-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Ace Attorney Community |OT| A New Chapter of Trials!
- Thread starter GSR
- Start date
Shu Takumi gave a presentation about the creation of the scenarios and "tricks" used in the Ace Attorney series at Game Creator's Conference in Osaka, and Famitsu has a summary of the talk. There's a bit of Q&A at the end as well, which I've translated here:
Q: To what extent do you tune the timing of the characters lines, their animations, and the like?
A: For The Great Ace Attorney 2 we spent about 7 or 8 months tuning them. For Ace Attorney 1, 2, and 3 we were limited in what we could do, but nowadays you can do pretty much anything if you set your mind to it. In The Great Ace Attorney we have the running gag of Holmes performing deductions on clients as soon as he lays eyes on them. We went so far as to adjust the characters' gaze in these scenes, but then depending on where they were standing their lines of sight would be different. It was really tough! But the more we tried, the better it got which was one of the most rewarding feelings for those working on it. The sensation of having something on which you're working come to fruition is extremely rewarding, you know? But of course, polishing up little details like that really takes an incredible amount of time.
Q: Do you write the stories in order starting from chapter 1?
A: Game production does move in order from the beginning, but the order of the story depends on the product. Especially in the case of The Great Ace Attorney, we made a broad outline at the start, and then sought to find ways to fit pieces into the middle, as I spoke on previously. As for Ace Attorney 1, 2, and 3, they really were just thought up in order. People often comment on how "Ace Attorney 3 really ties up all the loose threads," but in reality we were thinking it up and making it in "real time" so to speak.
Q: The Great Ace Attorney features appearances by Sherlock Holmes, Natsume Soseki, and other characters from other authors' works. How did you go about acquiring permission to use these characters?
A: I was quite worried about Holmes as I was writing the planning document, but in the end I just gave it to our company's legal department and they told me "no problem." For Natsume Soseki, we had some discussions with his grandchildren and I've heard that they quite happily told us to "do as you like."
Q: How long does it take to finish making the initial scenario?
A: I began thinking about The Great Ace Attorney in 2013, and it was released in 2015. I feel like the first year was mostly planning and prep time.
Q: Are the programmers programming while you're writing the scenario?
A: No, at the start it's really just me. As time goes on, more and more people are added to the team.
Q: So does it feel like that initial stage focused solely on the scenario drags on?
A: Yeah, I suppose it does. But in the case of Ace Attorney 1, the whole thing was just 10 months. I wrote things as I thought them up.
Q: To what extent do you tune the timing of the characters lines, their animations, and the like?
A: For The Great Ace Attorney 2 we spent about 7 or 8 months tuning them. For Ace Attorney 1, 2, and 3 we were limited in what we could do, but nowadays you can do pretty much anything if you set your mind to it. In The Great Ace Attorney we have the running gag of Holmes performing deductions on clients as soon as he lays eyes on them. We went so far as to adjust the characters' gaze in these scenes, but then depending on where they were standing their lines of sight would be different. It was really tough! But the more we tried, the better it got which was one of the most rewarding feelings for those working on it. The sensation of having something on which you're working come to fruition is extremely rewarding, you know? But of course, polishing up little details like that really takes an incredible amount of time.
Q: Do you write the stories in order starting from chapter 1?
A: Game production does move in order from the beginning, but the order of the story depends on the product. Especially in the case of The Great Ace Attorney, we made a broad outline at the start, and then sought to find ways to fit pieces into the middle, as I spoke on previously. As for Ace Attorney 1, 2, and 3, they really were just thought up in order. People often comment on how "Ace Attorney 3 really ties up all the loose threads," but in reality we were thinking it up and making it in "real time" so to speak.
Q: The Great Ace Attorney features appearances by Sherlock Holmes, Natsume Soseki, and other characters from other authors' works. How did you go about acquiring permission to use these characters?
A: I was quite worried about Holmes as I was writing the planning document, but in the end I just gave it to our company's legal department and they told me "no problem." For Natsume Soseki, we had some discussions with his grandchildren and I've heard that they quite happily told us to "do as you like."
Q: How long does it take to finish making the initial scenario?
