Q) I seem to have a bug
in precursor basin. I can’t beat the Gambler’s
Time.
A) Whoops. We screwed up big on this one.
Once you get this “Bug”, there is very
little that you can do. A bug is a mistake in software.
Bottom line: in the nearly a million lines of programming
code that make Jak and Daxter run, we had a few
mistakes… this was probably the worst. We should
have caught it in our bug testing… but we didn’t.
It is completely our fault, but there is nothing
we can do about it.
So, where does that leave you if you stumbled upon
this mistake? Well, at least you can still get the
100% completion ending. The gamblers power cell
is unavailable to you. But luckily, we put 101 power
cells in the game, and you only need 100 for the
second ending. You cannot get the gamblers power
cell, or 101 power cells total in your current save
game. We are truly sorry.
You can start a new game, or load a save game from
BEFORE meeting the gambler. This will be little
consolation to you, I am sure, but it is worth mentioning.
The bug is triggered by talking to the gambler,
trying his race and failing, then talking to the
gambler again, and trying the race a second time.
To avoid the bug, talk to the gambler once, and
only once, until you have won the race. Then, talk
to him a second time.
Q) Who Did the Music
in “Jak and Daxter”
A) The music in Jak and Daxter was done by
“Mutato Muzika”, a movie/tv/game/everything-else
sound studio based in Hollywood, California. The
company was founded by Mark Mothersbaugh, one of
the founding members of the band DEVO (remember
them?). He and Josh Mancell wrote the soundtrack,
as well as all of the music for the four Crash Bandicoot
titles that Naughty Dog did. They kick ass, so we
always go to them for music!
Q) What percent of the
PS2’s power are you using?
A) People think of systems as glasses and
ask: “how full is the glass”. Unfortunately,
that isn’t how it works. Any developer who
gives you a “percent of system used” answer
is blowing smoke. The truth is that every developer
uses 100% of the systems power on every game. Some
just get more out of that 100% than others. And
game after game, we ALL get more out of systems
than we did on the previous title. Think of it this
way. If the system is a glass, some developers pour
in rocks till the glass overflows and then call
it quits. They would claim that they use 100% of
the systems space. And it is true that no more rocks
fit. Some will even put in a rock too many and the
game plays slow or runs funny. But there is still
some space left for smarter developers. They pour
pebbles into the cracks left by the rocks, and they
get more into the glass. Then they call it 100%
full. But some Developers will then pour in sand,
to fill the cracks between the pebbles. They get
even more out of the system, yet it is still just
100% full. Some developers go the extra distance,
and they pour in water. Then the glass is truly
full, right? Sure, but just for this title, because
some of the rocks can be replaced with pebbles that
do the same thing, if you work hard at it. And some
of the pebbles can be made into sand. And some sand
can be pressed to water. No developer ever gets
a glass filled with only water, no developer has
that much time, so no developer truly fills the
glass. We just get more and more out of the 100%.
Q) What programming languages
were used for Jak and Daxter:
A) C++, Assembly, and a proprietary derivative
of LISP called GOAL
Q) What is your next
title going to be?
A) If you are reading this early enough,
we don’t know yet. If you are reading this
later, we can’t say. Stay tuned, and check
out game websites and video game magazines.
Q) Where can I buy toys?
A) We are working on toys. We will announce
them on the website when they happen. Usually, toys
are made from established franchises… Jak and
Daxter are new to the earth… give us time
Q) My kid broke his game,
I want a new one?
A) We can’t help you get a new kid,
but we can help you get a new game. Call Sony’s
product support line. The number is: 800.345.SONY
(7669) or you can e-mail consumer services at: webmaster@playstation.sony.com
Q) I want to make video
games, how do I start.
A) This depends on what you want to do.
If you want to pull an Andy and Jason and start
a company on your own then you will need skills,
money, and a heck of a lot of luck. These days,
a game like Jak and Daxter costs ten million dollars
or more. “Cheap” games start at a million.
Also, the average console game these days takes
12 or more people. Jak and Daxter took 36. And
you will need to find a publisher.
It might be easier to get a job working on an
established team first. There are a few job options:
Programmer: Learn
to code. Do it in the basement, in your garage,
or in your den. Start typing. Don’t get up
for years. Start in HTML, go to Java or Flash,
then C++, and finally assembly. Eat code. Sleep
code. Worship code. Then apply. You can take classes
in (some) high schools or colleges, but good programming
comes from dedication and experimentation, classes
just give you a leg up. Oh, and if you know if
the sun shone where you live yesterday, you aren’t
trying hard enough.
Artist: Computer
artists are sometimes self taught, sometimes schooled.
It never hurts, and often helps, to get non computer
“classical” art training. Believe it
or not, knowing the difference between Monet and
Degas is useful. Learn Photoshop if you want to
do textures. Learn Maya or 3D Studio if you want
to do modeling or animation. Practice, practice,
practice. Read… there are a lot of good books
on 3d and 2d art. Make your personal website look
as good as the pros. Make yourself a virtual portfolio,
then send your resume, with links to your site,
to a game developer.
Designer: So you
can’t code, and you are not an artist, but
you have a lot of game playing experience and
some ideas. You think you are ready to be a game
designer? Wrong. Most game design is not coming
up with cool ideas, though you will do that as
well. Most game design is understanding what can
and can’t be done, how things are made, how
things are coded, and making designs that work
in these environments.. then making them work
when they don’t play well. If you have never
seen a game made, you can’t design one. This
is a common misconception. Start as a tester.
Start as a gofer (as in go fer’ things like
coffee). Watch how games are really made…
then become an assistant to a designer… then
become a designer.
Sound Designer: Get
some good sound tools, mix. Capture some movies…
or download some previews on the web… redo
the scoring. Get a job someplace where they do
sound work. Do everything you can to get your
feet dirty in sound. Then apply to apprentice
somewhere.
Good Luck.
Q) Why did you choose not
to use subtitles?
A) We didn’t want subtitles to get
in the way of the “movie” experience
that the game provided. Afterwards, we realized
that some hearing impaired gamers would have difficulty
with the tasks, even though all of the tasks appear
as items in the inventory menu. We are looking
into adding subtitles, as an option, in the future
to aid these gamers.
Q) Is the game anti-aliased?
A) There are many ways to “anti-alias,”
or remove the harsh pixilated look that happens
when, for example, edges of polygons are not smoothed
in some fashion. Technically, we ARE anti-aliasing
Jak and Daxter, though the form of anti-aliasing
that we use, a blur and offset method, is not
as good as the methods that may be used by other
games (including some PS2 games), and different
hardware systems. We are constantly doing research
to make our screens look better.
Q) How can I become a
tester?
A) Naughty Dog’s products are all
tested by Sony Computer Entertainment America
in Foster City, California. They are always looking
for testers. Try calling: 650.655.3667. Most major
game publishers have testing departments. They
test all year, title after title. If you are into
gaming, and have a good ability to deal with bugs
(that’s why you’re there!) then call
your local publisher and sign on. The pay isn’t
great, but the experience has led some into game
designer and producer jobs.
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