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Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation [Released!]
NickTheNewbie
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Update: 10/24/2007
The game has been released in NA. The regular game is 60, the flight stick edition is 150 and comes with a faceplate as well. PICK THIS SHIT UP NOW.
Update: 9/19/2007
This shit is fucking hot
high rez trailer 2: http://ruliwebfile.empas.com/mpeg3/tgs2007/bandai.namco/ruliweb_ac5_tgs2007_hd_xb360.wmv
lower rez: http://www.gamespot.com/video/938702/6179132/ace-combat-6-fires-of-liberation-official-trailer-2
American site (some cool music on there): http://www.acecombatsix.com
Update: 7/17/2007
Some more info at http://www.acecombat.jp/ace6/campaign.html, but i have no idea what it's talking about since that shit's all ching chong wing wong.
Update: 7/11/2007
Free demo released on xbox live.
Update: 7/6/2007
Gameplay footage at : http://www.gamespot.com/video/0/6173674/videoplayerpop?rgroup=9841&mb=on_the_spot20070705
AC6 starts at around 11 minutes in. Thanks to predator for linking.
Expect a demo next week, folks!
Update: 6/15/2007
(Thanks for a third time to obstskwerl)
Major website updates: http://www.acecombat.jp/ace6/index.html
High def trailer: http://download.namco-ch.net/ace6/ace6_jp_dl_hd.wmv
Update: 6/13/2007
Official trailer up! (thanks again to obstskwerl)
http://www.gamespot.com/video/938702/6172373/ace-combat-6-fires-of-liberation-official-trailer-1
Update: 5/20/2007
Interview and screenshots at IGN
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/789/789651p1.html
Update: 5/02/2007
Developer interview, Courtesy of yellow26 from gamespot forums, linked by obstskwerl
It's been a month since the impactful announcement of Ace Combat 6, the latest installment of the series. It has come to the next generation platform Xbox 360, making it finally possible for the fans to play online. Both the campaign mode for the single player and the online multiplayer are decorated with photo-realistic visuals. The players will fight with and against each other in the new skies of rivalry and cooperation.
Although some information are starting to pop up here and there, much still remains unknown about Ace Combat 6. So we arranged an interview with Producer Hiroyuki Ichiyanagi and Director Natsuki Izaki from Project Aces, to get a more close look at it.
■ Releasing the new title while it's hot. Time is right for the Xbox 360.
AC6 is going to have an online feature for the first time in the series. The development is in pregress, aiming for 16-player online multiplayer. Head to head, coop, and various unique rules will make the online multiplayer even more exciting. So our very first question was, "Why the Xbox 360 for the new platform?"
Ichiyanagi: Project Aces has been studying and reseaching the development of video games for hi-spec hardware for a long time. It's just that when we thought it's about time we set about developing new Ace Combat, the Xbox 360 was right there.
Izaki: Ichiyanagi and I agreed on that "it's all about timing." Suppose AC6 is released in 2008... That means we keep fans waiting for too long a time, doesn't it? It was like... 3 years between AC04 and AC5? Back then, we heard many people say that they're tired of waiting. Of course, all of us understood as a team and as a corporate that the next AC was the most wanted. Then we thought that if it's gonna be all new, it should be on a new platform. The Xbox 360 was about to be 2 years old at that point, which we believed would be a nice choice. What's the most important is that we want to release it while it's still hot.
Interviewer: While it's hot in the market and in the developers' environment?
Ichiyanagi: We had heard the "We Want Online" chant. So we planned on introducing the online feature into AC6, and that will be where we'll be making efforts in the future.
Izaki: Considering the spec of the next gen console, there is no way there will be no online. However, it depends on each player and each country how interested they are in online, so there is no telling how many players are actually playing online at this point. That's why we are putting more efforts into the stand-alone mode than we did into the previous versions. Online and Campaign are two different things, I'd say.
Ichiyanagi: The volume of the campaign mode is great this time, and there'll be many new features and game systems added. And the online mode has lots of unique rules. I'm really curious about which mode will earn more reputation, since it will be a good feedback to us. It will also be a good guidepost when we develop the next Ace Combat. I'm so curious about it.
Interviewer: Are you making the best out of the know-how of the ad hoc feature of the PSP's ACX?
Izaki: Certainly. All the developers of ACX are working like beavers. But not just the same as that of ACX. It'll be something newer and more elaborated. Be looking forward.
Ichiyanagi: Just for the record. No wonder people are paying attention to the online mode, but the quality and volume of the campaign mode will have the most fun in the series. Those who are not interested in online much won't be disappointed.
Interviewer: Concerning the online mode, the player vs player mode and the team battle mode are confirmed. 16-player online multiplayer is being aimed for. As for the campaign mode, it is focused in the previous versions that "the player is becoming a hero." So, what will be the main focus in the online mode?
Izaki: What's important is role sharing. It's not like "Whoever beats the enemy is the hero." Those who perform his/her own job are the heros. This is our intended spirit of the online play. The maps and terrains of the online mode will be recycled from campaign. The flyable aircraft are those unlocked in campaign. We are preparing some stages exclusive to the online coop where teamwork does matter.
They showed us a movie of a Tornado GR.4 flying over a battlefield. It was flying above Gracemeria , the capital of the Republic of Emmeria. This city takes an important position of the story, and appears many times in campaign. Looking at the game play movie, we noticed some differences from the images and graphics released so far.
