Translation: Rockman EXE3 Ultimate Navigation SP Interview

With Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection on the horizon, what better time to dig back through the archives and take a look at some developer interviews from the time? Today, we’ve got an interview originally published in Rockman EXE3 Ultimate Navigation SP. This strategy guide for the third game was published by Shogakukan on July 10th, 2003–three and a half months after the release of Rockman EXE3 Black.

Translated by Midori, edited by Prof. 9. This English translation uses official English localized Mega Man Battle Network terminology where possible. This interview was originally printed in black, red and white; some images have been replaced by higher quality sources.

Developer Interview

Here you’ll find incredible details from the “Mega Man Battle Network” development staff that you won’t see anywhere else!! The unexpected behind-the-scenes stories keep on coming!!

Jack in to the secret (?) tales behind the MMBN series!

MMBN’s challenging new systems

— First of all, the “Mega Man Battle Network” series is an incredibly innovative game, but just where did the idea for it come from?

Yasuma: I wanted to make a Mega Man that wasn’t too complicated of an action game, but instead have a card component, so that even kids who weren’t great at action would be able to play. With that idea, the image of a tactical field made of panels came to mind.

— Was it always a 3×6 field of panels?

Yasuma: Pretty much. There were people on the team who felt it’d be better if there were more panels, but even though having more panels might be more interesting, that direction would make it closer to a typical action game. Coming up with the rules was a process of trial and error.

— What rules, for example?

Yasuma: Such as the tug-of-war rules we tried. There was a gauge at the top of the first screenshots for the game we put out–that was the tug-of-war system. When you scored a hit with an attack, the gauge would move towards the opponent’s side, and when the gauge was completely filled, only then would damage be dealt. That way, you’re not immediately damaged due to one mistake.

— Why was it cut?

Yasuma: Naturally, we want it to be easy to understand (laughs). It’d be a bit strange to not see the HP going down when you score a hit.

— “3” features ModCodes. Isn’t it the first game to have those?

Yasuma: Indeed. We aimed to have “3” feed back into reality by having actual treats and toys (like MegaMan chocolates) that came with passwords. We could also have the things people said in the game intertwine with reality.

Eguchi: Some terms used in the game are used in real life as well, and there were times where we couldn’t tell if someone was talking about something within the game, or outside of the game (laughs).

Yasuma: There was no border (between real life and the game).

Eguchi & Ishihara: Nope, none.

— What brought about the idea of making a separate version (Blue version)?^[1]

Yasuma: There are a variety of reasons, but we wanted the newly appearing Styles to be different (between White version and Blue version), and try something like two friends with different games have a linked battle, like a fighting tournament between two people of different disciplines. Actually, since there are a number of differences between them in the battle system, we wanted to get players to duke it out about which is stronger: Blue or White? Ground or Shadow? The GigaChips are the cornerstone chips of each games’ strategies, so we also made those different.

Originally, Bass was the Navi of one of Lan’s classmates

— Were you already planning towards “3” back when you were creating the story for “1”? Like Bass and other Navis who would appear in the series.

Eguchi: No, we basically think them out game by game. That being said, I did keep in mind Lan going through different experiences and growing up.

Ishihara: So we didn’t think of it at all like: Bass does this in “2,” so he’ll do this in “3.”

Yasuma: Actually, at the beginning of development for “1,” Bass was a Navi used by a classmate. But, we thought that’d be selling him a bit short (laughs). That’s why he gets a brief appearance in “1” as a secret character.

Ishihara: Also since Rush only appeared as an enemy in “1,” we talked about giving him a bit more substance in “2.” Then we forgot about it (all laugh).

Every Navi is the strongest in their own way

— Next, I want to ask about design. Is there anything you gave thought to when putting bosses from the past Mega Man series into “Mega Man Battle Network”?

Ishihara: This game takes place in the Cyberworld, so I wanted to slightly move away from designs that gave them a mechanical impression and make their individuality expressly clear. I considered giving them unique attributes, so that anyone looking at them could tell the difference between them.

— With the completely new bosses, did you start with a name and design them from that?

Ishihara: That’s something I’ll leave to this guy (looking to Mr. Yasuma).

Yasuma: As for names, there was ColorMan from “1.” I thought it’d be neat to have an incident with someone messing with traffic lights. From there, something to do with traffic lights, lead to color–an enemy who manipulates colors, lead to… ColorMan. That kind of process.

— I see. So, what is each of your favorite Navis?

Ishihara: ElecMan. Initially all of the planners rejected the design. “Doesn’t he look too similar to ProtoMan?” they’d say. He looked nothing like him (laughs).^[2] I kept at it and eventually got them to understand it, so it’s a very memorable design. I also like Serenade. There were all kinds of requests, like making them look divine, cloaking them in angel’s feathers, etc. But I think my vision for them came out pretty well.

Eguchi: The tough Bass, and the gentle Serenade.

