Editing Tetrisphere (section)

== Development ==
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''Tetrisphere'' was developed by H2O Entertainment, a game development company founded by Steve Shatford, Christopher Bailey, and Michael Tam, which was based in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], [[Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Walters|first=Scott|url=http://jagmod.com/phear/PhearFront.jpg|title=Phear Flyer (Front)|website=jagmod.com|date=January 31, 2017|access-date=2018-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331053721/http://jagmod.com/phear/PhearFront.jpg|archive-date=2018-03-31|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Walters|first=Scott|url=http://jagmod.com/phear/PhearBack.jpg|title=Phear Flyer (Back)|website=jagmod.com|date=January 31, 2017|access-date=2018-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331053719/http://jagmod.com/phear/PhearBack.jpg|archive-date=2018-03-31|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CBretz">{{cite web|last=Bretz|first=Christopher|url=http://www.christopherbretz.ca/pf/tetrisphere/|title=Art Direction: Tetrisphere - The first published game I worked on|publisher=The Art of Christopher Bretz|date=2020|access-date=2020-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121220058/http://www.christopherbretz.ca/pf/tetrisphere/|archive-date=2020-11-21|url-status=live}}</ref> The project originally began as an [[Atari Jaguar]] game titled ''Phear'' and was showcased for play at [[Atari Corporation]]'s booth during the [[1995 in video gaming|1995]] [[Consumer Electronics Show|Winter CES]],<ref name="NVGphear">{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o457jl9zZbs|work=[[YouTube]]|date=January 13, 2018|author=National Videogame Museum (United States)|author-link=National Videogame Museum (United States)|title=Atari Jaguar Phear Demo CES 1995|access-date=2018-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225173150/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o457jl9zZbs|archive-date=2018-02-25|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://download.abandonware.org/magazines/CD%20Consoles/cdconsoles_numero04/Page%20102.jpg|title=Dossier - Ils Arrivent Sur 64 Bits - 64 Bit Divers|magazine=CD Consoles|issue=4|publisher=Pressimage|date=February 1995|page=102|lang=fr|access-date=2018-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919132421/http://download.abandonware.org/magazines/CD%20Consoles/cdconsoles_numero04/Page%20102.jpg|archive-date=2018-09-19|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/Gamefan_Vol_3_Issue_03#page/n108/mode/1up|title=WCES Special - Winter CES '95 - Atari|magazine=[[GameFan]]|volume=3|issue=3|publisher=DieHard Gamers Club|date=March 1995|page=109}}</ref> featuring gameplay akin to the "Tower" challenges found in the "Hide and Seek" mode of ''Tetrisphere''. However, it required players to create a hole of a specific size (e.g., 3×2) at the center of the sphere's core to advance to the next level.<ref name=NVGphear/> Nintendo reportedly acquired the rights to ''Phear'' after witnessing the game at WCES '95, and it was subsequently announced as a Nintendo 64 title at [[Nintendo Space World]] later that year.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AEGM_US_098.pdf&page=104|title=Next Wave - N64 - Tetrisphere: The Jaguar's Loss Is The N64's Gain - Gamer's Edge: No Phear|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=98|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=September 1997|page=102|access-date=2018-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919132833/https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AEGM_US_098.pdf&page=104|archive-date=2018-09-19|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sheffield|first=Brandon|url=http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/01/tetrisphere_on_the_jaguar.php|title=Tetrisphere on the Jaguar!|website=[[GameSetWatch]]|publisher=[[UBM plc]]|date=January 11, 2006|access-date=March 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727112114/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/01/tetrisphere_on_the_jaguar.php|archive-date=2009-07-27|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/nextgen-issue-014/Next_Generation_Issue_014_February_1996#page/n66/mode/1up|title=Featuring U64: Ultra 64 Games|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|issue=14|date=February 1996|page=65}}</ref><ref name="puzzledhead">{{cite web|author=IGN staff|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/03/11/tetrisphere-rears-its-puzzled-head|title=Tetrisphere Rears its Puzzled Head - H2O's almost Jaguar-bitten puzzle game is new, improved, and likely to arrive this summer|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=March 10, 1997|access-date=2018-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918231331/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/03/11/tetrisphere-rears-its-puzzled-head|archive-date=2018-09-18|url-status=live}}</ref> H2O, which had completed a [[reverse takeover]] with Canadian Entech Resources Inc., began working exclusively for Nintendo during the game's development.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

