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I wasn't planning to make
another wrestling game this year and you certainly weren't expecting to play
one, but the encouraging developments of Reach have re-written the
script for both of us! Everything from the polished visuals to the refined
gameplay has been crying out to fulfil its potential in a different kind of
ring, and it would be foolhardy to ignore the call of my most enduring
creation. It comes at a testing time though. Aside from making the headlines
for all the wrong reasons, wrestling is once again suffering from a dip in
form - and the demand for it is the lowest it's been since I've been
contributing to the genre. However, that's my cue to turn a negative into a
positive by offering THE contribution that turns it all around...
27th January 2008
After 6 long months of solid
work, I'm pleased to announce that the game is practically complete! I say
"practically" because having a finished game in your hands is just the
beginning. I've still got to re-write the instruction manuals and finalize some
other presentational details. Plus I'll need the few remaining days of January
for some intensive testing to make sure everything pans out properly. The single
biggest development that has brought us to this point is that all 200 characters
are present and correct. If you're curious to know who made the cut, where they
ended up, and what they look like, look no further than this huge
cast list
montage. Imagine making all of those on your own in just 2 weeks! The standard
is pretty high this time too - with much more thought going into who's there and
what their role is. I can also offer you a few random screenshots. Here's the
Steve Austin character hosting a special student
training
session (which was great by the way - we beat him with a double-team
move onto a chair!), here's the
Vince McMahon
booker (backed by Shane) about to trick me into signing up for $90 per week, and
here's Ricki
Choshu taking a baseball bat to Toshiaki Kawada in a rare moment of
madness. All of which you'll be able to experience yourself - in addition to
your own stories - when the game is released a couple of weeks from now...
22nd January 2008
The game continues to progress
incredibly well as it swaggers towards completion. I was expecting the final few
weeks to be a sleepless nightmare, but it's actually the least stressful end to
a project I've had for quite some time. The improved editor has ensured that the
considerable task of making 200 characters is more of a pleasure than a chore -
as scores of new creations pile in on a daily basis. Maple Leaf Grappling's
new identity as the wholesome home of mat wrestling has also given the rosters a
much-needed shake up. All the Canadian or technically-minded characters (such as
Bret Hart and Chris Benoit) have migrated there, and plenty of other changes
have been made to balance out the remaining rosters. The whole process should be
over by the end of the week, and that'll pretty much be the last piece falling
into place. Along the way, I've also been expanding on Wrestling Encore's
career possibilities for this new game. All of the promos from Booking Encore
have now been successfully woven into the game - which wasn't true of even the
latest of Wrestling Encore updates. That automatically throws up a dozen
new situations that you won't have experienced in this environment before.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of brand new ones too. For a start, the tournaments
have got a couple of their own for talking about making it through to the next
round or being part of the final. As in the post-match magazine reports, the
referee even points out who the winner will face in the next round - which makes
it all feel very well organized! There's also a special attribute comparison
promo, which plays out like an in-ring version of Reach's press
conferences. Simple "I'm stronger than you! I'm faster than you!" stuff, but
it's good to see characters talking about real strengths and weaknesses rather
than generic ones. Thanks to the sophisticated new relationship system, we've
also got some good ones about hooking up with an old friend when they join your
promotion or you join theirs. Plus so many others that it would spoil the
surprise to list them all...
18th January 2008
The range of costumes has been
well and truly finalized - right down to being rearranged into a coherent order
and being provided in efficient low resolution versions (which will probably be
the standard because there are so many of them). That in turn means the
characters are piling in on a daily basis - and after all these months, we're
finally seeing the game as it was meant to be seen! No matter how you feel about
the game so far, you can times it by 10 now that the proper textures are making
it look its best, the proper move sets are making it feel good, and the proper
stats are making things pan out beautifully. I've yet to have a bad match! My
caricatures of Demolition (the Smash character now has a partner) and my version
of the Hardy Boyz worked an
incredible match
here. The Hardy Boyz giving us a masterclass in hardcore high-flying action, and
Demolition giving us a masterclass in tag team chemistry and Heel conniving. It
ended, rather realistically, when Ax distracted the referee and Smash nailed
Jeff Hardy with a steel chair for the cheap pinfall. Meanwhile, in the lead
shot, my Mitsuharu Misawa and Kensuke Sasaki characters wrestled up a storm on
the other side of the Pacific. It's testament to the game's diversity that their
suplex-filled reversal-fest can exist alongside the hardcore stuff - and still
be no less entertaining! In addition to the costumes, we've also seen a dozen
new taunts added since Reach - most of which are better than ever.