First of all, there are two small windows in the right bottom and left bottom of the main screen. These sub-windows display the appearance and status of the enemy. They have more roles, but the rest is detailed later.
Another thing is, the terrain wouldn't get blurred even if the plane went high up. Even during a dogfight at high altitude, I could recognize the terrain once the camera looked down. According to the developers, it was still far from complete. But it reminded me of the scenery I saw from a window of a real plane.
Izaki: This time, images and views from high altitude are what I want people to pay attention to. The terrains won't fade away or get blurred even from high altitude. The texture of the ground is pretty distinguishable from high altitude. In a 3D flight shooting game, you need to be able to enjoy a realistic view anywhere any time, you know.
Ichiyanagi: We are used to developing PS2 games, so we have our own knack for making things go smoothly. But this time, it's the Xbox 360. We had to adjust ourselves some. Recently, we are starting to get accustomed to the Xbox way You know what? It's gonna be all better as of now.
They then showed us another footage. It was the A-10A Thunderbolt II. The first thing that impressed us was how the visual got influenced by the detail such as the engine exhaust. Looking at the aircraft model, I was astounded by the minuteness of the shape and form and even the panel line of the craft. It's almost plastic art. And in the cockpit view, you can see the gauges and sensors actually moving. Broader sight, stereoscopic view... you are actually inside the canopy, piloting a plane!
At low altitude, you can feel the density of the terrain. There are a lot of buildings in Gracemeria. So many of them. Even in the middle of the development, it already took on grand 'cityscape.' In the previous games of the series, you were forced to see the repetition of tile-ish ground textures during flying low, but not this time. There's startling reality to the look of the ground, as might be expected from the next gen platform.
Izaki: Each aircraft is modeled on its real life design, even inside the cockpit of them. The gauges and sensors work according to the plane's maneuvers. In the cockpit view, you can actually see the player-character's feet operate the pedals. There are many more new features that will make the players feel like they are in the canopy and piloting a plane.
Interviewer: Is the Shader Program your original?
Izaki: Yep. It's our corporate's original program. We used to design the canopy as something simply semitransparent, but our people from the design section worked hard and made a completely new design of it. As for the exterior of the aircraft, it looks most realistic when you look at it into the sun. Until the PS2, the shading effect was relatively simple, so we employed ambient occlusion, which reinforces the shading effect on the different parts of the plane. As a result, the solidity and plasticity of the planes became even more realistic. Another method we employed this time is tone mapping, which represents light adaptation and dark adaptation of vision. This will be felt most clearly when you look at the sun, or when you go out of the cloud.
Interviewer: How about Self-Shadow?
Izaki: For the Self-Shadow effect, we use the Stencil Volume Shadow method. As for the reflection of light, Fresnel Term is used to repsent different solidity and plasticity for each aircraft. Now that we moved on to the next gen console, it takes us time keeping balance of reality and exaggeration. For example, our designers sometimes spend a whole day discussing the look of a canopy (laughs). If it's too real, you can't feel the effect of the shader, and if it's too exaggerated, it looks odd. We are seeking the best point to land. But we are kind of leaning toward exaggeration. We want to make clear how we pregress with the next gen platform.
Ichiyanagi: I think we have top quality in this industry.
Izaki: Actually, everything is new to us now. Maybe it's about time we chose 'what is appropriate', not 'what is feasible.' All of us developers of the series are studying many things while developing the game. But we are still along the same line of the development so far. Those who are familiar with the images of fighter jets in the PS2 video games will accept the new graphics with ease, I suppose. People often get surprised in a bad way when there's a console jump, you know. That won't happen this time.
There is also something new. Trails and clouds. Especially, missile trails. We've seen them disappear rather quickly in the series, but this time, missile trails remain adrift in the air. I personally think that what is unique to the Ace Combat series is the expression of the skies and clouds. Of course, clouds are represented more naturally than ever. Still, those missile trails get you the feel of the air. Talk about the next gen console!
Izaki: The main concept is "Squad vs Squad. Large scale battlefields of crisscrossing fire." To represent a battlefield that is excessive, powerful, intense and active, missile trails remain in the air for a while. But not for 4 or 5 minutes. A hundred of missile trails adrift in the air at a time will put the screen in a mess. This kind of thing won't occur. We learned to draw clouds and missile trails in the same method. Clouds will look more natural.
Ichiyanagi: Why don't we compare this with the previous game?
Izaki: Ships and all are modeled detailedly one by one. This time, there's a new Allied Support system. Not only planes but also ships will provide cover for the player. Concerning the terrains, the reflection of sunlight is improved in may ways by means of specular maps. You can't miss it when sunlight is reflected on a window of a building, water surface, and snow field. An average mission map is 100 km square. The maps include cities, a bay area, mountan ranges and all. It's fun just flying around.
These all all that gets me excited. Which leads me to ask... What will the replay be like?
Izaki: That is exactly what we are discussing with other members. It is one of the ways you enjoy the new quality visual. We'll do our best to make it best. It goes without saying that the camera angles used previously are used this time too. Plus, we are thinking about applying a new camera angle that the next gen console is capable of. Saving replay is also a topic we are considering. Be looking forward.
■ "Not much is told so as to kindle the players' imagination" - Relationship with the allied forces
This time, we were shown a movie of a mission where three allied units diverged into three directions. Although this was a ver small scale mission in the game, the number of allied and enemy units was greater than that of any other mission in the series.
