kof 2001 (eolith interview)

rarehero

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www.mmcafe.com
news and interview
from rep from eolith
interesting read..

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That was a cool interview. I hope that the game keeps with the tradition of the King of Fighters series. Hopefully they will release it in the US as well.
 

NeoTurfMasta

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I havent been able to connect as well...

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They have a very slow connection here is the conversation off of the page you may want to cut and paste it into word to read it:


In the latest interview by Enterbrain Co., KOF2001 -Dream Match Revival" (title still tentative and possible to be changed) has been confirmed to be in Development. Rumors to development of KOF2001 have been explained and made clear as well, including those of companies Eolith and Brezza. The interview was conducted to Yeon Min Heum, head of the KOF development department, and administrative director of Eolith Co., LTD. The Following is a translation.

Note: While the article is concrete, Enterbrain Co. stresses that people not call Eolith or SNK to question on the article. Neither Eolith nor SNK's public representatives are currently organized to reply to questions. If there are any questions, please contact Enterbrain's Arcadia Magazine editorial desk- phone #: (81) 03-5433-7850.

Special Thanks to Leon, for Proof-Reading this translation written at 4AM.

-First, please confirm with us the facts. Is it true that Your company... Eolith, will be producing the latest "KOF" title?
Yes, that is the truth.


-Ok then, calling the game title temporarily as "KOF2001", can it be taken that this product [is being developed with] the official rights and license from SNK?
Yes. Eolith and SNK has contracted a license agreement in 2000.


-Please explain the reasons to acquiring the license to KOF.
Japan has many major game producers, and their products take up most of the shares at arcades in Korea. Eolith is the first game company in Korea to register under KOSDAQ (the Korean counterpart of NASDAQ), and there are plans to affirmatively advance overseas as well. We pride at being the number one game maker within Korea, but in order to deliver a high quality product that we can be proud of to overseas, we decided to acquire the license to KOF, which still has many fans, and a high popularity worldwide.


-When did negotiations with SNK begin?
Exact dates can't be told, but serious negotiations began around July-August of 2000.


-How will SNK be involved in the development of this "KOF 2001"?
That is a very delicate issue. The contract states that the development of "KOF 2001" will be handled by Eolith. However, KOF has continued as a series, has a scenario, and SNK has an accumulation of knowledge to verify the product's details. What's most important of all is to create [the] product with a quality that's par to the previous, and to go even further as to create it with higher quality so that the game can be enjoyed by all players. In order to do that, efforts to cooperate with SNK in such factors as planning of projects and checkup on quality/completeness, are essential. Those factors are also written within the contract, so that will be our relationship.


-What kind of relation is there with Brezza Soft ?
Brezza Soft is a company that is cooperating with us in the production.


-There has been rumors of [Brezza developing on their own] different projects, but it is the same project?
Yes. That's Correct.


-Now that the game's production has switched from SNK to a different company, will there be new systems and factors [in KOF2001]?
Of course. If there are no advancements since KOF2000, there would be no meaning to develop KOF2001. By making a product that players are satisfied with, that becomes a business. There can be no business without sales. There will be good improvements made for that reason.


-Innovations of Eolith, against a past series holding fans... Or so to say, "Revolution vs. Tradition".... Which will be a factor more strongly emphasized upon?
Of course the policy has already been set, but this is a very delicate question too. After a length of consideration, [we] concluded that too big a change can lead to the loss of fans, so it has been decided that 70-80 percent of the game will be based on tradition, with the remaining 20-30 percent on revolution.


- Will "THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2001" become the official title?
The "THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2001" title has been tentative since the stage when Eolith and SNK were signing the contract, and it is still a tentative title.


- Is it safe to assume that KOF2001 will be a fighter game as it has always been? In a weird example, it won't become something like a puzzle game or music game, will it?
Should we make it into a Dance game? (Laughs) That was a joke, don't worry. It will be a versus style fighter game as it has always been. However, if fans desire it, we could we could release it as a dancing game instead. (Laughs)


- So, can KOF2001 be thought of as the latest in the [KOF] series?
Yes, that's right. As Eolith, we think that it is our duty to inherit on the tradition that SNK has kept on releasing. It would be safe to think that [we will be] creating the latest in the series which emphasizes on such tradition, but also replies to the desire of players.


- Are there any possibilities that KOF2001 will not be pixel graphics (2D), but will be using polygons instead?
Let me ask instead, which would you rather prefer, pixels or polygons?


-If it's KOF, pixels.
Don't worry (laughs) It will be drawn in pixel graphics like as in the past.


-KOF is characteristic of its beautiful and unique graphics. Will KOF2001 inherit the graphic style of the KOF series, or will it be a totally new style?
Details can't be explained, but Eolith believes that the graphics in KOF are an important factor. We will make effort to create graphics which will be considered as one of the best in the series.


-Are there any factors in the game system which is significantly different from before?
There are a few, I can only answer one. The striker system will be improved to additionally expand the fun of attacking.


