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Wednesday, April 09, 2008 |
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Bugs
Greetings, “Ninja Gaiden” Fans! This is Team NINJA leader Tomonobu Itagaki here for another blog update. I intended to update this once a month or so, but I’ve been so focused on development that I haven’t had the time. Sorry to IGN and everyone who has been looking forward to this blog! The good news is that my focus on the game has helped make it even better. But even so, as the game nears completion, I find myself fighting against bugs every single day.
What do all of you think of when you hear the word “bug”? When I was still just a gamer like yourselves, which was almost 20 years ago, I remember reading about the item duplication bug in “Dragon Quest” and being so thrilled that I spent all my time duplicating power-up items for my character. I think there was a warning from the developer – something along the lines of, “Don’t do that too much or it may corrupt your saved games,” but I didn't care. I just used my new-found cheating abilities to make my character as powerful as it could be. It was soon after, however, that I learned playing with such a character was no fun at all.
In this bloody medieval castle, the stone floor is painted with fresh blood gushing from Gaja, the worm’s, mutilated tail. The level 3 Falcon’s Talons on Ryu’s hands and feet appear quite gorgeous.
So what does “bug” mean to a developer? Basically, any time you have to write lines of code to create something new, you get bugs. That’s why I don’t scold my ninjas even if they’re responsible for bugs. Instead, I always say to them, “Bugs are like an epiphany from heaven; the bug reports just come fluttering down from above. The important thing is to remove the bugs that you put in. If you spend so much time worrying about bugs that you are unable to move forward and create something, you’re not going to be able to make a good game.
The sharp and painful slash of the Falcon’s Talons rips through the Black Spider Ninja. The shock stops his move and his blood splashes on the floor, but he still stands, showing his deadly pride.
So to all the programmers out there who are reading this: if your boss comes up to you and says, “Write me a piece of code with no bugs in it,” you should either find a new boss, or say in response, “You're the one whose brain is full of bugs!”
Ryu just finished delivering an upper Tonfa hit in the air. The left arm of the Spirit Ninja was mutilated from the bottom. This is a beautiful contrast between the splashing blood in the air and the shining Mt. Fuji shown in the predawn light.
All right, back to the original topic. I didn’t come here to talk about bugs. I also, of course, didn’t come here to make excuses like, “‘Ninja Gaiden II’ is buggy, but don’t hold that against it.” I was just letting my fingers do the talking for a while. The keyboard is a mighty invention, you know.
Ever since we announced our ship date at GDC, I’ve been hunkered down working on the game. How can I best explain this? That’s what I felt like I needed to do. It’s a really honest sort of sensation. I can feel the game getting better and better each day. I even wrote the advertisement copy for the Japanese release of the game. I always write the copy for the Japanese ads. Maybe someday I’ll put it up right here on this blog.
Well, that’s it for today. I can’t wait to share more of “Ninja Gaiden II” with you, and I hope you’re looking forward to the game as much I am!
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