Are you aiming to make Rugby 2012 a realistic simulation of Rugby, or a more easily accessibly arcade style ***le?
Alastair Jarvis: Although HB has enjoyed success over the past few years creating accessible arcade style games, Rugby 2012 builds on the heritage of HB’s involvement with some of the world’s best sports simulations. The new ***le will be our first Rugby sports simulation on the PS3 and 360.
What areas were you least satisfied with in previous games, and are you confident of addressing them?
Glen Gavin: Rucks have been neglected for far too long.
AJ: We’ve wanted this aspect of the sport to be an element of gameplay rather than “automatic†for some time, but it’s always been identified as an area that presented enormous risk to the flow and pace of the game if we get it wrong â€" flow and pace have always been a key aspects of Rugby gameplay for us and as such we’ve tended to leave it alone.
We were prototyping new ruck mechanics in pre-production of Rugby 08, but the feature was cut. This year it’s back in the plan.
GG: We have been reading feedback and putting together our own ideas on ways to make this part of the game a contest and take a look at ways of speeding this area of the game up. Rugby fans know that a ruck is a complex thing with many different variants, so the key for us will be to break that apart, come up with what makes a ruck exciting and go from there. We are currently prototyping around this area.
AJ: Again, the key is to find mechanics that are fun. As Glen says, we all know the breakdown is a particularly tricky piece to get right on the pitch let alone replicate in a game. Our goal is to build gameplay mechanics around this aspect of the game that will be fun yet challenging and that open this part of the game up while preserving the balance we’re after.
Will there be some sort of a demo version released so that the rugby community can "test" it and provide you with feedback before the full game is released?
GG: There is a lot of overhead to creating a Beta which is what it sounds like you are referring too, but there may be other ways we can look to get feedback by previewing the game to members of the forum or something along those lines. Feedback is something that we value which is why we teamed up with the Rugby Forum in the first place, we just need to figure out the best way of getting face to face with you guys when you are scattered all over the world.
Is there going to be some sort of Video Ref put into the Game?
GG: It’s on the wish list but a lower priority item compared to some other features on the list.
AJ: Building a sports game on this generation of consoles is a massive undertaking and our focus is on building a solid platform for this generation of Rugby gaming. We’ve got to be very rigorous in how we prioritize the features that go into development.
Are you yet able to announce the publisher? If not, do you know when?
AJ: We don’t have an announcement on a publisher at this time though we’re in discussions with a number of potential partners. It’s a key decision for us and it’s not something that we’re going to rush.
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to placing a game like this with a publisher. Obviously, the commercial deal is a key discussion point, but we’re also talking about the distribution reach a publisher has in the key territories for this ***le as well as their plan of attack for marketing the game.
The team continue to plough on and the game is currently looking fantastic. I wish I could share screenshots with you today, but there are licensing restrictions against sharing anything at the moment. Licensing: now there’s a good topic for another Q&A down the line.
Alastair Jarvis: Although HB has enjoyed success over the past few years creating accessible arcade style games, Rugby 2012 builds on the heritage of HB’s involvement with some of the world’s best sports simulations. The new ***le will be our first Rugby sports simulation on the PS3 and 360.
What areas were you least satisfied with in previous games, and are you confident of addressing them?
Glen Gavin: Rucks have been neglected for far too long.
AJ: We’ve wanted this aspect of the sport to be an element of gameplay rather than “automatic†for some time, but it’s always been identified as an area that presented enormous risk to the flow and pace of the game if we get it wrong â€" flow and pace have always been a key aspects of Rugby gameplay for us and as such we’ve tended to leave it alone.
We were prototyping new ruck mechanics in pre-production of Rugby 08, but the feature was cut. This year it’s back in the plan.
GG: We have been reading feedback and putting together our own ideas on ways to make this part of the game a contest and take a look at ways of speeding this area of the game up. Rugby fans know that a ruck is a complex thing with many different variants, so the key for us will be to break that apart, come up with what makes a ruck exciting and go from there. We are currently prototyping around this area.
AJ: Again, the key is to find mechanics that are fun. As Glen says, we all know the breakdown is a particularly tricky piece to get right on the pitch let alone replicate in a game. Our goal is to build gameplay mechanics around this aspect of the game that will be fun yet challenging and that open this part of the game up while preserving the balance we’re after.
Will there be some sort of a demo version released so that the rugby community can "test" it and provide you with feedback before the full game is released?
GG: There is a lot of overhead to creating a Beta which is what it sounds like you are referring too, but there may be other ways we can look to get feedback by previewing the game to members of the forum or something along those lines. Feedback is something that we value which is why we teamed up with the Rugby Forum in the first place, we just need to figure out the best way of getting face to face with you guys when you are scattered all over the world.
Is there going to be some sort of Video Ref put into the Game?
GG: It’s on the wish list but a lower priority item compared to some other features on the list.
AJ: Building a sports game on this generation of consoles is a massive undertaking and our focus is on building a solid platform for this generation of Rugby gaming. We’ve got to be very rigorous in how we prioritize the features that go into development.
Are you yet able to announce the publisher? If not, do you know when?
AJ: We don’t have an announcement on a publisher at this time though we’re in discussions with a number of potential partners. It’s a key decision for us and it’s not something that we’re going to rush.
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to placing a game like this with a publisher. Obviously, the commercial deal is a key discussion point, but we’re also talking about the distribution reach a publisher has in the key territories for this ***le as well as their plan of attack for marketing the game.
The team continue to plough on and the game is currently looking fantastic. I wish I could share screenshots with you today, but there are licensing restrictions against sharing anything at the moment. Licensing: now there’s a good topic for another Q&A down the line.