Hogan's cupped ear is now in there, and there's all manner of animalistic
chest-thumping for people like the Ultimate Warrior. There's also a slightly
improved feminine stance to make sure the women don't look too masculine
(although that seems to be impossible in my games!). Likewise, the range of
theme tunes has been revised and finalized for this game. The range now numbers
40 rather than Reach's 35 - but there are actually 10 new ones because 5
of the weaker themes were replaced. Churning out so many pieces of music in such
a short space of time makes it a bit of a rush job, but there's plenty of
interesting stuff in there to use...
14th January 2008
Apologies for the lack of
updates. You'll be pleased to know it's because I've been locked away all
weekend piling in some serious content! I'm pleased to say that the costume
possibilities are practically complete - with the range of leg wear spilling
beyond 100, and the range of bodies not far behind. There are some truly great
creations in there too - too many to mention in fact. The quality of Rey
Mysterio's leggings in
this shot
should give you some clue as to what to expect, as should
this shot
of Rob Van Dam's slightly modified new look. We'll slowly start to see the rest
as I get down to the business of making all 200 characters properly - which is
something I've been waiting to do for months! The range of moves has also been
finalized for this instalment of the game. The number falls slightly short of
what we're used to from Booking Encore (you can hear them whining
already), but it's in keeping with where the original Wrestling Encore
was upon its release. The remaining moves - none of which are particularly
popular anyway - will follow in subsequent updates. The last few creations to
round out the selection have certainly ended my animation work on a high note.
Everyone's favourite move, the "Choke Slam", has finally been done justice with
a great animation worthy of WWF No Mercy. Meanwhile, there's a nice "Underhook
Suplex", a much improved "Reverse DDT" that drops vertically rather than
lurching backwards, an equally good new "Reverse Suplex", and an "MDKO" (a move
of my own invention) which isn't quite so stiff. Above all else, I've also
nailed a couple of behind-the-scenes programming problems that have been
bothering me since before Christmas! All that remains now is to do 2 weeks of
wrapping up, and we should be on course for a mid-February release...
9th January 2008
After an arduous start to the new
year, the project finally seems to be in good shape again. A string of yet more
great moves has brought the range tantalizingly close to completion (or at least
up to speed with what we had in Wrestling Encore). Impact moves such as
the above "Standing Clothesline" and a "Spear" are better than ever. Although
people will always criticize the Spear for being triggered by a grapple, the
fact that it's designed to work like that makes for a perfect animation. Ditto
the clothesline, which now tears down the victim like Bradshaw's "Clothesline
From Hell"! There's also a slightly improved "Russian Legsweep" and a superb
"X-Factor", which is a candidate for the nicest move in the game. The biggest
development of the week so far, however, is that the exhaustive range of
backstage possibilities has finally caught up with Wrestling Encore. I
thought that side of things would never end, but now everything that was good
about the last game is back and working better than ever. All that remains now
is to pad it out with brand new storylines - of which there are many in the
pipeline. One revolves around keeping a record of who you've teamed with or been
friends with, so that we can have accurate "back together" storylines to make
team scenarios more meaningful. The highlight of the new storylines, however, is
the modified new "Product Endorsement" opportunity. Instead of promoting a beer,
it's now possible to be given ANY prop in the game to endorse! You're then
subjected to a mortifying promo, where your character carries the item with him
into the ring and claims that buying one has changed his life - which is
particularly amusing if it turns out to be a "brick" or a "metal pipe"...
