HB STUDIOS Q&A vol. 3

Teh Mite · Nov 11, 2010

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oNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w

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Glen Gavin: We have been working hard to nail down the core rugby gameplay experience. This is something we are getting closer and closer to achieving.
AJ: Thereâ€™s also been a lot of focus on the licensing and publishing side of things as well. Our direction has been driven somewhat by those elements.

There have been a lot of questions being asked on the forum and a lot of debate taking place about what licenses and competitions the game was going to include. Can you give us an indication of this yet?
AJ: Weâ€™ll announce more about this in the coming months. What I can tell you is that weâ€™re looking to be very focused this year.
The world of licensing in Rugby is very complex making it challenging to deliver a licensed Rugby ***le in the way we have seen in previous years. In the past, EA have done an excellent job of bringing all of the parties to the table â€" something that is accomplished by having a network of business development folks all around the world who are charged with coordinating the licenses in their respective territories.
Any attempt to bring the disparate rights holders on board under a single project is almost prohibitively time consuming as there are so many unions and clubs to coordinate and the dynamics in each territory are unique.

Are you planning to include any sort of team or player creation mode in Rugby 2012?
Glen Gavin: Our focus on this first Next-Gen game is to get the core content right then see what else we can add. We would like to try and get some element of player editing ability in there though, that is still a possibility as I have been reading on the forums how keen you guys are to be able to modify players so itâ€™s something we are still definitely considering.

What current improvements are you looking to make regarding passing the ball? In previous games it was all very "magnetic". Will we need to time our passes better, like the tendency we have seen in recent FIFA games?
Glen Gavin: We did play around with the passing lines early on during our pre-production period. It was something that was very difficult for us to get right as it would become quite frustrating to play. Physics driven animation systems are great for this purpose but are prohibitively expensive to develop and implement. Expect to see the passing working very similar to how it did in the previous rugby games because we know that it works from a fun gameplay standpoint.

Will IRB sevens circuit be included in rugby 2012?
Glen Gavin: Weâ€™d love to do it, itâ€™s something that has come up here on almost every rugby ***le we have created but our focus is on the 15 man game. Sorry, no Sevens this time around.
AJ: With the push for the inclusion of Sevens in the Olympics, and the growing popularity of the IRB Sevens, this is a mode Iâ€™d like to see delivered possibly as DLC in the coming years.

I believe teams must have different approaches to a game (considering weather, team style, and or occasion). Will you possibly implement this?
Glen Gavin: In our past games we always had an element of this going on, it was subtle but it was there. We are looking at that same approach.

Will things like altitude when playing in South Africa for example, have an impact on the players and how far the ball is kicked? Will this affect player fatigue also?
Glen Gavin: This was an interesting feature from FIFA World Cup. The idea is an interesting one for sure but nothing currently in our plans to do this. Now itâ€™s been brought up though I might pose the question to some of the guys to see if itâ€™s something we could do.

Will the team's and player's performance be influenced more by morale and form? (For example winning or losing streaks, playing well or badly in previous games such as tries scored or tackles missed etc).
Glen Gavin: Team and player play will be influenced by the player and team stats. Form and Morale is something weâ€™d like to see back in the future but itâ€™s not one of the core gameplay elements we are focusing on this time around.

Why is it that only the all blacks do their war dance?... Samoa, Tonga and Fiji all have their own war dance also.
Glen Gavin: Back when we first implemented this in Rugby 2005, the New Zealand Maori team actually did some motion capture for us while on tour in Vancouver. While they were doing that we actually got them to motion capture the Haka. It took us a long time to get that sequence right so that we werenâ€™t doing anything that would be disrespectful to the All Blacks and to the Maori people. We require permission to use the Haka in game. Samoa, Tonga and Fiji were unlicensed teams for us back in 2005, nor could we get access to players to motion capture their war dances in the same way we got the Haka. That is the main reason behind it.

Will there be a manager mode where you get offers from other clubs etc. from different leagues, i.e. northern and southern hemisphere?
Glen Gavin: There wonâ€™t be a manager mode in Rugby 2012.

Will goal kicking - as such an important aspect of Rugby - be more in depth this time, with wind, a player's accuracy, proximity to an aggressive opposition crowd etc likely to play more of a part?
Glen Gavin: Goal Kicking will play out in a very similar way to what you have seen previously. That mechanic does take into account wind and the goal kicking ability of the player. As for opposition crowd weighing in that is very unlikely. The best goal kickers in the world are rarely affected by a hostile crowd when it comes to goal kicking anyway.

Will the there be DLC available after release - updated rosters, extra teams, players, stadiums etc??
AJ: DLC is definitely part of our plan. Weâ€™ll talk about this more in the coming months.

Will there be gameplay sliders and if not will you look to implement them in the future? (e.g. NBA2k10)
Glen Gavin: In our shipped product it is unlikely, but itâ€™s something that we may consider as DLC.

How will you decide on which commentators to use?
Glen Gavin: We have actually been looking at the thread on the Rugby Forum about the commentators you guys would like to see in the game. We want to get the guy or guys that are most recognizable and that are excited about being part of our game. We are in contact with some people right now but nothing that we can reveal at this stage.