Izaki: One of the key words of AC6 is "Live Battlefield." Each unit has its own purpose. Tanks are moving around and troops are firing. This kind of thing is what we would like to represent. In addition to the return line feature, which was back to ACZ, there is/are a mission/ missions where you occupy a runway of a base to land for refueling and rearming. There is/are also a mission/missions where you have to take out flak gun units to take over an enemy base. On the contrary, there is/are also a mission/missions where you can't RTB because your base was destroyed by the enemy's long range fire.
Sounds like keeping a supply base secure is as important as shooting down enemy planes and bombing enemy HQs. So... how will the wingmen get involved with all this?
Izaki: AC5 focuses on the formation so that the players can feel their wingmen's presence. So does AC6. There is a guy who has his own background, who narrates the story from his point of view on behalf of the player character, who is always mute in this series. Not only your wingman but also other friendly Army, Navy and Air Force units have their own names. They all have unique chatter. That way, you can feel how many are pounded into the battlefield. As for the description of the friendly and the enemy, AC04, AC5 and ACZ have tried different methods respectively. AC6 focuses on many friendly and enemy soldiers in a broader way.
Ichiyanagi: While AC5 mainly focuses on your wingmen's voices and faces so that you can feel some kind of belonging-ness to them, AC6's storytelling leans toward that of AC04. "Not much is told." You know what I'm talking about, right? For example, a certain soldier's name often appears in the in-mission radio chatter, and you ask him for backup. He actually provides help. Then you knwo him. This way, you can delve more deeply into this world. The Ace Combat series focuses on how many people are involved in the world you are thrown into. Director Izaki has been paying attention to the details even such as what should be there in what mission since AC04. With pride.
Izaki: Now I'm doing that witha next gen console. Their vehicles, planes and even the pilots themselves are displayed in the sub-windows. They have their own roles and equipments. The battleship is about firepower and long range attacks. The pilots are about flying cover for you.
So this is another role of the sub-windows described earlier. These sub-windows display the status of your allies. Their ships, vehicles and planes are shown in them, and the voice and radio chatter subtitles help you develop the sense of fellow-ness in AC6. What's important when describing other characters is the cutsnces. The war is told from the viewpoints of 7 characteres between missions. Real time movies are also inserted during missions.
Izaki: 7 characters talk about the war from their standpoints between missions. A war drama, sort of. They are all very unique people.
Interviewer: Realtime movies are used very often.
Izaki: In order to avoid making quality gaps between realtime movies and prerendered ones. We'd like the players to be part of a coherent world. That packing them all into one disk is hard is also a reason. We think it will be a good experience for us developers to try a realtime movie technology for our future products.
■ AC6 is a 'giving each other a favor videogame - Requesitng Allied Support System.
The existence of SP weapons is indispensable in the Ace Combat series. Much remains unknown about SP weapons in AC6. The use of Allied Support seems to be a big key this time. It is a system to fill up the Allied Support bar by destroying the enemy and saving the allied forces. How much support you can ask for depends on how much of the bar is filled. It was great watching the fighters, tanks and ships fire simultaneously. When I saw it, I was like "Wow!" It'll be very effective when you face the enemy boss.
Izaki: The number of the enemy increases as you approach the end of Campaign. Shooting them all has the most fun. When to use Allied Support, that is, how to make the best out of it helps you beat the game. Now we are in pursuit of the fun-ness of it. A tactical decision on when to use it is important, but just having a look at all of your allies firing away is visually impressive.
Ichiyanagi: Just like the anime of Macross (laughs).
Izaki: You can say that again (laughs).
Interviewer: What if you request their support when they are in the middle of their own mission?
Izaki: There are times when they respond to you saying that their hands are full. If you help your allies from trouble, they become mission-objective free and ready to provide support with you. You can check who is ready on the radar.
Ichiyanagi: AC6 is a 'give-each-other-a-favor game.'
Izaki: One of the traits about the series is how the player characters are flattered and praised by the friendly forces, you know. This time, they return you a favor not through radio chatter but through action.
In the Campaign mode, you can enjoy the 'Squad vs Squad' missions to the full. In addition, in the last phase of it, you'll go up against the squad of giant weapons.
The radio chatter, which was first focused in AC04, gets you excited even more. You can hear the pilot shown in the sub-window screaming like "I've been hit! Disengaging!" all the time. This will give you the live-ness and real-ness of the battlefield. We also had an oppertunity to take a look at the final stage. Of course, "It's not complete yet" according to them, but our first impression was that the screen was packed with multiple squads of giant enemies. The details are under wraps so to avoid spoilage.
Izaki: This time, the boss enemies are something that cannot be without a next gen console. Of course, there is a solo superweapon. What you've just seen is an aerial fortress the size of the Arkbird. There is also another secret superweapon (chuckles).
Using Allied Support effectively against this kind of enemy is going to be a key and the pleasure of AC6. How long will it take to complete one mission then?
Izaki: I estimate a bit over 30 minutes if it's a Dynamic Mission. However, in those missions, even if you get shot down or crash, you don't need to start from the beginning. There'll be something like an interim save feature. There'll be other features that allow you to play without frustration. We are designing the long term missions carefully and focusing on how the players can get the sense of achievement when one operation is complete. Even if you start all over, you won't get tired of it.
Ichiyanagi: Even those who always aim for perfection can enjoy it free from stress. I guess enthusiasts don't play mission by mission. They are the kind of people who take time building up their own tactics and strategy. We are considering some kinds of 'hint" or 'skip' features for those who are new to the series.
