Dennou Senki Net Merc/Development

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Dennou Senki Net Merc development
Missed release date(s): 1994-03, 1995-03

Contract with Virtuality

Though existent as a concept for several decades beforehand and used in a number of non-gaming sectors, the first time virtual reality experienced widespread popularity was the early 1990s, as video games started to be applied to the technology.[1] One of the early beneficiaries of this initial boom in interest was Virtuality, a United Kingdom-based startup whose 1000CS and 1000SD system series garnered worldwide consumer attention and mainstream media coverage.[1] The growing demand for their hardware and interest in the emerging VR concept saw installations in a variety of entertainment centers and amusement arcades from the United States to Japan; however, criticism was made over the perceived rudimentary graphics and imperfect design quality of head-mounted displays.[1] As a result of this, many critics and consumers alike still felt that VR as a concept was not yet close to being fully realized or a failure.

Dr Jonathan Waldern, founder and CEO of Virtuality Group, pictured with Hayao Nakayama on June 30, 1993 (from 08/15/1993 edition of Game Machine)[2]

Coinciding with the initial burst of interest in virtual reality, Sega were also reaping the rewards of the successful Sega World amusement facilities in Japan and a newfound foothold in the western home consumer market with the Mega Drive, as well as the expensive Model 1 system powering the likes of Virtua Racing.[3] As part of its efforts to stay at the forefront of gaming technology, the company had shown interest in VR; Tetsuya Mizuguchi spent his early years at the company researching and experimenting with it,[4] and Sega of America became the first to unveil its separate Sega VR project at the start of June 1993.[5] At the end of the same month, it was announced that Sega's Japanese amusement research and development divisions won a purported £3.5 million contract[6] to collaborate with Virtuality on their own VR plans.[7][8] The companies had made previous contact in the 1991/2 period whilst Sega conducted initial research into the technology.[4]

In the wake of its surprise announcement, Sega's partnership with Virtuality was widely reported on in the amusement industry - speculation soon arose that its results would soon appear in the former company's first large amusement facilities in the west.[6] Hayao Nakayama and Virtuality founder Jonathan Waldern were notably photographed together on the front of the 08/15/1993 edition of Game Machine.[2] Details revealed at the time stated that the partnership would be centred around intent to produce higher quality VR visuals than the previous Virtuality systems through the use of Sega's influential Model 1 arcade board, however it was unknown which specific headset would be used.[9] Sega also intended the partnership to be a test case,[9] though with the issues already faced by the overseas Sega VR project, internal importance was placed on it.[10]

TecWar

Prototype TecWar cabinet, showcased between September 21-23 at Amusement Machine Show 1994 (from 11/01/1994 edition of Game Machine)[11]

Work on what would later become Dennou Senki Net Merc commenced soon after the contract was finalised, with two programmers (Andy Reece and Stephen Northcott, formerly of Incentive Software[10]) and two designers from Virtuality living in Tokyo to collaborate with Sega and code the game in assembler.[12] To maintain communication with Virtuality personnel, AM3 staff and English co-ordinator Hisaki Nimiya took a central role.[13] An integral part of ongoing development was perfecting the design of the Mega Visor Display alongside AM4, planned to be used in it and also AM5's VR-1 theme park attraction - the MVD was an original headset made to outclass previous examples in comfortability, weight, and ergonomics.[14] Development was also carried out on a set for home consoles, the Virtua Visor;[4] this would ultimately not come to fruition.[10]

The arcade project was intended to be first shown at at AOU Show 1994 and released in the following months,[9] though only the aforementioned VR-1 ride attraction was finalised and installed at the first Amusement Theme Park locations during that year.[3] After the launch of VR-1 in July 1994 and quiet cancellation of the overseas Sega VR project, Dennou Senki Net Merc first appeared in public at the Amusement Machine Show 1994 in September. At this point in time, the game still used its original name, TecWar;[15] schedule slippages and the cancellation of all Model 1 titles except TecWar and the Model 2-reallocated Sega Rally Championship meant that it had not yet been completed and released to arcades.[10]

Net Merc

Dennou Senki Net Merc cabinet, showcased between February 22-23 at AOU Show 1995 (from 04/01/1995 edition of Game Machine)[16]

Further development and schedule slippages were prompted for the teams by potential legal conflict with William Shatner's similarly-titled TekWar novels.[12] As a result, a name change to Dennou Senki Net Merc and the coining of the Sega Net Merc system term occurred. A redesign of graphics and the cabinet itself coincided with this, with its larger projection screen display scrapped for a CRT. Eventually, the game reappeared in its redeveloped form at AOU Show 1995.[17] Though again intended to be complete by this point, it was still not yet finalised, requiring further months of development before eventual release.[12]

Compounding problems, Dennou Senki Net Merc was not positively received on its new AOU showing.[12] VR-1, the first release to use the Mega Visor Display, had been met with acclaim, but by the time of 1995, further emphasis had been put on texture-mapped polygons for graphical quality in both arcade and console titles, including Sega's. These were notably seen at the show in the new Model 2-powered Sega Rally Championship, which received a much more favourable reaction;[17] players of Net Merc were said to be unimpressed with the flat-shaded polygons of the now-outdated Model 1, as well as the gameplay.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21829226-000-virtual-reality-meet-founding-father-jaron-lanier/ (Wayback Machine: 2021-04-27 07:39)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Game Machine, "1993-08-15" (JP; 1993-08-15), page 1
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.vrfocus.com/2020/07/the-virtual-arena-blast-from-the-past-the-vr-1/ (Wayback Machine: 2020-08-11 13:23)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Interview: Kenji Tosaki (2022-06-03) by Shiro
  5. ↑ Sega Force Mega, "August 1993" (UK; 1993-06-24), page 6
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mega Power, "August 1993" (UK; 1993-07-29), page 8
  7. ↑ Sega Force Mega, "October 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 7
  8. ↑ Mega, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-08-19), page 7
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Game Machine, "1993-08-15" (JP; 1993-08-15), page 14
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132517/the_rise_and_fall_of_the_dreamcast.php#comment29666 (archive.today)
  11. ↑ Game Machine, "1994-11-01" (JP; 1994-11-01), page 10
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=712 (Wayback Machine: 2021-06-07 08:32)
  13. ↑ http://shmuplations.com/puzzlegamecreators/ (Wayback Machine: 2020-12-10 16:10)
  14. ↑ https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2016/09/14/12597.html (Wayback Machine: 2016-10-04 20:00)
  15. ↑ Edge, "December 1994" (UK; 1994-10-27), page 12
  16. ↑ Game Machine, "1995-04-01" (JP; 1995-04-01), page 5
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Edge, "May 1995" (UK; 1995-03-20), page 17
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