don’t mess with great gameplay! how wipeout innovated on psp clark davies, designer studio...

Don’t Mess With Great Gameplay!

How Wipeout Innovated On PSP

Clark Davies, Designer

Studio Liverpool

There are very few brand new concepts. Often it is a case of arranging old pieces

together in new and different ways. Communication to the player is key.

- Tetsuya Mizuguchi

Introduction

• The Need For Player Empowerment

• Focus On Hardware

• Creative Tools / Customisable Features• Building The Community

• Wrap-up

The Need For Player Empowerment

How Games Innovate Over Time

• 99%ers

How Games Innovate Over Time

• Sea changers

How Games Innovate Over Time

• Evolvers

How Wipeout Evolved Over Time

• PlayStation era

• Anti-grav racing, speed classes, airbrakes, weapons

• Energy system, pitlanes

• Boost mechanic

How Wipeout Evolved Over Time

• PlayStation 2 era

• Off-road sections

• ‘Surface locked’ ship handling

• Upgrade system

• Zone mode

How Wipeout Evolved Over Time

• PlayStation Portable era

• Refocus

• DLC

• Track building

• Graphic design

• Handling and mechanics

Number 2 on Metacritic PSP

1 million+ sales

Evolution For Wipeout Pulse

• Improve accessibility

Handling model refined AI difficulty introduced

Evolution For Wipeout Pulse

• Implement new features

Online playStructured solo game

Evolution For Wipeout Pulse

• Responding to feedback

• Focus group test results:• Novice gamers needed ‘safe’ introduction

• Solo events given prominence

• Zone mode as emergent tutorial

The Next Step

Focus On Hardware

Hardware Strengths = New Features

• Multiple file format support

MP3 music playback JPEG photo mode

Hardware Strengths = New Features

• Upgradeable firmware

PLAYSTATION®Network support

Hardware Strengths = New Features

• Wifi – data sharing

• Built in web browser

Handheld philosophy

• Bite size gameplay– Short races, shallow menus

• Automatic saving and loading• Every gameplay session is positive

– Loyalty points

• Customisable controls

Creative Tools For Players

Ship Skin Editor

• Flash application• Simple interface• Outsourced• Cut and paste features

Custom Grid Editor

• Create your own single player campaign• Additional functionality

– Larger grids– Custom tournaments– Adjustable targets

• Share grids over wifi• Fansites

Building The Community

The Online Fan Base

• Wipeoutzone.com– Forums– Manual leaderboards

• European fan-meet– Ad-hoc play– Pulse announced

Wipeout-game.com

• 8 month timescale• PSN integration• Profile upload• Team allegiance + stats tracking• Ongoing project• Relaunch for HD

Moderation

• Ship skins– Online moderation– In-game moderation

• Website– PSN integration

Wrap-up

Feature comparison

Wipeout Pulse

NFS Pro Street

Crazy Taxi

Burnout Dominator

Test Drive Unlimited

Juiced 2

Sega Rally

Ad-hoc multiplayer X X X X X X X

Online multiplayer X X X X

MP3 playback X X

Photo X

PlayStation Network X

Community website X

Data sharing X X

DLC X X X

Customisation X X X

Conclusions

• Innovation doesn’t have to be driven by gameplay• Applying existing features to the handheld space is valid• A player-centric philosophy is a suitable replacement for

narrative

Thanks for your time!