Izaki: The non-playable characters are controlled by both the normal AI and the game script. It's not that each other fires away at each other. For example, there are times when they attack, say, an enemy airbase so that you can land there. Until now, it was all about you and the enemy. But not this time. Whatever kinds of action you take gets you different experiences.
The developmet of the battlefield may vary with the player's actions and hehaviours. Speed and score runners are required to read the tide of battle and analyze the situation quickly.
■ For the sake of stress-free gaming experiences
For those who are new to the series, crashing into the ground does not lead to game over on the Easy difficulty level. Of course, vets to the series can enjoy the higher difficulty levels.
Ichiyanagi: I think one of the reasons why the Ace Combat series is accepted so widely is that it's easy to master how to fly a plane. Of course, there are many other features and tricks to reduce the players' frustration, such as quick loading.
Izaki: Yeah. As we released AC04, AC5 and ACZ, we heard a lot of opinions. We went through those opinions, and sorted out what's impossible because of the hardware's spec and what's feasible with the next gen console. As for flying a plane, we revised the controller setup so that those new to the series can easily and quickly master it. Some maneuvers are added this time which are intended for vets. Creating a stress-free gaming environment is what we're all about this time. The controller setup is slightly changed, but it will give you the best feel of flying. Of course, you can customize it.
Ichiyanagi: Even in the middle of playing a mission.
Interviewer: How does the change in the difficulty level affect the game play?
Izaki: The number and the type of the enemy and their aggressiveness, mainly. As for the allied forces, they are controlled by the AI in a local battle, but they are controlled by the game script when need be. In other words, they do their job even on the lower difficulty levels.
Interviewer: Speaking of stress-free, I sometimes wished that I could cancel the dialogue when I restarted. How about it this time?
Izaki: That was our mistake. We took that into account this time so that you can cancel the storytelling chatter when you restart.
Dynamic Mission, Giant Boss... sounds like AC6 is leaning toward the volume. But it also focuses on newcomers, quick loading, cancellation of the chatter. I, for one, am looking forward to the launch of Ace Combat 6.
The end of the interview
Update: 4/30/2007Although some information are starting to pop up here and there, much still remains unknown about Ace Combat 6. So we arranged an interview with Producer Hiroyuki Ichiyanagi and Director Natsuki Izaki from Project Aces, to get a more close look at it.
■ Releasing the new title while it's hot. Time is right for the Xbox 360.
AC6 is going to have an online feature for the first time in the series. The development is in pregress, aiming for 16-player online multiplayer. Head to head, coop, and various unique rules will make the online multiplayer even more exciting. So our very first question was, "Why the Xbox 360 for the new platform?"
Ichiyanagi: Project Aces has been studying and reseaching the development of video games for hi-spec hardware for a long time. It's just that when we thought it's about time we set about developing new Ace Combat, the Xbox 360 was right there.
Izaki: Ichiyanagi and I agreed on that "it's all about timing." Suppose AC6 is released in 2008... That means we keep fans waiting for too long a time, doesn't it? It was like... 3 years between AC04 and AC5? Back then, we heard many people say that they're tired of waiting. Of course, all of us understood as a team and as a corporate that the next AC was the most wanted. Then we thought that if it's gonna be all new, it should be on a new platform. The Xbox 360 was about to be 2 years old at that point, which we believed would be a nice choice. What's the most important is that we want to release it while it's still hot.
Interviewer: While it's hot in the market and in the developers' environment?
Ichiyanagi: We had heard the "We Want Online" chant. So we planned on introducing the online feature into AC6, and that will be where we'll be making efforts in the future.
Izaki: Considering the spec of the next gen console, there is no way there will be no online. However, it depends on each player and each country how interested they are in online, so there is no telling how many players are actually playing online at this point. That's why we are putting more efforts into the stand-alone mode than we did into the previous versions. Online and Campaign are two different things, I'd say.
Ichiyanagi: The volume of the campaign mode is great this time, and there'll be many new features and game systems added. And the online mode has lots of unique rules. I'm really curious about which mode will earn more reputation, since it will be a good feedback to us. It will also be a good guidepost when we develop the next Ace Combat. I'm so curious about it.
Interviewer: Are you making the best out of the know-how of the ad hoc feature of the PSP's ACX?
Izaki: Certainly. All the developers of ACX are working like beavers. But not just the same as that of ACX. It'll be something newer and more elaborated. Be looking forward.
Ichiyanagi: Just for the record. No wonder people are paying attention to the online mode, but the quality and volume of the campaign mode will have the most fun in the series. Those who are not interested in online much won't be disappointed.
Interviewer: Concerning the online mode, the player vs player mode and the team battle mode are confirmed. 16-player online multiplayer is being aimed for. As for the campaign mode, it is focused in the previous versions that "the player is becoming a hero." So, what will be the main focus in the online mode?
Izaki: What's important is role sharing. It's not like "Whoever beats the enemy is the hero." Those who perform his/her own job are the heros. This is our intended spirit of the online play. The maps and terrains of the online mode will be recycled from campaign. The flyable aircraft are those unlocked in campaign. We are preparing some stages exclusive to the online coop where teamwork does matter.
They showed us a movie of a Tornado GR.4 flying over a battlefield. It was flying above Gracemeria , the capital of the Republic of Emmeria. This city takes an important position of the story, and appears many times in campaign. Looking at the game play movie, we noticed some differences from the images and graphics released so far.
