The Tepid Seat - Viva Pinata Team

The Tepid Seat - Viva Piñata Team

Answers: Justin (lead designer), Gary (DS designer), Grant (musician), Ryan (concept artist), Ed (lead artist), Will (lead programmer) - November 2007

What's the problem? I bet chameleons lick bears all the time in the wild

Q: Viva Piñata is for me, one of the greatest 360 titles in my collection, held aloft in the glow of my top 5 gaming wonders, next to the delights of Gears Of War, Elder Scrolls and BioShock. I'm going to jump straight into some questions that I hope will get answered... and if not, I will send my big wooden stick round and beat you all until you drop your sweety filling all over my... ahem... that's enough I think... right... erm... OK.
     1) Viva Piñata has been confirmed for DS, please can you confirm that there will be extra features in that game that were not present in the 360 version?
     2) Will there be any future titles of the series on the 360 developed and published by Rare?
     3) Will there be any more downloadable packs available over the Live service?
     Darren Taylor

Gary: 1) Basically VPDS is a streamlined version of the 360 version, all of the features are present from the 360 version but we have utilised the dual screens to give the player instant information about requirements etc. Also we have implemented a full touch screen interface which really adds to the game experience. On top of that we have new Piñatas, tools etc. So basically quite a lot.

Justin: OK, let's look at that 360 list again. Yes, good games without a doubt, but now put them in order of numbers of papery animals. There, that's better, Viva Piñata - the best game for Xbox 360 (with papery animals in it). I don't think it's polite to talk about your 'big wooden stick' or 'sweety filling' so let's pretend you didn't go down that conversational cul-de-sac...
2) I don't know, would you like more Viva Piñata?
3) No. We think we're working on something that you’d like more than some Viva Piñata DLC.


	Q: What was the real inspiration behind Viva Piñata? You guys have been churning out platforming games for a long time now (plus a few shooters as well), but what was it that made you want to go down a different road with this game? Were you confident that the game would live up to the standards of your other hit titles during production? Kowbrainz

Justin: Kowbrainz is an interesting name. Is that based on your diet or some sort of transplant operation?
Now I'll try to answer your very serious question... Things move quickly in the videogame world. The types of games that people like have changed and it's always a buzz working on something deliberately setting out to break the mould. I think the people who work at Rare are very dedicated, so if they set out to do something you can bank on them delivering something of a high standard.


	Q: Hi! I am an indie games artist (sort of, I make pretty textures :) ) and I was wondering what bump-mapping technique is used in Viva Piñata on 360, looks like parallax occlusion (couldn't find any texture swimming so great work on that :D ) and if so, will that technique (or even better ones) be implemented in upcoming Rare games? (I'd love to see that in a Perfect Dark (shader?) update ;) Great work guys, keep it up :D Kay Vriend

Ed: We used normal maps, parallax and occlusion maps for VP. Edge-based and continuous tessellation is also present in places. I'm guessing that all these techniques will be used sometime soon to help bring a certain Bear and Bird to life, and I'm sure the VP team will find a use for them again.


	Q: Dear Viva team. Congratulations on making a fabulous game. > Add additional praise here < Now for the questions: 1. Which piñata is your favourite? 2. Are there many piñatas that did not make it to the final game? 3. Was there ever a piñata based on Chewits? 4. Will the DS version have any different features or piñatas? 5. If you could change anything about the 360 game what would it be? PazJohnMitch

Justin: 1. Newtgat - vocally superior to most other Piñatas. 2. Loads. The first list was 160 Piñatas long. 3. Not specifically. However, one was based on Spangles but it was considered too old-fashioned. 4. They've got some new Piñatas and a fancy-pants 'Episodes' mode. 5. I'd have swapped the Special Edition box for a Piñata plushy.


	Q: Are there going to be any new Piñata species unique to the DS and PC versions of the game? I'd like to see giraffe, turtle, and crab Piñatas in the next game(s). Ooh, and a buffalo Piñata. And maybe some fish Piñatas, too. How exactly will the controls work in Viva Piñata DS? Will you get to slide your stylus across the screen as if you were swinging a stick or digging with a shovel? Will you be able to change the controls in-game to disregard the touch screen altogether and just use the buttons? Will there be any co-op gameplay? Or how about any way to trade Piñatas? Whoever thought of adding the jovial screams of excited children into the game whenever I slay a Piñata needs a promotion and a raise. Bryan Skinner

Gary: I don't want to give too much away regarding the new Piñatas, but I will say that if you're lucky you might get to see a Bispotti or maybe even the elusive Jeli. The controls work really well, you won't be able to disregard the touch screen controls as that would be a bit daft wouldn't it? There is no Co-op (this is a DS after all) but you will be able to trade Piñatas.

