August 5, 2009

Natsume's Graham Markay Takes us to the Deep and Exploration-Heavy World of Afrika
By Louis Bedigian

“There are four different camera bodies that you'll unlock as you progress through the game, and eight different lenses. The cameras and lenses are all licensed Sony equipment, and they're every bit as meticulously modeled as the animals themselves.”

Photography is an interesting medium. In addition to those who love taking pictures so much that they made it their career, photography has a subtle way of sneaking up on people and turning them into obsessed hobbyists. It happened to me about five years ago and I've been snapping thousands of photos annually ever since. Later this year, Natsume will release a game – Afrika – that could allow us to experience our hobby in a whole other way.

"Even after you complete the final mission, the game never really ends," said Graham Markay, Vice President of Operations at Natsume (and the Project Manager for Afrika), noting the depth and longevity of the game. "You're still free to explore the environments and take photos of the animals with all of the equipment you've unlocked."

Afrika is the first major photography game to be released in America since Pokémon Snap. How did this project begin, and what made the idea of a photography game so much fun?

Graham Markay: Afrika was released in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by Rhino Studios. Key personnel from both Sony and Rhino Studios spent weeks in Africa exploring and learning about the environments, animals and what would make an enjoyable photographic safari game.

In the game, players control a freelance photographer as he explores a new conservation area. Is this based on any real locations?

GM: The game is set in a fictional unexplored region of Africa. This lets players experience the thrill of discovery, and also allowed the development team to create an ideal safari experience where there are a lot of diverse environments that are all within easy driving distance from your base camp. Of course, each environment is painstakingly modeled to look and sound just like what you'd see in a similar environment in Africa.

Lions, cheetahs and hippos have been announced as some of the animals you'll get to photograph. What others will there be?

GM: There are over 60 species of animal in the game. Within many of those species, there are males, females, adults, children, and babies. So that's a lot of animals to find and photograph!

Part of the fun of the game is discovering these animals, so I don't want to spoil it by giving you the full species list here. Of course we have all of the safari animals you'd expect to see: elephants, giraffes, gazelles, and a lot of big cats. There are also birds, insects, reptiles, nocturnal animals, and plenty of other surprises to find!

Are the events – such as hippos battling or cheetahs chasing food – entirely scripted? If so, is there any part of the game that isn’t scripted?

GM: There are a few scripted events in the game where you'll get to witness some unique sights such as a fight between two male lions or a massive herd of wildebeests crossing a river. Most of the time, though, the animal behavior is completely dynamic. You'll be watching animals eat, interact, and socialize just like they do in real life.

Now take a moment to draw us into the gaming experience and what it will be like to play Afrika. The wildlife is supposed to be very realistic. How long can we sit and watch a particular animal? Is there any time limit within the game? Or a real-time clock, maybe?

GM: The main goal of Afrika is to take on and complete assignments. Most of them involve getting specific shots of animals such as a hippo yawning or a giraffe silhouetted against the sunset. Other assignments will have you capturing audio recordings of animals or exploring the landscape to hunt down rare animal bones. There are over 100 assignments to complete. We estimate that it will take the average player more than 60 hours to complete all of the assignments.

Of course, you're never required to take on any assignments; at any point in the game, you're free to explore the land on your own, observe the animals, and take any pictures you like. Again, the animal behavior is completely dynamic, so you can spend hours just watching the animals interact in their natural environment.

Time in the game does cycle from sunrise to sunset. Later in the game, you can even go on night safaris and see nocturnal animals. But while time does cycle, you're never under any kind of time limit to complete the assignments or witness certain events. You're totally free to play at your own pace.

How do the animals react to the photographer's presence? If you're spotted, will they attack, run away, or…?

GM: Animals react the same way that they would in real life. Some animals aren't bothered by your presence, some will run away unless they are approached very slowly, and some will react aggressively and charge if you get too close. Of course, the game isn't about punishing players with a "game over," so you can't die; if an aggressive animal attacks you, you'll just get knocked out, returned to base camp, and you'll lose any photos that you had in your camera.

Tell us about the in-game camera. Are there different lenses? Do you have different focus capabilities?

GM: There are four different camera bodies that you'll unlock as you progress through the game, and eight different lenses. The cameras and lenses are all licensed Sony equipment, and they're every bit as meticulously modeled as the animals themselves. Different cameras have different focusing capabilities, and each lens has different zoom capabilities. You'll unlock everything from a 16-105mm wide-angle lens to a 300mm telephoto lens.

The game is being promoted as one that requires the eye of a pro photographer. How far has the game really been taken? I mean, if you've never used an SLR, will Afrika not make any sense?

GM: Well, I certainly wouldn't say Afrika requires the eye of a pro photographer. In fact, one of my favorite things about the game is how effectively it teaches you to use a modern digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. The game starts you out with a basic fully-automatic camera. Once you upgrade to your first SLR, the game starts to introduce its features one by one and explain how and when you should use them. Of course, just like in real life, you can leave your camera in fully automatic mode and still get great results, but those who want to take the time to get familiar with all of the camera's features will find that everything they learn is applicable to any real-world SLR.

How are the controls being adopted on the PS3 controller to work as a camera? That question brings to mind another thought - with all the unique controllers out there, did the developers at all consider making a camera controller for this game?

GM: The PS3 controller is amazingly well-suited for emulating a camera. Just like on a real camera, a half press of the shutter button locks the focus, and a full press snaps a shot. When you turn the controller sideways, it turns the camera sideways.

Can you shoot in color as well as black and white? Can you alter your photos (touch them up, exaggerate them, etc.) after the fact?

GM: There are a number of camera effects you can select, including black and white.

What can you do with your photos once they're done? Can you share them with the world? Also, the game offers some kind of National Geographic feature. Please explain how that works.

GM: National Geographic provided all of the information for the in-game field guide, which is an encyclopedia of information about every species of animal you've discovered in the game. So if you want to learn more about any of the animals you've seen, you can open that up and read all about them. There is also a library of National Geographic photos and footage that you unlock as you discover new animals. If you're trying to improve your own photographic technique, it's a great opportunity to look at how the pros have shot the same animals in the real world!

Thank you for your time.

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