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ZWEI (Shinji Mikami) runs on Unreal Engine 3

Xpliskin

Member
*Phew*, I can finally confirm tango gameworks adopted UE as their cross-platform middleware.

I've tried to determine the actual name of the game, accidental leaks, artworks, ... nope. These guys are very uptight and very wary when posting things online.
It's like they're working for a secret agency. Not a single word.


But still, some of them are a little loose:


Shin Hidaka-apprentice character modeler on ZWEI
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/hidaka.shin/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/shinM

Yosuke Ishikawa-character modeler on ZWEI
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/yosuke.ishikawa.3
Twitter : https://twitter.com/ishi_maya
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/maya3dcg/videos
CGFeedback: http://www.cgfeedback.com/cgfeedback/member.php?u=3297
ZBrushCentral: http://www.zbrushcentral.com/search.php?searchid=1018358
Special mention for this guy.
When it comes to skill, there's "good", "very good", "talented", "master", "virtuoso", etc ... . But this guy, this one is on another level. Still can't believe the shit I saw. He's quite popular on modeling forums (this is why his face is masked in developer shots ?).


Hideaki Nakata-lead programmer on ZWEI
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/hideaki.nakata.56
Twitter : https://twitter.com/forte_setagaya

The juicy stuff:

As a reminder, Tango confirmed they're using an existing framework to develop ZWEI (source)

What you'll find:
-the lead programmer talking about "Middleware SDK updates" and making a lot of comparisons to "Gears of" (war). As well as talking about meetings with the "Americans" for the "foreign middleware".
He complains a lot about how he doesn't like his proficiency in English and how technical communication sucks when you need an interpreter to translate what the middleware provider is saying (especially during skype meetings).

-one of the modelers (@ishi_maya) tweeting he wishes he could reuse some of Gears 2 fluid effects on "the project at work" (read ZWEI). Complaining about the "paleness of UE standards" and even giving advice on how to create assets for UE.
-If you check out this thread: http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?168180-UDK-Realtime-Davyjones-and-other-characters/, you'll see he's got a knack for importing models made in ZBrush into the UDK.
He keeps up with UDK updates and references everything UE quite a lot (especially this website). Note that previewing models made with ZBrush into the UDK is not common practice and not that straightforward, it's very game development-specific. He's so good at it in fact, they're calling him "UDK master" (check the CG forums threads ).

-coincidently, the first modeler (@shinM ) uses the exact same workflow. ZBrush/Maya -> UDK

Here're some shots of their work.
The following images are !!! not ZWEI related !!!.

Yosuke Ishikawa UDK previews:
xbtHpU7.jpg

(source: @ishi_maya)

Hidaka UDK previews:
hjk7Rl3.jpg

zvRoqS6.jpg

(..yes yes silent hill nurses)
(source: @shinM)


Problem is, now they're going to be even more paranoid talking about ZWEI (incoming account visibility changes ?).

Good thing or bad thing, what do you think ? :D
 

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
one of the model looks like an alien, is this a sci-fi game or a horror game?

None of the models here are from Zwei, they are model testing and practice images.

I still am hoping we see some official stuff from the game during this E3, though it seems likely as Bethesda did say when asked last January what they had planned for 2013, all they responded with was, "Zwei," so it is obviously a big project for them.
 

UrbanRats

Member
Usually that hints at a Game Informer cover or an E3 reveal.

Given it's ZeniMax, Game Informer cover is highly likely.

An E3 reveal wouldn't leave that many months to market the game's pre-order, though.

I can see it being a GI cover though, maybe May?
 

Totobeni

An blind dancing ho
huh..this too uses UE3..I just said this on other thread,tech-5 was really a failure for Zenimax studios.

Carmack will need to make a good engine if he want to save id and his staff from doom.
 