Justin: Promotion and a raise you say? In that case it was definitely me.


	Q: Is there any chance we will see a release of Viva Piñata on Wii, you can pull a Bungie and split so you have the freedom to explore the other consoles through your games? AngeL Eizenga

Justin: No. Let me put it this way, which is the least expensive (and most practical) solution - a multi-million pound deal tied up with legal and corporate issues so that a team who may or may not have started work on a new project can start work on a 12-month conversion of our game to a new platform, or you could buy an Xbox 360?


	Q: This is directed at Grant - how different was it to write music and have it performed by an orchestra, instead of sequencing a MIDI? Will the DS version have the same music but in MIDI form? Or are you going to hand the job of music making to someone else so you can concentrate on other projects? Genius_41

Grant: It wasn't that different at all really. I still used Cubase, Gigastudio and the Vienna Philharmonic sample library to compose the pieces. My MIDI versions do sound pretty close to the full orchestra versions, but having the pieces performed by real people is just fantastic, it brought a tear to my eye! The DS version will have some of my stuff in it, Dave Wise is handling it and I must say it sounds very good!


	Q: Is the mainstream's dismissal of Viva Piñata as a children's game going to affect the direction of the series in the future? How do you feel about comparisons with Pokémon? And could you make me a giraffe, or perhaps even a walrus piñata? Jeremy Taylor

Justin: We try to make games that we think are fun. We also know that there are lots of people who don't like 'mainstream' games, so (I guess) in future we'll keep trying to bring new people into gaming. Oh, and next game there will definitely be loads of guns and a car chase.
Pokemon is a great game and a very successful franchise so it's flattering to be compared to that. However, if you've played both games they are very different. The only similarity is that there are lots of creatures in both.
We could make anything you could think of (and some things you couldn't think of). Then again we could make Killer Instinct 3.


	Q: Why did you design Pester and the Ruffians to be such a pain in the hind? Also, what's with Kirkhope being limited to THREE TRACKS?!? Isn't that a little limiting or is that all M'Soft wil permit you to put on the site? Am I missing a soundtrack or something? One last thing, why did my Horstachio suddenly disappear and why not a patch and also I try to attract a Fizzlybear, but every time it comes in my garden I HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH WITH THE REQUIREMENTS! Dylan O'Brien P.S. Did that couple getting engaged while playing VP on two separate TVs touch you, or are you so cold and heartless you don't give a rip?

Justin: Pester's supposed to be a "pain in the hind", he's like, a villain or something.
     Grant did loads of tunes. I mean, there were at least a dozen tunes for the main game plus 60-odd romance dances? Oh wait, are you talking about the Rare website? There were nine tunes on there at last count (any more and Grant will be asking to be paid again).
     Why did the Horstachio disappear? Because he hoofed it! Ha, ha, ha... oh.
     P.S. We were so moved by the engagement that we sent them a specially made one-of-a-kind card to congratulate them.


	Q: Do you ever get fed up with releasing top quality entertainment onto a platform that doesn't appreciate them, let's ignore Viva Piñata which is a superb wonderful game, because another FPS will be along in a minute. At the tender age of 35 I'm not sure I'm the target audience but to hell with it, I love it. I got it on the day of release and I'm still playing it. More Rare more... Nigel

Justin: I think releasing 'top quality entertainment' whether it is onto 'a platform that doesn't appreciate them' or not is what we do. We try to make games that people will love - FULL STOP. It's up to other, smarter people to decide if they can sell what we do on their console. Hopefully it means there will be a greater choice of games in the future and ultimately more people willing to play games.

