Post by #HEEL Dark Lord on Sept 28, 2007 20:17:00 GMT -5
September 28, 2007 - THQ&A: WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008
The fans fired off their wrestling questions, and the publisher is ready to respond.
At IGN, we like to think we're pretty good to our readers. We give our honest opinions on games, we create dazzling video features, and we even answer e-mails.
Some of them.
See, for months we've been getting e-mails about SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 -- I'm talking before the game was even announced. Before we had the game, it was impossible for us to answer them. Even now with several different builds of the game, there's no way to answer every Ashley attire and roster complaint that you crazed readers send in.
But we're not abandoning you. We're just turning you over to the folks behind the game -- namely THQ Senior Creative Manager Cory Ledesma. Here's how it works: Superfans report to the IGN SmackDown Message Board, they post their questions in our official thread, and THQ responds to the ones we submit.
Can you dig it, sucka?
About This Roster …
The roster this year has down-sized considerably, what were the main factors affecting this? Will the roster expand through downloadable superstars?
-- Backcracker_uk
This is a good question and one I'm sure our fans are very curious about. There are many factors that affect the roster size. Our development cycle is approximately 16 months long, so it takes a very long to develop the great game our fans love to play. During this development cycle we need to decide the roster very early so that we can begin to model, animate and record the Superstars for the game. Since the roster is decided rather early, situations happen in the WWE that change the landscape of our roster. Superstars come and go, characters change, etc. Although we planned for a bigger roster this year, there were some unfortunate events that change our overall roster total. Keeping up with the departure and arrival of new Superstars is one of our biggest challenges. Adding Superstars to the roster during our development cycle has proved very challenging, but a challenge we are definitely looking to solve in the very near future. We promise!
Another factor to consider is the time it takes to create the Superstar models. Each model takes 5-6 weeks to create from scratch. A lot of comparisons have been made between past games and the size of their rosters to current games. Creating models on the PS and PS2 platforms take far less time to create then the 'next-gen' platforms, which gave us a little more flexibility in adding more characters and updating the roster. Also developing and creating characters for all the different platforms is a whole new challenge in itself!
We will continue to improve and grow with the times and continue striving to give you the roster that you hope for. As I'm sure you know, it's impossible to please everyone. All and all, having over 50 playable characters in a fighting game is quite impressive and we will continue to push that limit. We also try to find a healthy balance between quality and quantity so that we don't short-change our fans with poor looking models or animations. Also, don't forget that we've improved our Create-A-Superstar mode so that fans can create the Superstars and Legends that they most want to see.
FYI on GM Mode
How will General Manager mode be implemented in wwe 24/7. Plus will you be able to do everything in last years gm mode such as sign superstars and setup rivalries and matches. Also what new features can we expect from this years general manager mode?
-- Farhan_RKO
I can't answer your question right now, but we'll be announcing information on WWE 24/7 mode very shortly. When we do, hopefully all (or at the very least most) of your questions will be answered.
Will Someone PLEASE Start the Fire
We've seen many match-types in the SmackDown series, we now have over one hundred. A match that I personally have been waiting for since WWF Attitude in 1998 is the Inferno Match. How long do you think it will take to introduce this match type, and why haven't we seen it in the series so far?
-- Subzero1233
That is indeed a very good match type and one that we would like to implement in the future. We take a look at a lot of different match types that we feel would be exciting to add. I hear a lot of requests for the I Quit Match, Ambulance Match and Bull-Rope Match. What's so exciting about the WWE is that there are so many matches and they continue to add new ones each year. Our creative team has a lot of thinking to do about what we think would be the most fun match type to add in the future. As you can tell from our track record, we usually add one or two new match types a year. The key is to add a match type that is current in WWE programming as well as fun to play. I think we have some good ideas in store for future titles!
XTREME!
has the swanton bomb been re-animated
-- Xtreme_rko
Yes, the Swanton Bomb has been re-animated. The impact of the finisher looks great too! We've updated a lot of moves and we will continue to do so each year. There is no doubt that you guys will be able to notice a big difference this year in all of our new navigational and move animations. We've made some big changes!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demo Calling
Will there be a demo for the 360 this year too?
-- Moose205
Absolutely there's a demo! Keep an eye out for it in the next couple of weeks.
How Does It Work?
What is the process that you have to go through in order to decide which superstars make it into the game?
-- Jeff_Hardy_Rulez
THQ and the WWE work together to decide the roster each year. We take a look at who are the most popular Superstars at the time, try to divide up a pretty equal amount of Superstars per show, factor in Superstars who have never been in the series before and then also think about who would make great 'game' characters. We then propose a roster to WWE that we feel comfortable and confident about creating. The WWE then offers suggestions on the roster and we work together to nail down a final list. The WWE, of course, has final say on everything!