First of all, there are two small windows in the right bottom and left bottom of the main screen. These sub-windows display the appearance and status of the enemy. They have more roles, but the rest is detailed later.
Another thing is, the terrain wouldn't get blurred even if the plane went high up. Even during a dogfight at high altitude, I could recognize the terrain once the camera looked down. According to the developers, it was still far from complete. But it reminded me of the scenery I saw from a window of a real plane.
Izaki: This time, images and views from high altitude are what I want people to pay attention to. The terrains won't fade away or get blurred even from high altitude. The texture of the ground is pretty distinguishable from high altitude. In a 3D flight shooting game, you need to be able to enjoy a realistic view anywhere any time, you know.
Ichiyanagi: We are used to developing PS2 games, so we have our own knack for making things go smoothly. But this time, it's the Xbox 360. We had to adjust ourselves some. Recently, we are starting to get accustomed to the Xbox way You know what? It's gonna be all better as of now.
They then showed us another footage. It was the A-10A Thunderbolt II. The first thing that impressed us was how the visual got influenced by the detail such as the engine exhaust. Looking at the aircraft model, I was astounded by the minuteness of the shape and form and even the panel line of the craft. It's almost plastic art. And in the cockpit view, you can see the gauges and sensors actually moving. Broader sight, stereoscopic view... you are actually inside the canopy, piloting a plane!
At low altitude, you can feel the density of the terrain. There are a lot of buildings in Gracemeria. So many of them. Even in the middle of the development, it already took on grand 'cityscape.' In the previous games of the series, you were forced to see the repetition of tile-ish ground textures during flying low, but not this time. There's startling reality to the look of the ground, as might be expected from the next gen platform.
Izaki: Each aircraft is modeled on its real life design, even inside the cockpit of them. The gauges and sensors work according to the plane's maneuvers. In the cockpit view, you can actually see the player-character's feet operate the pedals. There are many more new features that will make the players feel like they are in the canopy and piloting a plane.
Interviewer: Is the Shader Program your original?
Izaki: Yep. It's our corporate's original program. We used to design the canopy as something simply semitransparent, but our people from the design section worked hard and made a completely new design of it. As for the exterior of the aircraft, it looks most realistic when you look at it into the sun. Until the PS2, the shading effect was relatively simple, so we employed ambient occlusion, which reinforces the shading effect on the different parts of the plane. As a result, the solidity and plasticity of the planes became even more realistic. Another method we employed this time is tone mapping, which represents light adaptation and dark adaptation of vision. This will be felt most clearly when you look at the sun, or when you go out of the cloud.
Interviewer: How about Self-Shadow?
Izaki: For the Self-Shadow effect, we use the Stencil Volume Shadow method. As for the reflection of light, Fresnel Term is used to repsent different solidity and plasticity for each aircraft. Now that we moved on to the next gen console, it takes us time keeping balance of reality and exaggeration. For example, our designers sometimes spend a whole day discussing the look of a canopy (laughs). If it's too real, you can't feel the effect of the shader, and if it's too exaggerated, it looks odd. We are seeking the best point to land. But we are kind of leaning toward exaggeration. We want to make clear how we pregress with the next gen platform.
Ichiyanagi: I think we have top quality in this industry.
Izaki: Actually, everything is new to us now. Maybe it's about time we chose 'what is appropriate', not 'what is feasible.' All of us developers of the series are studying many things while developing the game. But we are still along the same line of the development so far. Those who are familiar with the images of fighter jets in the PS2 video games will accept the new graphics with ease, I suppose. People often get surprised in a bad way when there's a console jump, you know. That won't happen this time.
There is also something new. Trails and clouds. Especially, missile trails. We've seen them disappear rather quickly in the series, but this time, missile trails remain adrift in the air. I personally think that what is unique to the Ace Combat series is the expression of the skies and clouds. Of course, clouds are represented more naturally than ever. Still, those missile trails get you the feel of the air. Talk about the next gen console!
Izaki: The main concept is "Squad vs Squad. Large scale battlefields of crisscrossing fire." To represent a battlefield that is excessive, powerful, intense and active, missile trails remain in the air for a while. But not for 4 or 5 minutes. A hundred of missile trails adrift in the air at a time will put the screen in a mess. This kind of thing won't occur. We learned to draw clouds and missile trails in the same method. Clouds will look more natural.
Ichiyanagi: Why don't we compare this with the previous game?
Izaki: Ships and all are modeled detailedly one by one. This time, there's a new Allied Support system. Not only planes but also ships will provide cover for the player. Concerning the terrains, the reflection of sunlight is improved in may ways by means of specular maps. You can't miss it when sunlight is reflected on a window of a building, water surface, and snow field. An average mission map is 100 km square. The maps include cities, a bay area, mountan ranges and all. It's fun just flying around.
These all all that gets me excited. Which leads me to ask... What will the replay be like?
Izaki: That is exactly what we are discussing with other members. It is one of the ways you enjoy the new quality visual. We'll do our best to make it best. It goes without saying that the camera angles used previously are used this time too. Plus, we are thinking about applying a new camera angle that the next gen console is capable of. Saving replay is also a topic we are considering. Be looking forward.
■ "Not much is told so as to kindle the players' imagination" - Relationship with the allied forces
This time, we were shown a movie of a mission where three allied units diverged into three directions. Although this was a ver small scale mission in the game, the number of allied and enemy units was greater than that of any other mission in the series.
