Mario Kart 8 Producer: 'Double-Dash' mode was considered

[Super-Jesse]

During the shuffle of E3, a lot of little tidbits can get lost, and it seems this interview might have been one of them (at least on here).

Hideki Konno (head of Nintendo EAD Software Development Group No. 1 and Mario Kart 8 Producer) and Kosuke Yabuki (Director of Mario Kart 8) were interviewed by French website Gamekult and shared some details on what players can expect from the game when it releases early next year. NeoGaf member DrWong was kind enough to break down the highlights from the interview:

* MK8 development began just more than a year ago.
* No other studio involved, 100% EAD Kyoto.
* About the GamePad use: "Our priority is to provide the remote display on the GamePad only. We have other ideas, but that's all we can tell you for now."
* Why no F-Zero instead? "H. Konno: It has always been a Mario Kart per console, so we wanted to get a new one to have more people interested by our new system. But I also hope that there will be an F-Zero."
* About track size: "In Mario Kart 8 tracks have also been narrowed compared to Mario Kart Wii and reflects more the size of the road."
* About kart customization: "Like Mario Kart 7 (but) with a little more choice"
* No track editor, even if they talk about it.
* About a Double Dash mode using the GamePad: "H. Konno: For Mario Kart Wii, 7 and 8, we decided not to use it. But this is a request that is often heard, so maybe we can meet this desire."

What do you think of the choices they've made for MK8? Would you have liked to see the gameplay style introduced in "Double-Dash" return?

Direct interview link (French)
Google Translate link

Also, fellow Fungi Forum member Glowsquid was awesome enough to give a comprehensible translation!

[BP]

Yes, DD remains my favorite one and that mechanic is one I liked a lot. Specifically because of character-specific items.

And it inspired me to write these and that was a lot of fun.

[jdaster64]

Definitely looking forward to see what kind of kart customization Mario Kart 8 has to offer, that's the one thing that I really feel I'm missing out on not owning 7. 

Honestly, I've been playing Double Dash!! a lot recently, and I can say that I don't really care so much about the two-character aspect returning; as far as I'm concerned, it only limits your kart selection per whatever items you prefer.  If it were to return without the Special item feature, I wouldn't mind; it'd be a merely aesthetic matter at that point, though.  The biggest issue, I'd imagine, is that you'd need a massively expanded playable character roster to support 12 teams of 2 from the get-go, while maintaining the current ratio of starter to unlockable characters (Dry Baby Metal Wawaluigi's a shoo-in, regardless).  What I'd really like to see return is Double Dash!!-styled power-sliding, but I can see from the trailers and gameplay that's apparently not happening.

[Toad]

Double-dash Mode with MK7's kart customizing options! *drool*


As long as baby characters don't make up a quarter of the playable characters, I'm ok with this idea.

MKW might as well have been called Mario Kart Wee, but that's a rant for another time.

[CrossEyed7]

I'm just really glad MK8 isn't coming out for Christmas. MK7, while certainly a fun game, was very obviously rushed to meet that Q4 deadline.

[Glowsquid]

I have a lot of time to kill so I've started to translate the full Gamekult interview. Google translate is surprisingly comprehensible here, but something more... presentable? is better, I guess.

Let's begin with an easy one: How did you decide to implement inverted gravity in Mario Kart 8?

Yosuke Yabuki :We decided on it for many reasons.The first is that I was already the director for Mario Kart 7 and we ahd to gratly reduce the number of polygons to make it run on a portable console. This time, we have far less to worry about and we can get really polished visuals. Next, nNntendo games like F-Zero and Super Mario Galaxy already featured anti-gravity. We thus pondered how we could rework the idea to make it work for Mario Kart, and we decided we needed to start from scratch. The main reason, however, is that Mr. Konno pushes us to alway think of new and interesting concepts for our upcoming games, so we have a lot of pressure. (laugh)

Hideki Konno : In Mario Kart 7, we added flight and underwater driving. What else could we add after that? (laugh)

Then, why didn't you developed a brand new game or a new F-Zero, considering how much fans request it?

HK : [see OP]

KY : I also think you'll agree that the Mario Kart universe is well-suited to the track reversals and twists associated with anti-gravity racing.