A: I began thinking about The Great Ace Attorney in 2013, and it was released in 2015. I feel like the first year was mostly planning and prep time.
Q: Are the programmers programming while you're writing the scenario?
A: No, at the start it's really just me. As time goes on, more and more people are added to the team.
Q: So does it feel like that initial stage focused solely on the scenario drags on?
A: Yeah, I suppose it does. But in the case of Ace Attorney 1, the whole thing was just 10 months. I wrote things as I thought them up.
I translated the talk that TheSporkWithin mentioned here: https://medium.com/@waxinlyrical/ac...arrative-design-talk-from-gcc-18-8c8951757c10
Lots of really good gems in there.
Lots of really good gems in there.
I'm actually in the middle of a before-bed playthrough of the series myself. A friend had gifted me the original Ace Attorney when it first released on the DS, and I loved it. I got Justice for All when it came out and somewhat enjoyed the first two cases, but there were changes that made the gameplay more frustrating, like being able to present profiles as evidence and the Psyche-Lock system in general. By the time I reached the Circus case I just had enough and stopped playing.
Fast-forward to late 2017 when I downloaded the Dual Destinies demo and remembered how much fun I had with the first game. I ended up getting the first trilogy on 3DS and had a blast playing through them. For me, I think they key difference was being able to fast-forward through text at any time. The funny thing is I replayed through all of the first Ace Attorney and had forgotten some of the twists, so I still felt anticipation while unraveling the mysteries.
I've since played through the AAI games, Apollo Justice (which thankfully released on 3DS right before I was about to get the DS version), and as of yesterday Layton vs. Phoenix. I only have Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice left, and it's gonna be bittersweet to finish the journey and my nightly ritual. Then again, I also recently got a Switch, so I'll be ready for that new Ace Attorney game when it finally releases.
I still need to try out the Investigations series, but I think I might wait a little longer in hopes of a possible eShop release. Apollo Justice was released on the eShop after it was put on iOS so I'm hoping Investigations is going to get the same treatment.
In the meantime, after I finish the DLC for SoJ, I think I'm going to try out the Danganronpa series. I bought the first one on Steam so I'm going to miss playing something before bed :(
It's honestly quite amazing how well it turned out for such a short dev time.
Turn him into a cyborg ninja and crash an aircraft carrier into him?
I mean I'm not saying no but...
Isn't he supposed to be really popular in Japan? I think he's even voiced by a celebrity there.
I expect him to return in AA7. I remember that one of the producers said that they left SoJ intentionally open so AA7 could go in a number of directions.
I wouldn't be surprised if some plot point leads Phoenix asking him to temporarily return back home or something. It would be cool if they also had a DLC case that takes place in Khura'in after the main game because I don't think they're going to reverse his decision to stay that fast.
I expect him to return in AA7. I remember that one of the producers said that they left SoJ intentionally open so AA7 could go in a number of directions.
I wouldn't be surprised if some plot point leads Phoenix asking him to temporarily return back home or something. It would be cool if they also had a DLC case that takes place in Khura'in after the main game because I don't think they're going to reverse his decision to stay that fast.
Omg! I love Danganronpa. I wish I could relive playing the first game again. I introduced someone to the series and they loved it as well.
I'm actually really excited to try the series out! I've seen it around for years, but thankfully all I picked up about the games are that it's about murders and a creepy teddy bear. So in short I'm going in completely blind and unspoiled!
I just wish I had some way to play it in bed. I suppose I could get it on the Vita but I'd have to actually find it and I think I ran out of space on it.
Okay Apollo Justice, case one.
So Kristoph did it, cool. Um, are they going to elucidate on why? I assume yes.
When do you think AA 7 will be annouced? It's probably going to take a longer development time since Switch
Yes, they do.
(RANT TIME!)
Apollo Justice on iPhone in HD with those amazing graphics and sprites....SO GOOD. Klavier's guitar solo looks so amazing. Trucy and Mr. Hat's animation is so endearing (you can see her slightly moving when he talks!) Sigh, so great.
I LOVE AA4 on iPhone. I think I went into it a little in the "Is the AA series the best VN series?" thread, but I think it's the pinnacle of the series as far as aesthetics goes.
