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Posted (edited)
Mario Kart 8 director on the game’s DLC

 

On how the team approached making the DLC…

 

Kabuki: Our goal here was to have people play Mario Kart 8 for a long time to come. Releasing DLC is a very effective way of achieving this, and we figured going with that would make a lot of gamers happy. However, building an ample amount of volume for the retail version was our first priority, so we began developing the DLC only after work on the retail package was finished.

 

On why elements from outside the Mario universe were added…

 

Kabuki: We figured that, if we’re going to make DLC, we wanted it to be something fresh and special. That’s what brought us to the idea to borrow characters, vehicles and courses from sources outside of the Mario universe.

 

I think we’ve succeeded in creating some special DLC here – content that retains the gameplay balance and fun racing feel of Mario Kart while bringing in worlds and conventions from other franchises.

 

On how the team approached the Mute City track…

 

Kabuki: Given that we implemented anti-gravity racing in Mario Kart 8, we figured that a lot of people would love it if we made an F-Zero course.

 

The two key elements of Mute City are “speed” and “anti-gravity”. You have this twisty race course with lots of dash plates placed on it, leading to races that run at supersonic speeds. Some of the dash plates are set up to change position every time you race. The gravity also isn’t as heavy as in other courses, leading to longer jumps and a unique kind of floating feeling.

 

Sound was another element we focused on. The battle between the sax and guitar really makes for a theme song filled with passion. I also hope you check out the special F-Zero piece that plays after the race is over.

 

On how many different configurations there are for Excitebike Circuit…

 

Kabuki: The jumps and dirt patches change in the Excitebike Arena every time you race. There are actually over 200 patterns. Still, I think it’s best to not worry too much about it and just enjoy zooming around the course, taking jumps when you can. I think the course lends itself well to new race situations unfolding as you play, something not seen in previous Mario Kart games.

 

Also, the original Excitebike doesn’t have any in-game music, but we couldn’t have a Mario Kart race proceed in silence just because of that. So we put together assorted sounds and music passages from the game to create a new song.

 

On whether elements from outside of Mario Kart will be in future entries of the series…

 

Kabuki: The DLC for this game is really unique and special in the way it transcends and expands the boundaries of the Mario Kart series. For now, I’m hoping that people around the world will enjoy our efforts on this DLC.

 

On whether the team will add more racing suits to coincide with future waves of amiibo figures…

 

Kabuki: For the moment, there isn’t much we can talk about. The racing suits you can pick up from amiibo figures were another way we challenged ourselves with this project. Re-interpreting the unique traits of each character to create all 10 racing suits resulted in some really refined designs. I hope you’ll give them a try.

 

http://nintendoeverything.com/mario-kart-8-director-on-the-games-dlc/

 

http://ie.ign.com/articles/2014/11/18/5-things-we-learned-about-mario-kart-8s-dlc

 

It'll be interesting to see how Mario Kart develops going forward as a franchise following this precedent with the outside elements coming in the DLC from other franchises.

 

Mario Kart 8 director on choices behind the Nintendo DLC tracks, small tweak to improve lightweight racers

 

Another interview with Mario Kart 8 director Kosuke Yabuki has popped up online – this time from GameSpot. Yabuki was asked about how the team decided on the Nintendo franchises for DLC tracks, revealed a small tweak made to improve the lightweight racers for collisions, and more.

 

Read on below for some excerpts from GameSpot’s interview. You can find the full thing here.

 

On how the classic Nintendo franchises were chosen for the DLC tracks...

 

“We wanted people to keep playing Mario Kart 8 for a long time, and releasing DLC is a very effective way of achieving this. If we’re going to make DLC, we wanted it to be something fresh and special. That’s what brought us to the idea to borrow characters, vehicles, and courses from sources outside of the Mario universe.

 

We needed to choose themes that, when rearranged for Mario Kart, would allow us to retain the game’s balance. F-Zero, Excitebike, and The Legend of Zelda all lived up to that standard, and more than that, I figured they would lead to courses with really unique characteristics.”

 

On the little touches and references in the DLC tracks…

 

“My favorite reference is the Master Sword inside Hyrule Castle. There are three switches, and activating all of them opens a path to the Master Sword, giving you access to a shortcut. It’s tough for a single racer to open this road up, but when multiple players are in the area, it’s a snap to get it open. I think that stretch provides a nice strategic element during online play.