5th January 2008
After a lengthy absence, there
are now no fewer than 17 new clips of Wrestling MPire 2008 to watch at my
YouTube channel! They all show some interesting features that you haven't
seen in other clips, so be sure to work through them all. Please bear in mind
that the choppiness is down to the recording software though, and isn't an
accurate representation of the pure game. Also note that the characters featured
aren't finalized in any way. They were quickly knocked up to make the videos
more visually relevant, so their move sets and attributes are pretty much
random. And that brings us neatly onto the latest developments, because you can
see most of the new moves in there. A beautiful "Tornado DDT", an adequate "Hip
Toss", and a good "Gutwrench Suplex" are the latest ones to be added. The only
problem is my newfound perfectionism is still making it a time-consuming affair
- with each move swallowing at least 2 hours of my valuable time. Work has still
managed to go into the career mode though, and we've seen the return of some of
the more interesting meetings and career possibilities - such as being offered
drugs and being asked to fix certain matches. All of which are implemented
better than ever before...
31st December 2007
An intensive weekend of content
creation has edged the game a little closer to completion. The masks and
painted faces have developed yet further - featuring dedicated new designs for
Road Warrior
Animal and
Demolition's
Smash, so that they no longer have to make do with existing faces. As
promised, the costumes are there alongside them too - featuring an updated
version of Demolition's studded leather, a dedicated brown Mankind costume,
and some red-trimmed items that come in handy for The Legion Of Doom and
Vader. Meanwhile, plenty of classics are in there and better than ever - such
as Mr Perfect's black & blue "V" leotard, and all manner of colourful leggings
such as those used above for my Edge caricature. I've had to make absolutely
every possibility because variable colours no longer work under the game's new
graphical system, but the upside to that extra work is that they all look
exactly as they should! And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The real work
of the weekend has been in churning out a good 3 moves per day instead of one
or two. The latest ones being a decent "Drop Toe Hold", a more energetic
"Samoan Drop",
a beautiful "Snapmare", a painful looking
"Neckbreaker",
and a much improved "Death Valley Driver" and "DDT" - both of which benefit
from sending the victim hurtling forwards on a sore neck like the Swanton
Bomb! But it's not all graphical. Back on the programming side of things, a
new way of editing relationships has had to be implemented. Since each
character has a unique setting for every other character in the game, you now
do it by accessing a special character selection process where you click on
whoever you want and highlight them either red or green (or nothing at all) -
representing enemies and friends respectively. In that manner, you can
carefully set up a realistic network of who each wrestler is and isn't
friendly with - and there's even a randomization option if you can't be
bothered!
28th December 2007
The game has reached that rare
benchmark of 100 screenshots, and what an encouraging screenshot it is! After a
lazy week of festivities, I've eased the game back into production with some
solid work on masks and painted faces. As you can see, the painted faces now
have as much character as any other kind of face - not to mention all the usual
details that come with high resolution. It meant they were twice as hard to put
together, but the results are there to be enjoyed in the editor - featuring the
best Sting, Goldust, and Great Muta caricatures yet. The masked creations aren't
quite as revelatory, and simply tidy up what we had before instead of replacing
it. The Mankind contraption, however, does benefit from wrapping all over the
head like the Vader mask - so you no longer have to hide it behind thick hair.
By the time you read this, a healthy dose of new costumes should have joined
these faces to complete the characterization. That's what's holding me back
right now. I've got 200 characters to make, and yet I can't make a single one
until every item of clothing is in place and every move is there to be picked
(otherwise I'd only have to make them again). Thankfully, the project is
reaching the point where I'll soon have entire days to spend on just that...
21st December 2007
The moves continue to impress.
