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FakeNina

Part One​

2016-04-26

Interview by BetaM. Questions by Marko, Smartkin, NeoKesha and BetaM.
FakeNina (FN) was a Crash Twinsanity developer. Big thanks to them!

  • We discovered voicelines like "I shall destroy you! D-E-S-T-R-O-Y. Destroy!" to be used in Classroom Chaos.
    Story script-wise they appear to be EVC254a (and so on). Which character or enemy was going to say those lines and in what situation?

FakeNina (FN): These were incidental dialogue lines for the Academy of Evil. They would have been spoken by other students of the school, and play in the background as Crash and Cortex were traversing the hallways. There's a whole bunch of them. I've still got the sound files for these. I'll send you the script for them if I can find it. (The script can be found below the interview)

  • At various trade shows, Crash was reportedly shown to have a scissor kick and could hang off of ledges.
    How did the former work and why were those abilities removed?

FN: Crash had a flying kick that came out of the slide jump, but it was removed quite late in the game, as the damage it caused tended to trigger set-ups in the level design (for example all of the platform pieces would drop out of the MechaBandicoot arena if you used it!)
Crash never had a ledge hang in Twinsanity. It's possible that people are remembering the early build of Crash Tag Team Racing from Radical. That was the first Crash game I saw where he had a ledge hang.

  • We have discovered that Crash has a flying kick, and Evil Academy janitors can act as goalies.
    Does it mean that there used to be a soccer minigame? Is it related to this piece of concept art?

FN: There wasn't a soccer minigame, but we did discuss Cortex having to traverse a Football field (American football) while there was a game going on. That's what this concept art represents. It would have been a lot of fun. A lot of these ideas didn't go that far, but Keith Webb is works really fast, and he would draw ideas up just to get a sense of what they might play like.

  • We have also found a controllable hoverboard ingame. Where was it going to be used?

FN: This mechanic would have been used in a few places, once with Cortex riding it, and later with Crash riding it, but standing on it backwards. There was a rule in the game that Crash would not use vehicles, but improvise (like using Cortex as a snowboard), and that if he did use a vehicle he would use it wrong. I think the hover board was for the dry ocean bed, and somewhere in the Twins' core.

  • A Cortex voiceline that goes unused (DRC033) reads "Now be careful not to let him spin back the green plasma blast(...)".
    Was Cortex ever going to say that in the Mechabandicoot boss fight?

FN: Yes! He had lots of hint dialogue in that fight. The idea was that he didn't realize that his microphone was switched on, and that his voice was being broadcast from the MechaBandicoot for Crash to hear. I've still got that dialogue somewhere.

  • A lot of enemies were cut from Hi-Seas Hijinks - Rhinos with swords, spinning blades, etc.
    Was there any specific reason for them being gone? Was a part of the level cut that took place on the ship's deck?

FN: That level went through so many revisions and changes, I'm sure a lot was made and remade and removed. There was a part of the level planned to use the deck of the ship, where Crash was jumping on cannons, which he would redirect so that they fired into the deck, and launched themselves in the air. With all of these ideas, and in most game development, a lot of ideas come up, but never make it into the game.

  • You've once said that "The hooks that Nina grabs hold of and swings from were originally meant to be cute birdies and lizards".
    We've found that they're called "Chi Chi Grass" and that they can have the model of what appears to be a coral. Did her hooks go through more iterations like that?

FN: Ha! The Chi Chi Grass was a remnant from 'Crash Evolution', where Crash himself was meant to swing like Nina does using an alien called 'Foofie', which he wore on his arm. We kept the mechanic in Twinsanity, and gave it to Nina instead.

  • A device called the Wumpa Pump was created. We've speculated that it was going to be the representation of the Vice-Versa Reverser Device.
    Was it going to appear in existing levels? We did find some references to it in Totem Hokum and in the Uka Uka fight.

FN: The Wumpa Pump was also a remnant of Crash Evolution. The twins were stealing all the Wumpa juice using these pumps, and Crash could use it for something, I don't remember what.

  • Concept art depicts many Ant Drone types that didn't make it into the game, like Riders, big ones, one with a big brain.
    Did any of them almost make it into the game, in which case what kind of attacks did they have?

FN: Yes! There was a really great complex AI system developed, where the little ants would call for back-up from the bigger ants, and could ride the ant mites like vehicles. Also the blue monkeys would fight with the ants. It was really cool, but I don't remember why it didn't make it into the game.

