Part 2 of the interview with Mr. Takanobu Terada of "Sparobo". The turning point was that work [Sparobo 30th Anniversary Series: 4]

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Bandai Namco Entertainment's popular title "Super Robot Wars (Sparobo)" series continues to develop new developments. The series of interviews commemorating the series' 30th anniversary is finally coming to an end! We will deliver the second part of the interview with Takanobu Terada, who has supported the series for many years.

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In the first part of the interview, Mr. Terada talked about how he expanded the "Sparobo" series through trial and error, starting immediately after he entered the game industry. The second part is from the story of "Super Robot Wars Original Generation (OG)". Please take a look.

The challenge of creating an “original Super Robo” for the first time in the series was accepted

──“OG” was the first “Super Robo” that was a collection of only original works in the series. I was stunned at the time.

Mr. Terada: The development of the "Maso Kishin" series had stopped halfway through, so we started talking about creating original content. I made a story to the company. However, at the time, I was asked if it would sell on its own, so I decided to give it a try on the Game Boy Advance (GBA). Before that, I had done the drama CD that was the original draft, so I thought that there might be a certain response. However, it was a gamble on whether the company could produce the desired results.

──Because the OG series is original, unlike the copyrighted version, it also features bold alterations such as a different standing position and personality from when it appeared in the copyrighted version of Super Robo. is not it.

Mr. Terada: When I first appeared, in other words, when I was appearing as the main character in "Sparobo", I didn't think about combining the originals later. So, there were places where I had to modify the settings and add consistency. Even though it's original, there are parts that take time.

──By the way, did you think of the "OG" series from the beginning as a series like "α"? "Didn't you plan to make it one-off?"

Mr. Terada: I had a rough idea from the beginning. But, of course, we won't continue unless we produce results. That's why the only time I had a clear plot in the early days was until GBA's "Super Robot Wars Original Generation 2 (OG2)." Although Kyosuke and Excellen were present in the first work, Einst, who was their enemy in the first work, did not appear, but there was a concept.

After that, the OG animation and PS2's "Super Robot Wars OG ORIGINAL GENERATIONS (OGs)" were decided, so I thought about a rough story concept until the final version. However, the final enemy of the "OG" series was decided in the early stages.

──In OG, you also challenged a system that seems difficult for copyrights, such as a weapon switching system.

Mr. Terada: We added the "Weapon Select System" because we wanted to increase the degree of freedom even a little more than the previous Super Robo. There is a high degree of freedom when it comes to changing trains. For replacement weapons, I was thinking about large weapons that can be wielded by Cybaster and Grungust, but I omitted them due to the amount of work. Since "OG" is only original robots, we first had to raise the quality of the combat animations of the weapons they originally possessed and appeal to them.

In the GBA version, although it caught up with the copyrighted work "Sparobo", it didn't overtake it, but after rebooting the PS2 "Super Robot Taisen OG ORIGINAL GENERATIONS (OGs)" I had the staff of "Super Robot Wars MX" make it.

Since I was also working on the "α" series and the "Super Robot Wars Z" series, I was on a different route, but the "OG" series was made with momentum. It's not a work that uses a famous IP, so all the staff were aware of the fact that "if you don't do your best with your appearance, no one will buy it." Since it's our own IP, of course we can freely do it ourselves, so we were able to take on challenges such as the "weapon select system". Then Gespenst and Huckebein. I thought that by releasing Grungust, it would be possible to appeal to long-time fans.

However, since it's basically made between "Sparobo" where copyrighted works appear, it takes a lot of time. There was a weakness that I couldn't put out constantly. As the quality of the battle animation increases, so does the amount of work.

It's not a work that sells only as a battle animation, but in terms of priority, "Sparobo", which is a copyrighted work, is at the top, and as long as there is that, it's difficult to make it constantly.

──Even at the Thanksgiving Festival, Mr. Terada himself talked about the current situation regarding OG. "OG" itself also appears in the DLC of "Super Robo 30", and I'm looking forward to it being completed someday.

Mr. Terada: I have a story concept for the final version of "OG". In "Super Robot Wars X", Cybaster and Masaki appeared as guests, and in "Super Robot Wars T", only Gespenst appeared as a guest. . However, since there are many aircraft and characters, it is difficult to connect them to the story of "OG", so I decided to come from the "α" series and each work. Therefore, the original characters in "Sparobo 30" are not the same characters as in the "OG" series.

──When I read the dialogue, there were expressions that I could tell that he was a character from each work, such as knowing about the participating works of "α".

