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**Disturbed316** · 07-04-2005, 06:03 PM

Info is up. It's 8 pages long

All credit goes to IGN. Link to the article.

SmackDown vs. RAW 2006: World Premiere
First screenshots and gameplay details, roster info, feature improvements, PS3 development, and Buried Alive!
by Jeremy Dunham
July 4, 2005 - After thousands of email requests and more than eight months since WWE SmackDown vs. RAW first hit store shelves, THQ is finally ready to reveal the next iteration of its million-selling franchise to the faithful IGN readership. Officially known as WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 (a title meant to reflect its new direction towards a sports and simulation feel), the new game from Yuke's Media Creations and the Toy Headquarters is undoubtedly the most ambitious game in the series so far. The brand new momentum system, the addition of attributes like Stamina and Hardcore, improved reversal mechanics, enhanced online features, and a host of other cool improvements are just a few of the several-dozen extras planned for this year's wrestling extravaganza.

To get the best possible explanation of what to expect, we sat down with THQ Creative Manager Cory Ledesma and Product Manager Devin Knudsen for the official explanation of all things SvR '06. After almost an hour of conversation and plenty of revelations, here's what they had to say:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IGN: Thanks for doing this guys, we always appreciate it.

Devin Knudsen: Hey man, what's up?

Cory Ledesma: No problem, we have a lot we've been waiting to get out.

IGN: Cool, then let's get started. The title this year is simply WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2006 and it's reminiscent of the naming conventions that a lot of sports games use. Is that the plan for the series from now on or is that just a working title?

Cory Ledesma: Creatively, the product really is more of a sports-style game anyway. I'm not going to say that it's completely a sports game like a Madden, I'm not going to compare it to that, but it has a lot of sports elements and we want to push that angle. Also, wrestling is all about "sports entertainment" anyway -- so it makes a lot of sense to lean towards the sports gamer when naming our game. I mean, I play sports games all the time and usually end wanting to include a lot of the features found in those games in our own and that's the direction we're heading. But no, it's not a working title and that's what we're going for.

The Dead Man is back (Duh).

Besides, it was getting to be a real pain in the ass to figure out new taglines every year. Know Your Role, Here Comes the Pain, Shut Your Mouth, etc. It could have been "You Can't See Me," maybe, but nah.

Devin Knudsen: [laughs] Yeah, but we want them TO see it, though, so 2006 made a lot more sense.

IGN: How long have you been working on it?

Cory Ledesma: We started work right after the last one finished, so since November of 2004. That's when we started our pre-production prototyping phase.

IGN: After going back and looking at it, what did you learn from SmackDown vs. RAW that needed to be addressed for 2006?

Cory Ledesma: We gathered quite an extensive list of improvements and new features that we wanted to add to the game. We gathered a lot of stuff, obviously, from all the reviews we got... especially from you [Laughs]. But we also got a lot from the fans on all the major message boards. In the end, we walked away with a really extensive list and we were really ambitious this year and we are planning on having a lot of new features.

Some of the bigger things that we definitely needed to make some better improvements on, for example, was giving the gameplay an all-new feel. It's obvious that SmackDown has had the same feel for quite awhile, so we really wanted to add a new strategic element to the game as well as start to incorporate the match pacing that you see on WWE programming. We wanted to make it seem like, when you are playing your matches, that it looks and feels like a match you'd see on Spike or UPN -- that is really important to us. And as I hinted earlier, that kind of pacing would add a lot of strategy and a lot of fun to what's already a fun experience. That was really the key for us.

Another big change we wanted to make was to the AI. We felt that the AI was nowhere near as good as it could be, so we're definitely making strides to make substantial improvements in that area.

IGN: On that note, what are some example of the AI improvements and how will that affect the gaming experience?

Cory Ledesma: Breaking it down to basics, it's really all about how the CPU reacts to your actions and how much more calculating they are than before. We went through an extensive process in identifying the areas where the AI doesn't act intelligently and where it was easy to cheat it before. Above average players, for example, could find easy ways around most of the CPU's tactics and beat it really quickly. Knowing that, we did a lot of research and play testing to identify those formulas and weak points to come up with ways to make that better.

Another fix we made was to the AI's difficulty. We realized that the SmackDown fans are diehard and buy each game when they come out, and therefore, were looking for a more challenging experience. So we wanted to make sure that we want to give that to them. We've done that in a number of ways that would be too technical to list here, but playing it you can definitely feel the difference. Casual players needn't worry, though, as they'll be able to enjoy the game too. We've made sure that we've made it fun for both ends of the ability spectrum.

IGN: How does the new momentum system work into this? It's one of your biggest additions this year and I was wondering if you could tell us how it works.

