Support NeoGAF

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

A new documentary has shown the brutal reality of quality assurance work on Resident Evil 4 Remake a month before it launched.

NHK World Japan produces a documentary series called '100 Cameras,' where, as the title suggests, 100 cameras are positioned to tell the story that unfolds in front of them. In the latest release in the series, called 'Game Developer,' Capcom's studio in Osaka, Japan, is the focus of the cameras, as the final month leading up to the launch of Resident Evil 4 Remake is explored.

Simply put, Capcom's remake is not in a good state. We can see director Yasuhiro Anpo encounter a litany of bugs in his playthrough of Resident Evil 4 Remake, for example, including the screen freezing at numerous points, protagonist Leon falling through the map, and other visual bugs taking place, such as Leon and Luis's hands not properly connecting in one scene.

At one point, a fellow developer reveals they uncovered about 70 bugs in just one day of playtesting. "At this rate, we won't make the release," Anpo exclaims. Other developers uncover a raft of other bugs, including a puddle inexplicably flashing, and items vanishing. One developer even just pretends that a bug isn't there and marks it as fixed.

This all leads to a brutal showdown with Capcom's quality assurance department. QA lead Ito wonders aloud why the "fixes are so sloppy," and posits that "if they're gonna do it, they should do it right." Ito then has a meeting with director Anpo, where he stresses that he's "very concerned" over the state of the game, and adds that he's "never seen bugs like this."

However, development wasn't done adding new elements to Resident Evil 4 Remake, even a month before launch. New aspects like menu screens and lighting were still being added to Capcom's remake, which in turn led to more bugs for the QA department and Ito to sort out. Ito, as you can probably imagine at this point, is not best pleased.

Enter Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, otherwise known as the "demon producer" on Resident Evil 4 Remake. Hirabayashi isn't pleased with aspects of Resident Evil 4 Remake like the lighting in certain scenes, asking the development team to either increase or decrease the brightness in scenarios. This just makes even more work for the QA team, because these scenes then have to be debugged all over again.

Despite all these problems, Resident Evil 4 Remake somehow ships on time and to completion. The NHK World Japan documentary is a surprisingly frank look at the state of game development in Japan, particularly among QA staff - you wouldn't expect to see Japanese developers openly arguing and disagreeing with one another, but it's nonetheless a pretty refreshing peek behind the game development curtain.

Resident Evil 4 Remake devs were convinced it would be delayed because of tech issues: "I've never seen bugs like this"

A frank look behind the scenes

www.gamesradar.com

 

[adamsapple]

They must have been working on the game down to the wire, cause the launch product was exceptional and I did not encounter any notable bugs. The only thing that stood out was the controller response on the Xbox version, which was mostly fixed after a few days of launch as well.

Capcom doesn't disappoint. I expect Dragon's Dogma 2 to be fantastic too.

 

[GrayChild]

One developer even just pretends that a bug isn't there and marks it as fixed.

Lazy devs confirmed.

 

[ssringo]

Sounds pretty interesting. Will give it a watch during my lunch break.

 

[fart town usa]

And the game released near flawless AFAIC and then they added a VR mode.

Capgod is the best studio on the planet. The level of quality and speed at which they release bangers, no one comes close IMO.

 

[kiphalfton]

Starting to feel like an old man, seeing this thread.

I still remember when everybody was anticipating the RE2 Remake, as there was an announcement in 2015 and we didn't get it until 2019.

Crazy we've got RE2R, RE3R, RE4R, RE4 VR, RE7, and RE8 since that announcement. Probably missing some games.

 

[Zimmy68]

 

[ultrazilla]

Lazy devs confirmed.

Puddle sprouts 10 legs and walks away.

developer: it's fixed.

 

[VenomousCoffee]

Starting to feel like an old man, seeing this thread.

I still remember when everybody was anticipating the RE2 Remake, as there was an announcement in 2015 and we didn't get it until 2019.

Crazy we've got RE2R, RE3R, RE4R, RE4 VR, RE7, and RE8 since that announcement. Probably missing some games.

I'm so old, I was already an adult when they announced the Capcom 5.

 

[justiceiro]

Sounds like a perfectly written script for a reality show.

 

[ssringo]

Was a pretty interesting video. The first 13 minutes were about Street Fighter 6 and working on AKI.