Mr. Terada: I thought that would be familiar to people who don't know the "OG" series, so I'm doing it. On the other hand, in "Cross Omega" and "DD", I write extra stories for "Super Robot Wars OG Moon Duellers (OGMD)".

──Speaking of original works, the "Masou Kishin" series, which had been stopped in the middle due to various reasons, was revived, and "Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Maso Kishin II REVELATION OF EVIL GOD" Personally, I was happy that the series itself was completed with Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Masou Kishin III Pride of Justice and Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Maso Kishin F Coffin of the End. . In particular, "Masou Kishin III" was quite difficult among the series, and I was burnt out.

Mr. Terada: We are making adjustments for those who are looking for a difficult "Super Robo". However, some players said it was too difficult, so we lowered the difficulty in Masou Kishin F. When viewed as an SRPG, I think the balance of "Masou Kishin III" would be interesting...

──Speaking of difficult "Sparobo", I liked "Tsumesuparobo (Tsumesupa)" which was used in the GBA series for a while. How did that disappear?

Mr. Terada: I made "Tsumesuparobo" as one of the end contents that can be enjoyed casually, but I realized that it became a pattern to some extent as I made it. So I thought, ``Let's try losing it once and see how the customers react.

The end content created with a similar intention to "Tsumesuparobo" is now close to the control battle and interception battle of "DD".

"MX" with completely changed text but with the same event

── In this context, may I ask about the Game Boy Advance's "Sparobo" series? I think that many users were surprised by "Super Robot Wars A" in which "Martian Successor Nadesico" participated for the first time. I remember it being a hot topic at the time.

Mr. Terada: Regarding "Martian Successor Nadesico", I paid attention to how to handle the unique glue of the original work in "Sparobo". Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Soichiro Morizumi, who wrote the scenario for "A," I think we were able to do something about it. In fact, there was quite a response, and later, "Martian Successor Nadesico: The prince of darkness" also participated.

──How much involvement did you have with the mobile phone "Sparobo" after "A"?

Mr. Terada: The portable version of Super Robo was treated as a gateway to success for young producers, so I was involved in the planning and supervising the project, but I entrusted the actual development work to them. The only ones I did a lot of were GB ``Second G'' and GBA ``OG1'' and ``OG2''.

── So, if anything, did you feel like you were more involved in the deferred?

Mr. Terada: That's from "α" to "3rd α". For OG, I did a lot of work, such as writing scenarios and adjusting parameters, but in the early days of Super Robo, I focused on producing. It is Since "Phase 3 Alpha" I haven't even touched on the parameters, so there are fewer "Sparobo" where I decided the parameters myself. I leave it to the director and say, "Please adjust this part. Fix that part."

──I see. It's not that it's exhausting, but you mentioned in "Super Robot Night Story" that the scenario of "Super Robot Wars MX" was difficult. Do you have any other memories from that time?

Terada-san: The MX scenario was a lot of trial and error. I had several writers write it, but in the end I corrected it with brute force. However, I didn't have much time or effort to change the events in the game, so basically I only modified the text. Even so, there were two or three places where consistency was unavoidable. I made the outline of the story and left it to someone else, but it didn't come together well, so I fixed it myself. It's my fault that I couldn't put the plot together, so I sorted it out myself. Since then, with the exception of the OG series, I have rarely written scenarios for home-use Super Robo games that feature copyrighted works, and since the Super Robot Wars Z series, I have left it to other writers. However, there are times when I give instructions on setting the world, the direction of the story, setting the original mecha and characters, and so on.

──Although it's not meant as a replacement, I've heard that you're writing the scenario for DD for smartphones.

Mr. Terada: I mainly thought about the world view of "DD", the original mecha and characters. I wrote several scenarios for the prologue, but until about the middle of the first chapter, I left it up to others to make corrections. From around the end of Chapter 1, I sometimes made a scenario plot and wrote a scenario. After becoming freelance, the work related to scenarios has increased. In my mind, I'm just thinking, ``I'm going to use DD to bring back the story of 'α' to some extent. increase. However, unlike the home version of Super Robo, which has a fixed number of episodes, there is a balance with management, so it's a lot of work. However, I don't think it's just about "Sparobo".

──At the beginning of the distribution, each world was a work that reminded us of the stationary "Sparo Robo" released so far.