Is the game developed entirely internally, or do you have help from external studios, like with Retro Studio on Mk7 ? Since the game bears some similarities to Sonic All-Star Racing and that you sometime work with Sega, was there any collaboration ? [translator note: What kind of asinine balderdash is this?]

HK : Ah, no. The entire game is handled by EAD Tokyo.

Did you face additional challenges by developing for the Wii U, compared to the 3DS? What changed the most?

HK : We face difficulties every time we develop a new game, including this time, but it's also fun. The one aspect we focused on the most si the switch from SD to HD, difficult but educative.

KY : The change in definition brought in a greater number of graphic artists to improve the visuals, but this happen to every videogame company.

In the playable floor demo, we can't say that the GamePad integration is very elaborate. Do you plan on adding more functionalities, or do we have to settle with the horn and the map?

HK : [see OP]

In that case could you explain how Mario Kart TV works? We don't know if we can share full videos or if we'll have to settle with short segments...

HK : We have yet to decide this in a definite way,, but we're leaning toward showing only the "Best Of" of the race in a short loop. In the E3 demo, the races only last two laps, but there will be three in the final version and we wonder if players will really have fun watching the entire race. We alkway think about fun while making this kind of adjustment

Mario Kart : Double Dash introduced a fun gimmick by having two characters by kart and pairing it with the GamePad could be interesting. Did you consider bringing back tag team-bbased racing for the next sequel?

HK :  [see OP]

Ever since bikes have been introduced, I wonder why the series is still called "Mario Kart". Did you think about changing it, or is it non-negotiable despite the appreance of other vehicles?

HK : As you know, Mario Kart is a very popular brand and we're proud of it. For the moment, we focus on making good games. But if you have a better idea than "Mario Bike", don't hesitate to share it ! (laugh)

In the very first Mario Kart, tracks were a lot narrower and making a turn required more skills. Since then, the tracks have become increasingly wide and I wonder where that come from ?

KY : [see OP]

HK : In Double Dash, the tracks were relatively tight but there were only eight racers and thus more breathing room. However, Wii featured twelve racers : thus we needed to widen the track to prevent players from being bunched in and to make overtaking easier. The Wii Wheel was also an influence, considering we tend to do exxagerated movements with motion controls. We wanted to make an accessible game and narrow circuits would have frustrated players

What comes first in creating a new Mario Kart, tracks or characters and objects ?

KY :There's not really an order, we build the game little by little, with successive waves of characters, track and objects, "the Japanese way" you could say (laugh). It's maybe not the most efficient method, but looking at the results, we're convinced it's the best.

HK : We experiment a lot with prototypes : if it works well, we go through, but if it's not engaging, we do not hesitate to go back to start back on good bases..

When did you begin to work on Mario Kart 8 ?

HK : After Mario Kart 7, the team was dissolved and everyone went to work on other projects, but we rebuild the team little by little in order to make the episode. I'd say development started seriously a little bit more than a year ago.

It's been several games and yet one character has yet to drive a kart despite being the first enemy of Super Mario Bros. : the Goomba .Why?

HK : Mmmh, because he has no arms?

Boo neither, I think ?

HK : (laugh) That's right, he only has small arms ! But since he's a ghost, he can use supernatural powers.

Granted! The next question will be for Mr. Konno, since they are about retro subjects. In our last interview, you mentioned Stunt Race FX and I would like to know if that game influenced the evolution of the series. Did you try to make the jump to 3D on the Super Nintendo ?

HK :As you know, the game was made under supervision de Nintendo by the same developer [Argonaut Games, e.d. than the first StarFox, but Mr.r Miyamoto was the producre ; I had no involvement with that project. It's also a game with different type of vehicles, going from the buggy to a 18-Wheeler. Neverthless, I was part of the same division and I remember being open to the idea that circulated internally. When Miyamoto worked on Stunt Race FX,he asked how we could go beyond the traditional looping tracks that end in three turns. It's an idea that stuck in my mind and that I try to applicate; without necessarily making a more open racing game like we've seen before. In Mario Kart 7 for example,the Cheep-Cheep lagoon track features multiple shortcuts to reach the finish line quicker ; this is the kind of thing that could be expanded upon. But it's true that I don't often talk about that kind of design with the development team.

KY : I confirm. This is even the first time I hear that story about Stun Race FX!

Today, developers are used to making 3D racing games, but in indsight, what was the most difficult aspect of adding a new dimension ?