 

[Yoshichan]

And despite all of this they managed to create one of the best games of all time and also the best remake of all time

Lol

 

[Efren is G.O.A.T.]

Lazy devs confirmed.

I watched the 100 cameras segment and he said it jokingly in desperation "what if we marked it as fixed?"

 

[Mr Moose]

even a month before launch

When did it go gold?

 

[funking giblet]

Lazy devs confirmed.

More like "QA gives vague description and off screen camera picture with all of the telemetry of the dev build obscured and not recorded"

 

[bumpkin]

I want to see a blooper reel.

 

[Damian black]

And despite all of this they managed to create one of the best games of all time and also the best remake of all time

Lol

How?
It is full of design issues.
The bar is so low even an ok game like that one is considered a masterpiece.

 

[Yoshichan]

How?
It is full of design issues.
The bar is so low even an ok game like that one is considered a masterpiece.

no

 

[Madflavor]

How?
It is full of design issues.
The bar is so low even an ok game like that one is considered a masterpiece.

Oh, I was wondering who took a shit in this thread cause I smelled it walking in.

 

[adamsapple]

How?
It is full of design issues.
The bar is so low even an ok game like that one is considered a masterpiece.

What design issues, give some examples.

 

[K' Dash]

Thank God for Japanese third parties, they single handedly carrying this gen.

 

[Griffon]

The article doesn't link the video, where is it?

 

[spartan30gr]

The article doesn't link the video, where is it?

Game Developer - 100 CAMERAS | NHK WORLD-JAPAN On Demand

Fans in Japan and around the world were breathless with excitement for two new games from a single studio infiltrated by one hundred cameras! Discover how Street Fighter 6's new character A.K.I. was designed, down to tweaking each hair of her eyebrows, and tweaking simulations of her special...

www3.nhk.or.jp

 

[FUBARx89]

Does it mention the GTA Definitive Edition rain effects?

Asif it was that buggy a month before release. Played it day 1 and didn't run into anything gamebreaking, just the image quality was abit shit on PS5 at launch compared to Series S/X.

 

[IAmRei]

And the game released near flawless AFAIC and then they added a VR mode.

Capgod is the best studio on the planet. The level of quality and speed at which they release bangers, no one comes close IMO.

I heard in the 90s their outputs are kinda fast as well. They are speed devil gakedev back then, i read on the magazine in 90s. I forgot which magazine though

 

[Damian black]

What design issues, give some examples.

The movement is atrocious. Why does a japanese game need rockstar type physics? Leon is also too slow to avoid some attacks just by moving. Look at the repeated gigante swings.
They put an 8% speed boost behind a gacha mechanic, why?
The hitboxes are inconsistent, the weapons spread is totally random at times.
The small cutscenes like the ganados bringing ladders to the cabin, cancel your most recent previous actions.
Leon flinches over even the stupidest thing and control is taken away from you.

Just to name a few.
The fact that so many people cant see these problems it is very indicative of the current state of the industry.
I have finished the game multiple times, even on professional and when I see statements like that headline from the devs, it doesnt surprise me.

 

[adamsapple]

The fact that so many people cant see these problems it is very indicative of the current state of the industry.

I think it's because this is just a you-thing.

- The movement is not atrocious, this is probably the most nimble a RE character has been, with more diverse movement options and all.
- The 8% speed boost is a reference and call back to a very popular speed-run bug from the original RE4.
- The hit boxes are fine.
- This is not a turn based RPG, I don't know what action you're talking about that you can't do again with the press of a button
- I don't know any examples of flinching. Do you mean like when he's in a boat and the boat jostles? If there's no physics there, you' then say that there's no physics

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

That last month before release must have been hell.

 

[rofif]

The movement is atrocious. Why does a japanese game need rockstar type physics? Leon is also too slow to avoid some attacks just by moving. Look at the repeated gigante swings.
They put an 8% speed boost behind a gacha mechanic, why?
The hitboxes are inconsistent, the weapons spread is totally random at times.
The small cutscenes like the ganados bringing ladders to the cabin, cancel your most recent previous actions.
Leon flinches over even the stupidest thing and control is taken away from you.

Just to name a few.
The fact that so many people cant see these problems it is very indicative of the current state of the industry.
I have finished the game multiple times, even on professional and when I see statements like that headline from the devs, it doesnt surprise me.

what are you talking about.
How do you enjoy anything

at the same time, you did professional so what gives

 

[leizzra]

I like the moment when Director of the project wipes out TV screen before playthrough with the Producers . It's funny and also tells you how much they ware scared about those brightness adjustments. I know this type of feedback .