Mr. Terada: I also wanted to make a generational "Sparobo", so I did. As long as "DD" continues, the story will continue, and the number of participating works will increase halfway through, so it's difficult to create a story where all the characters act together like in the home version of "Sparobo". in some cases. I take advantage of that and do "the story of specific characters who went to a certain world". However, as I said earlier, we have to change the story that was planned to have a request from the management side, "I want to release an aircraft called ○○○○ in ○ month." Conversely, we sometimes say, ``I want to do this kind of story in the scenario, so I want to release a machine called XXXXX in month '', so we are struggling to coordinate with each other. For Super Robo 30, I created the settings for Hückebein 30 and Dreisträger, but I left the other settings and scenarios to Mr. Masahiro Nagura, so I took care of the scenarios for DD.

──Even looking at the staff rolls for "30", I was surprised that this volume was written by Mr. Nagura alone. At first, I expected that the DLC works would only participate in the war, but if you introduce the DLC and make them allies, they will also participate in the conversation on the story. The difference is amazing, isn't it?

Terada-san: That's right. When I was watching from the side, I thought, "It must be hard," but Mr. Nagura said, "I'll do it," so I had him do it.

──This is a surprise unique to 30's "Tactical Area Select", but is it safe to assume that this format will become the standard in the future?

Mr. Terada: I don't know what will happen in the future because I haven't decided yet. Right now, I'm starting to understand the good points and bad points of "Tactical Area Select" by looking at customer reactions.

The tag battle system was the difficult point in searching for a platoon system

──The "Super Robot Wars Z" series has become a fairly long-running series, and the hardware is also large with PS2, PSP, and PS3. I stepped over. May I ask you a story about those days?

Mr. Terada: The hardware itself is from the early days of Super Robo, so we didn't have any trouble there. The first "Sparobo" was released on the Game Boy. The second is Family Computer. The third work is the Super Famicom. After that, we moved to PS and Sega Saturn without much time, and released it on Game Boy Advance, WonderSwan, PS2, and Dreamcast. We weren't that conscious of the hardware change.

However, I think it was the user who had a hard time. The "Z" series moved from PS2 to PSP and then to PS3, so I'm sorry that I can't play the series on a unified hardware.

──Speaking of hardware transitions, in the Super Robot Wars Z series, there was an elaborate specification in which animations of moves changed between ground and air. That wasn't inherited after the hardware transitioned to portable machines.

Mr. Terada: Since I switched to PSP with "Second Super Robot Wars Z Hakai Hen", I couldn't do that much due to the hardware specs, so I lost it for a while and left it as it is.

──You used a platoon system in the Z series.

Terada-san: That's right. The number of aircraft that can be produced is small for the number of works, and it might be best to have all of them. I think that was the point of failure.

──It's the tag system that was used in the copyrighted mobile games after "Super Robot Wars K" and in the "OG" series.

Mr. Terada: The reason why we finally settled on the tag system for handhelds after "K" and "OG" is that four is too many. It's still troublesome with 3 planes. However, if it's a pair of two aircraft, it's somehow ... the conclusion is. Even so, there were many opinions saying that it was troublesome to form a tag, and that they didn't like the fact that the aircraft would be separated at the event.

──In "30", there is no route branch where the unit cannot be used depending on the division of the unit. Is this also the result of reflecting the opinion that ``I don't want the troops to fall apart at the route branching''?

Terada-san: That's right. Scenario creation is easier with route branching because the number of characters is reduced, but other aspects are more difficult. "DD" has a system where even if the player's aircraft and character disappear in the story, they will not disappear from the user's possession and can sortie. It's weird because characters that aren't in the story sortie, but if it's a smartphone app, it will affect the operation, so I took it easy.

Regarding "Tactical Area Select", the missions may progress in a different order than the story development that the user intended here, so some people say, "It's kind of lighthearted." You may think so. Either increase the degree of freedom and discard the drama, or achieve both, or return to the conventional scenario progress style and prepare a lot of submissions that can be played freely. I would love to hear your thoughts.

──That's something I'm curious about as well. Also, going back to the "Z" series, please tell us what left the biggest impression on you in the "Z" series.

Mr. Terada: There are some points to reflect on in the "Z" series. I should have repartitioned with a one-shot work instead of "3rd Z". The amount of time users spend on a single game is getting shorter and shorter. Core users will take their time playing Super Robo, but I think people who are busy or who have other hobbies tend to avoid games that take a long time, so for "30" we focused on a smartphone app. and added a limited autoplay feature.

Challenging works that were a little too early in the era, such as "Super Robot Wars Operation Extend"

──The "Sparobo" series itself is now developing a smartphone app, isn't it? To what extent were you involved in the pioneering games such as Super Robot Wars Mobile and Super Robot Wars Card Chronicle?

