This 3D rendered image shows the first mini boss in the space station at Level 1. We used a new set of colours that diverge somewhat from the earlier prototype quartet.

Difficulty Level and Wi-Fi Functions

Like our Iridon 3D and Iridion II games for GBA, Nanostray was regarded as a difficult game. We wanted N2 to reach a larger target group so we brought some interesting, and in some cases, totally new features into the game. The game can determine whether the player is coping well with a large horde of bosses on screen, or is perhaps a little overextended. If the latter is the case, other attack waves are automatically launched. Beginners can therefore more easily learn the game, while experienced pilots will still be challenged. If a player wishes to achieve a high points score in Arcade mode, then he still has to put a lot of effort into it. Uploading scores to the Nanostray2.com website now works without cumbersome passwords ... courtesy of Wi-Fi support.

Nanostray 2 contains a multi-player mode that makes it possible to finish the full Adventure Mode as a twosome. Both single-card and multi-card players can use Duel mode, so in Survivor and Hi-Score set ups, there's an opportunity for many hours of head-to-head battles.

Graphics, Animation,

We wanted to give Nanostray 2 an even more varied and thrilling look. We collected team ideas for the level and spaceship look while the modelling and texturing took place under the leadership of our lead artist, Martin Sauter. We can show you the emergence of a 3D model from the example of the first final boss.

Once the appearance of a level or spaceship is agreed to and sketched, a 3D model is prepared from it. We use the 3D program, Maya, which is also used for many Hollywood blockbuster movies. Using simple geometric forms, e.g. cubes or cylinders, rough 3D models are created, which after further manipulation can then be developed into the 3D object. The best way to explain it is to compare the process to making a wire frame model where the smallest surface is a triangle consisting of just three lines. The Nintendo DS can display about 2,000 of these at the same time. When modelling, this limit must always be considered because there's not just the final boss, but the player's spaceship and surrounding graphics--usually many shots or special effects must also be displayed. By way of comparison, modern PC games use the same number of polygons to model a single stone!

Polygons and Textures

To ensure the 3D model looks good, a shader is used and, if required, the object is also covered with a texture. The shader specifies the material qualities, e.g. colour or light reflection. For Nanostray 2, all textures are added by hand using a graphics tablet and then adjusted to comply with the DS hardware constraints. The DS has a maximum of 512 kilobytes of texture memory available, so it requires an efficient manipulation of textures. The three textures for our final boss are 128 x 128, 64 x 64 and 32 x 128 pixels and collectively require 24 kilobytes of texture memory.

If the textures are drawn at too high a resolution, then they take up an unnecessarily large amount of memory and will often flicker imperfectly during the game. But if the graphic artist cuts back in the wrong place, the textures pixellate rather crudely and an ugly "clumpy" look emerges. This work thus demands a highly sensitive approach. All textures can be refined using various shaders. With our 3D engine, we can display the standard Nintendo shaders plus additional shaders when we use various programming tricks, e.g. environment mapping and multi-texturing.

Movement in the Game

A final boss wouldn't be a true enemy if he floated motionless through space while waiting for death by pixellation. It is only through animation that a graphic artist can breathe virtual life into a 3D model. These animations can also be created in Maya but considerable experience is required. For every single axis in a 3D space (X, Y, Z), each position, rotation and scaling at a specific time can be set on a time bar. Usually a 3D model has various animations which can be played back for specific events using the program code. The final boss, for example, has his own attack and dying animations. Complex animations can also be created using a skeleton system generally used for organic models. The shell wrapped around the various bones can be moved and turned realistically like the bones and skin of a person. But what might seem like a relatively easy task on paper is usually a tough job for DS hardware, because animating these "bones" requires lots of computing time. The graphic artist therefore seeks to keep the number of bones as low as possible.

When creating background and level graphics, we proceed in a similar way, except for any isolated objects that require animation since the majority of levels consist of static models.