Ep 152: Remastering Metallica Code with Raymond Davidson

TL;DR

Raymond Davidson details Metallica Remastered code design and technical conversion process.

Summary

Key Claims

• Metallica Remastered will ship tomorrow with three new modes (72 Seasons, Hardwired, and a future Blackened mode)

  high confidence · Raymond states 'the one that ships—you know, that they're shipping tomorrow' regarding Blackened mode; confirms other modes are shipping now

• The band Metallica saw Rush's LCD concert implementation and requested similar treatment for their remaster

  medium confidence · Raymond: 'the band saw, like, I think it was Rush but it was, like, an LCD concert kind of thing. Like, "Wow, why don't we have something cool like this?"'

• Raymond Davidson is currently ranked around fifth or sixth in IFPA rankings and Stern Pro Circuit standings

  high confidence · Direct quote: 'Probably somewhere around fifth or sixth in everything—like in IFPA rankings, Stern Pro Circuit, IFPA rating'

• Raymond was the sole code designer on Metallica Remastered with no supporting team

  high confidence · Raymond: 'I'm the only one on this game. Like, I didn't have any support or anyone else. So it was just me the whole time.'

• The original SAM-era Metallica code contained bugs that Raymond fixed during conversion (example: Fuel Lane lighting logic)

  high confidence · Raymond describes finding and fixing bugs in original code: 'I went and checked on the old game, and I'm like, "Yep, it wasn't me. It was originally bugged."'

• RGB color values changed from 0-100 scale on SAM to 0-255 on Spike, causing initial color accuracy issues

  high confidence · Technical explanation of SAM vs Spike conversion: 'the RGBs were all out of 100 on SAM... But then on Spike we kind of went with zero to 255'

• John Borg added new inserts and UV lighting features above the right scoop specifically for Hardwired and Blackened modes

  high confidence · Raymond: 'Borg added those extra inserts above the right scoop... Blackened fit over there, along with Hardwired'

Notable Quotes

• “When I first heard that I was on it, you know, and it was like, 'Well, this is a really popular game. You know, people are gonna expect it to be correct. People are gonna notice everything.' And it's it's a big ask.”

  Raymond Davidson @ ~43:00 — Conveys the pressure of being lead designer on an iconic, beloved game with high community expectations

• “The main difference is there's no one kind of above you, you know, kind of check with, like, 'Is this okay if I do this?' It's like, 'Well, ask yourself—is this okay if I do this?'”

  Raymond Davidson @ ~59:30 — Distinguishes lead designer role from previous collaborative positions; emphasizes autonomy and final decision authority

• “I had to come up with kind of different rules nuances. But, yeah, just kind of everything was just layered in, like, you know, on top.”

  Raymond Davidson @ ~20:00 — Describes additive approach to preserving original code while introducing new mechanics

• “My primary goal when I started on the project was to get the game to just run in Spike 2, you know, with the DMD animations sort of working, and with everything—the rules and stuff—basically just try to get the existing game working.”

  Raymond Davidson @ ~18:00 — Outlines initial technical priority: code compatibility before feature additions

• “I was noticing like, 'Oh, that's weird. The old game has this code that's supposed to light up the Fuel Lane orange, like, when the Fuel Jackpot is lit. But it just doesn't work because it's bugged because this logic is out of order.'”

  Raymond Davidson @ ~48:00 — Demonstrates quality control during conversion process; uncovers legacy bugs

• “When you're the lead, you kind of have to know everything and dig in really deep and get a real fundamental understanding. And you can't just copy and paste things that the lead did, because you know that works.”

  Raymond Davidson @ ~65:00 — Reflects on responsibilities of lead role vs collaborative positions

• “I remember when I was done with every—you know, every old animation had been converted to a new animation. It was like really cool to say, like, 'Here it is. It's all done.' It was just really cool to see it kind of come alive throughout time.”

Entities

Signals

• ?

  community_signal: Hosts played extended playtest session at Stern facility; positive reception to new code and gameplay feel

  high · Josh and Scott spent '2-3 hours' playing game at Stern; Josh expresses strong approval: 'the new code is amazing'

• ?

  design_philosophy: Intentional preservation of original display animation priority system from SAM era to maintain faithful reproduction of classic game feel

  high · Raymond: 'I wanted to keep Metallica the same as it was, because otherwise people would notice and it would be different. And so I wanted to be faithful.'

• ?

  licensing_signal: Metallica band directly involved in production decisions, including inspiration from Rush's LCD concert footage integration

  medium · Raymond: 'the band saw, like, I think it was Rush but it was, like, an LCD concert kind of thing. Like, "Wow, why don't we have something cool like this?"'

• $

  market_signal: Remaster strategy positioned as new revenue avenue for Stern, modernizing classic titles rather than limiting to new IP

  medium · Josh notes: 'this is really a new avenue that Stern is opening up' through remaster releases

• ?

  personnel_signal: Lead code designer role requires significantly broader skill set than collaborative positions, including art team coordination and mechanical designer consultation

  high · Raymond describes learning UV implementation, light effects, and collaboration with Borg on mechanical decisions; emphasizes autonomy in decision-making