Short interview with Jamie Firth (Chief)

[cricket_online]

Came across a nice short interview with Jamie Firth (Chief) at thefulltoss.com regarding commentary in AC2013.

For some, it?s the gameplay ? for others, the test of nerve and skill, or maybe the chance to emulate your heroes. But for me, the thing I find fascinating about cricket computer games is the commentary.



As the genre of sports sims has evolved, so too has the commentary - which as time passes seems to become ever more realistic and elaborate.



Time was that a game would have a single commentator, and a minuscule cache of phrases, repeated ad infinitum. Within twenty minutes of playing it, you?d have heard his entire repertoire.



But now the designers make more and more of an effort ? with larger casts of commentators, and far greater variety. It?s worth it, too, because if we?re honest, it is fun to take a wicket on the Wii and then have it described by a real commentator off the telly ? to hear Shane Warne commentating on you, like you?re actually playing international cricket, not just sitting on the sofa in your pants. The illusion is deepened, your disbelief more seductively suspended.



The game Ashes 2009 had a tremendous cast, anchored by Jonathan Agnew ? and it thoughtfully found the time not just for the ball-by-ball commentary but also banter and ruminations on the wider game of cricket which genuinely captured the tone and spirit of an actual broadcast commentary box in a realistic way. The conversations between Aggers and the late great Tony Greig were worth the cover price alone.



So the bar has been set pretty high for this year?s official Ashes console game, which is titled, appropriately enough, Ashes Cricket 2013. And just the other day, its creators ? 505 Games ? dropped us a line to say that their three of their commentators are now confirmed. They?re all marquee names, too, with Mark Nicholas as the anchor, alongside Michael Slater and David Lloyd ? with others still to be announced.



It struck me as the perfect opportunity to find out more about how the commentary works for cricket video games, and what happens behind the scenes. There are many things I?ve often wondered ? do the commentators record their contributions as a group, or alone? Do they watch clips from the game, or real footage, or just use their imagination? Is it scripted or ad libbed? So I had a chat with Jamie Firth from Trickstar Games, who are the developers for the release.




*************



MA: So how does it work?

JF: Each commentator has a script written by the designers which covers every possible action in the game. The commentators are sent the script in advance of the recording, and come armed with notes and questions, which we clarify in advance of the session.


MA: Is it all scripted or improvised as well?

JF: Most of the time the commentator will put their own spin on each line: we give them the situation and a suggested response and they ad-lib some parts based on that. Often we will get three or four subtle variations on each one, so that there is more richness in the variation when you?re playing the game. It all adds up to thousands of lines of dialogue which cover all eventualities! Some of which you may never hear in the game: there are lines which cover the possibility of celebrating a batman?s quadruple century ? if you achieve that then you fully deserve the credit!.


MA: Are they alone or do you bring them together for the recording sessions?

JF: Because of the nomadic nature of most commentators, we usually record them seperately depending on where they are in the world once we?re ready to record: David Lloyd recorded his during the England/New Zealand series in Auckland. Mark Nicholas was in London in between series. Michael Slater [was] covering the Big Bash in Sydney! Sometimes we will then record some extra miscellaneous dialogue whilst watching gameplay or video recordings which we can then associate with the scripted events for even more variation.


MA: What?s the process like overall?

JF: The team were amazing to work with and we really appreciated how smart and experienced these guys were, generating entertaining comments for hours on end ? but that?s why they are professionals!

Here's the link...
Behind the scenes of cricket video games | England Cricket Team Blog ? The Full Toss

 

[isrararrafi]

This has been posted already.

 

[zimrahil]

Thanks for posting, hadn't seen this before

 

[Pat]

Yep, even I read this for the first time. Thanks OP.

 

[Biggs]

I too haven't seen it, worthy of it's own thread. I'll put a link to it in the FAQ. Nice read.

 

[vaibhavtewatia]

This has been posted already.

Yes it has.
It was posted more than a month ago I guess on Ask Chief thread itself.

 

[savvart]

Good to read though...