-So, the Striker system still exsits?
[We're] planning to make the striker system as a "hidden card" that's more aggressive, which players can have fun with.


- The KOF series up to KOF2000 was on the NeoGeo/MVS system, but what board will KOF2001 be on?
The board will be the NeoGeo, as it always has been.

-In what country will KOF2001 first be released for sale?
That's a hard question. Strategically, it's a Japanese game so it will either be sold in Japan first, or sold simultaneously in Korea and Japan. However, it's not decided as of yet.


-When will it be released?
That's a hard question too. [We] would like to release it by the lower half period [of the fiscal year], but [we] want to take time to make it a good game, so there it may be different.


-Lower half period [of the fiscal year] is a long range of period, between September of 2001 to March of 2002...
But the title of "KOF2001" does say "2001".(laughs) [We're] thinking of releasing it as quick as possible, but what's important isn't the release time of the game, but what kind of a product it will be when released. It may take time, but it is important to create the game with a high level of quality .It is a game by SNK with a tradition. The game(KOF2001) can't be less inferior [than the other KOFs in the past], and [we] feel that it is the responsibility of Eolith to create [a KOF2001] that players can be satisfied with. We are planning to release the game when the development reaches to that level.


- Are there plans to release KOF information at Eolith's site? (NOTE: the Interview had taken place before Eolith opened its KOF Section.)
It is currently under consideration. Of course [we would] like to make it possible to be viewed in Korean and English, as well as in Japanese. [We] would like to open the site for the sake of Japanese players as well. Preparation is under progress right now.


- The storyline is the continuation to "KOF99" and "KOF2000"'s Nests chapter?
That's correct.

Is the concept to KOF2001 a new "KOF"? Or is it a refinement of the KOF [series]?
It's a refinement of the previous [in the series].


-Are there any points to the KOF series which [Eolith would] like to inherit?
KOF's characters have popularity, [We] think that characterization is an important point. Thus, [we] are thinking of selecting characters popular world wide, decrease characters without popularity, and inherit the popularity of the characters which will [continue to] appear.


-So unpopular characters will disappear? In a popularity poll at the Korean site, the first place is the main characters team, 2nd place is Korea team, 3rd place is the Psycho Soldier team... but the Fatal Fury Team and Art Of Fighting team which are popular in Japan, rank lowest. What will happen to the Fatal fury and Art Of Fighting team which don't have popularity?
This is only a team popularity poll and it's only responses from a number of deep fans, so things will not reflect on this result. Also, selection of characters to be appearing is being decided separately from this [poll], so please rest assured.


- Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami are popular in Japan, but will these two characters still remain?
Of course. Those two are extremely popular in Korea as well, so they will definitely remain!


-Will Kim Kaphwan be the main character in KOF2001?
If you wish (Laughs) Well, it's obvious that the Korea team would have high popularity in Korea, and everyone may think that [Kim Kaphwan will become the main character] since the developer of the game is Korean, but... in actuality, that probably won't happen.


-Will the moves and performance of each characters be reviewed?
It should be rare that popular moves get taken out, but the quality and priority of all the character's moves will be reviewed and adjusted.


-For characters still remaining, will their graphics be redrawn and/or added on?
It's obvious, but graphics thought to be old will be redrawn, and even popular [graphics] will be adjusted to to a more current state since there are trends. Especially since there are a number of returning characters, there will be such needs as changing their old costumes.


-Who will be the main character in KOF2001?
[We] can't explain, but a surprising character may become the main character. Please look forward to it.


-Heh? Does that mean a totally new character, or a character from the past?
Sorry, it's still a secret.


-But, there are new characters?
Yes, a few new characters will be added, and a few characters will be gone as well.


-How many characters from KOF2000 are scheduled to remain? Actually, what characters from the past are returning, and how many characters are there in total?
Actually, the specification [booklet] is right here.


-Wow!
Everything is written in this specification [booklet], but it can't been shown as of yet. Please look forward to the next follow-up!
 

NeoTurfMasta

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Oh god...

I hope it doesnt get fucked up by these guys. This left me a bit unsettled...

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N-T-M
 

nick_th_fury

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[We're] planning to make the striker system as a "hidden card" that's more aggressive, which players can have fun with.
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Sounds more like a Capcom VS game to me.

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Ukyo

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Thats Great Info! Shit, I hope thats not the finalized logo...that sucks
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Bobak!

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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by NeoTurfMasta:
Oh god...

I hope it doesnt get fucked up by these guys. This left me a bit unsettled...


Me too!

I have really high expectations for how KOF2k1 will resolve all the cliffhangers from KOK2k... The worst case scenario is that they dump the whole thing and start over
frown.gif
frown.gif
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NeoTurfMasta

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Now that I can connect, it is a pretty gay logo. Since he is saying it is a "Dream Match Revival" does that mean it will be more like 98? Meaning, not really a part of the KOF story line, characters from all over the series... SNK, dont let them give us a shitter!!!
 

rstreck

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The logo is supremely lame, however, this is great news! I can't wait!