  • Were Ant Drills going to play a bigger role in the game by showing up all over the place?
    The ants in Cavern Catastrophe do like to collect crates, so was that going to return?

FN: Yes! That's exactly right. It was meant to be a way of spawning in Enemies elsewhere in the world. It only appears one more time in 'Rockslide Rumble'.

  • Any ideas why the following enemies were cut: Turtle, Walking Camerabot, Big Gargoyle?

FN: I think the walking Camerabots didn't read well on-screen, as their legs were so thin. I'm not sure about the turtle or Big Gargoyle.

  • Submarines were created for the game. Were they going to be a part of Hi-Seas Hijinks, Ocean Commotion, or something else?

FN: Hmm, I really don't remember submarines, sorry!

  • Did the lost Gone a Bit Coco video happen to have a watermark?
    In which case, was it included in this video?

FN: No, the lost Gone a Bit Coco video was a really long playthrough of the level, showing the cute animals attacking Cortex. The video you linked to shows a much older version of the level, that was remade with new art later.

  • The official website for Crash Bandicoot used this picture to promote the game.
    This kind of setup was also seen in one of the commercials. Was it a cut (part of a) level or was it just created for promotion's sake?

FN: This was just made for promotion, as you thought.

  • The Worm Chase music was originally called Flying Saucer Chase. Was it then part of the cut level where Cortex would fly in an UFO?
    Also, one pre-release article states that there were going to be "16 distinct missions (...) as well as four additional bonus missions".
    Would the bonus levels be: Harbor in N.Sanity Island, Ocean Commotion in Iceberg Lab, Gone a Bit Coco in Academy of Evil and Flying Saucer Chase in Twinsanity Island?

FN: Wow, that's really close!


They were:


Bonus Level - Ocean Commotion
Bonus Level - Gone a Bit Coco
Bonus Level - Cortex Carnage
Bonus Level - Megalomaniac Mind Mania


I think they just repurposed that track from the worm chase once the flying saucer was cut.

  • According to a soundtrack listing missing there was going to be an FMV in the Academy of Evil before Cortex's flashback FMV.
    Did such a movie exist at one point? Could Red Eye Studios still have some assets leftover from their work on Twinsanity?

FN: There are two short scenes cut from the FMV. Here's the dialogue.



The twins exit the airship:
INT. AIRSHIP - DAY
Cortex defeats the Ant Drones.


TWIN A
Alrighty then, mister! The gloves are off! Prepare yourself as the end is near!


The Twins disappear as the zipper closes shut!


TWIN B
(screams from being caught in the zipper)
YYYEEAAOOOUUcccHHHH!!!!!!!!!!


Cortex finishes telling his story about the twins:
AKU-AKU
(Self-righteously)
Dr. Cortex, the Twins and all of this mess are the result of your meddling with the natural sciences.


In the background we see Nina and Coco. Coco is still paralyzed and stands on a little wooden trolley. Nina pokes curiously at her with a finger, Coco teeters precariously before settling again.


CORTEX
(Indignantly)
Oh, I see, it's my fault again.


(Sulkily)
I'm only evil because you need me to be.



  • A text file in the game indicates an early form of what appear to be subtitles ("you gotta help me crash!! they want to dress me in drag!").
    Is that the case, or was the text just placeholder? In Super Monkey Ball Adventure, the very same text file was used for subtitles.

FN: Yes! This was placeholder text, written by a game designer.

  • A Russian version of the game was made, though nobody is sure whether it's official or not. Any idea if there was talk of such translation?

FN: That's definitely not official! It was only translated into French, Italian, Spanish, German and Japanese.

  • We found Polar in the Henchmania boss fight (N.Tropy & N.Brio). Was he going to be a small cameo in the cutscene, or was he going to be a part of the fight itself?

FN: He wasn't a part of the fight, I'm sure. Perhaps he was going to be in the cutscene, still mad at Crash for riding on him in Crash 2 :)

  • Did the extended scene you showed come from a video or someone's still existing assets from the game?

FN: The extended scene is from an old playblast video captured from a Maya animation file. Some scenes do still exist though, I'm sure various members of the team kept some parts to use in their portfolios.

  • Finally, if you don't mind me asking, what was your role on the development team?

FN: I'll maybe answer this one in the future! I guess I can say that I did all kinds of things during the course of the game, everybody on the team really did a bit of everything (we were not so specialized on one specific aspect of the game as development teams are now).


