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The Wii U Speculation Thread VI: The Undiscovered Country

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EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
It's just a bit sad I think that noone in these Wii U threads has been particularly excited about the tech specs of the machine.

I'm excited about seeing Nintendo franchises on non-shit Wii hardware. That is something to legitimately look forward to. But when it comes down to crunching numbers, I'll always look to my PC. I won't look to the Wii U, just as I didn't look to the 360 or PS3.

On a purely technical level, I'm curious to see how Nintendo uses the hardware now available to them.
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
Found it. Here's the source: http://andriasang.com/comwyh/monolith_wiiu_programmers/

Summary by GN

- The company has been doing research on other company’s works, including HD
- They now feel they’ll be able to show what they’ve learned on Wii U
- with all this technical research, the team feels they’ll have no trouble doing an HD game
- due to physics and shaders, the potential expressive ability of the game has gone up
- the team feels they can show their prowess as devs with this title
- big interest in trying out a game that shows separate action on the Wii U controller
- the team hopes to surprise everyone with their Wii U title
- they believe with this game, they can prove that Japanese technology does not lose out to America
- the team’s target is to be at the level of Fallout maker Bethesda Softworks
- the Wii U title has already had a design document drafted
- the team is looking for new employees that have knowledge of things like Havok and Shaders
- the team also wants people that are familiar with external programming libraries to make realistic graphics

SO READY.

Woah woah woah!

Monolith is working on a Wii U game and wants to rival Elder Scrolls!?

EDIT: Now let's see how much time it takes for this to appear on Go-Nintendo.

It already did almost a year ago. :)
 

canvee

Member
Yes. Monolith Tokyo is working on a Wii U game (except for the Project X Zone team), Monolith Kyoto is doing a 3DS game. The Wii U game is somehow inspired by Elder Scrolls, and Monolith plans to show the world that a Japanese studio can do technology that rivals Western engines. Their lead engine guy said last year that they were doing prototypes on HD systems for years and that he's confident they'll do something that's up there. Should be interesting.

I never noticed that quote, hope that they're not talking about art style. I personally hated Skyrim and Dragon Dogma's art style.
 

Instro

Member
Is Monolith Soft confirmed to be working on a WiiU game? And if so, how much time do you reckon they've had to work on it?

Yes they confirmed it when the system was announced. They've had a good 2 years since XenoBlade was finished, plus according to them they started prototyping HD stuff back in 08-09. I'm of the mind that we will get a trailer at E3, but perhaps that is wishful thinking.

Yes. Monolith Tokyo is working on a Wii U game (except for the Project X Zone team), Monolith Kyoto is doing a 3DS game. The Wii U game is somehow inspired by Elder Scrolls, and Monolith plans to show the world that a Japanese studio can do technology that rivals Western engines. Their lead engine guy said last year that they were doing prototypes on HD systems for years and that he's confident they'll do something that's up there. Should be interesting.

Well as you mentioned they said in Iwata asks that they want to show that Japanese tech won't fall behind the West. The bit about Bethesda was that they were looking to match them and the Fallout series, but iirc it was more of a joke than anything to read into about what the game could be.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Bah that should last you a long while. I wouldnt worry about future proofing.

I'm not. But a second GTX 570 would let me crank that supersampling like no tomorrow!
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
I wouldn't be too concerned about the graphics if Wii U lived in a vacuum, but it doesn't in the console space. I want to get 3rd party software on the Wii U that will also be on 720/PS4, basically. That's really why I care. Seeing 1st party games in HD will be glorious.
 
It's just a bit sad I think that noone in these Wii U threads has been particularly excited about the tech specs of the machine. We're entering this new age, of an HD Nintendo machine. A MASSIVE jump from the Wii and still people are like "Don't get too excited". Not a particularly great feeling to start a new generation on to be honest.

I just hope like hell that Nintendo don't try to wow us graphically at E3 because they will look like fools if what you all consider to be the power-level is actually the case.
READ THE THREAD YO, me a bit before you said that :)

People should still be excited regardless of power gaps. Think about it for a second. You'll still be getting all the games Nintendo is known for, probably even more since they will probably aim to up their output to reduce software gaps, not only that, you'll get them on a console that provides the biggest power jump of all time from one generation to the next. Think of all the games that usually appear on Nintendo consoles, now realize they'll all return in glorious high definition looking like you've been dreaming they could look like.

The fact that it will probably get a lot more 3rd party ports than Wii (though still not all I bet) is all just the cherry on top of the initial stuff I mentioned. Think about it people. All must calm down. For people who are fans of Nintendo games, this console sounds like it'll be almost everything they could ask for.
 

Redford

aka Cabbie
Hope it's a different kind of RPG than Xenoblade (never played it). Not fond of RPGs in general though.

BG said the PS4 target specs are already the uhhh target, and lherre said the 360 specs seem clear, so I assume they already know what they want to do.