Leafos, of AWARD-WINNING IRISH LILT fame

Q: Hi, I'm currently writing my University dissertation on videogame development from the perspective of the illustrator's involvement. I'm mainly interested in how development teams like to take advantage of an illustrator. How are they used? Why are they used or not used? What are the advantages of getting them in on the project? How did the Piñata crew approach the situation?
Ben Penrose

Ryan: Most games produced over the past few years have involved an illustrator or more particularly a concept artist (like me). Concept artists are individuals (sometimes there's a team of concept artists on one project) whose job it is to design the visual look of the worlds, characters and props of the games. This involves a ton of idea generation and visual suggestions made to the designers and other artists on the project, so it's not just about being able to draw but to come up with new and interesting looks and designs. There are several reasons why concept artists are used but the main two seem to be:
     1. They help create a coherent look as everyone works from the same design sources; this has become vital because of the increases in team size for the next generation of games.
     2. Ideas can quickly be worked through and accepted or rejected without having to create a complex game model which would waste a lot of time if it's wrong.
     The way the Piñata crew did it was a bit different, as when the project started we had a very small team and were making the game for a PDA, so I had to be a Jack of all trades drawing concepts, modelling and animating. When we decided the game could be on the 360 and the team started to expand, we needed to make sure we retained the coherent look that I created at the start of the project, so I became a full-time concept artist which I still am today. On Piñata I was the only concept artist so it was a lot of work, but I think it's the best job in the world and always a lot of fun.
     Click Leafos to the left to see some of the stages of concept art...


	Q: So now, let's just say you were to throw in some kind of reference to other forthcoming titles involving animals — specifically ones that play the instruments they get their names from - what exactly would that reference be? Ehh? And oh yeah, with the power of the Xbox 360 being contrasted to the power of the DS, what kind of amazing graphics can we expect in relation to the amazingness of Viva Piñata for 360? Jonny McSlickencoy

Justin: I don't understand the question. If I were to throw in a reference to Banjo and Kazooie what would it be? How about a giant 30ft TV with "Banjo and Kazooie coming to Xbox 360 soon..." flashing all over the screen?
The DS graphics are amazing, they are as amazing on the DS as the 360 version graphics were on the Xbox 360. In fact it's amazing that all the amazing graphics, no matter what platform, can only be described as amazingly full of amazingness.


	Q: I was wondering what the general opinion is over there about Viva Piñata: Party Animals. Have you guys been given the chance to play it, and furthermore, what do you think about it? How does it feel to have a franchise that you created in the hands of another developer in a different genre, to boot? On the Viva Piñata DS side, has a publisher been decided yet? Finally, since you guys are iffy on release dates, do you at least have a release year planned before, say... 2010? Thanks for your time, and for making another great game and continuing to support the franchise. I can't wait to have papier mache animals in my pocket in the near future. Mark "darkmark8" Mazzei

Justin: It feels good that we made something broad enough to support a totally different type of game. We played it a little during development and I personally am looking forward to taking the game home and playing it with my kids during the Christmas holidays.
I am not privy to such valuable information about publishers and stuff. I just hinder the people who make games. Exclusively I can reveal that it might be released before 2010, oh yes!


	Q: Okay, so I spread the word of Grabbed by the Ghoulies for you just as your Leafos told me to. It's the greatest game she ever played... and she's in Viva Piñata, the greatest game I've ever played! Why would I keep that to myself? Well now that you know I'm in love with your baby and I just earned you an extra 10 U.S. dollars, tell me please, where's all of the DLC and glitch fixes for VP? I love this game to death (by blindfold and bat) but man, would I love it if my resident Piñatas would stop drinking water from the grassy center of my garden... roughly six Banjo-Kazooie statues from my luxurious pond. And how about my Squazzil getting stuck in my fence? I hate having to constantly sell and re-buy my fence or constantly beat my Squazzil to death. So how about it? Cameron Parker

Justin: I see what you're doing here. First you butter us up then hit us with the nasty stuff. Well, the bad news is that we don't plan on releasing any DLC or anything else like that. The good news is that we're doing something that you'll like even more than DLC and stuff...


	Q: Hey Piñata people, I was wondering, will there be any addons for the PC release of Viva Piñata? Cause the ability to view other people's gardens would be fantastic. Also, what game will the Piñata team work on next? Andrew Bell PS You should still make games for the N64. BEST. CONSOLE. EVER.

