F-Zero: Maximum Velocity creators take their talents to the ‘Cube with Tube Slider

by Louis Bedigian

Game Boy Advance developer NDCUBE is only days away from releasing its exclusive GameCube racer in North America.  To ease our anticipation for the game’s release, GameZone Online spoke with one of Tube Slider’s game designers, Kazushi Maeta.

Nearly two years ago, NDCUBE developed its first futuristic racing game – F-Zero: Maximum Velocity.  Combining vehicles and levels from the SNES classic with new features like a 4-player mode, Maximum Velocity was one of the top GBA launch titles.

After work was complete on that classic, work began on another: Tube Slider.  Due for release this month, Tube Slider is a futuristic racing game developed exclusively for the GameCube.  You will not see it on any other console – ever.  Only GameCube owners will have the pleasure of experiencing NDCUBE’s latest offering.

Anxious to know what kind of thrills, chills, twists and turns we can expect from Tube Slider, GameZone Online went on a journey to get answers.  We were told to speak with an old man who lived in New Zealand.  He told us that that if we wanted to Pod Race, we should visit Tatooine; if we wanted to Tube Slide, we should visit middle-Earth.  As strange as it sounded, we took the old man’s advice and headed for middle-Earth…

The things people will do for futuristic racing!

…And were attacked by hundreds of ferocious Orcs!  We got out of there alive, but foolishly continued on our journey.  It wasn’t until we saw Frodo and Samwise that we realized that this couldn’t possibly be the place where Tube Sliding occurs.

Suddenly, two portals appeared.  The first one said Waterhole; the second one said Hasty Finish*.  Being hardcore gamers and all, we had solved puzzles like this before.  After two minutes of deep concentration, we decided to take the Waterhole.

Seconds later, we were transported to the middle of a large, tubular track.  A futuristic vehicle pulled up alongside us.  Inside was Game Designer Kazushi Maeta.  He rolled down the window and told us that if we wanted to know more about his new, futuristic racer, we’d have to beat him in one Tube Slider race.  Not surprisingly, we lost (do we ever win anything?).  Luckily, Mr. Maeta agreed to divulge some details anyway.

Question: Tube Slider looks very futuristic.  Where does it take place?  In the present or future?  On Earth or on another planet?

Kazushi Maeta: The game takes place on Earth in a time frame around the middle of the 21^st century. 

What kinds of play modes are being created for the game?

KM: There are 2 main modes available and under which are 2-3 playable options:

Compete Mode:

§         Grand Prix (1-2 players) – Race against other aggressive AI opponents for a shot at the future formula title!

• Versus (2-4 players) – Race against friends for bragging rights.

§         Time Attack (1 player) – Put your skills to the test and record the best possible lap/course time!

Training Mode:

• Course Practice (1 player) – Learn how to maneuver your vehicle while collecting the blue energy targets which are located along the best path through the course.

• Free Run (1 Player) – Free run through any of the available course, complete with all the power-up items so you can be better prepared for the next race!

Tell us about the game's courses.  What are they like?  What sort of thrills, chills, twists and turns can we expect from them? 

KM: Since the courses are enclosed in tubes, this gave us the ability to design very futuristic and highly complex course structures that are not found in typical racing games today.   Also, since there is no “out-of-bounds” which is a restraint in typical racing games, these tubular courses also enhances the game dynamics by enabling [the] player to pass up an opponent by going top-side through the ceiling.

Awesome gameplay features like this set

Tube Slider apart from the rest.

Tube Slider is a pretty interesting name.  Where did it come from?  What significance does have to the game?

KM: We wanted a name that gave players a good idea of what this game is all about.  Although Tube “Speeder” might have been more accurate. J

 

Was any kind of special research done while developing Tube Slider?

KM: We spent countless hours researching not only racetracks around the world, but also roller coasters.

What kind of vehicles is available in this game?

KM: There are 8 available vehicles available from the onset; each varies in areas such as size, acceleration, top speed, handling, power, sub vernier (boost), and fuel capacity.  There are also 9 more hidden vehicles that can be unlocked to the player after completing the grand prix.

Up to four players can race simultaneously.  Was it hard to achieve that without dropping the frame rate or damaging the graphics?

KM: No, I think you’ll find that even in four-player mode, the frame rate and graphics are as fast and as high quality as in one-player mode.

What kind of an experience are you aiming to give players of Tube Slider?

KM: I think the experience in Tube Slider is very unique. There have been racing games, but none that capture the feeling of blasting down a bobsled or luge track. That’s what we were aiming for with Tube Slider.

Did your previous experience developing F-Zero: Maximum Velocity influence the development of Tube Slider?

KM: Developing F-Zero gave us experience in creating a great sense of speed – something that was very important for Tube Slider. However, the physics of F-Zero, more of a traditional track racing game versus the physics of Tube Slider, which is more like hurdling down an ice tunnel with no brakes, are quite different.

Other than the graphics, what advantages did GameCube give the developers?  What made NEC and NDCUBE choose GameCube over Xbox, PlayStation 2 or all three?

KM: I think the GameCube lets developers deal with memory and texture issues very easily, making it a good choice of platform for Tube Slider. Also, NDCUBE is funded by Nintendo, so you can expect to see many more titles for the GameCube and Game Boy Advance from us.

Thank you for your time.

 

*Note: To find out what would have happened if we had chosen the other portal; we transported a motorized spy-cam to Hasty Finish.  We’re not quite sure what to make of what we saw: a young boy who beat Pikmin without collecting all of the ship’s parts.

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