I played through AA1-3 on iPhone and was depressed by the lack of HD they could have done.
I'm replaying through DD again and I'm just depressed as all hell because of the visual style they went with. It's not TERRIBLE OMG WTF but it's just...so blah so much of the time. I had played DD before AA4 but after AA Trilogy before, and I was kind of like, "Well, the animations are kind of cool, so that's nice but I don't like the 2.5D/3D environments and people. Especially when you show me evidence that has awesome 2D drawings of the characters I love and anime cutscenes that look great as well!
Now that I'm replaying it AFTER playing AA4, I think, "Oh my god if this had been 2D and animated like Klavier's guitar solo or Spark Brushel, this game would have looked AMAZING"
Anyway, I'm just waiting for more of these games to come out on iPhone (I had the DS version of the original 3 games but sold that years ago) and still enjoying the writing and such in the games I do have there.
AAI was pretty good, though it was so weird seeing some of the characters from a 3/4 view instead of head on (like Gumshoe).
Anyway, glad this |OT| exists and sorry for my rant.
I don't really think the games need drastically increased production values from the 3DS entries, going by how those games scale up to HD in the mobile ports, as well as the series' limited reach; especially internationally.
I started Ace Attorney Investigations pretty recently because I was still in the mood for more of the series and it's not really what I expected it to be. I was hoping there would be some courtroom prosecutor bits, but I guess with "Investigations" in the title I probably should have expected it to mostly be about the crime scenes. So far, after the first 2 cases, I think it's just okay and I'm hoping that it gets more interesting.
It's pretty interesting but I never found it to be as enjoyable as the courtroom centered games.
New dubbed episodes of the Ace Attorney series have come out and once again I'm loving the dub. Just passed the second episode of Turnabout Big Top and man, it's actually such a sad story. It's such a slog in the game that I never really took in any notice or care, but now I'm feeling really upset for these people :'(
OP
OP
Late response but the only two places I can see them revealing it are at the upcoming AA concert in June or (much more likely) around TGS. I don't think an AA game has ever been announced in English first or even at the same time in Japanese/English, so E3 doesn't seem likely.
If they're shooting for an early-mid 2019 release (it would have to be early if it's supposed to be the AA title for Switch they mentioned and that isn't just a port) then that would be about 3 years since AA6 came out, which is plenty of time for them to make a new entry.
I am curious as to who'll be working on it, though - I get the impression Yamazaki is done with the series for now, and Takumi was working on DGS2 through 2017.
Last edited:
If Eshiro didn't go to the DGS2 team as well I would've guessed there's a new game by the AA6 team but led by Fuse. It could totally still happen, frankly.
I'll take this if it means smooth 60fps on Switch, honestly. There's so much you can do with what we already have. It's all in the text, usage of the sprites and music and variance in the cross-examinations to build smart mysteries. It would be really cool to see a return to some Investigations-like formula in full 3D though. Though, I suppose such a big change would figuratively run off with the franchise akin to the Persona split from SMT and altering the overall popularity of that series.
Last edited:
Quick question about the first 3 games. I played the games as the trilogy on 3DS. The first game makes heavy use of the touch controls/microphone during investigation, but in the subsequent games they skipped it. Why is that? I think it makes the investigations more enjoyable. Psychlocks give it a flair of the court phase but in the end you are investigating.
You're specifically thinking of the last case in the first game. It made use of those Nintendo DS-only features because it was a case added specifically to the Nintendo DS version of AA1, which was released in 2005. The original release for the GBA, in 2001, did not have that final case, and naturally could not make use of touch screen or microphone compatibility.
Adding to that, the case was added before Apollo Justice was released, so that game features the return of those mechanics. The series went from a GBA series to a DS series with Apollo Justice.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney has its flaws but none of the other games in the franchise captured its downbeat tone, especially the majority of the final case.
Then of course they got scared off by the reception and Dual Destinies/Spirit of Justice were nothing but damage control.
Then of course they got scared off by the reception and Dual Destinies/Spirit of Justice were nothing but damage control.
