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Interview:Iwata Asks: Twilight Princess (Part 3) (view source)
Revision as of 15:54, May 26, 2012
, May 26, 2012→Part 6 - The Hands-on Approach
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{{Interview/A|Aonuma|Right. I developed a set rule when Miyamoto-san pointed things out about a game: "If Miyamoto-san says the same thing three times, we're definitely going to have to make a change!"}} | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|Right. I developed a set rule when Miyamoto-san pointed things out about a game: "If Miyamoto-san says the same thing three times, we're definitely going to have to make a change!"}} | ||
{{Interview/A|All|(laughs) | {{Interview/A|All|(laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|If he pointed something out once, I wouldn't rush to fix things. I would decide that for the time being, I'd rely on my own interpretation of the issue and make a judgment accordingly. But while I was thinking about it, he'd then point the issue out for a second time. Now that it had been mentioned twice, I'd be thinking that he really wanted to make that change, but I'd still be formulating a plan. Then, as there were other pressing issues requiring attention, I'd set the issue to one side for the time being. At that moment, Miyamoto-san would ask: "Why haven't you done it yet?" That was the third warning! (laughs) From then on, that issue would take top priority. That has been how things have worked up to now, but this time I didn't really have that luxury. The first time something was pointed out, I felt that we had no choice but to change it. | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|If he pointed something out once, I wouldn't rush to fix things. I would decide that for the time being, I'd rely on my own interpretation of the issue and make a judgment accordingly. But while I was thinking about it, he'd then point the issue out for a second time. Now that it had been mentioned twice, I'd be thinking that he really wanted to make that change, but I'd still be formulating a plan. Then, as there were other pressing issues requiring attention, I'd set the issue to one side for the time being. At that moment, Miyamoto-san would ask: "Why haven't you done it yet?" That was the third warning! (laughs) From then on, that issue would take top priority. That has been how things have worked up to now, but this time I didn't really have that luxury. The first time something was pointed out, I felt that we had no choice but to change it.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Iwata|So you did it without waiting to be told three times? (laughs) | {{Interview/A|Iwata|So you did it without waiting to be told three times? (laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|That's right. | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|That's right.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Miyamoto|You're finally seeing things my way, right? (laughs) | {{Interview/A|Miyamoto|You're finally seeing things my way, right? (laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Iwata|Did you keep getting "sob story e-mails" from Miyamoto-san? | {{Interview/A|Iwata|Did you keep getting "sob story e-mails" from Miyamoto-san?}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|Ah, the "sob story e-mails"! Did the young developers mention those when you interviewed them? (laughs) | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|Ah, the "sob story e-mails"! Did the young developers mention those when you interviewed them? (laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Iwata|They did! (laughs) | {{Interview/A|Iwata|They did! (laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|But in my case, I wasn't just getting "sob story e-mails," I was also getting messages sent to my mobile phone with instructions as to what should be changed! I'd be on the train to work in the morning, when my mobile would beep and there'd be a message from Miyamoto-san: "About that feature we were discussing...!" (laughs) | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|But in my case, I wasn't just getting "sob story e-mails," I was also getting messages sent to my mobile phone with instructions as to what should be changed! I'd be on the train to work in the morning, when my mobile would beep and there'd be a message from Miyamoto-san: "About that feature we were discussing...!" (laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Iwata|(laughs) | {{Interview/A|Iwata|(laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Iwata|And it wouldn't just be one; I was getting four, one right after the other! I actually started running on the train in the direction it was headed, thinking: "I've got work to do!" (laughs) What I heard later was that somehow when Miyamoto-san had been sending those messages, he'd actually been in an important meeting! | {{Interview/A|Iwata|And it wouldn't just be one; I was getting four, one right after the other! I actually started running on the train in the direction it was headed, thinking: "I've got work to do!" (laughs) What I heard later was that somehow when Miyamoto-san had been sending those messages, he'd actually been in an important meeting!}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Iwata|He was sending messages on his mobile phone about changing features while he was in a meeting? (laughs) | {{Interview/A|Iwata|He was sending messages on his mobile phone about changing features while he was in a meeting? (laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Miyamoto|Well, um...you know, there was no time to be lost! The seconds were ticking away... (laughs) | {{Interview/A|Miyamoto|Well, um...you know, there was no time to be lost! The seconds were ticking away... (laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|I suppose that's true. In any case, it's a fact that if Miyamoto-san thinks of something, he wants to tell you straight away; he can't wait to tell you in person. So a lot of his instructions this time came in the form of e-mail. | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|I suppose that's true. In any case, it's a fact that if Miyamoto-san thinks of something, he wants to tell you straight away; he can't wait to tell you in person. So a lot of his instructions this time came in the form of e-mail.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Miyamoto|Right, it was the first time I have done it through e-mail. | {{Interview/A|Miyamoto|Right, it was the first time I have done it through e-mail.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|When we were working on Wind Waker, he would simply hand me two-page documents with all his comments gathered together, saying: "There you go!" | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|When we were working on Wind Waker, he would simply hand me two-page documents with all his comments gathered together, saying: "There you go!"