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jariw · Nov 20, 2015

NintendoLife published the first of a multipart feature with Shin'en Multimedia about the development of FAST Racing NEO and the techniques they used to develop the game.

It partly explained was how a team that small could develop such a game. For example, on one stage, they developed their own technique for procedural geometry:

Episode 1

There are always technical challenges when targeting great visuals and 60fps, and every track in FRN was made in a different fashion and needed other techniques.

For 'Alpine Trust' a big contribution was the procedural geometry (see image above). We had the vision of a very dense valley with thick forests along the track and dangerous rocks and mountains that could get in the way when you do jumps. Creating such a location by hand takes a lot of manpower. It also doesn't allow to modify anything later.

So we developed a set of procedural networks that created all this geometry when you load the level. The hardest work was to find the right formulas to create a natural and interesting look. We are pretty happy that we used that technique because otherwise it wouldn't have been possible.

Source:
A Glimpse Behind the Scenes of FAST Racing NEO - Part One (NintendoLife interview)

Episode 2

Episode 2 - about optimizing and a DS cameo

Episode 3

To achieve the look we were aiming for we researched all the tech currently available. We made very high resolution ground textures and added distant normalmaps to avoid repetition. We used a lot of procedural foliage and scattered hundred of thousands of rocks and pebbles; we also implemented atmospheric scattering, high quality soft shadows, god rays and so on.

This was fine, but we still needed iconic large assets that add scale to the environment. And what can be bigger then mountains or cliffs? The common technique is to sculpt or displace them using special tools, but these models lacked scale and shape. So we tried out 3d scanning and this was the key. We made hundreds of photos from nearby rocks and even created a small in-house photo studio for smaller assets.

Then we processed these images with special 3D scanning software. The resulting files looked marvellous but were gigabytes in size with a gazillion polygons, so we had to hand tune them to something we can use in a real time game. These final models gave us silhouettes and details, nearly impossible to sculpt from scratch. On top we added highres textures for details and normal maps.

Episode 3 - creating the landscapes

KingSnake · Nov 20, 2015

I think this thread should be updated with all the parts, when they are published. I think it will be an interesting read.

69wpm · Nov 20, 2015

Very cool, subscribed so I don't miss the other parts.

If you guys want some background info about procedural geometry, I recommend this blog post at gamasutra.

OrbitalBeard · Nov 20, 2015

Wow, pretty incredible.

jariw · Nov 20, 2015

KingSnake said:
I think this thread should be updated with all the parts, when they are published. I think it will be an interesting read.

Will do!

LordOcidax · Nov 20, 2015

I want this guys + Nintendo direction $$$ for the next F-Zero.

KingSnake · Nov 20, 2015

This explains how they manage to create this game in relatively short time for a team of 5 people.

DaSorcerer7 · Nov 20, 2015

Oh boy, you've gone and dun it now. You know who should be arriving soon. lol

Maxrunner · Nov 20, 2015

DaSorcerer7 said:
Oh boy, you've gone and dun it now. You know who should be arriving soon. lol

The unbanable entity?

DrWong · Nov 20, 2015

DaSorcerer7 said:
Oh boy, you've gone and dun it now. You know who should be arriving soon. lol

Call blu & brainchild!

KingSnake · Nov 20, 2015

Instead of summoning the one that shall not be named, wouldn't be better to talk about this little marvel that Shin'en is developing?

Corronchilejano · Nov 20, 2015

Maxrunner said:
The unbanable entity?

Set your gifs to "called it."

maxcriden · Nov 20, 2015

Just a question about the procedural generation. Does that mean the tracks will be ever-changing, or did they procedurally generate the track and then hone it from there? Or...wait...I guess they just mean the background?

c0de · Nov 20, 2015

It shows that they have a demoscene background.

KingSnake · Nov 20, 2015

maxcriden said:
Just a question about the procedural generation. Does that mean the tracks will be ever-changing, or did they procedurally generate the track and then hone it from there? Or...wait...I guess they just mean the background?

I think they just mean the background and I don't think it is randomly generated every time, they just used it to avoid manual work on every detail on the background. At least this is my understanding.

valouris · Nov 20, 2015

KingSnake said:
I think they just mean the background and I don't think it is randomly generated every time, they just used it to avoid manual work on every detail on the background. At least this is my understanding.