Justin: The PC game is basically an optimised version of the original game, with some very nifty adjustments to allow you to play the game with the mouse.
Currently I'm waiting for the powers that be to approve my design for Motorcycle Death Vixens as a cracking follow-up to Viva Piñata.
P.S. Not even Nintendo are making games for N64 anymore. Is this some cheap ploy to get us out of the way? We make games for N64 exclusively, we don't sell any - we go out of business. You wicked man!


	Q: Gotta congratulate Grant on the musical score for Viva Piñata. The garden arrangements were definitely more tranquil than Banjo-Kazooie or Donkey Kong 64, but that's what those classy romance tracks are for, am I right? The Jameleon dance (complete with the Banjo-Tooie and Grabbed by the Ghoulies remixes, no less) is one I was especially fond of, heh. And speaking of music, will there be a new musical score for Viva Piñata DS? If so, who's composing it? Kirkhope's occupation with Banjo-Threeie probably means that another composer will do the honors, and that's certainly fine with me, because the thought of Mr. Wise being in charge is nothing less than pantstastic. RawkHawk2010

Grant: Thank you very much for your kind words! When I was putting together the Jameleon dance, the artists wanted the music to change like the colours of a chameleon so I thought it might be fun to get out some of the old tunes. There's one tune in there that no-one will recognise, it was a piece I wrote for a game called Dream that eventually turned into Banjo-Kazooie! The DS version will have some of my stuff in there, but some new stuff that Dave Wise has composed as well.


	Q: How did Microsoft let you make a Viva Piñata DS, when the Viva Piñata Franchise is Property of You, and you're property of Microsoft? I just want to know how this is happening! And I'm for sure gonna buy it because DKR DS was absolutely fun, and I'm sure VP DS will be too. And speaking of DS remakes... since Viva Piñata DS is coming out, can we be expecting a Banjo-Kazooie DS? Cause that would be FREAKING AWESOME!!!!! Just wondering! Banjo-Keegan

Gary: VPDS was given the go-ahead as everyone knew it was a fantastic game and they wanted more. Releasing it on the DS makes it available to even more players. As for future DS games, who knows?


	Q: Hi, I'd like to know who did the voice of the Jameleon and how did they ever come up with such an amazing sound? Did they also do the Newtgat? Or was this just a case of someone else being so inspired by the Jameleon sound so much they did a slightly poorer, rip-off version of it for the Newtgat? Great game BTW, keep up the good work. Bobby Gavro

Justin: That's an interesting story, the Jameleon voice was actually a small (and hideously ugly) girl from a local school. She 'won a prize' because she had been bottom of the class all year and the teachers wanted to cheer her up. The Newtgat, however, was reserved for the most popular member of the team, and is still to this day considered to be an inspiring and heartfelt performance.
(For the sake of other readers this is a spoof letter from Gavin, a designer on the team who did the voice of the Jameleon. I did the Newtgat voice and obviously the brilliant quality of it has upset him.)


	Q: My question involves the decision to not allow the transfer of Viva Piñata game saves to a seperate storage device. Why did you as a company make this move? When our old Xbox broke, I was able to move every one of my kids' games over to the new one... except their favorite, Viva Piñata. My 9 year old, 7 year old, and 4 year old are truly saddened that they will lose their gardens and all of the work they put into them. And I as a parent am very wary of future Piñata products if this is how you treat your loyal fans. I can understand wanting to curb the mass distribution of content... but even if you only allowed the moving of saved data, my kids would not have to face the disappointment that they currently feel. I'm sorry that Rare decided to put some sort of over-developed sense of content security above the needs of the many children who play their games, and unless I am mistaken about the entire issue, I will certainly express this disappointment to anyone willing to listen in person or online. Mark Fleig

Will: We've been asked this question a few times over the last year, and I'll provide the same answer here.
We completely agree with all those that have asked this question, that (in an ideal world) you should be able to move the VP save games from one storage device (or console) to another. We really wanted to provide this feature, but unfortunately for reasons beyond our control we were not able to when the game was launched. At the time, it was not possible to differentiate within the Xbox 360's dashboard between save games that could be moved and those that could be copied. So, if we had enabled 'move' for theVP save games, everybody would suddenly also be able to 'copy' content as well. As VP has a very strong online trading element to the game play we had to protect the majority of honest players from a minority who would undoubtedly duplicate save games and thus destroy the economy of the trading system - you acknowledge that this would be a problem in your question.
Although we cannot solve this limitation for you with VP, I believe the Spring 2007 Dashboard update removed this restriction for future titles and of course we'd make use of that going forward.