 

[fart town usa]

I heard in the 90s their outputs are kinda fast as well. They are speed devil gakedev back then, i read on the magazine in 90s. I forgot which magazine though

Yea dude, Capcom have always been one of the best in the industry. If you were renting a game in the 90s and saw the Capcom logo, it was a safe bet that you were gonna play a quality title. The PS3/360 gen was kind of rough at times but output was still high and their MT Framework engine was one of the best around.

 

[King Dazzar]

I think it's because this is just a you-thing.

- The movement is not atrocious, this is probably the most nimble a RE character has been, with more diverse movement options and all.
- The 8% speed boost is a reference and call back to a very popular speed-run bug from the original RE4.
- The hit boxes are fine.
- This is not a turn based RPG, I don't know what action you're talking about that you can't do again with the press of a button
- I don't know any examples of flinching. Do you mean like when he's in a boat and the boat jostles? If there's no physics there, you' then say that there's no physics

Nope. He raises valid points. Its clearly a game from the past in terms of its movement and gun play. And at times feels clunky to me. Did that all stop me from growing to enjoy it? No. I like it regardless.

 

[Toots]

Resident Evil 4 Remake devs were convinced it would be delayed because of tech issues: "I've never seen bugs like this"

A frank look behind the scenes

www.gamesradar.com

the whole thing remind me of tim cain talk on western devs where he said about confronting ideas and having a better product at the end of the confrontation ( something you apparently cannot do anymore in the west).
If japanese devs, coming from their non confrontational culture, can do it to produce potential GOTYs why can't westerners do it ?

 

[Toots]

The movement is atrocious. Why does a japanese game need rockstar type physics? Leon is also too slow to avoid some attacks just by moving. Look at the repeated gigante swings.
They put an 8% speed boost behind a gacha mechanic, why?
The hitboxes are inconsistent, the weapons spread is totally random at times.
The small cutscenes like the ganados bringing ladders to the cabin, cancel your most recent previous actions.
Leon flinches over even the stupidest thing and control is taken away from you.

Just to name a few.
The fact that so many people cant see these problems it is very indicative of the current state of the industry.
I have finished the game multiple times, even on professional and when I see statements like that headline from the devs, it doesnt surprise me.

Are you a game developer in the making by chance ?
U remind me of a psychology major finding mental illnesses in everyone he knows a month after starting in his first year.

 

[adamsapple]

Nope. He raises valid points. Its clearly a game from the past in terms of its movement and gun play. And at times feels clunky to me. Did that all stop me from growing to enjoy it? No. I like it regardless.

I just can't agree with this at all. It's no Doom Eternal, but it's no worse than any other moderately paced third person OTS shooter.

But the point is that even despite that perceived clunkiness, you had a blast with the game.

The power of Capgod compels you.

 

[King Dazzar]

I just can't agree with this at all. It's no Doom Eternal, but it's no worse than any other moderately paced third person OTS shooter.

But the point is that even despite that perceived clunkiness, you had a blast with the game.

The power of Capgod compels you.

Thanks for a cool reply - I wondered if you'd lay into me lol, as I know you love it. Which is all good. Its actually on my second playthrough that I'm really enjoying it. I'm glad I stuck with it. But I also can see where some would find it a bit off too. So I get the critique, thats all.

 

[Matt_Fox]

I'm currently playing through Resident Evil 4 again but this time with mods - I've got one which double the numbers of enemies and it's making the combat insanely fun!

I always think mods are the ultimate stress test for crashing a game and it's holding up brilliantly so whatever those guys did in the final month they did it well!

 

[IAmRei]

Yea dude, Capcom have always been one of the best in the industry. If you were renting a game in the 90s and saw the Capcom logo, it was a safe bet that you were gonna play a quality title. The PS3/360 gen was kind of rough at times but output was still high and their MT Framework engine was one of the best around.

Yeah, even in their dark times, i can still believe them, i've been capcom centric for years. ever since i played rockman 4 in 92(?) i was so inspired by them. i recall the article said that capcom might got reward because they are fast to release something at that time

 

[GymWolf]

Dude never played starfield uh?