Thanks for bearing with me for so long, I hope these answers help.

Script​

IN-GAME DIALOGUE


Cortex must sneak through the corridors and classrooms looking for Nina Cortex. He passes classrooms, overhearing lessons in progress.



Spelling bee:


EVIL CHILD
I shall destroy you -
d-e-s-t-r-o-y


I shall crush you -
c-r-u-s-h


I shall maim you -
m-a-i-m


I shall annihilate you -
a-n-n-i-h-i-l-a-t-e



Geography Class:


EVIL CHILD
If you do not meet my demands before noon Washington will be a smouldering crater.


TEACHER
that's London, Stupid girl!


Language Classes, passed in sequence.
English Class:


EVIL CHILD
You have twenty-four hours before I unleash my clockwork army upon you!



French Class:


EVIL CHILD
(in French)
You have twenty-four hours before I unleash my clockwork army upon you!


Spanish Class:


EVIL CHILD
(in Spanish)
You have twenty-four hours before I unleash my clockwork army upon you!


Needle Work Class:


TEACHER
Now take the head and stitch the main artery to... Laura, yours is still awake. whoa, that's a gusher.


Clarence, take that eye out of your mouth.


Cookery Class:


EVIL CHILDREN
(To the sounds of explosions)
My eyes!
Sweet mercy!



School Counsellor's office:


COUNSELLOR
Okay Eustace, what does this inkblot look like to you?


EUSTACE
I see a puppy, with big watery eyes and a pink bow around its...


COUNSELLOR
Get out of here you freak - you disgust me.



Part Two​

2016-08-08

Interview by Marko. Questions by Marko, Smartkin, NeoKesha and BetaM.

  • We've found what appears to be kung fu moves, the Stomp Kick and the Flying Kick, as well as this script: COM_GENERIC_CREATURE_DEATH_KUNGFU. You told us that the Flying Kick was supposed to be used at the end of Crash's slide. Do you remember what the Stomp Kick was used for?

FakeNina (FN): It was an attack, to be used on certain enemies that could defend against Crash's spin. The game design doc says 'Designed to inflict multiple hits on enemies in one attack.'

  • There is concept art of Rusty Walrus with a cleaver. We found the cleaver in the game, as well as scripts that reference Rusty throwing the cleaver. Can you tell us why this was cut?

FN: It was probably cut because it was causing bugs in the Rusty Walrus chase! That was often the reason for things being removed.

  • An unused Uka Uka boss attack was mentioned in a previous message by us, but you didn't say anything about it in your reply. Did you choose not to reveal anything on purpose, or did you accidentally skip over it? If the latter is the case, could you tell us something about it now? Also, there is early footage of the Uka Fight being fought outdoors. Is there a specific reason it was moved indoors?

FN: I think I just missed the question last time. :) It was just an attack that didn't prove to be challenging enough to play against in the boss fight. The designer, John McCann, must have decided to take it out. The battle was moved indoors because we were hitting frame rate problems/slowdown when rendering the bossfight outdoors.

  • On the first beach, where Crash spawns in the beginning of the game, there are wumpa trees that drop wumpa which Crash can eat. We found a COM_WUMPA_TREE_EATEN script. When activated ingame, it causes the wumpa tree to slowly sink into the ground. What is this about? What kind of monster used to lurk on the beach that could eat entire trees? Was it some sort of a joke that Crash would eat all of the wumpa, still remain hungry and then eat the tree itself?

FN: The greedy worms at one time had a complex behavior where they would eat the wumpa trees. Crash could roll a seed into a hole and a wumpa tree would grow. Then the worms would come and eat them. I'd forgotten about that!

  • Unused text tips in the game mention these three vehicles: Hoverboard, hover scooter, and the UFO. Was the hover scooter just a different name for the hoverboard? Were there any other vehicles planned? Is there anything you can tell us about the UFO level?

FN: I think that was all of the vehicles. The hover scooter and hoverboard were the same thing, but there was an idea that Crash could ride the hoverboard, but would use it incorrectly, and ride it backwards.
In general the rule was:
-Cortex uses technology and vehicles
-Crash uses the environment, or other characters as vehicles.
The UFO level had Cortex collecting those Gravitron Spheres from the Twins' Lair/core using a tractor beam.