Izaki: One of the key words of AC6 is "Live Battlefield." Each unit has its own purpose. Tanks are moving around and troops are firing. This kind of thing is what we would like to represent. In addition to the return line feature, which was back to ACZ, there is/are a mission/ missions where you occupy a runway of a base to land for refueling and rearming. There is/are also a mission/missions where you have to take out flak gun units to take over an enemy base. On the contrary, there is/are also a mission/missions where you can't RTB because your base was destroyed by the enemy's long range fire.
Sounds like keeping a supply base secure is as important as shooting down enemy planes and bombing enemy HQs. So... how will the wingmen get involved with all this?
Izaki: AC5 focuses on the formation so that the players can feel their wingmen's presence. So does AC6. There is a guy who has his own background, who narrates the story from his point of view on behalf of the player character, who is always mute in this series. Not only your wingman but also other friendly Army, Navy and Air Force units have their own names. They all have unique chatter. That way, you can feel how many are pounded into the battlefield. As for the description of the friendly and the enemy, AC04, AC5 and ACZ have tried different methods respectively. AC6 focuses on many friendly and enemy soldiers in a broader way.
Ichiyanagi: While AC5 mainly focuses on your wingmen's voices and faces so that you can feel some kind of belonging-ness to them, AC6's storytelling leans toward that of AC04. "Not much is told." You know what I'm talking about, right? For example, a certain soldier's name often appears in the in-mission radio chatter, and you ask him for backup. He actually provides help. Then you knwo him. This way, you can delve more deeply into this world. The Ace Combat series focuses on how many people are involved in the world you are thrown into. Director Izaki has been paying attention to the details even such as what should be there in what mission since AC04. With pride.
Izaki: Now I'm doing that witha next gen console. Their vehicles, planes and even the pilots themselves are displayed in the sub-windows. They have their own roles and equipments. The battleship is about firepower and long range attacks. The pilots are about flying cover for you.
So this is another role of the sub-windows described earlier. These sub-windows display the status of your allies. Their ships, vehicles and planes are shown in them, and the voice and radio chatter subtitles help you develop the sense of fellow-ness in AC6. What's important when describing other characters is the cutsnces. The war is told from the viewpoints of 7 characteres between missions. Real time movies are also inserted during missions.
Izaki: 7 characters talk about the war from their standpoints between missions. A war drama, sort of. They are all very unique people.
Interviewer: Realtime movies are used very often.
Izaki: In order to avoid making quality gaps between realtime movies and prerendered ones. We'd like the players to be part of a coherent world. That packing them all into one disk is hard is also a reason. We think it will be a good experience for us developers to try a realtime movie technology for our future products.
■ AC6 is a 'giving each other a favor videogame - Requesitng Allied Support System.
The existence of SP weapons is indispensable in the Ace Combat series. Much remains unknown about SP weapons in AC6. The use of Allied Support seems to be a big key this time. It is a system to fill up the Allied Support bar by destroying the enemy and saving the allied forces. How much support you can ask for depends on how much of the bar is filled. It was great watching the fighters, tanks and ships fire simultaneously. When I saw it, I was like "Wow!" It'll be very effective when you face the enemy boss.
Izaki: The number of the enemy increases as you approach the end of Campaign. Shooting them all has the most fun. When to use Allied Support, that is, how to make the best out of it helps you beat the game. Now we are in pursuit of the fun-ness of it. A tactical decision on when to use it is important, but just having a look at all of your allies firing away is visually impressive.
Ichiyanagi: Just like the anime of Macross (laughs).
Izaki: You can say that again (laughs).
Interviewer: What if you request their support when they are in the middle of their own mission?
Izaki: There are times when they respond to you saying that their hands are full. If you help your allies from trouble, they become mission-objective free and ready to provide support with you. You can check who is ready on the radar.
Ichiyanagi: AC6 is a 'give-each-other-a-favor game.'
Izaki: One of the traits about the series is how the player characters are flattered and praised by the friendly forces, you know. This time, they return you a favor not through radio chatter but through action.
In the Campaign mode, you can enjoy the 'Squad vs Squad' missions to the full. In addition, in the last phase of it, you'll go up against the squad of giant weapons.
The radio chatter, which was first focused in AC04, gets you excited even more. You can hear the pilot shown in the sub-window screaming like "I've been hit! Disengaging!" all the time. This will give you the live-ness and real-ness of the battlefield. We also had an oppertunity to take a look at the final stage. Of course, "It's not complete yet" according to them, but our first impression was that the screen was packed with multiple squads of giant enemies. The details are under wraps so to avoid spoilage.
Izaki: This time, the boss enemies are something that cannot be without a next gen console. Of course, there is a solo superweapon. What you've just seen is an aerial fortress the size of the Arkbird. There is also another secret superweapon (chuckles).
Using Allied Support effectively against this kind of enemy is going to be a key and the pleasure of AC6. How long will it take to complete one mission then?
Izaki: I estimate a bit over 30 minutes if it's a Dynamic Mission. However, in those missions, even if you get shot down or crash, you don't need to start from the beginning. There'll be something like an interim save feature. There'll be other features that allow you to play without frustration. We are designing the long term missions carefully and focusing on how the players can get the sense of achievement when one operation is complete. Even if you start all over, you won't get tired of it.
Ichiyanagi: Even those who always aim for perfection can enjoy it free from stress. I guess enthusiasts don't play mission by mission. They are the kind of people who take time building up their own tactics and strategy. We are considering some kinds of 'hint" or 'skip' features for those who are new to the series.
