character modeling and animation, and AutoCAD ($3,750) and Lightscape ($500) for modeling and lighting the levels, which would come to a total of $9,245. <!-- | ||
-->(sources on tools used: [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=2805], [http://oni.bungie.org/special/part1/brent.html], [http://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=5996], [http://web.archive.org/web/20010302193919/http://www.insidemacgames.com/previews/99/oni/oni2.shtml], [http://web.archive.org/web/20000817001446/http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/00/dunn/p2.shtml]) <!-- | |||
-->(sources on prices of tools: [https://web.archive.org/web/20100724143804/http://area.autodesk.com/maxturns20/history], [https://web.archive.org/web/19990428235644/https://www.jerrypournelle.com/computing/january99.html], [https://archive.is/5QiXc], [https://www.shapr3d.com/history-of-cad/autodesk-and-autocad], [https://www.techmonitor.ai/technology/lightscape_upgrades_3d_graphics_visualization_tools])</ref><!-- | |||
--> There was a plan to release information on the game's file formats to aid modders in developing their own tools, and to also release the tool that Bungie West developed for importing data from the professional software they used,<!-- | --> There was a plan to release information on the game's file formats to aid modders in developing their own tools, and to also release the tool that Bungie West developed for importing data from the professional software they used,<!-- | ||
--><ref name="OBO Brent interview"/><!-- | --><ref name="OBO Brent interview"/><!-- | ||