 

Also, pay attention to the sound in this course. The Hyrule Circuit tune features an assortment of Legend of Zelda themes folded into each other. We also focused on the smaller details, like the Zelda sound effect that plays when you obtain an item.”

 

On the possibility of a Mario Kart game with all of the Nintendo mascots…

 

“For now, this DLC is unique and special in the way it transcends the boundaries of the Mario Kart franchise. I hope that people around the world enjoy it.”

 

On tweaks/balances to Mario Kart 8…

 

“For this update, we made just a minor tweak to the way two players deflect when they collide with each other. Up until now, when two players collided, the more lightweight racers would get knocked too far away. That, combined with other overall elements we considered, made us conclude that the lighter racers were at a bit of a disadvantage. If you like Toad or Shy Guy and feel like you can’t win at all, go ahead and give them another try after applying the update. Also note that this tweak doesn’t have any effect on Time Trials when playing solo.”

 

http://nintendoeverything.com/mario-kart-8-director-on-choices-behind-the-nintendo-dlc-tracks-small-tweak-to-improve-lightweight-racers/

 

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mario-kart-8-director-talks-dlc-hyrule-circuit-sec/1100-6423677/

Edited by Wii
Automerged Doublepost
Posted

I think they should bring in a retro track or two in the next pack that has hardly, if at all been featured in other Mario Kart games. I would hate to see yet another Rainbow Road making an appearance, 3 is enough. Personally, i would love to see either Choco Mountain, Peach Gardens and possibly Koopa Beach. I'd be happy if any N64 and Double Dash course made a return here.

Posted
So which retro track would you guys like to make a return in the next DLC pack?

I would like Baby Park and Banshee Boardwalk.

 

Frappe Snowland, Wario Stadium, Wario Colosseum, Dino Dino Jungle, DK Mountain, Bowsers Castle (GC), Maple Treeway, Mushroom Gorge and Toad's Factory are also fine. :indeed:

 

Waluigi Pinball would be nice. Especially with added anti gravity bits.

Posted
I wanna see Bronze Daisy.

 

 

Or perhaps Copper Rosalina.

 

 

 

Y'know, something original.

 

I was thinking the exact same lame thing earlier, like green copper Luigi. Enough of the lazy metal skins. Real character changes would more preferable.

Posted

Racing in the league last night with everyone as the same character and vehicle combination just confirmed what I've suspected for a while..

 

I haven't been timing the boost at the start correctly :red:

 

Having played Mario Kart 8 predominantly offline in single player, I was under the impression that the boost obtained at the start of each race had been nerfed a little compared to previous versions due to how little I was being thrust forward. I figured it was either that or something to do with the statistics of each vehicle and character. However, seeing others as Waluigi on 'The Duke' smoking me off the line in each race, I can now with certaintly conclude that I'm doing it wrong :heh:

 

I do get a small boost each time, but presumably I'll have to tweak the timing a touch to hit that perfect sweet spot!

Posted
Racing in the league last night with everyone as the same character and vehicle combination just confirmed what I've suspected for a while..

 

I haven't been timing the boost at the start correctly :red:

 

Having played Mario Kart 8 predominantly offline in single player, I was under the impression that the boost obtained at the start of each race had been nerfed a little compared to previous versions due to how little I was being thrust forward. I figured it was either that or something to do with the statistics of each vehicle and character. However, seeing others as Waluigi on 'The Duke' smoking me off the line in each race, I can now with certaintly conclude that I'm doing it wrong :heh:

 

I do get a small boost each time, but presumably I'll have to tweak the timing a touch to hit that perfect sweet spot!

 

There are about 3 levels of boost! As by how many flames you get.

 

 

 

The best boost is obtained by starting just as the 2 appears... the closer to this the better the boost.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

The recent DLC inspired me to throw Excitebike World Challenge on yesterday on Wii :smile:

 

I had a couple of races and it's as fun as I remember but having got an S-Rank on all the courses, all that was really left for me to do was to unlock some of the paint jobs for the bike. I would have been happy enough for that to be as good an excuse as any to play the game but it appears you can only unlock them by playing Wi-Fi races.. which is obviously no longer an option :hmm: It also means there's no longer any multiplayer functionality available or track sharing :sad:

 

Online can be awesome for games but I definitely don't appreciate it when local multiplayer is neglected entirely. To know that there will now forever be parts of that game I can't unlock or play again makes me sad..