Cory Ledesma: Sure. The momentum system is basically just a better version of something we already had in last year's product. Last year we had a basic adrenaline meter where you just built up your adrenaline to get a basic finisher and we also had the "Dirty/Clean" strategic meter. This momentum system incorporates both of those into one -- so whether you're doing attacks or reversals or taunts (as well as tactics relating to whether you're dirty or clean), you'll build up momentum on the same system. It simplifies the whole process.

IGN: Other than just simplifying the process are there any other benefits that the condensed system brings to the table?

Cory Ledesma: Well, in the adrenaline meter from last year the negative boosts didn't work the way we wanted them to when playing through a match (as in, you never got any). It was just way too limited. Also, if you went on a streak of building your adrenaline meter and got close to using your finisher, no matter how much your opponent beat up on you, your status was unaffected. Now all that has changed and the momentum meter is reflective of how you're doing at all times. This means that just because you were successful in the beginning of the match, it doesn't mean that you'll continue that later on.

Expect cage matches (and every other bout) to play out more realistically.

Devin Knudsen: It really ties into the ebb and flow of a match. You know, in real programming the momentum goes back and forth. Well in our game it wasn't that way. You just built up a certain amount and that's what you had to work with and that was that no matter what was going on. Now it's tied together the way it's supposed to be, so these bouts are going to feel like real WWE contests.

IGN: Has this affected the way that finishers work too?

Cory Ledesma: Definitely. To be fair, it's both similar and different. It's similar in regards to the fact that once you've built your momentum to the max you can decide to use your finisher right then just as before (you'll have about a 10-15 second window of opportunity) or you can store it for future use. What's cool about storing it is where the new stuff comes into play -- as we're giving the user a couple of different options on how to use it down the road.

Of course, you can just use the finisher later on in the match as you always could, but this time, how much damage it does relates to how maxed your momentum meter is at that point. You can also keep it stored altogether and build up your momentum meter a second time to activate a Super Dirty or Super Clean move.

Devin Knudsen: Before you ask your next question, I'd like to add something. The way the whole finishing system works is pretty cool, actually, and not just because we've adjusted the way you earn the moves. It's cool because we reward you for pulling off the finisher at the right time. So, for example, when you first earn your finisher and you have that window of opportunity that Cory mentioned earlier, you'd do a lot more damage at that moment compared to any other time. Using it at some random part of the match later makes it a lot less effective. It's just one of the ways we want to prove that using the timing and momentum of the match has a lot of advantages.