This is what I understand as well.

jariw · Nov 20, 2015

KingSnake said:
I think they just mean the background and I don't think it is randomly generated every time, they just used it to avoid manual work on every detail on the background. At least this is my understanding.

That's how I read it as well. They feed the procedural generation with parameters that they have decided will look good for the track. No random parameters.

Aostia · Nov 20, 2015

Interesting read, great!

Dingens · Nov 20, 2015

LordOcidax said:
I want this guys + Nintendo direction $$$ for the next F-Zero.

I can actually see it happening if this game sells enough...

maxcriden · Nov 20, 2015

KingSnake said:
I think they just mean the background and I don't think it is randomly generated every time, they just used it to avoid manual work on every detail on the background. At least this is my understanding.

valouris said:
This is what I understand as well.

jariw said:
That's how I read it as well. They feed the procedural generation with parameters that they have decided will look good for the track. No random parameters.

Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification, all!

blu · Nov 20, 2015

Hah, Shin'en developed their own SpeedTree for a track in an f-zero-style racer. Those guys are beyond crazy! ; )

brainchild · Nov 20, 2015

KingSnake said:
I think they just mean the background and I don't think it is randomly generated every time, they just used it to avoid manual work on every detail on the background. At least this is my understanding.

This is correct.

Procedural generation != Randomly procedural generation.

For natural structures this works pretty well, as nature is just made up of a bunch of various repeating patterns of matter. Things are a little different with man made structures where the design is more deliberate, so this method wouldn't work nearly as well there, though you could still do it if the range of parameters was wide enough.

Riki · Nov 20, 2015

That's pretty awesome. Wasn't this a big feature in the Crytek engine as well? That they could basically make a Forrest from nothing instantly?

Dinjoralo · Nov 20, 2015

KingSnake said:
I think they just mean the background and I don't think it is randomly generated every time, they just used it to avoid manual work on every detail on the background. At least this is my understanding.

It also saves on the memory that's used for the details. I think.

Diablohead · Nov 20, 2015

It's a good techneque for adding detail without having to manually place everything, I personally do something similar with my 2D game, each tile is given some lite RNG values while being built in the editor and these translate into effects and extras in the game engine, all I need to do is make a layout and the game itself produces the details the same every time you play.

Gaiaknight · Nov 20, 2015

Do we have a price point for the game yet im expecting it to be $19.99, This game also deserves to sell well i hope many wii u owners buy it so the online will have a good amount of people.

-shadow- · Nov 20, 2015

Game looks stellar and I'm surprised it's being developed by such a small team. Very impressive and no doubt soon to be on my WiiU.

OrbitalBeard · Nov 20, 2015

Gaiaknight said:
Do we have a price point for the game yet im expecting it to be $19.99, This game also deserves to sell well i hope many wii u owners buy it so the online will have a good amount of people.

No price announced yet. $20 seems like a safe bet.

Zero² · Nov 20, 2015

Amazing, love getting developer insights like this.
This game will be so fun!

Davey Cakes · Nov 20, 2015

Gaiaknight said:
Do we have a price point for the game yet im expecting it to be $19.99, This game also deserves to sell well i hope many wii u owners buy it so the online will have a good amount of people.

I never really got into futuristic racers. I have F-Zero SNES and F-Zero X on the Wii VC but barely played either. I tried Wipeout on the PSP but never gave it a fair shake.

F-Zero GX, I think I beat all the cups on easy or normal...maybe. To be honest that was a pretty great game that I didn't do justice.

Then again, racing games aren't my thing really, other than Mario Kart.

All this said, I kind of want to buy FAST Racing Neo, even at a $20 price point, to support Shin'en and maybe just give this futuristic racer thing another go.

Nintendo, please promote the hell out of this game on the eShop and elsewhere. Shin'en are an indie developer you definitely want to keep around.

Pinky · Nov 20, 2015

DaSorcerer7 said:
Oh boy, you've gone and dun it now. You know who should be arriving soon. lol

Exact same thing I thought when I first saw the thread.

LiveFromKyoto · Nov 20, 2015

Nano Assault Neo made me a Shinen fan, I have every reason to hope this will be awesome.

