Lockwood Does the Robot: A Behind-the-Scenes Interview About the Making of the Mechjets
by NorseGamer, HSM Editor-in-Chief
Some things just never quite leave you.
If you grew up in the late seventies or early eighties, then you were almost certainly caught up in the “giant robot” craze of the day. Lord knows, I sure was.
Robotech. Transformers. Macron One. Gobots. ExoSquad. Gundam. Voltron. Orguss. Saber Rider. Project A-Ko. The list goes on at some length. And, let’s face it, there’s a reason why it was such a craze for so long:
Giant robots, mecha and powersuits are inherently cool.
I mean, come on, who doesn’t want to fly a Skull Squadron VF-1S off the deck of the SDF-1 Macross? Seriously. We all had a crush on Lisa Hayes, we all wanted to have Roy Fokker hair, and we all dreamt of how cool it would be to run/glide/fly around in a transformable mech.
In case you’re a bit younger and wondering what I’m on about, take a look at this for reference:
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-90zCZtH9U
Of course, we grow up and leave such things behind. Sure, we revisit the DVDs of our favorite series from time to time, but we more or less shelve some of the more whimsical fancies of our youth.
Leave it to Lockwood to dust off a dream and turn it into something truly spectacular.
If you’ve spent any time in Home, then chances are you own some Lockwood commodities. It’s more or less impossible not to, unless you live in a cave and are allergic to awesomesauce. And now, Lockwood’s cooked up something that’s so incredibly epic that your family members will actually shun you and your friends will talk behind your back if you don’t acquire it.
I’m talking about the latest addition to the Iron Fusion collection: Mechjets.
I’ll repeat that for the hard-of-hearing: you can run around Home in a MECHANIZED TRANSFORMING POWERSUIT.
This is the virtual-reality equivalent of boarding a BA Concorde flight and discovering that the passengers on either side of you are Mélissa Theuriau and Carla Bruni. With Karen Gillan serving apéritifs. You’re just really not quite sure what to do or say first because of the magnitude of the awesomeness.
So, after picking my jaw up off the keyboard, I immediately put together some questions and sent them over to Alex at Lockwood. He got in touch with Phil, who is a Lead Character and Research Artist at Lockwood; Phil was one of the key people behind the Mechjet project. Thanks to them, HSM is able to provide you with a unique behind-the-scenes look at Iron Fusion’s Mechjets!
HomeStation Magazine: Home has seen some interesting avatar outfits over the last couple of years. UFOs. Flying carpets. Zombies. But no one’s ever thought to develop a mech powersuit that actually transforms into a different configuration. How on Earth did this idea come about?
Lockwood: Whilst we were developing the original Mech Suit, ideas started to evolve into a whole array of possibilities, a lot of which we had to test to see if they would even work. When we were playing around with the transforming mechs we learned a lot, and once we got the techniques down it was just a matter of time. And voila, transforming power-infused Mechjets!
HSM: Let’s go into the specifics of the Iron Fusion mecha. What exactly do these outfits do?
Lockwood: These guys aren’t your garden variety Home full body suits; they’re jam-packed with effects and animations which push the limits (even to the stratosphere)! Why walk to your friends with legs when in the blink of an eye you could transform and be cruising in hover or jet mode?!
HSM: What were some of the inspirations your team drew from when putting together these designs?
Lockwood: We were influenced by a whole host of things. Transformers, anime (from the well known to the obscure), but ultimately we had to design them specifically for what we needed them to do in Home. We’d had the original idea and as we played with that idea and saw what was possible with the Home Avatars, it started to guide our thoughts and we really hope everyone enjoys the results.
HSM: Were there any technological hurdles to overcome in actually developing this concept within the framework Home offers?
Lockwood: Unlike the companions, we can’t currently edit or add to the Home character’s skeleton. So when we wanted to transform an avatar we had to think in terms of what’s there by default. But we’re Lockwood, and limits don’t stop us! Our crack squad of dabblers and techies were on the case, and in no time we had our first prototype.
HSM: Aside from the ability to transform, are there any plans to offer additional functionality enhancements that can only be realized with this outfit? Specialized emotes, greater speed, ability to change altitude, et cetera?
Lockwood: With all the great feedback from the original Mech suits we wanted to make sure we gave you a variety of effects and animations that look, and are, awesome from start to finish. Although some abilities are out of our hands you can look forward to the future of Iron Fusion as ideas and designs evolve.
HSM: This is obviously pushing into new territory for virtual clothing. How long did it take to develop this concept into the current designs?
Early Mechjet conceptual model without "skin"
Lockwood: Unfortunately we can’t go into specifics about timescales. Once the prototype was in hand the full development began, and although it was essentially the same process as most of the items we create. We had to have both the base and the transform design in mind at all times. What may look like a good shape in human form could totally break the transformed state. But we made solid designs so with a little bending and tweaking we came up with what you see now!
Lockwood: We had a fairly clear vision of what we wanted to accomplish; the original Iron Fusion Mech suits, and the reaction from the community, had set a pretty clear path. But at the same time, it was unknown territory so we had to make sure we were flexible to accommodate the possibilities of the tech. Here at Lockwood we’re lucky enough to have artists that can be given a goal, a set amount of time and then you just step back and watch as they create something awesome.
HSM: What goes into creating a virtual item? Lockwood produces a tremendous amount of clothing, for instance, across a wide spectrum of tastes. These mechanized suits, with their extra functionality, must’ve taken even more work. How is all of this created?
Lockwood: The same general process is used for all assets, and usually an artist will be with an item from its inception right through to production. It’s a very organic process and means the guys can really invest themselves into their work.But, when you start to delve into more specific areas like mechs the process starts to shift. A variety of techniques were implemented, especially with the transforms. It was great fun to make but it wasn’t without its headaches. You’ve got an essentially human form shifting and it’s a matter of making the change look natural and fluid while the result is something different enough to take your breath away.