  • There is a different nitro detonator at the end of Cavern Catastrophe that only ever appears there. However, we also found a breakable nitro detonator that looks like the Cavern Catastrophe detonator, but when you spin it it will detonate the nitro and then break without hurting Crash (regular nitro detonators and the one in Cavern Catastrophe will not break, they become inactive after you spin them). Do you remember anything about this? Our theory is that it was supposed to be used in some gem puzzle.

FN: I think that's the kind of detonator that's used in Wrath of Cortex? It was probably a remnant from an early version of the design. There was one crate that never was implemented that I wish now we'd had. The Nitro were made to kill Crash with one hit, to slow him down during the loading sections of the game (tunnels between levels). Unfortunately it meant the Nitro become one-hit kills all the way through the game. The Lead Artist suggested a new 'death' crate (black with skull and crossbones) that could be used to slow down Crash in the loading areas that could kill him with one hit. I think that would have been a really good solution, in hindsight.

  • We found the model of this weapon (early Ant Prod) ingame. Unlike other things we found, this only has the model and texture, there is no game code at all about it, so we have no idea what it's even called and what its purpose is/was. We put it in place of the ant lightsaber and it seems to fit well. Was this a removed weapon for ants or something else entirely?

FN: Oh yeah, that looks like it fits well! I imagine it's probably an unused ant weapon, like you say.

  • We found an unused Tikimon attack, a fireball attack, which shoots a TNT when activated ingame. Why was this removed? Since it's pretty unfinished, and shoots a TNT instead of an actual fireball, we all assumed it was cut early on.

FN: I think it was probably the designer trying out some attacks, and he chose not to use it.

  • We also found an unused Piranha Plant attack, a spitball, can you tell us why this is unused in the game? It doesn't seem to be unfinished, and could have been a fun addition to the Piranha Plant.

FN: Oh! I'd forgotten about that. It was probably taken out for difficulty reasons at that early stage, but it would have been cool for a later level. BTW these things you're asking about were all by the same designer!

  • You mentioned Crash was supposed to wrestle monkeys. We found these two animations for when he lost and when he won the brawl, respectively. The losing animation seems to be just a concept, but it looks like Crash falling down on the ground and slamming his fists and feed into the ground, is that correct? The winning animation seems to be Crash putting his foot on the passed out monkey and raising his hands into the air victoriously, or maybe picking up a trophy? We would love some more info about these!

FN: He's not raising his arms in victory! I'm enclosing the design sketch for it, so you can see what's going on :)

  • In the Twinsanity E3 demo, cutscenes were skippable. All over the final game we found scripts that indicate cutscenes were intended to be skippable in the final game as well. Why did you decide on not making them skippable after all?

FN: Skipping the cutscenes was causing a lot of bugs in the game (things not initializing properly after skipping). The Lead Programmer wrote a cool 'Fast Forward' system to get through the cutscenes quickly as a solution, but unfortunately it also caused bugs. We tried!

  • In your last response you mentioned a level called Cortex Carnage. What is this? We have never heard of it until you mentioned it. Are there any other cut levels like that that you think would be worth mentioning?

FN: I'm not sure what Cortex Carnage was - I copied the name of the game design document when I was looking for an answer to the question. It could have been another shooting level?
There were so many ideas for levels, I'm not sure there are any that you don't know about. It's hard to remember, because there were also all the levels from 'Crash Evolution' that were cut. I'll have to make a list sometime, and see if there's anything 'new' that's not been mentioned before.

  • Were you planning on having any more playable combinations between Crash and Cortex, in addition to Humiliskate, Rollerbrawl etc?

FN: I think we were able to get them all in, as it was really the focus of the design. The only thing we didn't get to do with them was the variation on 'Doc-A-Mock' using Evil Crash and Good Doctor Cortex, where the aim was to turn good Dr. Cortex evil by hurting him as much as possible. The mechanic was called 'Mock-A-Doc' (I just noticed!), and the level was 'Rehab Lab', which you know about, I'm sure!

  • We found this video. Is it related to Twinsanity, or some Twinsanity sequel? At 0:20 a Twinsanity-like Crash can be seen doing various animations.

FN: That's strange! That's definitely the Twinsanity Crash. I wonder if this animator interviewed to join the Twinsanity team, and we gave him an animation test. That's the likeliest explanation.

  • Thanks again for everything!

FN: You're welcome! Thanks for your patience!! :)

Design sketch and concept art​

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