07-04-2005, 06:03 PM	#77
Disturbed316 Posts: 22,695	Info is up. It's 8 pages long All credit goes to IGN. Link to the article. SmackDown vs. RAW 2006: World Premiere First screenshots and gameplay details, roster info, feature improvements, PS3 development, and Buried Alive! by Jeremy Dunham July 4, 2005 - After thousands of email requests and more than eight months since WWE SmackDown vs. RAW first hit store shelves, THQ is finally ready to reveal the next iteration of its million-selling franchise to the faithful IGN readership. Officially known as WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 (a title meant to reflect its new direction towards a sports and simulation feel), the new game from Yuke's Media Creations and the Toy Headquarters is undoubtedly the most ambitious game in the series so far. The brand new momentum system, the addition of attributes like Stamina and Hardcore, improved reversal mechanics, enhanced online features, and a host of other cool improvements are just a few of the several-dozen extras planned for this year's wrestling extravaganza. To get the best possible explanation of what to expect, we sat down with THQ Creative Manager Cory Ledesma and Product Manager Devin Knudsen for the official explanation of all things SvR '06. After almost an hour of conversation and plenty of revelations, here's what they had to say: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IGN: Thanks for doing this guys, we always appreciate it. Devin Knudsen: Hey man, what's up? Cory Ledesma: No problem, we have a lot we've been waiting to get out. IGN: Cool, then let's get started. The title this year is simply WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2006 and it's reminiscent of the naming conventions that a lot of sports games use. Is that the plan for the series from now on or is that just a working title? Cory Ledesma: Creatively, the product really is more of a sports-style game anyway. I'm not going to say that it's completely a sports game like a Madden, I'm not going to compare it to that, but it has a lot of sports elements and we want to push that angle. Also, wrestling is all about "sports entertainment" anyway -- so it makes a lot of sense to lean towards the sports gamer when naming our game. I mean, I play sports games all the time and usually end wanting to include a lot of the features found in those games in our own and that's the direction we're heading. But no, it's not a working title and that's what we're going for. The Dead Man is back (Duh). Besides, it was getting to be a real pain in the ass to figure out new taglines every year. Know Your Role, Here Comes the Pain, Shut Your Mouth, etc. It could have been "You Can't See Me," maybe, but nah. Devin Knudsen: [laughs] Yeah, but we want them TO see it, though, so 2006 made a lot more sense. IGN: How long have you been working on it? Cory Ledesma: We started work right after the last one finished, so since November of 2004. That's when we started our pre-production prototyping phase. IGN: After going back and looking at it, what did you learn from SmackDown vs. RAW that needed to be addressed for 2006? Cory Ledesma: We gathered quite an extensive list of improvements and new features that we wanted to add to the game. We gathered a lot of stuff, obviously, from all the reviews we got... especially from you [Laughs]. But we also got a lot from the fans on all the major message boards. In the end, we walked away with a really extensive list and we were really ambitious this year and we are planning on having a lot of new features. Some of the bigger things that we definitely needed to make some better improvements on, for example, was giving the gameplay an all-new feel. It's obvious that SmackDown has had the same feel for quite awhile, so we really wanted to add a new strategic element to the game as well as start to incorporate the match pacing that you see on WWE programming. We wanted to make it seem like, when you are playing your matches, that it looks and feels like a match you'd see on Spike or UPN -- that is really important to us. And as I hinted earlier, that kind of pacing would add a lot of strategy and a lot of fun to what's already a fun experience. That was really the key for us. Another big change we wanted to make was to the AI. We felt that the AI was nowhere near as good as it could be, so we're definitely making strides to make substantial improvements in that area. IGN: On that note, what are some example of the AI improvements and how will that affect the gaming experience? Cory Ledesma: Breaking it down to basics, it's really all about how the CPU reacts to your actions and how much more calculating they are than before. We went through an extensive process in identifying the areas where the AI doesn't act intelligently and where it was easy to cheat it before. Above average players, for example, could find easy ways around most of the CPU's tactics and beat it really quickly. Knowing that, we did a lot of research and play testing to identify those formulas and weak points to come up with ways to make that better. Another fix we made was to the AI's difficulty. We realized that the SmackDown fans are diehard and buy each game when they come out, and therefore, were looking for a more challenging experience. So we wanted to make sure that we want to give that to them. We've done that in a number of ways that would be too technical to list here, but playing it you can definitely feel the difference. Casual players needn't worry, though, as they'll be able to enjoy the game too. We've made sure that we've made it fun for both ends of the ability spectrum. IGN: How does the new momentum system work into this? It's one of your biggest additions this year and I was wondering if you could tell us how it works. Cory Ledesma: Sure. The momentum system is basically just a better version of something we already had in last year's product. Last year we had a basic adrenaline meter where you just built up your adrenaline to get a basic finisher and we also had the "Dirty/Clean" strategic meter. This momentum system incorporates both of those into one -- so whether you're doing attacks or reversals or taunts (as well as tactics relating to whether you're dirty or clean), you'll build up momentum on the same system. It simplifies the whole process. IGN: Other than just simplifying the process are there any other benefits that the condensed system brings to the table? Cory Ledesma: Well, in the adrenaline meter from last year the negative boosts didn't work the way we wanted them to when playing through a match (as in, you never got any). It was just way too limited. Also, if you went on a streak of building your adrenaline meter and got close to using your finisher, no matter how much your opponent beat up on you, your status was unaffected. Now all that has changed and the momentum meter is reflective of how you're doing at all times. This means that just because you were successful in the beginning of the match, it doesn't mean that you'll continue that later on. Expect cage matches (and every other bout) to play out more realistically. Devin Knudsen: It really ties into the ebb and flow of a match. You know, in real programming the momentum goes back and forth. Well in our game it wasn't that way. You just built up a certain amount and that's what you had to work with and that was that no matter what was going on. Now it's tied together the way it's supposed to be, so these bouts are going to feel like real WWE contests. IGN: Has this affected the way that finishers work too? Cory Ledesma: Definitely. To be fair, it's both similar and different. It's similar in regards to the fact that once you've built your momentum to the max you can decide to use your finisher right then just as before (you'll have about a 10-15 second window of opportunity) or you can store it for future use. What's cool about storing it is where the new stuff comes into play -- as we're giving the user a couple of different options on how to use it down the road. Of course, you can just use the finisher later on in the match as you always could, but this time, how much damage it does relates to how maxed your momentum meter is at that point. You can also keep it stored altogether and build up your momentum meter a second time to activate a Super Dirty or Super Clean move. Devin Knudsen: Before you ask your next question, I'd like to add something. The way the whole finishing system works is pretty cool, actually, and not just because we've adjusted the way you earn the moves. It's cool because we reward you for pulling off the finisher at the right time. So, for example, when you first earn your finisher and you have that window of opportunity that Cory mentioned earlier, you'd do a lot more damage at that moment compared to any other time. Using it at some random part of the match later makes it a lot less effective. It's just one of the ways we want to prove that using the timing and momentum of the match has a lot of advantages.