Mr. Terada: I have almost no involvement in Super Robot Wars Mobile or Super Robot Wars Card Chronicle. Super Robot Wars X-Ω (Cross Omega)” was involved as a supervisor. Rather than deciding the content of the operation, my main job is resource-oriented work such as supervising battle animations and scenarios.

──As a form similar to the management type "Super Robo", "Super Robot Wars Operation Extend (OE)", which regularly distributed scenarios, was released for PSP. Looking at it now, it seems like a natural mechanism, but at the time it was quite early.

Mr. Terada: I knew that the time would come when management-type titles would become popular, so I released OE for the PSP as a type of distribution-type Super Robo, but thinking about it now, it was too early. rice field. We tried various things, such as changing the system, but at the time we didn't have much operational know-how, so it was all trial and error. However, I think that it will have an influence on later "Sparobo".

──Even though Super Robo was challenging and too early at the time, my impressions of it now have changed. For example, in the Nintendo 64 era, there was a challenging title called "Super Robot Wars Link Battler". That, too, may have been a rather premature title.

Mr. Terada: That might be true. It was a time when I was trying to bring in fighting elements to Super Robo while keeping in mind the younger generation.

──As a challenge after that, there was also the rather unusual title “Sparobo Gakuen”. The card game-style battle-type Super Robo was novel.

Mr. Terada: The concept of "Sparobo Gakuen" was to "make it a card game that appeals to the younger generation, and that even people who aren't interested in Super Robo can play." However, "Sparobo" didn't have much of a multifaceted development like the "Gundam" game from the early days, so I couldn't continue that line.

──I get the impression that other game companies are also worried about the generational change of users. Is the current “Sparobo” able to change generations?

Mr. Terada: The number of young people is increasing, but I see this as something different from a generational change. This is not a bad thing. "Gundam" is constantly coming out with new works, and each time it attracts new fans. However, in "Sparobo", the living division between the old works and the current works is always a problem.

For example, in the early days when I was making "Sparobo", there was even an opinion that "I don't think it's a good idea to include a new work." In the early days of "Sparobo", even "Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam" was said to be "nostalgic". It was rare to reboot an old work.

However, Bandai's "Soul of Chogokin" series and master grade gunpla were hits in the early days of "Sparobo", so we were lucky enough to ride that trend.

For example, "Dragon Ball" has continued to be active even after the anime broadcast and manga series ended, and it is still a big IP. It's really "continuity is power". "Ultraman", "Kamen Rider", and "Super Sentai" have continued for a long time, and even though new works are being released, elements of old works are also included. There are Ultraman, Rider, and Super Sentai that various generations have fond memories of. That's what keeps the series going.

I think the IP called "Sparobo" is also continuing. That said, it's not good to "only" continue all the time, and taking on new challenges is also part of the corporate spirit, so I wonder if things will change depending on the flow.

The current "Sparobo" that emphasizes the opinions of customers who sent questionnaires and overseas

──Mr. You also talked about Super Robo. He thought about making a Showa-era version of Super Robo, but it was scrapped...

Mr. Terada: I don't think it would be profitable to make a Showa era-only "Super Robo" and sell it at the current price. Because the number of people who can buy it is limited. However, if we add elements that we have done in the past but are omitting at present, and say, "Super Robo with a price of 50,000 yen that raises the level of satisfaction", it may be established with a small number of sales. It's a sales method like the recent high-priced alloy toys, such as the luxury specification Soul of Chogokin.

Let's be realistic, if we were to make a Showa era-only "Sparobo", the main target would definitely be people in their 50s and above. From a business point of view, if there is a "Sparobo" that is widely bought by people in their 20s to 50s, and a "Sparobo" that is limited to those over 50s, I think that a normal company would say to make the former. However, I personally think that there is a way to shoot through the niche market with future Super Robo games.

I think that users who like all the participating works of "Sparobo" are in the minority. It's a series that doesn't have the greatest common divisor in both good and bad ways. For example, when you include the latest Gundam of the Universal Century in "G Gene", even if there are works that you haven't seen much among them, people who like the "Gundam" series and "G Gene" as a whole Would you like to buy it? But in the case of "Sparobo" it's different. There is a hit-or-miss, "This time, 〇〇 is not participating", and it is different depending on the user.

So, for example, I think that there are some people who are really into the Super Robo 30 line-up, and others who didn't get caught at all. Thankfully, there are people who say, "I'll buy anything from 'Sparobo'!" On the other hand, it is impossible to have all robot animations participate in the war.