Izaki: The non-playable characters are controlled by both the normal AI and the game script. It's not that each other fires away at each other. For example, there are times when they attack, say, an enemy airbase so that you can land there. Until now, it was all about you and the enemy. But not this time. Whatever kinds of action you take gets you different experiences.
The developmet of the battlefield may vary with the player's actions and hehaviours. Speed and score runners are required to read the tide of battle and analyze the situation quickly.
■ For the sake of stress-free gaming experiences
For those who are new to the series, crashing into the ground does not lead to game over on the Easy difficulty level. Of course, vets to the series can enjoy the higher difficulty levels.
Ichiyanagi: I think one of the reasons why the Ace Combat series is accepted so widely is that it's easy to master how to fly a plane. Of course, there are many other features and tricks to reduce the players' frustration, such as quick loading.
Izaki: Yeah. As we released AC04, AC5 and ACZ, we heard a lot of opinions. We went through those opinions, and sorted out what's impossible because of the hardware's spec and what's feasible with the next gen console. As for flying a plane, we revised the controller setup so that those new to the series can easily and quickly master it. Some maneuvers are added this time which are intended for vets. Creating a stress-free gaming environment is what we're all about this time. The controller setup is slightly changed, but it will give you the best feel of flying. Of course, you can customize it.
Ichiyanagi: Even in the middle of playing a mission.
Interviewer: How does the change in the difficulty level affect the game play?
Izaki: The number and the type of the enemy and their aggressiveness, mainly. As for the allied forces, they are controlled by the AI in a local battle, but they are controlled by the game script when need be. In other words, they do their job even on the lower difficulty levels.
Interviewer: Speaking of stress-free, I sometimes wished that I could cancel the dialogue when I restarted. How about it this time?
Izaki: That was our mistake. We took that into account this time so that you can cancel the storytelling chatter when you restart.
Dynamic Mission, Giant Boss... sounds like AC6 is leaning toward the volume. But it also focuses on newcomers, quick loading, cancellation of the chatter. I, for one, am looking forward to the launch of Ace Combat 6.
The end of the interview
New wallpapers on the official site.
Games Radar has developer interviews, definitely worth a look:
http://www.gamesradar.com/us/xbox360/game/news/article.jsp?sectionId=1006&articleId=2007040292138144080&releaseId=20070320115630142044
ign wrote:March 20, 2007 - As if yesterday's news of Devil May Cry's defection from the Sony exclusivity camp didn't put enough mega in the ton, word has reached us of another big PlayStation franchise that's making its way to the 360. This week's Famitsu is home to first details and screens for Ace Combat 6. That's right, following Ridge Racer 6's 360 debut back in 2005, Bandai Namco has decided to bring another "6" to the 360. Will Tekken be next?
The full name of this latest entry in Japan's most popular console flight game is Ace Combat 6: Kaiho e no Senbi. Ace Combat 04 director Hiroyuki Ichiyanagi is serving as the game's producer, with Ace Combat 04 planner and Ace Combat 5 main planner Natsuki Isaki taking on directorial responsibilities.
Outside of the obvious improvement in visual quality that one would expect from the jump into the next generation, Ace Combat 6 will feature a few new gameplay systems. The biggest new inclusion appears to be the Dynamic Mission system, which allows for dynamically changing, large scale battles. During missions, you fight along side a number of ally pilots and squads whom you can send them off to perform separate tasks. Success in some of these mini-missions may be required in order to clear a stage, but this isn't always the case. As you clear tasks, new ones will present themselves, expanding the battle in new ways. The game supports up to six tasks simultaneously.
Also on tap for Ace Combat 6 are some options for the beginner pilots out there. The game includes options for a simplified control scheme, as well as settings that keep you flying even if you manage to crash your plane into the ground.
Xbox Live support will also play a big part in the game -- not surprising, considering how great the online play in Ridge Racer 6 turned out. We can look forward to online battle royal and team battle. Or, if everyone is feeling friendly, a cooperative play option lets all human players group together to take on a powerful enemy force. We don't have specifics just yet on how many players the game will support simultaneously.
Bandai Namco is also including a ranking mode, and even has plans for downloads. The downloads will actually be kicking off well before the game's release. On Friday, the marketplace will take delivery of themes and icons, which we'd suggest you download immediately to show off your excitement of more "6" games coming to the Xbox 360.
Ace Combat 6 hits the Japanese Xbox 360 later this year. There's no word in Famitsu on a PS3 version, so for now, we're going to assume this is a 360 exclusive.
I'm glad they're using some big wigs from AC04, cause that one was really well done. Let's hope the man who did ace combat 5 won't taint the game will melodrama. The one thing i find disappointing so far is that it doesn't seem to have a co-op campaign. The co-op sounds like a single specially made mission. Lame.
The cell phone blockbuster inventory screen picture:
Edit:
Thanks to ObstSkwerl for linking me to these high res screens
Official Website
http://www.acecombat.jp/
http://www.acecombat.jp/ace6/index.html
The game seems to take place in the area below the razgriz straits
Update:
Thanks to cantido for the link
http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/previews/preview.pl?sys=xbox360&game=acecombat6
Worldwide online domination is only the beginning in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation as the next-gen processing power of the Xbox 360 allows players to witness high definition, photo-realistic landscapes scream past their cockpits as they issue commands with split-second precision to land, sea and air vehicles for an all out triple-attack on the enemy in the “The Allied Support System”. In this new feature, players will be able to fight alongside fighter planes, gun ships, attack helicopters, tanks, naval fleets, heavy bombers, and electronic warfare vessels in the ultimate Ace Combat showdown.
