It's evolved along the way, of course, but the finished game is remarkably close to what we described in the short design document we wrote last fall. The process of shaping the game was fascinating, and involved a continual series of playable demos and versions of the game that we could try out on volunteer players in our frequent focus tests. This meant that we were always creating clean and finished-looking code, artwork and audio, and meant that we could concentrate on adding extra polish and cool last-minute features as the end of the project came into sight.

Our online public beta was a terrific experience -- it was great to be able to try our game out on the five thousand incredible beta testers that had signed up to play four demo levels of Jak X online. Communicating with the testers over a private message board, and being able to respond to all of their insightful feedback about the gameplay and the interface, was not only enjoyable and invigorating, but it made an incredible difference to the game! We implemented many ideas that had come from our beta testers, and I'd like to extend the thanks of the whole team to them. They really helped turn a tough stage of the project into a lot of fun!


Well, I'd better get back to that groove that I'm wearing in the corridor outside, with all my nervous pacing. I hope to see you online in Jak X: Combat Racing, this fall!