}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Miyamoto|In the past I would often gather my comments in one document and hand them to the people in charge. I also used to make a point of avoiding going directly to the development area and to only deal with team leaders. That's because the management of the development team had been entrusted to them. This time round however, there were of course a huge number of people involved as well as a lot of young developers. That's why I thought that rather than all these instructions appearing out of nowhere, it was better if the developers could actually see the process behind these decisions. | {{Interview/A|Miyamoto|In the past I would often gather my comments in one document and hand them to the people in charge. I also used to make a point of avoiding going directly to the development area and to only deal with team leaders. That's because the management of the development team had been entrusted to them. This time round however, there were of course a huge number of people involved as well as a lot of young developers. That's why I thought that rather than all these instructions appearing out of nowhere, it was better if the developers could actually see the process behind these decisions.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Iwata|I see. | {{Interview/A|Iwata|I see.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|This time there were a large number of staff, so if all your instructions were given to me alone, for instance, even making all the necessary arrangements and laying down preliminary plans would have entailed a lot of work. In that sense the system this time, where your instructions were communicated directly to all the people involved, was a good idea. All the people in charge of a particular task would see your e-mails and were able to give feedback based on their individual take on things. As a result of this, I think we were able to decide quite efficiently what we should do next. | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|This time there were a large number of staff, so if all your instructions were given to me alone, for instance, even making all the necessary arrangements and laying down preliminary plans would have entailed a lot of work. In that sense the system this time, where your instructions were communicated directly to all the people involved, was a good idea. All the people in charge of a particular task would see your e-mails and were able to give feedback based on their individual take on things. As a result of this, I think we were able to decide quite efficiently what we should do next.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Miyamoto|An ulterior motive I had when I chose that way of doing things was that all the staff, not just the people in charge, would understand the criteria we use when assessing a problem. This meant that the criteria the developers applied to situations became standardised. Subsequent problems that came up were then dealt with much more swiftly. Naturally, as the number of people on a project increases, it becomes more difficult to have clear discussions of these issues. | {{Interview/A|Miyamoto|An ulterior motive I had when I chose that way of doing things was that all the staff, not just the people in charge, would understand the criteria we use when assessing a problem. This meant that the criteria the developers applied to situations became standardised. Subsequent problems that came up were then dealt with much more swiftly. Naturally, as the number of people on a project increases, it becomes more difficult to have clear discussions of these issues.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Iwata|But with dozens of people, even when you allow everyone to keep up with what's going on, it's still very difficult to standardise that criteria. | {{Interview/A|Iwata|But with dozens of people, even when you allow everyone to keep up with what's going on, it's still very difficult to standardise that criteria.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|It is. | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|It is.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Miyamoto|That's why I was adamant that people be made aware of the entire background and decision-making process, not simply the final conclusion or instructions that come out of it. But even so... | {{Interview/A|Miyamoto|That's why I was adamant that people be made aware of the entire background and decision-making process, not simply the final conclusion or instructions that come out of it. But even so...}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|Even so, there were lots of e-mails which someone involved with Zelda for the first time wouldn't be able to make head nor tail of. | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|Even so, there were lots of e-mails which someone involved with Zelda for the first time wouldn't be able to make head nor tail of.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Miyamoto|Right. If they hadn't been following the discussions closely, they would have been totally lost! (laughs) | {{Interview/A|Miyamoto|Right. If they hadn't been following the discussions closely, they would have been totally lost! (laughs)}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|But as everyone already knows they won't be able to make sense of the e-mails, lots of the staff would come and ask for clarification: "What on earth is Miyamoto-san trying to say with this?" | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|But as everyone already knows they won't be able to make sense of the e-mails, lots of the staff would come and ask for clarification: "What on earth is Miyamoto-san trying to say with this?"}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Iwata|Well, the important thing is that they came and asked for clarification. At least then you can give them an explanation. | {{Interview/A|Iwata|Well, the important thing is that they came and asked for clarification. At least then you can give them an explanation.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|Right. Even if they don't fully grasp the meaning of the instructions, everyone will have some idea of what it's about. They can then come to have it clarified, saying something like: "I think it's saying something like this..." In this way, everyone became steadily more proactive in their attitudes so I think the way he did things this time was really positive for all the staff, as well as being a great help for me. | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|Right. Even if they don't fully grasp the meaning of the instructions, everyone will have some idea of what it's about. They can then come to have it clarified, saying something like: "I think it's saying something like this..." In this way, everyone became steadily more proactive in their attitudes so I think the way he did things this time was really positive for all the staff, as well as being a great help for me.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Miyamoto|Was it really? | {{Interview/A|Miyamoto|Was it really?}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Aonuma|Yes, it helped a great deal. | {{Interview/A|Aonuma|Yes, it helped a great deal.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|Miyamoto|That's good to hear! (laughs)}} | {{Interview/A|Miyamoto|That's good to hear! (laughs)}} | ||