The above silky smooth new "German Suplex" is now available, and it benefits
from sending the victim hurtling head over heels Japanese style! The move can't
be held, so it might as well do that. A much improved "Back Suplex" is also in
there, and benefits from having more of a dropping motion than the stiff old
one. I was rather hoping a new "Atomic Drop" would follow suit, but it hasn't
been too faithful to what I made in 3D Studio MAX and looks merely
adequate. The impact is sold better though - as the victim cradles their
rear-end and sinks to the ground! Meanwhile, the rest of my time has been spent
crunching numbers for the career mode. The
Top 10 lists
have made a triumphant return in their own right - allowing you to study more
information in a more palatable way than the character selection rankings can
muster. Stat fiends will also be pleased to know that there are more categories
than ever. For a start, as in Reach, all of the other wrestlers have
career records like yours - so it's possible to compare the experience and win
rates of everybody as with any other statistic. And there's even a handful of
dedicated lists for you - which chart your experience, success, and title reigns
across every promotion you've worked for! Best of all, the title histories from
Booking Encore are an official part of this game from the start - and
they go even further by offering histories of EVERY title (including the lineage
of bookers and cup winners!). You could spend all day browsing those pages once
you're deep into an illustrious career. Speaking of statistics, a similar
feature is that the career mode now has a "learning" system - whereby you slowly
unlock moves, attacks, taunts, costumes, and even theme songs by encountering
them in the ring! Upon creating your character you can choose whatever you want,
but from then on you're stuck with those settings until you get out into the
real world and see wrestlers living their lives differently. You're then
reminded of what you've acquired in the weekly news ("You've learnt XX new moves
since last week..."), and can take that as a prompt to go and update your move
set. As restrictive as it sounds, I suspect the realism of evolving as an
athlete will make it all worthwhile...
18th December 2007
The game is finally starting to
look as good as it plays - as the arrival of some recognizable characters gives
the action a familiar feel. As you can see, Hulk Hogan's red & yellow outfit is
back and looking better than ever with its advanced detail. His face is even
provided at a
darker complexion if you'd prefer (although I think it's a tanning
session too far myself!). Speaking of which, a dedicated Rock face is in there
too - although the hairstyle still lets the caricature down. That's becoming
true of a lot of characters. As good as the hairstyles are within themselves,
very few of them are 100% faithful to what these guys require. One thing Rock
fans can rejoice about, though, is a much improved
"Rock Bottom"
move animation! It does for him what the great new Stunner does for Austin, and
gives a major character a major move to be proud of. Other costume revelations
include the best Dusty Rhodes "polka dots" design yet and a more ambiguous
Ultimate Warrior costume that replaces the eye patterns with inoffensive stars
(which will probably extend to the face paint too). In case you're not aware,
our intense friend is extremely litigious and I don't want too many lawsuits
thrown my way when this becomes one of the most popular wrestling games of all
time! Elsewhere, the range of attacks has pretty much caught up with
Wrestling Encore thanks to all manner of
kicks.
There are a great new side kicks and high kicks in the standard attacks - as
well as the best "Shuffle Kick", "Big Boot", and "Spinning Kick" power attacks
yet. All of which make good use of the game's inch-perfect collision detection.
And I'll leave you with news that the prospect of a character's portrait
appearing on the video screen is now handled better than ever. For a start,
whenever they appear the character's height is taken into consideration to make
sure it's the cleanest crop possible. Plus the "pixelated" overlay actually
makes it look like a video image rather than a plain one. Above all else, they
now actually have a use beyond memorial shows because the screens occasionally
show the portraits of the wrestlers involved in a match - especially during
entrances and after victories...
15th December 2007
I appear to have invented a time
machine. Whenever I look up from animating a move an entire morning has passed,
and whenever I look up from programming a few storylines an entire afternoon has
passed! I'd normally be thrilled at the ability to bend time and space, but it's
not ideal when I'm racing to get this thing finished before the end of the year.
The good news is that the work being done is of a very high quality. Yet more
great moves have flooded into the game - the latest being a much improved
"Inverted Atomic Drop", a regular "Backbreaker", and a superb "Stone Cold
Stunner" (at last!). I studied AKI's fantastic version of that and pulled
out all the stops to get mine looking similar. Unfortunately, a static shot
doesn't do it justice so you'll have to hold out for some video. There's a
steady flow of other attacks to pad out the possibilities too. A kicking version
of the stomp is back in there, along with a quick double-axe handle ground
attack for wrestlers that insist on using their hands for everything! There's
also a much improved "Big Splash" at ground level. Meanwhile, there's a feminine
slap and a great chest chop for attacking upstairs - both of which benefit from
the more precise collision detection. Speaking of moves and attacks, another
little twist which I'm pleased about is that the unusual things such as spitting
and dust throwing are now available as grapple moves as well as stand alone
attacks. That means you can squeeze them into someone's arsenal without them
being used quite so often. In other news, the career side of things has been
dominated by inter-promotional issues - and there are yet more advances there.