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation takes air combat warfare to new heights as it boasts the new “Dynamic Operation System” where massive battles unfold on a “living battlefield,” as up to six independent land, sea or air conflicts can break out at any time at multiple locations as allies and enemies clash in real-time. Players can experience the realism of war when battlefields come alive with engagingly authentic audio and visual effects: thundering explosions, dense vapor trails of air to air missiles, piercing machine gun fire, booming anti-aircraft artillery fire, mid-air explosions, gigantic columns of black smoke and more.
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Your just flyin along, killing some dudes, when all of a sudden, you start hearing some curious radio chatter from your freindlies.
"Hey, what the hell, that plane.....it has a ribbon on it...oh my god.....OH MY GOD, IT'S MOBIUS 1!!!!!!"
Cue epic boss music.
Twitter
THEY ALL HAVE T3h RIBBONS!
Also the screenshot in the upper left corner of the first scan is crazy beautiful.
I don't think that's a screen. It looks more like artwork.
Sony won't have anything left at this pace.
Yeah. The other ones look like screens though. Except for the two guys.
edit: nvm
Most important to me would be an interesting story. Zero was going in the right direction with a mix of 04 and 5's style of story. If the developers can find a nice medium level, I'll be stoked.
EDIT: Looking at the artwork in the scan, can anyone figure out what type of plane is featured? I'm guessing that's going to be the "main" plane for the player character. (i.e. the F-22 in 04, the F-14D in 5, the F-15C in Zero).
EDIT 2: Looking at the screenshots...is that city Oured? And the icy looking level...maybe a return to the Razgriz straits?
In the First scan it's just F-15s, in the top right one and the left mid one you can also see B-52s (also on the tail of the F-15 it says GM)
Twitter
</skull explodes>
Sorry, didn't have anything more pertinent to contribute. But this is seriously on the level now, not just rumour? Whatever wage slave job I end up with after university, part of my paycheck's going towards this.
Read my book. (It has a robot in it.)
It's absolutely on the level. Confirmed in print multiple times.
I so want to be a fly on the wall at SCE Japan right now.
Then again, Over G Fighters had realism, and it was completely unplayable.
When I fight someone, it usually ends up with me demolishing them in about a minute and a half. My roommate is the only person who can actually fight, being that he's the man that introduced me to the game. The replays of our dogfights look like the most beautiful intertwined sets of ribbons you've ever seen.
Now with the INTERNET, I'll finally be able to play more than one person.
I might have to get a 360 now.
I remember buying 5 on a "Greatest Hits" whim and just being blown away. While no Co-op campaign is disappointing, I can only hope the included co-op mission is basically 8492 all over again.
But, you know, with 16 buddies.
WORD.
I still hope for Squadron support and Emblem creation for Live though.
Oooh, the thought of aerial dog fights over Live has me all tingly.
I hope there's some kind of balancing of planes, because I don't wanna just have 8 F-22s against 8 F-22s. I loves my F-15 old-school-piece-of-shit-used-to-train-pilots Eagle. Maybe they could classify the planes like in Project Gotham, but they'll probably never think of that.
1) For someone who is used to playing flight sims on a PC with a joystick (Saitek X45
2) If I wanted to get in on the franchise, what'd be the best entry?
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It does well. They're not the most accurate controls, but still pretty damned good. As far as best? Ace Combat 04 sucks you in. Completely. Fantastic game and the story isn't obnoxious or overdone at all.
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2) A lot of people say 04 is the best in the series. I'd say start with that. I'm in the minority, but I enjoyed the more drama based stories of 5 and Zero. But really, all of them are good games.
Edit: I also hope that planes are balanced so not everyone uses the same plane. And if Zero has showed me anything, it really depends on the skill of the pilot, no matter the plane. Didn't Espada 1 fly an F-5 or something?
I expected it to be slightly more arcady, so that's nothing too bad. I'll start with 4 then, and keep an eye out for 5 or Zero if I can find them anywhere for a good price.
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The plots are like something ripped straight out of an anime, I think. I don't believe I'd enjoy them as much if they weren't so overly dramatic, though.
Well if your going to compare PC flightsims to the Ace Combat games I say their totally on diffrent boats. But if you have a high intrest in combat aircrafts and kicking ass, the Ace Combat series is probably the best arcade flight game around.
Be forwarned though that if you're going to start with 4, the aircrafts won't yaw when you roll them. This feature was only introduced in 5 and Zero. But non the less 4 is great, atleast play through it for the intresting story.
extremely arcadey, but also devastatingly fun. Definitely worth it though.
Story is a big thing. I'm glad it has a good story.
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Ace combat 5 used to have a bundle that came with a stick very similar to the saitek x45, and it works fine with all ace combat games. Try just plugging your x45 into your ps2 and see if it works well.
It's the BEST arcade combat flight series EVER MADE.
It's arcade without being easy or stupid. It's just plain fun, and it looks gorgeous.
And it's also great for those times when you're tired of too serious sims.
Well, Crimson Skies certainly did well with the multi-player. A good variety of planes, each with some variance in speed, maneuverability, and weapons loadout. So hopefully they'll manage to do the same here.
It doesn't. However, there are hacked Saitek drivers that allow you to take the Ace Combat Flightstick 2 back to the PC. (it is literally a Saitek flightstick and throttle with the USB ID changed)
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