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

[TWEET]544526426679304193[/TWEET]

 

[TWEET]544526565644988416[/TWEET]

 

Will the saving be passed onto the consumer? Doubt it. Not a fan of these pre installs. Still, not my problem.

Posted

I have to say that I agree, if the game is installed - especially if it was a game released months ago even if it is a fantastic game - then it should be heavily subsidised being that you're buying the console and you're getting done out of a physical copy for your patronage. :blank:

 

Personally I'd always take a physical game over a download copy where possible, the thought of proper disc-based games ever being phased-out saddens me, I still mourn the passing of many cartridge-based formats; yes I still love the Virtual Console but sometimes it's nice to be playing the original cartridge on some form of hardware with original controllers. : peace:

 

But I completely get why Nintendo are doing this with a lot of hardware bundles these days, especially seeing as they seem to be having a lot of trouble manufacturing certain items currently *cough*Amiibo&GCadapters*cough* :indeed: so it wouldn't surprise me if they were having *trouble making more physical copies of Mario Kart 8 as well.

 

*They know the game 'prints money' either way... ;)

Posted

This is not a good deal for the consumer at all. The bundle is still the same price as it was back in May. You can't sell on the game, swap it or bring it round to a friends house now. You don't get the free game from the promotion either. And finally you've 5GB's knocked off your internal memory straight away not to mention the extra GB's for DLC.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

So I guess some sort of cheating is now possible in MK8? Cause I just had a very strange experience in MK8.

 

I was playing with a player called SR-Shadow (from Luxembourg), who has 41600 points. I was really impressed by this number. (I haven't played this game regularly and I have 9300 points.)

Anyway, our overall group was quite strange, with him being the player with the most points, then me, and the rest all had something between 1500 and 3000 points. So anyway, his behaviour of driving seemed quite strange to me, so I thought he had some serious lag. Then I won and I got only 9 points, while he got 10 points on the second place. Quite strange I thought. Then next round he was fourth, while I was first again. He got 10 points. After that he already left.

 

So either the pointing-system had some serious problems today, or this guy found some sort of hole in the system. Anyway, has one of you ever experienced something like this?

Posted

nope, but I wonder if lag is the only problem.. I was playing against a friend on a local game, he had a red shell, I was receiving an item.. it turned out to be a banana.. he had fired the red shell so I immediately put my banana behind me to protect me. The banana disappeared... as did the red shell - no smash of the red shell... then a few moments later the red shell emerged from under the track just behind me and struck me. Both of us were equally confused... that kind of thing can be explained away online as lag... but in local game play? My guess is that it was a close call as to whether I got the banana out in time or not, the game got confused and just did that.

 

A few months earlier my nephew finished a race in 2nd place (no other players near him to contend for his place), the game displayed 2nd place on his screen... then when points were allocated he magically moved down to 4th. (it was the race results, not the current standing results which did follow immediately afterwards).

 

I love the game, but I don't trust it!

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

TOTAKA'S SONG HAS BEEN FOUND IN MARIO KART 8!!!

 

 

Brilliant! :D(Now watch as everyone starts analysing every single sound Yoshi has made in every single game he's ever appeared in :laughing: )

Posted
It's cool. But it is no Wii Sports Totaka Song.

 

That still boggles the mind with how obtuse that one was!

I'll tell ya what boggles my mind... how in da hell has it not been discovered in Wii Music yet!? :oCue @Wii with some kind of gag... :heh: I attempted to find it during my 100+ hours playing the game, but nada. ::shrug:

It's got to be in there, what with it being Totaka's directorial debut. :blank:

Posted
I'll tell ya what boggles my mind... how in da hell has it not been discovered in Wii Music yet!? :oCue @Wii with some kind of gag... :heh: I attempted to find it during my 100+ hours playing the game, but nada. ::shrug:

It's got to be in there, what with it being Totaka's directorial debut. :blank:

 

Maybe that's what he wants you to think.

 

kazumi-totaka.jpg

Look at him, the evil mastermind.


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