HSM: Let’s talk accessories. Will there be add-on virtual items which can be purchased — gun pods, missile racks, that sort of thing — to further customize the outfit?
Lockwood: Unfortunately the current Mechjets are full body suits and they aren’t customizable. But the future of Iron Fusion is vast, and there are many surprises on the horizon. Like I said we’re Lockwood and limits don’t stop us!
HSM: Assuming this concept succeeds — which it almost certainly will — where do you see it going next?
Lockwood: There are endless possibilities for the Mechjets; the limit is only really set by our imagination and we have some ideas we’re running through at the moment. But we are very open to any ideas the community has to offer! What Home users think really does matter to us and the moment something goes live you can guarantee the team will be crowded round a screen to see if people are wearing the latest outfits or out in the forums looking to see what people think, as well as checking out the suggestions. Whatever makes it through to production you can be sure we’ll explore and bend the tech to see just how much awesomeness we can squeeze out!
Needless to say, I’m more than a little excited to see where this goes. And you may rest assured that I will be the proud owner of an Iron Fusion mech, gleefully strafing Central Plaza.
I’d like to thank Phil, Alex and the whole Lockwood team for providing the community with a behind-the-scenes look at these Iron Fusion outfits; needless to say, I hope you’re as excited by their impending arrival as I am.
Funny. As a kid, all I wanted to do was fly around in a transforming airplane. Now, as an adult, virtual reality and Lockwood Publishing have given me the opportunity to do so. Sometimes growing up has its perks.
July 28th, 2011 by NorseGamer | 14 comments
NorseGamer is the product manager for LOOT Entertainment at Sony Pictures, as well as the founder and publisher of HomeStation Magazine. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, he holds a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and presently lives in Los Angeles. All opinions expressed in HSM are solely his and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sony DADC.
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Considering how similar this item is to the SDF-1 transformable Macross robot which SCEJ released in the Japan Home, I’m wondering if Sony provided Lockwood with any assistance in this item’s development.
It’s very cool, and even though the price is a bit steep, I’ll probably get one.
I WILL GET ALL EVENTUALLY IN DUE TIME!!!
Watch out for my pics on Facebook!
I find it sad that some people are protesting the pricing before they even see this new costume in action. I am completely neutral about this: I will look at someone in CP wearing it, ask him (or her) some questions, try it on at the kiosk to see how it looks, and then decide. Not before.
The utility factor alone,being able to fly faster than you can walk,might be enough to sell me on this even before I see what it looks like,yeah i’m lazy on Home too lol.If this thing acts like a real plane Home will be seen from a whole new dimension.This thing would have to be very,very expensive indeed to prevent me from buying it,I mean I bought the mansion and all it’s wings and it doesn’t do anything as cool as this.Btw “But we’re Lockwood,and limits don’t stop us!” is probably the single coolest sentence I’ve seen in this magazine ever.Hope they keep the goodies coming.
I love it and I also love the fact that the female suit has the Ninja perk, that the men dont have. I would love to see a female version of Snake eyes from GI JOE. Yea i love GI JOE. Snake eyes rule..
Btw i read the article and i used to love Transformers and other great epic cartoons. I cant wait to get mine and make the noobs go….wooooooow…:)
For Lockwood to make the 1st mech sutit male only and for them to make both genders this time…FRICKIN ROCKS…..Rockin it big time…I love it. I had a horrofic weekend and mayhem on Home due to errors.
So 10 bucks or not…I am getting me one…out of my way….hehehe
I cant get the mech suit vid out of my head…..i cant..it wont leave….:)
Nice bit of insight into the dev end of the pool, Norse. Thanks!
I purchased one of the mechjets shortly after Home was back up. I didn’t realize I had only paid $2.99 until later, when I saw someone discussing the EU price. After verifying the price discrepancies in both the NA and EU Homes I posted a question on the NA forums for Lockwood. Shortly afterwards the NA HCMs announced that the $2.99 price was a mistake and corrected it.
I think a lot of people assumed that the price drops were deliberate. I should point out that when I checked again late this evening, the price in the EU was still discounted by approximately 20%.
I’ve paid the equivalent of $9-$10 for a costume before, but not in the NA or EU Homes. As for this particular costume, although it’s amazing, and a great deal of work obviously went into it, I just have trouble paying that much money for a costume that I can’t even walk around in.
It’s great to add new features to our avatars. But it shouldn’t be at the cost of removing basic features like the ability to walk.
Whoa wait,are you saying these things just hover in 1 spot and don’t move at all?
Correction. Since I always use British Pounds in the EU Home, I misread Lockwood’s price on the NA forums, which uses Euros instead. The price in the EU Home is actually correct. The price in the NA Home was clearly a mistake.
Well, yes and no. If you’re in the robot form, you can’t move, because as soon as you do start to move you’ll morph into a jet. So basically you can be a robot and not move, or be a jet and never stay still.
Thanks once again for clearing up something I was unsure about.
To quote Phil from the interview, “Why walk to your friends with legs when in the blink of an eye you could transform and be cruising in hover or jet mode?!”
I saw about a half dozen of these -- both male and female, though mostly female -- last night whilst in Central Plaza. One gal was even kind enough to display all the extra moves her mech suit came with for us onlookers. They are quite visually stunning. One could almost say that as a costume, they are a game unto themselves.
The first time I noticed someone with the Mechjet was while I was watching a dolphy race at Hudson and I saw someone rocketed up into the air up to where the dolphies race and my jaw dropped and was speechless, “What? … How?” Then I came to my senses and had to have it.