I see, thanks!
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
Yes they confirmed it when the system was announced. They've had a good 2 years since XenoBlade was finished, plus according to them they started prototyping HD stuff back in 08-09. I'm of the mind that we will get a trailer at E3, but perhaps that is wishful thinking.

That would be AMAZING. After Xenoblade I'm hungry for another Monolith RPG. I doubt we'll see anything at E3, but it would be an awesome surprise if we did. I still remember seeing "Monado" in the E3 media kit and being very intrigued despite the bad textures everyone was complaining about. :p

Hope it's a different kind of RPG than Xenoblade (never played it). Not fond of RPGs in general though.

Xenoblade is already Westernized, and I expect their next project to be even more so if they are looking at Bethesda. I'm not a huge RPG fan, but I found Xenoblade very enjoyable largely because of the expansiveness and the exploring aspects of the game if nothing else.
 
My take on the Wii U -> PS4/XB3 power gap:

Given the rumored specs for PS4/XB3, both Sony and MS are probably looking for a 10 year life cycle to recoup R&D costs over the long run (If the 2014 release date for XB3 is true, then the 360 would have been around about that timeframe). But I believe Nintendo is aiming for a typical 5 year cycle for the Wii U.

So for the first 1-2 years, Nintendo will have the only “next gen” console. It will probably then take developers about 2 years to fully tap into the true power of PS4/XB3 (outside 1st party efforts and 3rd party exclusives). Until then, the Wii U should be able to handle ports well. But once this time hits and the Wii U no longer has what it takes to handle the ports (or the ports would be so watered down that developers wouldn’t bother), it will be time for Nintendo to unveil their new hardware anyway. At that time, they should be able to produce hardware than is more powerful than Sony/MS' (but not drastically so) at a reasonable price.

Then, Sony releases PS5/XB4 a couple years later and the cycle repeats.

For this strategy to be more effective, the Wii U would have been released last year. Unfortunately for Nintendo, the 3DS was struggling and releasing the Wii U while trying to proper 3DS may have been too much for them to handle.

I see it similar though I expect Nintendo to have a six-year cycle.

I am (and I'm sure others gaffers are too). But I suspect those of us excited about the upcoming nintendo hw value elegant engineering, cost- and power efficiency way more than most people.

More power!

tim2Btaylor.jpg


what the fuuuuuuuuuck why is this first I'm hearing of this.

I remember the article. It was a long time ago so there's also a chance you might have forgot it.

http://andriasang.com/comwyh/monolith_wiiu_programmers/

Inaba also added that as this is Monolith's first HD title, he hopes to make something that surprises everyone. He wants to make something that shows Japanese technology does not lose out to America. His target is to be at the level of Fallout maker Bethesda Softworks, although he joked that maybe he's going too far.

Oh, okay so roughly what I estimated it to be. lol okay so as long as you're computer savvy you'll be fine from getting malware and viruses and be able to maintain the machine. Good to know.

I feel like a gaming PC and a Wii U would compliment each other fairly well. I know people did that with the Wii this generation and did fairly fine, although missing out some console exclusives - but I guess I could always budge and get a PS4/next box 2-3 years after release too.

Yes. Yes it would. Join the WiiC U bandwagon. Still working on a good name for it. :p
 

radcliff

Member
This is some extremely wishful thinking. It won't take devs years to handle the power of the next gen consoles this time around and there's no way Nintendo will have more than a year uncontested in the market.

Outside 1st party and 3rd party exclusives, what incentives would 3rd parties have to justify the extra development costs of fully tapping into the system's power? Even Mark Rein said he expects next-gen games to use UE3, rather than UE4, for about the first year.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
I see it similar though I expect Nintendo go have a six-year cycle.



More power!

tim2Btaylor.jpg




I remember the article. It was a long time ago so there's also a chance you might have forgot it.

http://andriasang.com/comwyh/monolith_wiiu_programmers/


Yes. Yes it would. Join the WiiC U bandwagon. Still working on a good name for it. :p
PiiCU? PiiC? WiiPCU? ...WiiPCP?

Anyway, Wii+PC was more than good enough for me this gen (Especially now that Dark Souls is coming to PC, yay!) so I'm certain WiiU-PC will be a blast too.
 

wsippel

Banned
I tried searching for this, but do you have a source on the Elder's Scrolls inspiration or anything on the Wii U game they are making?

That got me really fucking hyped.
Monolith did something similar to Iwata Asks a while ago (without Iwata), when they started their Wii U hiring spree. Andriasang has the translation if I remember correctly. And I think the dude meant the technology, not the gameplay or setting.
 

Effect

Member
I believe that an überpöwerfül console will be bad for the industry at large. I also believe that there'll be even more doom-and-gloom articles about Nintendo. Sure, it's a step up and whatever Nintendo has cooking should be good, if not great, but we'll never hear the end of "last gen AGAIN, lol Wii U" etc.