For a start, it's now possible to have an industry-wide inter-promotional
contest rather than a battle between 2 specific companies. In that situation,
the one-on-one matches become 6-way brawls featuring representatives from each
promotion (usually the champions). To top it off, there's even a great new promo
which introduces them as such - complete with the camera turning to each
participant and making them taunt when their name is announced! Some other
inter-promotional issues also have more in common with Booking Encore
than the original Wrestling Encore. For instance, foreign invasions can
now lead to an inter-promotional as they did in that game - and it's also
possible to take part in a 4-on-4 war after your solo match is over. Oh, and I
forgot that the whole purpose of this post was to talk about yet more great new
costumes - such as the star-spangled red & blue leotard that the Kurt Angle
inspired character is wearing in the shot...
11th December 2007
Speaking of which, the first
release of 2008 continues to shape up well. As you can see, a modified new pink
& black Bret Hart costume is the latest to look better in high resolution. It
comes in all pink and all black variations now as well, so you can mix and match
to recreate your favourite of the 4 possibilities. Meanwhile, the steady flow of
new moves includes a decent "Arm Bar" submission hold at the head, a much
improved "Ankle
Lock" at the legs, and a new "Side Slam" and "Side Backbreaker" amongst
the standing moves - neither of which are perfect, but they are considerably
better than what we had before. In other news, the backstage possibilities
continue to catch up with Wrestling Encore. Team formation (and break-up)
issues are in there now, along with similar conversations about management. The
opportunity to play secondary roles also makes a welcome return, as you assess
offers to assist at ringside, serve as referee, or work a second match that
night. An interesting new twist there is that it's no good saying no to the
booker when you haven't got creative control! This version's so realistic it'll
make you cry...
8th December 2007
As you can see, yet another
double-team move has been added. This "Double Lift" is triggered when wrestlers
are standing on either side of a victim, and brings the possibilities to a
healthy total of 5. Not bad considering there were ZERO in the original game!
Elsewhere, the ground moves are almost up to speed with Wrestling Encore.
A nice Crossface
Clutch and a perfunctory "Bow & Arrow Hold" give you two more
possibilities at the head. As you can tell from the shot, the costume
possibilities are also starting to emulate the original games. A sharper version
of Jushin Liger's red & white gear (all the better for being high resolution) is
in there, and there's a similarly improved black & red kimono for The Great
Sasuke. These masked characters once again have access to horns as headwear too,
which helps to create the illusion of a mask. As for the career mode, the big
news is that the countless
meetings
are slowly being added. All manner of "missions" are already in there (although
they're more in tune with Reach than any previous wrestling game).
Various opportunities to change your allegiance have also got the ball rolling
when it comes to talking to your peers. The sophisticated new network of
relationships really comes into play there. Every pleasant exchange with a
character puts a friendship on file, whereas every disagreement creates another
of many potential enemies. The days of having one preset friend and one preset
enemy have given way to something amusingly complicated...
5th December 2007
The game continues to make
strides in several key areas as the finished product finally starts to take
shape. One such feature that I'm pleased to have out of the way is the new-look
health meters.
As you can see, it's the same old story of a name line and photo accompanying a
green meter - but the presentation is a notch sharper this time. It's hard to do
anything more ambitious when there could be anywhere between 2 and 10 such
meters to display! However, the game is coping with the unpredictability
surprisingly well. A sophisticated new system now sifts through the characters
and only displays the ones that are relevant to you - removing those that have
been eliminated or adding those that have just joined the action. And it
constantly rearranges the layout upon doing so to ensure things always look
their best. A nice new highlighting system is even used in tag matches to
indicate the legal man. There's even an option setting for these meters which
allows you to tone it down to "discreet" for large matches - thereby sticking
strictly to the top row. In other news, the all-important promos have finally
started to appear in the career mode. At the moment it's a direct import of what
we had in Wrestling Encore, but new promos and new ways of incorporating
them will follow in due time. I must say I'm not particularly inspired on that
front though, so if there are any storylines you want to see please do request
them. So far all I've got is a few new ones about tournaments! And I'll leave
you the obligatory good news about moves. A much improved "Back Body Drop" and a
great new "Spinebuster" are the latest ones to be added. The latter, in
particular, benefits from turning automatically like a Powerslam rather than
stiffly falling forwards like the old version...