Do you have a timescale as to when we might see some screenshots or some in game footage?
Glen Gavin: I would love to show you guys something today, but we need to do the right thing by our licensing and publishing partners. You will likely see screenshots before you see footage but it is unlikely that we can show anything before the new year.
AJ: Look at any screenshot from our previous games and count up the licensed elements. The players, the stadium, the ad boards, the kit, the ball, the boots â€" these all require approval before we can release screenshots of the game. That being said, weâ€™re working on getting something lined up so that we can share with you guys how great the game looks this year.

Thanks Guys, we look forward to your next update!

Dizzy · Nov 11, 2010

Well, that pretty much just killed my hopes and dreams... I was looking forward to a managers mode it really would have added longevity to this game.... seems as if we're going to get a game similar to RL Live...

Teh Mite · Nov 11, 2010

People moan that HB aren't telling us anything. HB stop by to tell us some things. People still moan.

Dunno why we bother sometimes.

Dizzy · Nov 11, 2010

Not moaning, just stating how I feel.. I'm still greatful of having this information as it's fresh info on the game I'll be freaking for the next 4 years.. I was just really hyping myself up for a managers mode that's all...

tomwid_88 · Nov 11, 2010

Not trying to be moany or anything, but why is a manager mode difficult to implement? Surely it is simply the case of putting some teams into an order then playing out a season or two with them with the ability to buy players? Doesn't have to be particularly complicated at this stage

Dizzy · Nov 11, 2010

it's not that it's difficult... its just that the guys are focussing more on getting the gameplay right first... they aren't on a very high budget so we kinda have to be greatful for what we get

tomwid_88 · Nov 11, 2010

It just seems to me like something which would be fairly cheap and easy to put in but would add longevity to a game that has lacked in previous ***les.

TRF_Olyy · Nov 11, 2010

08 didn't have a manager mode, and I still play that 3years on, so in the long run I'm not fussed. Hopefully there's an achievements/classic moments/matches type thing similar to 08 in there

I'm more interested than before in how it looks now, though, seeing as they emphasised that it looks great

Conal · Nov 11, 2010

when they say no manager mode does that mean no version of the world league?

Dizzy · Nov 11, 2010

i think so Conal

Conal · Nov 11, 2010

well if they have compeitions and edit modes ill make my own manager mode! ill create my new players as signings

Saints1 · Nov 11, 2010

Well, there's plenty of stuff for you to go picking through there guys.

If you're not happy about an aspect, feel free to air it but state why and don't give problems, give solutions. Personally I'd rather have a good rugby game without myriads of features that actually plays like rugby (see Rugby League Live) but maybe that's just me. Substance over style.

tomwid_88 · Nov 11, 2010

The passing thing concerns me as well, although i understand that it must be a difficult system to change on the budget that they have. It just seemed to me in previous ***les that passing was very difficult to be user controlled - you couldnt control who to pass to other than one man or miss to 2nd man. This means it is much more difficult to implement running lines and other vaguely complex backs moves, which I would have liked to see developed. Maybe a manual passing button like in Pro evo, which you can use and power up to throw the ball wherever you want, difficult to execute but would pull off some stunning passes if done properly

mgstommy · Nov 11, 2010

if there is no world leage or maneger mode the game will suck

mgstommy · Nov 11, 2010

what tomwid88 said

Duckdee · Nov 11, 2010

Bullitt said:
Will IRB sevens circuit be included in rugby 2012?
Glen Gavin: Weâ€™d love to do it, itâ€™s something that has come up here on almost every rugby ***le we have created but our focus is on the 15 man game. Sorry, no Sevens this time around.

Glad we've got that settled.

This update shows me the game is going the way I expected, low-key, but (hopefully) technically sound.

Saints1 · Nov 11, 2010

mgstommy said:
if there is no world leage or maneger mode the game will suck

*facepalm*

Duckdee · Nov 11, 2010

St Helens RLFC said:
*facepalm*

My head hurts, too, and I haven't put the work in you guys do.

Saints1 · Nov 11, 2010

Honestly, if you're not happy about the answers then fine, state your case, that's why HB approached TRF in the first place, a place to get feedback.

"This game hasn't got X mode, it's going to be rubbish" is braindead and unconstructive.

TRF C A Iversen · Nov 11, 2010

St Helens RLFC said:
Honestly, if you're not happy about the answers then fine, state your case, that's why HB approached TRF in the first place, a place to get feedback.

"This game hasn't got X mode, it's going to be rubbish" is braindead and unconstructive.

Totally agree, I just hope the gameplay is extremely sound and there's a good edit mode for the licences they don't get. If that happens then they'll hopefully make enough money from the game and DLC to make a Rugby 2013 or 2014.

To me that should've been a major question for HB Studios, "If the fans buy this game in droves, and you put out some DLC that gets eaten up like mad, will that give some hope of a Rugby 2013 to build on it all and keep the franchise going strong, or is this likely a four yearly World Cup product"?

To me people are being greedy and worrying about this game as though it's the last Rugby game of all time and aren't concerned if there's a chance to re-build the franchise up over 2-3 instalments.

Then if we get a Rugby 2013 or even a 2014, you end up with more and more of these extra (and to my mind less important) features.

I mean what good is manager mode on a game that plays like absolutely balls?

HB STUDIOS Q&A vol. 3

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