Where PS4 is in all this, I have no idea.

Interesting, but I was hoping the gap wouldn't be so large between the three, but rather they'd focus on innovation rather than throwing POWAH on 3rd party.

That was going to happen regardless of what Nintendo did. Remember people were bashing the sizzle real last E3 saying the games looked worse then PS3/360 games when that was actual PS3/360 footage. That shows where some people are in regard to Nintendo. They could come out with a console that blows away anything Microsoft and Sony could come out with and I'd bet real money that it would still be bashed and the doom and gloom articles would still be written. Nintendo does bone headed things and I have my issues with them when they do certain things or don't do certain things but a lot of the stuff that gets written or said has no basis in reality.

This is why I expect Nintendo to continue with trying to get around the gaming media and speak directly with it's fans and gamers at large. I expect more Nintendo Directs. I expect them to continue to give access to smaller sites/blogs. I expect them to push things like Nintendo Show 3D and their Nintendo Channel on the Wii even more on the Wii U. I think that can be seen even now with what they are planning on their E3 page. The conference of course but also the game presentations the next day. They could easily leave that up to gaming sites to report but they rather show it directly to consumers/gamers and seemingly bypass gaming site's reporting altogether. I think we should expect video of every coming Wii U and 3DS games on the site as well. I don't think they'll tune them out altogether but I wouldn't be surprised if they got really close.

I wonder what will the big gaming sites like IGN, etc do in the end if Nintendo actually does completley bypass them at some point? Those sites have already driven away much of their Nintendo audience. At least it seems like that. They only have the power they do because they are were people can go to get news and information regarding games that are out and potential games. Provide a better alternative in a less hostile environment would they even care?
 

tkscz

Member
You know what? Fuck power. I mean it. It took me a while and I was a bit bummed, until i saw that Monolith is working on something. Then I realized, the games is what it's all about. I got great games on Wii, and i'll get them on WiiU.
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
Damn, thinking about a new Monolith game on Wii U got me hyped again. Sure, we probably won't see it at E3, but... the possibilities. :)
 

Zenaku

Member
Monolith did something similar to Iwata Asks a while ago (without Iwata), when they started their Wii U hiring spree. Andriasang has the translation if I remember correctly. And I think the dude meant the technology, not the gameplay or setting.

This, though they didn't say anything about seeking inspiration from Elder Scrolls. One of the people in the interview, Mitihiko Inaba (a programmer at Monolith Soft), was asked what their goal was, to which he replied "Bethesda Software, who developed 'Fallout'".
 

Mithos

Member
My PC cost me ~AU$1200 (I already had a monitor). I can run Crysis 2 DX11 at 1920x1080 maxed out at ~45fps, never dipping below 30fps. It will serve me into next generation as well.

Let me know when Crysis 3 arrives, if you can run it the same DX11 at 1920x1080 maxed out at ~45fps, never dipping below 30fps, or if you have to lower some settings to keep it running.
 
Yes. Monolith Tokyo is working on a Wii U game (except for the Project X Zone team), Monolith Kyoto is doing a 3DS game. The Wii U game is somehow inspired by Elder Scrolls, and Monolith plans to show the world that a Japanese studio can do technology that rivals Western engines. Their lead engine guy said last year that they were doing prototypes on HD systems for years and that he's confident they'll do something that's up there. Should be interesting.

All of my HNNNNNNGGGGGGGs.
 
Q

qizah

Unconfirmed Member
Am I the only one here who gets excited about how the game cases will look? I know it's lame to be excited about something so small, but I'm generally interested - I've always loved how SEGA and Sony had the CD type cases for the Dreamcast/PS1, liked how Nintendo went with the white boxes for Wii and 3DS (and I feel that trend will continue with Wii U) - and I liked how the PS3 game cases were design too, and Vita's.

It seems so minor but I kinda get excited to see what they'll look like lol.
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
You mean the 4th, don't want to miss MS/EA/Ubi/Sony

And we get some pre-e3 momentum this week with Konami's presser on Thurs, and GT.TV stuff.

Oh right, my mind's just so focused on Nintendo's conference, I kind of forgot about the conferences coming up on the 4th. That's nice, not AS long. :)
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Let me know when Crysis 3 arrives, if you can run it the same DX11 at 1920x1080 maxed out at ~45fps, never dipping below 30fps, or if you have to lower some settings to keep it running.

I doubt I will have to, ridiculously high anti-aliasing settings excluded. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one of two scenarios occurs:

a) Crysis 3 is even more optimised than Crysis 2 DX11.
or b) Crysis 3 DX11 isn't quite as pretty as Crysis 2 DX11 (eg: no HQ textures) due to console platforms still being lead.

I'm pretty confident I'll be able to max out everything at DX11 1920x1080 and not have it drop below 30fps. Not unless it's an unoptimised sack of crap, or Crytek suddenly make the most visually advanced hardware melting game ever made.
 
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