30th November 2007
After months of things taking
longer to materialize than expected, it has been a relief to see a few things
pile in quicker than expected! In addition to the modified contract
negotiations, all 3 of this new game's much vaunted "career control" options are
already fully implemented. Firstly, as in Reach, it's once again possible
to arrange matches of your choosing. You'd be surprised how similar it is -
practically the only thing that's changed is that talk of "rounds" is now where
you specify a gimmick to go along with the basic match type. Other than that,
it's the same old process of trying to pin an opponent down to a time and a
place. That is, if you can get an audience with them to begin with! They're as
fussy as ever in this game to ensure that you can't just hand-pick your ideal
opponents on a weekly basis. Similar new options also allow you to approach
people to be your manager or tag team partner, which means you're no longer at
the mercy of what the game randomly sends your way. There's not much negotiation
involved (they either agree or disagree), but there are plenty of excuses they
can have for not getting onboard with you - which makes it all feel rather
realistic. It's certainly a lot better than changing your manager in the editor
as if he were an item of clothing! And yet another key career feature that has
returned is Reach's interactive training mode. To my surprise,
practically nothing has changed here. Even the exercises haven't had to change
to accommodate wrestling. You still pump iron to build strength, etc - and even
the notion of hitting the speed bag is a sound representation of "Skill" because
it does affect your attack speed in this game. It's great to have it onboard
though, because I felt that meaningful training system brought a lot to Reach
and it looks to do the same here. Don't expect it to stay for the booking game
though! You won't be doing that 20 times per week. In other news, the move
animations continue to impress. A beautiful "Belly-To-Belly Suplex" and an
equally good "Belly-To-Belly Slam" are the latest to be added. As you can see,
the slam version is no longer so stiff - and turns of its own accord like a "Powerslam"
rather than trusting you to make it look good. And I'll leave you with the
highlight of the week for me, which is that a more dynamic
name line
and commentary system has been implemented. You may think it looks a notch
better in that static shot, but what can't be demonstrated here is that the
lines and text now scroll out smoothly from the logo in the corner! It then
smoothly returns from whence it came. And not only is it used for entrance
lines, but it's also used for displaying in-game messages such as "XXX has been
eliminated". Trust me, Wrestling Encore had no presentation compared to
what's going on here...
27th November 2007
The game continues to progress
with confidence. Following on from the double-team moves and improved spit
attacks, yet another first for my wrestling games is the addition of move-based
pins. By which I mean intricate roll-up's like the "Small Package" above. I've
resisted such moves so far because they require 3 times as many animations as
the average move (one to execute it, one to hold it, and one to release it). Not
only is that a workload I could do without, but it's also yet another strain on
a project that's already pushing its luck. That means we won't be seeing too
many of them, but it's good to have at least one onboard. The "Small Package"
looks fantastic every step of the way, and makes the to and fro of a match even
more unpredictable than it was already - especially when used as a reversal.
Meanwhile, another new move is a much improved "Slingshot" which unfolds
beautifully - and can now be used to fling opponents out of the ring! The most
pleasing development of all, however, is that practically every attack from
Reach has wormed its way into this game to pad out the attack selection. I
already did the basics, but now the more powerful attacks are in there too - and
look even better when sped up to be used as standard wrestling attacks! They're
as energetic as a wrestling game deserves, and suit sluggers like Steve Austin
very well. And it's a shame we're running out of time here, because the big
career development is that contract negotiations are back and better than ever.
They combine the sophisticated balancing of Reach with the weekly wages
and pay-off's of Wrestling Encore to produce the ultimate battle of
wills. It's been a headache for me to program, but as a player all you have to
do is sit back and enjoy the attention to detail...
