GSN: The cart doesn't manage sound as well as the CD. but ultimately, we have a better product as a result of such tough decisions. Then, in all seriousness, we made new, totally brilliant levels and worlds for the consumer game and suddenly had a space problem! We had to choose which coin-op worlds to bring over and which to leave out of this version. SA: Initially, it was getting a new engine built for the N64 and creating the pipeline to move over the arcade game's data. GSN: What's been the most difficult part of building Gauntlet for the N64? The company's given us the resources in both time and personnel to really put a high gloss on this one, and we're using every hour to do it right. Our remaining time is for tuning the gameplay and playfields, as well as polishing anything that will improve the look of the game. SA: We're past the halfway point on the N64 and still on target for our summer '99 release date. GSN: How far along is the game's development, and how do you plan to spend the remainder of the cycle? Even so, we do have real-time in-engine sequences for these same storytelling scenes. However, the PlayStation has the benefit of CD-quality audio and gorgeous rendered sequences that we just can't put into a cart on the N64. The one striking difference is that the N64 has four players possible and the PlayStation has only two. Also, the PlayStation version has two additional worlds that we couldn't fit on the N64 version, giving them an edge on overall content. Both have the simple controls to learn as well as the special attacks and magical effects that are the hallmark of Gauntlet. SA: The moment-to-moment play experience is very similar. GSN: How are the two versions different for the gamer? Secondly, the core technology itself is different due to the divergent nature of the two platforms there are just some things one machine can do that the other can't. Naturally, all of that same coin-op knowledge plus the experiences of the N64 team is passed on to the PlayStation development crew, but it's not the same as having us all under one roof. Being able to pick the brains of the guys who built the coin-op, and now actually having them work on the N64 version directly is a major win for us. So, one of the key benefits for the N64 team is having immediate and direct access to the coin-op guys (as they're just on the other side of the building from our area). The PlayStation version is being developed externally. SA: All N64 development is internal here at Atari. GSN: In what way was the development of the N64 version different from the development of the PlayStation version? It's definitely "worthwhile." Our programmers are squeezing every ounce of processing power out of this machine, and our artists have come up with clever ways to reduce the number of onscreen polygons without sacrificing visual quality. Our most recent versions have showcased the four players plus over 25 enemies onscreen at once, and we're still running at a silky smooth 30fps. Scot Amos: The N64 engine was built from the ground up to handle four players plus as many enemies, objects, and magical effects onscreen simultaneously as we could throw at it. Can the N64 version handle enough activity/objects onscreen to make it worthwhile? How are you making that work? GameSpot News: The N64 version has the four-player mode associated with Gauntlet that was missing in the PlayStation version. Here's what he had to say about the Nintendo 64 version of the game. We recently interviewed Atari Games producer Scot Amos about the upcoming Nintendo version of Gauntlet Legends, the coin-op update of the classic '80s arcade series.
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