HK :The jump to 3D eased things, in a way. Instead of having to simulate a feeling of depth - no stereoscopy, real volumes - with  2D [sic], we could finally model everything with polygons. Mr. Yabuki may not be concious of that since he's part of the 3D generation,, mais those like me who began on the Famicom or Super Famicom, attempting to make 3D games created too many problems to list.

In that case, could Mr. Yabuki talk about his beginning at Nintendo, his path and the games he worked on?

KY :It must be eight years since I've been Nintendo, but I'm at the point where I've been with the company for such a long time that I forgot exactly how much... (rires). My first game was  Zelda : Twilight Princess...

HK :Yes, that's right, you were in charge of the planning. After that, there was Mario Kart Wii, Nintendogs + Cats, Mario Kart 7 and finally, Mario Kart 8.

Among the race tracks in Mario Kart, which is your favourite? This goes for you both!

HK: This is a question I get every interview and each time, I manage to say : "This is th one I like the best". But there's one that will be forever imprinted in my mind, and that's the first Mario Circuit of Super Mario Kart.It's wih it that we demoed the game and it's thanks to it that we saw the potential of Mario Kart.

KY : That's true, everything complements itself in that rack : the lenght, the turns, the music, the objects ... But presently, my favourite track is this one (he points toward a poster on the wall), the Möbius strip in Mario Kart 8.At one time, it would have been impossible to make a track like this..

Since we're back to Mario Kart 8, have you considred adding more cuztomisation options ? It's not a core part of the series, but many racing games offer this kind of option since many years...

KY : Like Mario Kart 7  we will allow one to change the wheel type, or the type of glider with a little more choice.

HK :The problem is, if we want to offer much more customization options,it would require that peoples in charge of the track design take care of it, and track design is one of our main priority.It's a vital part of the game that requires a lot of time and effort considering how much iterations each circuit go through.Perhap in the future, we'll have enough ressources to have more customization options while keeping the same standards for tracks, but they're an higher priority for now. It's a focused method that has shown its worth, though I am curious to see what we could do with more ressources and a more open mind toward what we can do with Karts

I think  Miiverse integration would be suited to creation options, for players or by players, as much the vehicles as the tracks with an editor. But perhap this kind of thing is too complicated to be implemented in Mario Kart ?

HK : That's right, a simple editor like Excitebike's would be an interesting addition.

KY : To be honest, we're focusing on how to use the anti-gravity system, which was almost build from scratch eand which is quite a bit different from what you can do with a mere editor.

HK : Yeah, we don't want to get players to get too hyped about the prospect of having an editor, so I don't think  we should talk about it too much.  (laugh)

About reverse gravity, I noticed that it stayed the same when the player is hanging from one side or the other, but that it changed with the player when driving toward the bottom. Will it alway be the case or are there times where we'll be able to truly drive in reverse?

HK : There are alway compromises that need to be made made while making a game.It would be easy to make the camera not follow the player while driving, but it would make driving much more difficult and our goal is to make a very accessible game, easy to get into and with the most pratical view when the player is driving downward.

KY : Mario Kart was alway an easy game to learn, but with a lot of depth. I feel we're respecting this tradition by adding the anti-gravity without making it too frustrating for the player.

Last one: The feather in Super Mario Kart was a very interesting item with a lot of uses, but it pratically dissapeared afer that, and that's terrible. Why not reintroduce it?

KY :If we had to bring back that item now, it would cause a lot of problems, but we take your suggestions into account!

[Super-Jesse]

Thanks Glowsquid, added that translation to the original post!

unlockable characters (Dry Baby Metal Wawaluigi's a shoo-in, regardless).

Wait, is there really a baby version of Dry Bones and a Metal/baby version of Waluigi?

Also, I loved the two-person kart feature from DD and think the Control Pad would be a great way to further the concept (as well as bringing back items that are character specific, another way to differentiate things between the racers). However, I think it should be something that's an option and perhaps not an exact required feature, perhaps a racing mode all on its own even.

[The Chef]

Wait, is there really a baby version of Dry Bones and a Metal/baby version of Waluigi?

There isn't.

[Super-Jesse]

Oh thank goodness. I only questioned it because I recently saw an episode of game trumps that was talking about how crazy the Mario sports rosters were getting. One of those coincidental timing things. I googled it and saw some fan art. Um, hm, interesting.