──It's physically and realistically impossible to sell all of the participating titles and wipe out the demand.

Mr. Terada: We place more importance on the results of user surveys than in the past, and we actively listen to requests from overseas. If a robot anime that becomes a hit enough to become a social phenomenon comes out, the attention of "Sparobo" will increase, but I think that this is no more than a battle to find the optimal solution each time.

I knew that it was popular overseas from the time of the "α" and "Z" series, but at that time we hadn't released a localized version, so we actively incorporated requests from overseas users. It used to be, but now it's different. Data collection methods have changed significantly from 30 years ago.

──You said that your design reflects feedback from surveys and opinions from overseas.

Mr. Terada: I have seen it to some extent, but if it is written anonymously, it will not remain as official data. The opinions of users who have purchased products and answered questionnaires are accumulated and analyzed as data.

In particular, "Super Robot Wars 30" was a 30th anniversary work, so we talked about making it based on questionnaires and customer opinions. Having said that, there were some entries that I decided to put out, regardless of the questionnaire, and they were well received. I think it is also necessary to some extent.

──In the case of “Sparobo”, do you feel that you are enthusiastically sending us a survey from buyers?

Terada-san: That's right. There are many people who have played "Super Robo" for the first time in "30". I think the promo had a lot of effect.

Also, what I think is a better environment compared to the old "Sparobo" is that now it's easier to watch the original on the official video distribution site. In the old days, you couldn't see the original unless you recorded the main broadcast or rebroadcast on video, or unless the original video tape or laser disc box was released. It's been a really good time.

──I also went to a rental video store to prepare for lessons, but there were a lot of works I couldn't see in the first place.

Mr. Terada: For example, in the old "Sparobo", there was only a face graphic that fit inside a square icon. So those who don't know Annabelle Gato from "Mobile Suit Gundam 0083" thought he was a skinhead, or those who only learned about Banjou Haran's hairstyle from "Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3" in the original work. Mr. was here. Now that the character cut-in shows the upper half of the body, and the original can now be seen on the official video distribution site, I think there are fewer misunderstandings.

──If “Sparobo” continues for nearly 30 years, many things will really change. Terada-san, can I ask you the most impressive thing you have been doing for 30 years?

Mr. Terada: The thing that left an impression on me is... there are so many things that I can't decide. The thing that made me the happiest was the "α" that I talked about earlier (*Interview Part 1). The company said, ``If things go on like this, development will be cancelled. It's happening.

I stayed at the hotel the day before TGS, and it was so exhausting that I overslept on the first business day. At that point, the president said, "We can do this. Let's continue the development of 'α'."

Since the turning point of "Sparobo" itself was "α", I have a lot of feelings about it. There was an impressive story on the release date, and the release overlapped with other popular titles. When I heard that people were queuing up at a mass retailer in Akihabara, I went to see it, and it turned out to be a different game (laughs). However, the sales staff came running to us and reported that "We have received a lot of additional orders." I remember everyone being happy on the spot.

──That was really the turning point for Super Robo itself. I once again thought that this is a work that has an important standing position that was involved in the continuation of the series itself.

Mr. Terada: But it wasn't because we worked hard or because the president made a decision. As a result, the customer responded well. That's what the president said at the time. "It's not my decision, it's not your result. This is the customer's decision."

After that, the development of "α" was difficult, but "Sparobo" was connected with a piece of neck skin. I continue to make things even now, driven by the reaction of customers at that time and events.

The "Sparobo" series has faced many deadly pinches, but each time, customers who love robots have supported us. I often receive harsh words from customers, but I am grateful again. It's encouraging.

I was able to come here somehow. I realize that the old saying, "Continuity is strength," is true. However, behind the ``continuity is power,'' there is also the weakness of being stuck in a rut, so I think this is an issue that we must continue to consider.

──Personally, I was happy to hear various interesting stories. Lastly, Mr. Terada, please give a message to the users who have reached the 30th anniversary.

Mr. Terada: "Sparobo" is a work made for those who like robot animation. I would appreciate it if you would continue to like the robot anime and its related products before you like "Sparobo". "Sparobo" is only possible because of various robot animations, and it is a work that could not have been born without robot animations.

The people who have created robot animation are the greatest achievements, and we are only partially borrowing their power. If you continue to like various robot content, I'm sure it will appear in various forms in "Sparobo". There are various kinds of robots, but I think that it is one of the contents that Japan can boast to the world, so I would appreciate it if you could follow it.

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