Dachande

Member
You know, what you're doing there, linking to people's personal Facebook accounts that have zero ties to the project, that's pretty goddamn creepy and I'm sure the people in question wouldn't really appreciate you posting that info on such a huge forum as this.
 

rdrr gnr

Member
You know, what you're doing there, linking to people's personal Facebook accounts that have zero ties to the project, that's pretty goddamn creepy and I'm sure the people in question wouldn't really appreciate you posting that info on such a huge forum as this.
Dude.
 

UrbanRats

Member
I imagine an E3 unveil would only happen if the game had been delayed to Q1 2014.

I hope not, even though this fall is pretty packed still (considering the two new consoles and all).

There was also that Famitsu thing:
http://gematsu.com/2013/01/japanese-game-makers-discuss-strategies-for-2013

Questions
1) Keywords for 2013.
2) What will your company do?

Bethesda Softworks
1) Zwei.
2) Zwei.

Which is recent enough to make me think it's not delayed.
 

Xpliskin

Member
You know, what you're doing there, linking to people's personal Facebook accounts that have zero ties to the project, that's pretty goddamn creepy and I'm sure the people in question wouldn't really appreciate you posting that info on such a huge forum as this.

lol...you do realize they upload their work on their FB account for everyone to see right ? As well that they reference it themselves in modeling forums (how do you think I found out?) ?
 

Dachande

Member
lol...you do realize they upload their work on their FB account for everyone to see right ? As well that they reference it themselves in modeling forums (how do you think I found out?) ?

Eh, really? Weird. But if they're openly putting the URLs out to everyone themselves, then fair enough, that's fair game. I thought you'd detective'd them out yourself though, I would've had an issue with that.
 
This project has been shrouded in secrecy and blanketed in mystery for far too long. Hopefully it's just Mikami wanting to make sure it's awesome before the reveal.
 

Xpliskin

Member
WiiU version confirmed then.

On a more serious note, I recall seeing a tweet by the lead programmer about a "WiiU being sent to the company's boss" (I think around the time WiiU was released in Japan). I can't find it, but it's there I'm sure.
It doesn't mean anything, but given they're using UE3, porting is not an issue.
 

Persona86

Banned
OMG it looks amazing, one of the last hopes for console horror games.

Edit: dammit I didn't read the NOT ZWEI related bit. :(
 

Anteater

Member
Yeah, I understood that, but I wonder if that was an influence for their preliminary designs.

Yea it could be, I think they are really influenced by a lot of games they did their research on, there were quite a few similarities with Vanquish and other modern shooters, and back when vanquish was in development their designer mentioned he did a lot of research on other shooters, and you see stuff like halo and other books on their shelf:

http://platinumgames.com/2010/10/28/balancing-a-game-like-vanquish/

dFcY5gZ.jpg
 

Melchiah

Member
Yea it could be, I think they are really influenced by a lot of games they did their research on, there were quite a few similarities with Vanquish and other modern shooters, and back when vanquish was in development their designer mentioned he did a lot of research on other shooters, and you see stuff like halo and other books on their shelf:

http://platinumgames.com/2010/10/28/balancing-a-game-like-vanquish/

dFcY5gZ.jpg

Interesting. A different era and different developers, but I sure would like to see what the shelves of the early Resident Evil and Silent Hill teams were filled with.
 

Anteater

Member
UE3? So I guess it will run like shit on PS3?

I think they said they are using a heavily modified engine (which turns out to be u3e), and considering mikami's last game ran really well on the ps3, it might not be too bad.

http://andriasang.com/con09l/mikami_interview/

Mikami would not get into specifics about the nature of Tango's debut title. However, he did say that it uses an external engine. The engine has been heavily customized, though, to the point that it's close to being an internal engine.

I guess we'll need to wait and see!
 

StuBurns

Banned
It's not so much a recent thing really, it's always been all over the place depending on the developer. Mirror's Edge on PS3 is on par with the 360 version, some say a little better. UT3 was mostly the same. SotD is probably the obvious one for this example, but yeah, the use of UE3 is no indication of multiplatform quality.
 
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