No. 132009.3.11

Romance for Men

♪ Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa!
♪ Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa!

…My name is Julia Irving.
I, the Ace Negotiator, as always, received a call to my cell phone for a job request today…

♪ Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa!
♪ Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa! Hai-yaa!

……This ringtone indicating that ‘150% of manly spirit’ known as Nagamatsu, a member of the Makisan DX development team. The guy who can play “10 spin turns in one second.”
No matter how minor a thing is, he sticks to his own tastes. This results in making him a nice guy who even specifies a ringtone for his acquaintance’s cell phone.
How annoying.

♪ Pip

Hello?
“Hai-yaa! It’s me Nagamatsu! So, thanks in advance!!!”

♪ Pip

Waaaait a minute! What the heck are YOU saying!?

♪ Hai--yaa! Hai--yaa! Hai--yaa!
♪ Hai--yaa! Hai--yaa! Hai--yaa! Hai--yaa!

……Oh, an email arrived.

“Hai-yaa!
I currently have a guy called Fukusuke creating the directing parts before the start and in the middle of the story mode. But although he is using the super-excellent NagamaTool DX, which I, Nagamatsu prepared, his work somehow seems behind schedule.
So, I want you to check on him a little to see how he’s doing, yeah! Hai-yaa!
As for the fee for this, send the bill to Uchidaddy, yeah! Hai-yaa!
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something important, yeah! Hai-yaa!
The other day, I, Nagamatsu, tried 11 spin turns in one second, and (the rest is omitted.)”
……My policy is to accept any work as long as I get paid.
……And yes, I try not to care about the personality of my client, if possible.
I, who secretly decided to send the bill with an extra fee to Uchidaddy, started to walk to the Future Lab, where I am used to going whether I like it or not.
This time for checking on the work progress of Fukusuke.
Although the Makisan DX development team requests various tasks and is a good client for me, I feel that it’ll be just easier to ask me to “recruit a person who‘s got better ability than Fukusuke.”
I’m sure that’ll be a lot easier to do.
Anyhow, where’s Fukusuke…oh, here he is.
Because he is conservative and dull, he stands out in this company that calls itself an elite group.

Julia:
Hai-yaa!

Fukusuke:
What the!? MMMr. NNNNNagamatsu!?
I’m sorry sorry sorry sorry sooorry!!
……Oh, it was you, Julia…
Don’t surprise me. (sobs)
Julia:
(Ewww, he is nearly in tears. Groooss.)
Hai-yaa! Mr. Fukusuke, are you really doing your work?



……This is a controller for a home-use game console……
Ah-ha, you were playing games although you were still on duty…
Fukusuke:
Whaaaaat!?
NNNNooo!
This is also part of my work!!
I’m making “real-time movies” for the story mode!

Julia:
Really? In fact, although it’s a game screen, gibberish takes up all the space……
Oh, this must be the so-called “NagamaTool DX,” am I right?

Fukusuke:
NagamaToo…? Was it named like that?
Anyhow, it is true that this is the tool made by Mr. Nagamatsu.
You know, there are directing scenes in which characters have some conversations, like before the start or during a race in story mode.
I’m adjusting the cars’ driving parts and camera works with this Tool.

Julia:
Hmmmm, really? So you’re at least working then.
Anyhow, I’m sorry to say this as an amateur myself, but I think the ways the cars move aren’t smooth.

Fukusuke:
Ouch, you’re sharp…
Because the Wangan Maxi series adopts the wheel style to drive cars, you can’t really drive them smoothly with the direction buttons on a home-use game controller. (sweat)
And, it’s a little harder to accelerate cars smoothly.
Since there is no accelerator pedal, you need to press the controller button slowly for subtle acceleration.
If you press the button in the normal way, the car will immediately reach its full speed.
Julia:
Oh, you’re right.
It sure is.
Hmm, yup, it’s true we’ll have a little trouble.
Fukusuke:
Well, there are more difficult parts.
The scenes don’t always have only one car. We have scenes with sometimes two or three cars driving at the same time, you know?
For these cases, we have one car running first, and then another car is moved after.
So, if I don’t plan ahead from the beginning for the first car to drive, it’s not easy to create battle scenes.

Fukusuke:
Of course, there are fun parts to this process.
Because I’ve got to show the interactions among characters based on the originals in the game scenes, I sometimes think like, “How can I show the tense atmosphere illustrated in the originals…?”
Since with this Tool I can set the camera works relatively freely, there are many fun parts in this work, even if this is a job.
I forget the time when I’m moving the camera because I’m thinking about how and in what angles I can present cars as cool and with stronger visuals.

Julia:
Hmmm.
I see, so, you’ve been contriving to make players enjoy themselves.
I’m kinda getting interested a little!
Let me just do it!

Snatched!

Uh!?

“Hai-yaa!
The super excellent NagamaTool DX which I, Nagamatsu, prepared has a Self-Destruct Button − real romance for men!! Hai-yaa!
The index finger button on the controller is the one!!
To protect any Wangan secret data from being stolen, it can blow up all the data in a flash. So it’s safe!! Hai-yaa!
Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, but I, Nagamatsu, finally had a heated up battle with Uchidaddy on the Yokohane Line just the other day!
True to his reputation, Uchidaddy Lancer Evolution was fast, but Nagamatsu’s FD was also (the rest is omitted.)”

Fukusuke:
……
……Julia? Did you, just now……?

Julia:
……Uh, I pressed the index finger button.
Well then, I got other business to take care of, so I’m leaving!!!
Hai-yaaidos!!

“Was I wrong?
What I wanted to get was this misery?”

**********

For your information, there is a “Reset Button,” not a Self-Destruct Button.
Oh, there’ll never be the need to blow up all the data, so don’t worry.
(What? Then what will happen? I can’t tell you that! Hai-yaa!)