	Q: Hello Viva Piñata team at Rare. I've been in love with what you guys have made during the SNES days and beyond. This is the Banjo Team as well, isn't it? Although I won't get the game until my birthday on Nov. 5 (or 5 Nov. where you live), I would like to know if you guys are making future Viva Piñata games kind of like the Pokemon series. The DS version and Party Animals don't count. Meowth222

Justin: Hello Meowth222 (sure are a lot of Meowths huh?). Part of the team was from Banjo-Tooie who then did Grabbed by the Ghoulies and then pitched in on Viva Piñata. I can tell you that we are working on a new project that you'll probably enjoy.


	Q: Allo colorful plaster critters team!!! I've got only a few questions at the moment. 1) Are there going to be multiple piñata cameos scattered throughout the wondrous lands of Banjo-Threeie (honestly, this is a no-brainer considering you guys at Rare are known for cameos from previous games)? 2) Is the current Piñata game (for the DS) going to feature all of the characters from the original Xbox 360 installment? Any new ones? (Might I recommend the Chewnat?) 3) Sequel? Thank you guys so much for taking the time to read my e-mail and thanks for all of those hours of play you guys have given me ever since I was a kid. And a big thanks to the Piñata team who pulled off an amazing game that most people underappreciate. Which is a shame due to the amazing visuals and innovative gameplay experience. BanjoClank

Justin: 1. No doubt the Banjo team will do horrible things to our characters (if they include any at all). The teams here like to maintain a healthy rivalry.
     2. Yes, all the old Piñatas are there plus some new ones! Thanks for the recommendation but I think the DS team have filled the cart already.
     3. Are you offering? It seems like a monumental task for one man (even if his name is BanjoClank, which I doubt).
     I'm really pleased you enjoyed the game, it's nice to know someone thought we did a good job. :)

Captain Blackadder: "I think the phrase rhymes with..."

Q: First off I'd just like to say, I love all the music in Rare games, especially Grant's music, and Viva Piñata is no exception. I just had one question for him, what was his inspiration for the music? Were there any movies, games, composers, or anything else that inspired you to write the music for Viva the way you did?
Also, just for the Viva Piñata team, what made you want to put Viva Piñata on the DS? Is it because it appears to be a more children-oriented game, and the DS is a more children-oriented console? Also, can you tell us anything about the new Piñatas and features that are going to be in the new DS game?
Chris the cool guy

Grant: Thanks very much, I'm glad you like my stuff! My inspiration for Viva Piñata came from a few things. I wanted to write something that was very pastorale in sound but had good melodic content as well and not just some ambience type stuff. I was thinking about Edward Elgar and Vaughan Williams really, that very English sound. Also I was thinking about the feel of Hobbiton from The Lord of The Rings and Howard Shore's theme there. Overall I was very lucky, as the music I composed for Viva Piñata is probably the kind of music I would choose to compose if I was just writing stuff for my own pleasure.

Gary: The new Piñatas are truly amazing. They are probably the best Piñatas in the game :) As for DS features, the main difference between the 360 version and the DS version is the interface, on the DS everything has been mapped to the touch screen which makes selecting objects, Piñatas etc. very quick and easy. The game also features Episodes, these are presented by familiar characters from the TV series who will guide the player through the game, teaching them new things.


	Q: Thanks, Piñata Team for giving me the best reason to use the entire vocabulary of naughty words while playing such a fun and pleasant family game: Professor Pester. Don't get me wrong - Viva Piñata rocks, but Pester's out of control for Goodness' sake! A) I think he's somehow infected my computer; and it's got all of the signs: Glowing green bits shaping into evil eyes, newly formed red/black jagged designs on the formerly teal casing, and it tried to eat my cat with terrible triangular teeth. How do I de-Sour my laptop? B) About that Kangaroo I saw in one of those behind the scenes videos (don't try to deny its existence): What is its species name? How close was it to making the cut? Will it be in VPDS? C) Can you be a Doughnut, er... Deer, no - Dear and find out for me when (if) Season 1 of the TV show will be released on DVD? Zenek