Around the time the company went public, Nintendo announced that ''Tetrisphere'' would be released in October 1996, which initially boosted the company's stock. However, this announcement did not benefit the partners at H2O. "That was the first they had heard of the release date", stated ''[[Canadian Business]]'' magazine. The company endeavored to complete the game by October, but this proved to be unfeasible. The resulting delay had a significant negative impact on H2O's stock. "In terms of credibility and how investors perceived us, it really hurt us", remarked partner Michael Tam. Once the anticipated release date had passed, Nintendo allocated six employees—approximately half a department—to assist the development team.<ref name="Mandel congratulations">{{cite magazine | author=Charles Mandel | title='Congratulations, Player No. 1...' | magazine=[[Canadian Business]] | publisher=[[Rogers Media]] | volume=70 | issue=13 | year=1997 | page=114}}</ref>

Additionally, Nintendo imposed strict conditions on the developer. "We weren't able to disclose any information", H2O developer Michael Tam noted.<ref name="Mandel congratulations"/>

The game was developed on Silicon Graphics Indy, Indigo, and O2 workstations. The graphics were created using SoftImage on Indigo and O2 workstations. The game was written in the [[C programming language]] and compiled to target 'Ultra64' development boxes for testing and bug tracking.

Senior developers enhanced the engine so that only a portion of the sphere is visible at any given time, thereby reducing the rendering load on the N64 hardware. This improvement allowed for an increased framerate and enabled a two-player mode, which was not present in the initial version.<ref name="puzzledhead"/>

Stephen Shatford served as the Senior Game Designer, while ''Tetris'' creator [[Alexey Pajitnov]] contributed to the game's design during his tenure at [[Microsoft]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Ali Almaci, Hasan | date=December 5, 2007 | url=http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/tetris_iv_dec07_p3.asp | title=Interview: Tetris - The Making of an Icon: Alexey Pajitnov & Henk Rogers Interviews (Page 3) | website=Kikizo | publisher=Superglobal Ltd. | access-date=March 28, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728143519/http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/tetris_iv_dec07_p3.asp | archive-date=2011-07-28 | url-status=live }}</ref> The North American release of ''Tetrisphere'' was ultimately delayed until August 1997, when it became the first puzzle game available on the Nintendo 64.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nintendo.com/n64/tetrisphere/index.html | title=Nintendo: Tetrisphere | website=[[Nintendo]] | access-date=March 25, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980205063149/http://www.nintendo.com/n64/tetrisphere/index.html | archive-date=February 5, 1998}}</ref>

The [[techno]]-style soundtrack for ''Tetrisphere'' was composed by [[Neil Voss]] using [[FastTracker 2]] on a Pentium PC. He began the project as a freelancer while it was still in development for the Atari Jaguar and later signed on as an [[audio director]] when the game transitioned to the Nintendo 64.<ref name="voss1">{{cite web | author=IGN staff | date=June 15, 1998 | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/06/16/composing-tetrisphere | title=Composing Tetrisphere | website=IGN | publisher=Ziff Davis | access-date=September 18, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919025326/https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/06/16/composing-tetrisphere | archive-date=2018-09-19 | url-status=live }}</ref> Voss served as the sole producer, composer, and sound engineer, although he received assistance from in-house programmer David Pridie and staff from [[Silicon Graphics]]. Initially inspired by a [[cyberpunk#Music|cyberpunk]] style, the team shifted to the techno genre to reflect the "uniqueness" of ''Tetrisphere'' as a puzzle game.<ref name="voss1"/> Voss noted that the game features only [[stereophonic sound]], explaining that "[...] for a game where the action is all around you, it could enhance gameplay and the immersive experience". He also managed to simulate [[surround sound]].<ref>{{cite web | author=IGN staff | date=June 16, 1998 | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/06/17/interview-with-neil-voss-part-ii | title=Interview With Neil Voss (Part II) | website=IGN | publisher=Ziff Davis | access-date=September 18, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919025359/https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/06/17/interview-with-neil-voss-part-ii | archive-date=2018-09-19 | url-status=live }}</ref>

The composer frequently<ref name="voss1"/> utilized [[Sampling (music)|samples]] during production, particularly in the tracks "Extol", "Martist", and "Hallucid";<ref name="voss1"/> for instance, "Extol" features a chorus of [[Music of Bali|Balinese singers]] sourced from a stock sample CD. The song titles were selected as they would be if released on an album. Voss explained, "'Azule Lux' was intended to mean 'blue light,' relating to one of the level backgrounds that impressed me visually. 'Snowy Mushrooms' references drug culture and also alludes to Nintendo's penchant for mushroom imagery. 'Phony' reflects my feeling that that track was too similar to [[Liam Howlett]]'s work (of [[the Prodigy]], hence my feeling of being phony). 'Extol' means to praise, which I felt was appropriate... Things like that."<ref name="voss1"/>