Overview

The overall goal ...

... is to combine cinematic storytelling and Playstation console games. The aim is not primarily to create a new game, but to try out visual and content elements of cinema/television in the context of Playstation consoles. The background here is the upcoming new console generation offering new technical features (e.g. more data storage, faster processors, internet access ...) that can deliver a new kind of interactive titles. Although a commercial "game" is not the immediate aim (though such games may develop from the research production) a running prototype is essential for this test. That means, the concept depends technically on the currently available Playstation console while keeping the next generation in mind. The content and concept of the new narrative will evolve from a free pool of cinema, television, game design creatives led by a Project leader under supervision from NFTS tutorial staff.

The concept technically builds on ...

... the already existing title MediEvil and which is currently (at the start of the Common Tales project) sold in Europe. The Sony-production team would agree to assist a small team of free developers from the NFTS and give access to technical know-how and experience from developing MediEvil and the development of MediEvil 2 (that finished during the project, MediEvil 2 was published April 2000). The big advantage of building on an existing title is the escape from technical problems and concentration on content and narrative. In MediEvil the user has to steer the resurrected medieval knight Sir Daniel Fortesque - now a zombie creature. Sir Daniel has to complete different levels, slaughter the evil creatures by using a variety of weapons, discover secrets and solve riddles ... in order to defeat an extremely mean sorcerer Zarok and prove his heroism. The game's general atmosphere is similar to Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas. The game features explicit 3D polygon graphics, control of the point of view, a variety of different characters ("good", "bad" and "mixed" characters) but the user can only control one: Daniel, the hero, weapons (weapons can be improved and used in several ways; e.g. "enchant" the sword or use the club as a torch) and other items (energy-givers, money, moveable object, destructible objects ...), several linear movie like sequences, lighting to some extent, a well developed use of music, sound and dialogue.

The structure of the project ...

... is founded in three different institutions. Maureen Thomas (Creative Director, CUMIS), David Mingay (Head of Editing Department, NFTS), and Simon Gardner (Studio Director Development Lab Cambridge, SCEE) agreed to establish a small research team that would work at the SCEE development studio Cambridge and deliver a running demo after one year. The research itself was part of the NFTS and CUMIS participants' studies.

Acknowledgements ...

Without the fantastic support of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, the Cambridge Development Lab, and its director Simon Gardner this project would not have been possible. The warmest thanks to all the friendly people at the Cambridge Lab, who helped us along the way and rescued us much more than once!

last updated 04/08/00 by M.Nitsche