The fans fired off their wrestling questions, and the publisher is ready to respond.
At IGN, we like to think we're pretty good to our readers. We give our honest opinions on games, we create dazzling video features, and we even answer e-mails.
Some of them.
See, for months we've been getting e-mails about SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 -- I'm talking before the game was even announced. Before we had the game, it was impossible for us to answer them. Even now with several different builds of the game, there's no way to answer every Ashley attire and roster complaint that you crazed readers send in.
But we're not abandoning you. We're just turning you over to the folks behind the game -- namely THQ Senior Creative Manager Cory Ledesma. Here's how it works: Superfans report to the IGN SmackDown Message Board, they post their questions in our official thread, and THQ responds to the ones we submit.
Can you dig it, sucka?
About This Roster …
The roster this year has down-sized considerably, what were the main factors affecting this? Will the roster expand through downloadable superstars?
-- Backcracker_uk
This is a good question and one I'm sure our fans are very curious about. There are many factors that affect the roster size. Our development cycle is approximately 16 months long, so it takes a very long to develop the great game our fans love to play. During this development cycle we need to decide the roster very early so that we can begin to model, animate and record the Superstars for the game. Since the roster is decided rather early, situations happen in the WWE that change the landscape of our roster. Superstars come and go, characters change, etc. Although we planned for a bigger roster this year, there were some unfortunate events that change our overall roster total. Keeping up with the departure and arrival of new Superstars is one of our biggest challenges. Adding Superstars to the roster during our development cycle has proved very challenging, but a challenge we are definitely looking to solve in the very near future. We promise!
Another factor to consider is the time it takes to create the Superstar models. Each model takes 5-6 weeks to create from scratch. A lot of comparisons have been made between past games and the size of their rosters to current games. Creating models on the PS and PS2 platforms take far less time to create then the 'next-gen' platforms, which gave us a little more flexibility in adding more characters and updating the roster. Also developing and creating characters for all the different platforms is a whole new challenge in itself!
We will continue to improve and grow with the times and continue striving to give you the roster that you hope for. As I'm sure you know, it's impossible to please everyone. All and all, having over 50 playable characters in a fighting game is quite impressive and we will continue to push that limit. We also try to find a healthy balance between quality and quantity so that we don't short-change our fans with poor looking models or animations. Also, don't forget that we've improved our Create-A-Superstar mode so that fans can create the Superstars and Legends that they most want to see.
FYI on GM Mode
How will General Manager mode be implemented in wwe 24/7. Plus will you be able to do everything in last years gm mode such as sign superstars and setup rivalries and matches. Also what new features can we expect from this years general manager mode?
-- Farhan_RKO
I can't answer your question right now, but we'll be announcing information on WWE 24/7 mode very shortly. When we do, hopefully all (or at the very least most) of your questions will be answered.
Will Someone PLEASE Start the Fire
We've seen many match-types in the SmackDown series, we now have over one hundred. A match that I personally have been waiting for since WWF Attitude in 1998 is the Inferno Match. How long do you think it will take to introduce this match type, and why haven't we seen it in the series so far?
-- Subzero1233
That is indeed a very good match type and one that we would like to implement in the future. We take a look at a lot of different match types that we feel would be exciting to add. I hear a lot of requests for the I Quit Match, Ambulance Match and Bull-Rope Match. What's so exciting about the WWE is that there are so many matches and they continue to add new ones each year. Our creative team has a lot of thinking to do about what we think would be the most fun match type to add in the future. As you can tell from our track record, we usually add one or two new match types a year. The key is to add a match type that is current in WWE programming as well as fun to play. I think we have some good ideas in store for future titles!
XTREME!
has the swanton bomb been re-animated
-- Xtreme_rko
Yes, the Swanton Bomb has been re-animated. The impact of the finisher looks great too! We've updated a lot of moves and we will continue to do so each year. There is no doubt that you guys will be able to notice a big difference this year in all of our new navigational and move animations. We've made some big changes!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demo Calling
Will there be a demo for the 360 this year too?
-- Moose205
Absolutely there's a demo! Keep an eye out for it in the next couple of weeks.
How Does It Work?
What is the process that you have to go through in order to decide which superstars make it into the game?
-- Jeff_Hardy_Rulez
THQ and the WWE work together to decide the roster each year. We take a look at who are the most popular Superstars at the time, try to divide up a pretty equal amount of Superstars per show, factor in Superstars who have never been in the series before and then also think about who would make great 'game' characters. We then propose a roster to WWE that we feel comfortable and confident about creating. The WWE then offers suggestions on the roster and we work together to nail down a final list. The WWE, of course, has final say on everything!