24th November 2007
Despite the career aspects taking
centre stage, the game still manages to squeeze in some exciting gameplay
elements. Firstly, as you can see, a "Death Drop" is the most elaborate
double-team move yet. It took the best part of a day to make, put the results
are up there to enjoy on screen! It's triggered when the assistant is standing
to the side of your enemy rather than in front alongside you. Meanwhile, we're
also seeing some of the more exotic attacks. The Great Muta's
"Green Mist" spit
is once again on hand to blind your opponents instead of physically hurting
them. It looks a notch better than last time, but not radically so. A firing
breathing variation, however, does look more spectacular thanks to the improved
flame effects. The pick of the bunch is the sneaky
"Dust Throw"
attack though, which makes use of the tiny new specks to produce a real dust
effect! And even if those unusual attacks aren't in your character's move set,
you can still make use of them by spitting water or beer from a bottle, etc...
22nd November 2007
The focus has shifted almost
entirely to the career side of things as the game desperately tries to get a
glimpse of the finishing line. The news reports are now fully implemented -
combining the advances of Reach and all other recent games to offer twice
as many possibilities as the original Wrestling Encore had. The
post-match magazine reports have benefited likewise - boasting a range of
possibilities that are both wider in scale and more sophisticated, with the
effects
even more closely linked to what happened in the match. Speaking of which, the
little match descriptions are even a notch more sophisticated (click for a
larger shot). As in Reach, they now throw in the timing and circumstances
of the result - such as acknowledging whether it was a pin or submission instead
of simply stating "XXX emerged victorious". The backstage meetings are also on
the way, and can expect to be followed by all manner of new business
negotiations. In the meantime, it's a few simple conversations about your
allegiance that have got us started - but one new twist since Reach is
that your "Creative Control" status means you might not have the right to
refuse! The trivial discussions you used to have with your booker are now
considerably more tense if you have no power. Being accused of having a bad
attitude is the least of your concerns. In other news, the moves continue to
impress. Following on from a smooth Hurricanranna, there's now an equally good
"Leaping Plancha" and a "Flying Head Scissors". There's even a Hurricanranna
from the top rope, which has made use of the extra space to look even better.
Meanwhile, plenty more attacks are on the way. A superb "Spinning Heel Kick" is
the latest big attack versus standing opponents, and there's an equally good
version of it from the top rope. All of which is astounding when you consider my
version of 3D Studio MAX has taken to crashing every 10 minutes - so severely
that the project you were working on is lost forever if you neglect to back it
up! Talk about two steps forward and one step back...
19th November 2007
After an uninspiring couple of
weeks, the move animations are once again giving the project something to smile
about. I've made a triumphant return to regular moves courtesy of a great "Piledriver"
(which now topples to the side, as shown above, rather than lurching forward), a
much improved standing "Powerbomb", a silky smooth "Sitting Powerbomb" for agile
wrestlers, and a beautiful "Hurricanranna" - which even ends in a kneeling
position to secure the pin! You can see some of those (and other recent moves)
in a huge compendium of videos posted at
YouTube.
Do remember that the choppiness is down to the recording software though, and
isn't an accurate representation of the pure game. As if that's not enough, the
most pleasing development of recent days is that the
costume textures
have been improved yet further. The lack of detail in the trunks bothered me
(especially since that's what most wrestlers wear), so I pulled out all the
stops to get them looking right. The result is a set of textures that include
much more detail - even in black! I even expanded the technique to produce some
fetching leather trousers, and there are brand new kneepads and elbowpads that
are equally detailed and look good in all colours. I was dreading making the
characters, but now I feel anything is possible and can't wait to get stuck in.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes there are plenty of tiny modifications that keep
things moving forwards. Firstly, you'll be pleased to hear that there's a new
"Entrances" option - which allows you to specify when and where the long, drawn
out entrance process is used. If you set it to "Never" or "Only In Small
Matches", you can start with everybody in the ring instead of pressing ESC on a
dozen individual wrestlers! Likewise, there's a new option for specifying the
level of detail you can cope with in careers. Setting it to "Minimum" avoids the
bigger matches and tones down the amount of weapons used, whereas cranking it up
to "Maximum" assumes you're good for anything and piles everything in there. It
even unlocks the possibility of big 6-man or 8-man tag team matches during your
career. They were only avoided last time because I had to assume everyone was
playing with an average computer. Now you call the shots...