Yasuma: I love ShadowMan and FireMan (laughs). FireMan was the very first Navi design that came in, and I thought his revamp was really good. As for ShadowMan, I think ninjas are cool, so that works, of course. By the way, in my mind, all of the bosses are the strongest. What I mean by that is, for instance, NumberMan is the strongest at calculating. When it comes to calculating, he’s got Bass beat. Every one of them is the strongest in their own way. In that respect, ShadowMan can win (against Bass) in assassination. And doesn’t being the strongest at assassination just sound cool?

Chips, tournaments, and the road to “4”…!!

— The large variety of chips is one of the charms of “Mega Man Battle Network”, but where do those ideas come from?

Yasuma: Various places. There are the basic concepts, like flying straight forward, easy to use, hard to use but powerful, etc. Then there are chips tied to newly implemented systems… Starting with “2” we added terrain, so we put in terrain chips and chips that respond to terrain. Think about Spice and BlackBomb. Things were fleshed out a bit during “2.”

— What chips do you think came out well?

Yasuma: It’s not flashy, but I’m a fan of Yo-Yo. The idea came from wanting to put in more chips that can be worked into combos, and to make chips that feel good when they hit multiple times. I also enjoy Meteors. I love using it when I’ve cornered someone and make everything go nuts. Just use AreaGrab and bam bam bam bam.

Ishihara: I had fun using Catcher (appears in “2”) and hearing my battle opponent go “Oh…” so I like that one.

Eguchi: I also like trap chips. AntiDamage feels great to pull off.

— With such a large variety of chips, is it difficult to balance their strength?

Yasuma: Bass was troublesome. It needs to be a strong chip, but if it’s too strong, it’ll break the game… I also worry about the distribution chips with every title. The Bass chip sent out as a present for “1” was perhaps a little weak. Gospel, on the other hand, may have been a bit too strong… It’s tricky.

— Recently, there have been numerous tournaments held. How are the NetBattlers faring in those?

Eguchi: Every time I’m completely floored by how much they put into it. And their tactics seem to differ from region to region. Kanto players seem to use the same combos since word gets around fast, but then players in Osaka use unique combos they come up with themselves.

Yasuma: I’m always interested in seeing what NaviChips players are using. It’s like each player’s signature. For me, I love seeing someone who uses a variety of NaviChips (laughs). Seeing that means they’re prepared for a variety of situations. Kids who use tactics outside of what’s popular are really cool.

— Finally, can you tell our readers a bit about “4”?

Yasuma: “4” will have an even greater focus on bonds with your friends. Please make lots of MMBN friends!

Ishihara: I think these designs are some of the best of everything I’ve done up until now. Please look forward to them. Also, if you have a favorite Navi, let me know (laughs).

Eguchi: I’m also putting more into the scenarios than ever before. I hope you’ll look forward to the stories of each character that’s yet to be told. Maybe there’ll be something fans have been waiting for!?

— Thank you for your time today.

Special Feature: White version or Blue version – Which is stronger!?

The topic of Network Duels between White version vs. Blue version came up during the interview. With different Styles and Chips, it’ll make for some fiery matches. So we on the strategy guide staff thought we’d try investigating those differences and decide which one is truly stronger!!

Styles

White Version	Blue Version
GroundStyle	ShadowStyle

GroundStyle’s terrain-changing programs are good, but the panel-cracking ChargeShot is a bit difficult to use. On the other hand, Shadow’s programs and short invisibility are very convenient. For Styles, maybe you’d want Blue!?

GigaChips

White Version	Blue Version
Effective against multiple enemies!!	Better for competitive battles!?

White version has more GigaChips, like Bass and Serenade, that are effective at attacking the entire field. On the other hand, Blue version has more GigaChips that are suited for 1-on-1 battles, like Bass+ with its limited range but destructive power, or DeltaRayEdge which is very strong if it hits three times. For battling viruses, White version is more convenient, but for Network Duels, perhaps Blue version serves better!? And with this reasoning…

Verdict

Blue comes out of the battle slightly ahead!?

That would be our answer. But this is just our guess. For the true answer, find out for yourself in battle!!

Finally… an exclusive look at ongoing development of “Mega Man Battle Network 4”!!

As part of the interview (?), the staff showed us around the “Mega Man Battle Network” development room! At that moment, they were all in sync working on “4.” Seeing them work so silently but passionately left a huge impression. We really felt that this next entry will be as good–no, even better than the previous ones!! Let’s take a look!!

Translation notes

[1] In Japan, two versions of Rockman EXE3 were released: the regular version (also referred to as White), and Black version (known as Blue version internationally). Both versions were developed and finished at the same time, but sales for Black version began a few months after the regular version. When the games were released internationally, both versions were launched at the same time.

[2] Ishihara may be referring to an older concept art of ElecMan, which has a jacket and limb design somewhat more reminiscent of ProtoMan. (source)