AcademicSaucer · Nov 20, 2015

Nintendo needs to invest in this guys.

casiopao · Nov 21, 2015

DaSorcerer7 said:
Oh boy, you've gone and dun it now. You know who should be arriving soon. lol

Awaiting the great blader here.^_^

foxuzamaki · Nov 21, 2015

KingSnake said:
I think this thread should be updated with all the parts, when they are published. I think it will be an interesting read.

Each part should get their own thread, otherwise not many people will see them.

KingSnake · Nov 21, 2015

foxuzamaki said:
Each part should get their own thread, otherwise not many people will see them.

That's also a valid point. Then at least each new thread should refer the previous parts.

dampflokfreund · Nov 21, 2015

This game is more ambitious than any game Nintendo ever released on Wii U..

And its from a 5 man indie team.

Xbro · Nov 21, 2015

Will it have dynamic shadows though?

brainchild · Nov 21, 2015

dampflokfreund said:
This game is more ambitious than any game Nintendo ever released on Wii U..

And its from a 5 man indie team.

Most ambitious 5 man project on Wii U, sure, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a lot more ambitious than this game.

Not to take away from Shin'en's marvelous accomplishments, but your hyperbole was way over the line.

Xbro said:
Will it have dynamic shadows though?

Lol

BorkBork · Nov 21, 2015

I feel like I have just enough appetite for one futuristic racer per generation. You have my money and respect, Shin'en.

dampflokfreund · Nov 21, 2015

brainchild said:
Most ambitious 5 man project on Wii U, sure, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a lot more ambitious than this game.

Not to take away from Shin'en's marvelous accomplishments, but your hyperbole was way over the line.

Lol

Yeah, but lets face it. There aren't many games on Wii U that are more ambiitous than this 5 man project.

brainchild · Nov 21, 2015

dampflokfreund said:
Yeah, but lets face it. There aren't many games on Wii U that are more ambiitous than this 5 man project.

Ambition is a relative thing. If you're talking about the relative effort being put into a game on Wii U, I tend to agree. If you're talking about total effort being put into a Wii U game, I would have to disagree, simply because Shin'en's just too small to equally compare to bigger efforts on the platform.

Nevertheless, this has been their most ambitious title to date, and I wish them a ton of success from this when consumers are finally able to get their hands on the game.

jariw · Nov 21, 2015

dampflokfreund said:
Yeah, but lets face it. There aren't many games on Wii U that are more ambiitous than this 5 man project.

There are many such Wii U games. But there has not been any Wii U indie game with these kind of ambitions. Reading about the things Shin'en makes in this game, and then reading about Nicalis' thoughts about Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth on the Wii U becomes like 2 different universes.

Shin'en mainly focus their ambitions on the technical side, which is their strength historically. They have shown no ambitions whatsoever in developing a memorable character (like Captain Falcon f.e.), the UI shown so far has been pretty standard, etc.

KingSnake · Nov 27, 2015

Episode 2 is up: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20...hind_the_scenes_of_fast_racing_neo_-_part_two

With its approaching release we're running a series of behind the scenes 'glimpses' at the game, and in the first entry the studio's Manfred Linzner spoke about design approaches and his favourite vehicle and track. In this part Bernhard Wodok, the Lead Tools Developer on the project, provides some technical insight before showing off his favoured vehicles and track; there's even a surprise DS cameo.

Putosaure · Nov 27, 2015

Give us a release date now

brainchild · Nov 27, 2015

KingSnake said:
Episode 2 is up: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20...hind_the_scenes_of_fast_racing_neo_-_part_two

I just love the craft designs in this game. Also, what kind of sorcery did that tools developer have in his tool box to achieve that kind of performance boost?!!

Wizardry, I say!

jariw · Nov 27, 2015

I added a link to the 2nd episode the OP as well.

Celine · Nov 27, 2015

KingSnake said:

lol, I remember that boss in Nanostray 2.

KingSnake · Nov 27, 2015

brainchild said:
I just love the craft designs in this game. Also, what kind of sorcery did that tools developer have in his tool box to achieve that kind of performance boost?!!

Wizardry, I say!

Yeah, reading that makes you wonder. Nano Assault Neo is already a nice looking game.

AdanVC · Nov 27, 2015

Awesome stuff... so awesome. But come on just give us a release date already! Next week is december and they said it will release on early december

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