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 refinedAI difficulty introduced
Evolution For Wipeout Pulse Implement new features Online play Structured 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 playbackJPEG 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 XXXXXXX Online multiplayer XXXX MP3 playback XX Photo X PlayStation Network X Community website X Data sharing XX DLC XXX Customisation XXX
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!