Blu-ray Gaming: Insomniac Games Q&A - Your Questions Please!

[Shin-Ra]

Insomniac's Resistance: Fall Of Man, a PLAYSTATION 3 launch title was among the first games ever to boast a LPCM 7.1 channel surround soundtrack. Nearly a year later Insomniac took advantage of Blu-ray's capacity once again with the same lossless audio specs in their second PS3 title Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. Now IG are hard at work finishing up Resistance 2 (R2) which promises to be their most feature and content packed PS3 game yet.

Thanks to James Stevenson from Insomniac Games and Aaron for hooking us up with the right contacts, we should have the chance to question Insomniac on Blu-ray in the games industry with the answers later published on the front of Blu-ray.com.

Here's your chance to submit as many questions as you like by replying to this thread. We won't be able to ask all of your questions of course and they may be worded differently for consistency. Blu-ray-related questions please!

[blu-raay]

Can we expect to see the use of such compression formats as dolby tru-hd or DTS-MA used on video games to save space over Lpcm?

[Jojojo]

So.... how about that Blu-Ray? Do you think it would be possible to cut corners such as over reusing textures and sounds to fit a single DVD and still deliver even half the game you anticipate R2 to be or is this a case where capacity truly relates to quality?

Also, as a company with a lot invested in the PS3 (and a lot of credit with the growing success...THANKS!) did you follow the BluRay v. HD-DVD drama closely or did you just passively notice the ongoing battle when it hit mainstream news and not pay much attention otherwise? As someone with just around $1000 invested in the format I would check on Blu-Ray news like it was a stock that I sold my children to invest in; I would have to imagine there was some glee at Insomniac when Toshiba threw in the towel!

[Rapstah]

Duplicating data or installing - which is according to you the most efficient in...

- ...games originating on the PS3?
- ...games originating on other consoles (okay, you don't do them, but imagine)?

This question has to be blu-ray related.

[phranctoast]

This is difficult. Theres not too many questions one can ask a game developer about a media format.

Questions about the resistance padding on the disc......?

• Why do some developers choose to install data on the ps3 when the blu ray's read speed is at a constant rate and the 360's is variable rate?
  
• Doesnt the constant rate equte to and overall faster read speed on the blu ray than the dvd?

Game related question that I would like answered.

• What is Ratchet and Clank Quest for Booty? When is it coming out? Is it a psn game? Is it a R+C:TOD add on? If its a psn game, how much will it cost?

[DezNutz]

1. What does the Blu-Ray medium allow you as developers to do, that a DVD medium could not?

2. Have you done any testing on the scratch resistance of the Blu-Ray disks, and if so how have you found it to hold up? (see youtube videos)

[DaMexiRican]

Since blu ray has bigger storage capacities, how does that pay off more on? Data for better graphics/visuals or data for larger levels, ai, etc. Will R2 use all/almost of the full capacity or just around half?

[Y3k Bug]

Just a couple of questions (since we're limited to just blu-ray subject matter )

1. Do you feel any pressure to "fill up" a blu-ray disc just because you have all that room now, or are you relieved that you finally have a medium capable of holding more information to make games more like you envision them in your heads?

2. Do you think you'll ever make a game that requires more than one BD? (assuming the first one is a BD-50, no cheating now)

3. Do the lack of 1080p native graphics on games have to do with the blu-ray disc/drive, system limitation, or just developers haven't wanted to spend the effort on making 1080p graphics?

4. Do you guys ever watch blu-ray movies? What do you think about them?

There are so many more questions I wish I could ask, but they're not BD related...Darn you Shin-RA!

[silversnake]

i don't have any questions but i think this is simply great. Ask questions directly and get answers directly. I thought the insides forums were already awesome but this is just too awesome.

INSOMNIAC, KEEP MAKING CRAZY GOOD GAMES!!!!!

[ToonyLoons]

1. What benefits and pitfalls do you see in developing games on Blu-ray?

2. Is there anything you wanted to do in a game that you feel you were not able to because of Blu-ray?

3. What benefits do you see in game installs vs streaming data from a Blu-ray? Is there a method you prefer or do you look at it on a case by case situation?

4. Do you have any plans to make any Blu-ray games for Blu-ray players or any partnerships you can talk about with movie studios about creating Blu-ray games or interactive features for Blu-ray movies?

[AlexCruz]

Do you find it easier to develop Resistance 2 for the PS3 now that you've had experience with Resistance: Fall of Man and Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction?

When or if the next Ratchet and Clank game comes out, will it have online play?

[ckenisell]

How many Insomniac employees actually own a Blu-Ray player at home? Of those employees what percentage of them watch Blu-Ray movies?

How do I join your beta testing team?

[XSilentCobraX]

1. Will RE 2 feature 7.1 LPCM audio?
2. Is it on a Duel Layer or Single Layer disc?
3. How much space have been used on the BD?

[Mikeblu]

1) is R2 gonna use 50 gigs
2) do they see the possibility of 100GB dics being used in games
3) is 1080p native for games gonna be the standard for videogames
4) do you think the X360 is holding PS3 multiplat games back

[AranhaHunter]

Is it just Blu Ray questions? I have some questions but none of them are Blu Ray ones...

[Aaron]

Has Blu-ray had any effect in the Nocturnal Initiative?

[Charles3669]

How has the Blu-ray format affected your creativity as developers, such as in terms of the possibilities? Like when you first started making games is there anything you dreamed of doing that's now possible due to the quality of Blu, and because of the advances due to the capability of Blu-ray, is there stuff that you have planned that's monumentally exciting? If so give an example.

[Big_Rizzle]

Having IMO the best server and online setup for matchmaking,clans and a actual in game friends list will you ever sell or share technology with other companys? We in the gaming community would be in your debt for ever if you did.
is there some extra pressure on you guys to make a follow up to the best launch game for the PS3? and what are you doing to satisfy our needs and your expectations

[blu_world]

1. Insomniac Games,you won my respect for an awesome game of resistance: Fall Of Man,it won over people from xbox 360 (including me),But its on the list of "Will Not Support Trophies" but only Rumble?..Whats the deal?... I Want an Official response,90% of the developers knew about the Trophie system ahead of production,are you telling me 190+ of the Insomniac crew were in a room together like "Yeah,lets Make resistance A game complete that Makes other games Have to Include something Like it thats in resistance,But Forget the Trophies system"



I dont get it?...what went so wrong?.

ps.sent me a copy of Resistance 2 .... you cut me deep for R1 not having support of Trophies but Only rumble ahead of time....Wheres to Show my worth of Beating it and it Being a complete game?....

You tell me and il be waiting to Hear .

[Mikeblu]

whens this being posted?