Ryan
 

Rick

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Maybe this is just what KOF needs! We can only hope the developers are fans of the series and will do it justice. It seems like in the interview they are pretty committed to keeping KOF alive and kickin'
 

outsider

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Yeah, this article gave me a funny feeling too. It's too wierd having something like KOF being done by someone else...

lets see how it turns out.
 
I

Iori

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I really doubt that logo is going to be used for the game. But DAMN this is some excellent news. Here's to KOF'01 and another hole to blow in my wallet.

vicecharge.gif





[This message has been edited by Iori (edited March 30, 2001).]
 
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It sounds like the people with the company are willing to do what the fans want as long as we support them. Does anyone know how to get ahold of them so that we can give them our input? Such as charactors, music, backgrounds, etc.
 

NeoGML

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I doubt that this will be a bad rendition of a KOF game. The stuff that they said sounds pretty promising, but i don't know where you get SNK vs Capcom out of "hidden card". Also, what's so bad about the logo? It doesn't look very different from the previous ones... I'm trusting my country, to make a great KOF game. Also, I'm REALLY hoping they will make a Homecart version (PLEASE!!). Go Korea! don't let us down!!!

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PrOzErG

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YYYEEEEHAAAAAAA I hope its quality made.....

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SinFull Void

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I pray to God that this game will not fucking suck like KOF2k because I wouldn't be able to take anymore. All I hope for is that they mad power-up Kim like he was before 99 and I ask that they keep Vanesa. On another note: Does the inclusion of Dan and Joe in snk vs capcom plus real not surprising anyone else. I don't mean that there a let down but they where in the first ending. All I want is Dan's super taunt and Joe's mooning taunt
smile.gif


[This message has been edited by SinFull Void (edited March 30, 2001).]
 

VinylBoy

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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by NeoTurfMasta:
Oh god...

I hope it doesnt get fucked up by these guys. This left me a bit unsettled...


The only thing that I liked about this interview was reading about how well the Psycho Soldier Team ranked in popularity... but beyond that, I can't help but wonder what types of ideas are going through these people's minds when it comes to KOF 2001.

Personally, I think all they have to do is tighten up the Striker System so it's not so easy to do infinites, and continue to add to the roster of characters. They stress the idea of newer characters, but just like Capcom fail to bring in characters from older games (like the Real Bout series) as useable characters. Some of the characters that are only strikers would have been great additions to the game if you could actually fight with them.

Plus, it seems as if they're only considering the voices of Korean fans of the series and almost ignoring anyone else. Again, I think that's a no-no since this game has been such a force with gamers all over the world... even US gamers with their small fan base (compared to places like China and Japan) should be able to have some sort of opinion that affects the outcome of these games.

We shall wait and see when the first copies of the beta arrive in arcades. Any game with Team China will interest me, but it will be the game play that ultimately determine it all.
 

VinylBoy

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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by SinFull Void:
On another note: Does the inclusion of Dan and Joe in snk vs capcom plus real not surprising anyone else. I don't mean that there a let down but they where in the first ending. All I want is Dan's super taunt and Joe's mooning taunt
smile.gif


I'm actually surprised that people couldn't figure out that Joe & Dan were going to be the extra characters. I mean, the writing was kinda on the wall... EVERYONE expected Dan to be in this game and voiced their opinions when they found out that he wasn't. Now that he is, people are complaining? Very odd...
biggrin.gif


The one thing that I don't like about CvS Pro is that Dan & Joe are Ratio 1. Joe Higashi has always had one of the most powerful supers (if not the most powerful) in SNK games with his Screw Upper. Plus, he's one of the original Fatal Fury Heroes, so he should be a Ratio 2. And a Ratio 2 Dan would have just been awesome... for once, they should take the "joke" character and make him very difficult to defeat.
smile.gif


I also got a chance to read up on the tournament results and heard how people complained that their patented combos weren't exactly the same from the first CvS. One of the other main reasons to release CvS Pro was to also try and balance the fighting system some more... that way, someone could just sit in a corner with EX Balrog and do one punch all day to win... or actually give characters like Zangief & Raiden the extra priority they needed to actually stand a chance. Nobody should expect combos, priorities, etc... to ALWAYS be the same. Yeah, it sucks, but a true master will overcome them instead of just jump up and down and pout.

And that's all the Capcom ranting for now... I shall await the arrival of CvS2 as I will immediately take Athena and kill ALL Ryu, Ken & Guile users ONCE AND FOR ALL! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
biggrin.gif
 

Shuuchan

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I think the interview gives me some hope. Sure they're not gonna be SNK making it but at least they didn't say anything in the interview that would confirm them ruining it. Maybe it'll actually be pretty good.

edit: Oh except the unpopularity of the Fatal Fury team in Korea they have to have them in!
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-Shuuchan

[This message has been edited by Shuuchan (edited March 31, 2001).]
 

Robert

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Very interesting.KOF 2001 seems to be the natural comeback of the KOF 2000(70% traditon,30%revolution).I hope that they will pass a step because the 99 and the 2000 version not have brought many innovations.
Wait and see.
 
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