You're absolutely right... But I loved SoJ so much that i don't even care LOL.
But they already did that.
What we really need is the story of how Athena lost her badge/left the agency /s
Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice were great. It would have been neat to see the series go where it was going with AJ, but the tone shift and story beats where more than satisfying. Personally still on Case 3 of SoJ, but so far it has been a blast.
I really hope that AA7 goes full Athena/Apollo and ditches Phoenix. The new games after the trilogy go Apollo/Athena/Phoenix(and some Apollo?), but they really need to just stick to the new kids and make something stellar out of em. Also, I hope since its the Switch, the games go full 3D. Bring back evidence examination don't ditch it again, have the characters walk through the crime scenes instead of the point and click archaic investigations, and have higher amounts of cutscenes and out of court story.
The Athena/Blackquill Duo dynamic of DD is the best story telling in the series, and its a much more shocking tale of fate than Mia's death for uncovering the truth about the Edgeworth debacle, which kicks off the first trilogy. Also a 4th evil Grammarye kinda felt stupid, but I love that level of ass pull.
I really hope that AA7 goes full Athena/Apollo and ditches Phoenix. The new games after the trilogy go Apollo/Athena/Phoenix(and some Apollo?), but they really need to just stick to the new kids and make something stellar out of em. Also, I hope since its the Switch, the games go full 3D. Bring back evidence examination don't ditch it again, have the characters walk through the crime scenes instead of the point and click archaic investigations, and have higher amounts of cutscenes and out of court story.
I really doubt Apollo will do much in AA7.
We'll probably have cases with the Phoenix and Maya duo, as well as ones with Athena and Trucy. Maybe they'll throw in one Apollo case somewhere (it'd be a good place for the obligatory previous game's prosecutor appearance), but he won't be the focus.
They sent him away to another country for a reason. It's probably for the best though. I really enjoyed DD and SoJ, but it was obvious that the the writers were struggling to handle all of the characters that they had. Both games had at least one character who was around, but did next to nothing. Temporarily trimming down the cast should help them get a better handle on things, then they can have Apollo's big return in AA8, and finally deal with him and Trucy.
One Cour or two Cour? Cause if its One Cour and it has Anime Content as well that would suggest Hawthorne/Diego material only, but two cour would also allow for stuff like the Heist Episode and El Tigre.
But was there running!? I demand to see Godot, Atmey, waitress Maggey, Furio, Jean, Terry, Dahlia, and the stone lantern running in a field of sunflowers!
Set on a train almost sounds like they might be adding entirely new trials.
Edit
Starting with The Lost Turnabout, that seems odd, Memories already works as an introductory case, and doing them back to back means you have two arcs before a full case.
Not like Lost is really worth going back to either, I guess it introduces Maggey for Recipe.
Edit
Starting with The Lost Turnabout, that seems odd, Memories already works as an introductory case, and doing them back to back means you have two arcs before a full case.
Not like Lost is really worth going back to either, I guess it introduces Maggey for Recipe.
Last edited:
Just make new content or focus on one game. This sounds like it's going to have the same problem as the first season. To much content not enough screen time.
Either / Or as it's a Funi dub and they've been on a roll for years with their dubs. I prefer Dub Phoenix to Sub Phoenix as sub's actor lacks range or comedic timing I felt. That's partly due to the weaker script and relying more on physical comedy since it's animated vs pure text w/ goofy reaction gifs from the games.
URRRGH
He'll run when it's his time. You'll all run! And it'll be super choppy in the TV version but made slightly better in the BluRay! And there will be Stans for the animation and off-models! *Shakes hand at the sky* So help me God, there will be animation Stans!
I'm dying all over again, dem anime tropes applied where it just doesn't mesh
Fuckin' Wright just standing in the rain troubled with THE EMOTIONS
WHOOOOP DETECTIVE GUMSHOE
Fuck it, fuck all of this
This is absolutely perfect
I was disappointed that phoenix and edgeworth didn't kiss in this opening
I said this. I have no interest in watching a close retelling of Ace Attorney. More story which diverges from the original or helps fill out background elements that weren't explored in the game is what I'm there for.