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