Hey Kiken thanks for the detailed reply. Here’s my response to it.
Kiken wrote:
It isn't the aborted DC game. The team responsible started from the ground up. Also, this game doesn't look a thing like a NAOMI/DC game. The textures are soft and there are loads of misty/smokey effects. DC games always look very sharp and distinct.
Now I’m not exactly sure if this is the aborted DC game or not but I strongly feel that this game was originally intended for the Dreamcast. Now I’m a huge Dreamcast collector (huge fanboy btw). I have over a hundred original games for the system. I can tell Dreamcast graphics from any other consoles.
Dreamcast always used good textures to make up for a lowpolygon count but when you zoom closely to the graphics you can see it’s blocky with good textures. You can look at any 3D Dreamcast game and see this (with the exception of DOA that was really nicely done). This has always been programmers strategy to making the Dreamcast look good.
It’s the same for TF6, when you zoom in close you can see the blockiness but the Textures are nice. This is not typical Playstation 2. Typical PS2 graphics have high polygon count with less focus on textures not only that but the graphics are a bit jagged as well.
Look at Gradius V, R-Type Final, even the very old Silpheed Lost Planet they all have higher polygon counts than Thunderfoce VI. TF6 just doesn’t look like a typical PS2 title when it comes to graphics.
You say it doesn’t look like a Naomi/DC game due to the texture and effects. I’m sure when they ported it over they improved it a bit. Not enough to change the polygon count but their way of improving is to add these extra effects.
A good example of a game that was ported over to a more powerful console but yet left the polygon count the same and just added special effects is Shenmue II for the Xbox.
When this was ported all they did was soften up the picture, hazed it more add some more colors etc.. but the polygon count was the same and the models were all the same too. Nothing majorly improved over the Dreamcast original. When you played Shenmue II on the Xbox you could tell right away it was a port.
Kiken wrote:
Tez Okano confirmed that the slowdown was intentional.
I don’t know any logical reason why a producer/director would implement slowdowns into a game, I just can’t. My only logical reason is that they didn’t have the time to fine tune it. This could be due to completing the game for release date, strict budget who knows.
In game slowdowns has always been caused by either poor programming or hardware limitations. The Playstation 2 at the moment has more than enough power to run this game without slowdowns.
I wouldn’t count on the intentional slowdowns being for nostalgic purposes because if you consider the Thunderforce IV remake for the Saturn, slowdowns were taken out. Thunderforce V port to the Playstation improved on in game slowdowns as well.
I’m sure gamers would enjoy a game better if there were no slowdowns so intentionally leaving slowdowns in a game is just silly.
Kiken wrote:
There's practically nothing available about the aborted DC version apart from the intro trailer and the final shooting portion of SegaGaga (which Technosoft contributed code for). The reasons behind it never coming to light are mostly due to Technosoft folding as a company (they got bought by a keetai company, IIRC).
There have been several cases in the past where some divisions have taken over for other divisions in a company to complete a project. This would be the same case where Technosoft’s Thunderforce VI project was taken over and completed by another company. That would explain why the game doesn’t look like an original PS2 title and that the game looks a bit dated as well. (examples such as Final Fantasy, Shenmue MMO, Virtua Fighter Quest.. too lazy to add detail lol)
Most of what I’ve stated here is based on assumptions and is not fact at all but it’s only my opinion. But from my experience this is what it looks like to me. This is what I believe to justify why Thunderforce VI looks and plays the way it does.
It’s great that at least Thunderfoce VI came out. I’m at least happy that it did regardless of my slight disappoint, I’m at least happy it came out.