15th November 2007
Churning out the dozens upon
dozens of animations required for a wrestling game continues to be a daily chore
- and one with mixed results. Rather frustratingly, a new set of head smashes in
the corner and on the ground that looked great in 3D Studio MAX have
failed to translate to game and look merely adequate. As does a new set of
shoulder barges in the corner. Don't get me wrong - they're all still much
better than what we saw in Wrestling Encore. It's just disappointing that
these impact moves don't seem to translate as smoothly as technical moves do.
Speaking of which, I've had a lot more luck with the holds. A "Choke Hold", a
"Figure 4 Leglock", a "Spinning Toe Hold", and a great new "Leg Wrench" are
flying the flag for submission wrestling. Meanwhile, the double-team moves have
an alternative already in the form of a "Double Hip Toss". It's not as good as
the solo version will be (making those 3-way animations is an absolute
nightmare), but it's a welcome addition to an exciting new part of the game.
Speaking of moves, a tiny new feature that's having a big effect is that the
ring now SHAKES! It uses the cage's new mathematical system to rattle every
single component that makes up the ring, creating convincing shakes of various
size. It really does help to give every fall and slam a lot more impact. The
only problem is your eyes get so used to it that you spot ANYTHING that hasn't
shaken when it should've done - which means I've got my work cut out trying to
cover all bases. I'm not doing too bad so far though. The ring even shakes when
you whip someone against it on the outside! The career mode is also progressing
slowly but surely. The news reports are the latest feature to be resurrected,
and I'm spending a lot of time making sure every conceivable possibility is in
there. Between the advances of Booking Encore and Reach, there are
already twice as many issues as the original Wrestling Encore had. And
some brand new ones revolve around having your matches planned in advance.
Instead of waking up to some random opponent, it's sometimes possible to be
notified up to a month in advance of key matches. I say "sometimes" because
occasionally you won't even be booked at all. The closer it gets to an event
without you hearing anything, the more you panic - much like a real wrestler
would! Now you'll know how your employees in the booking versions feel...
10th November 2007
What better way to wrap up a week
of exciting developments than with the revelation that double-team moves have
made a last-minute appearance! I was hoping to add them from day one, but the
antisocial loading times ruled it out. With that particular beast slain,
however, I'm now free to give even the most extravagant feature a try. My only
gripe is that I could do without having yet more moves to animate. I had enough
on my plate with the standard moves, so these ultra-time-consuming monstrosities
are likely to push the release date into 2008 (that title was supposed to be
prescient not literal!). So what about the feature? There's not really much to
say. Whenever two wrestlers attempt to grab someone at the same time, a dual
animation is now triggered instead of a regular one. As you can see, a double
suplex has got us started - but it's set to be joined by no fewer than 4
alternatives to cover each combination of positions. They're like standard moves
in every other respect - from the risk of being messed up to the chance of
tossing the victim to the outside. And that's not the only new move in recent
days. A modified top rope "Splash" has been added, which arches upwards upon
landing to sell the pain to the stomach (think RVD). And with that in place,
every conceivable variation of it has followed - ranging from a solid "Frog
Splash" to the acrobatics of a "Moonsault", "Shooting Star Press", and
"Somersault Splash" (450 Splash). All of which look and work better than ever,
and are also available as crushes on the ground. Meanwhile, the career mode has
been beavering away behind the scenes. The process of being assigned matches and
opponents is twice as sophisticated this time, which ensures everything pans out
as logically as possible. It has to because you're able to view them in advance
this time! Placing the cursor over a date in the calendar reveals any known info
about the opponent and match type (much like in Reach), so you can plan
ahead as surely as you would in real life. Speaking of schedules, they look set
to be far less predictable this time. The week on which a PPV falls already
differs from year to year and from promotion to promotion, and I'm even toying
with the idea of inserting plenty of days off (especially at the less popular
promotions) - so that there's a tangible feeling of one month being busier than
another...
Lighten Your Load
For weeks now, I've been wondering how I was going to explain away the game's appalling loading times in the final review. Fortunately, we'll never
know what excuses I might have come up with because a timely breakthrough has
saved the day! After much detective work, it turns out the loading times were
down to the animation files being so large (not the new model being too detailed
as I had assumed) - and it turns out they were so large because they contained 3
times more data than a game actually needs (position and scale keys when
rotation is all a skeleton cares about). So, after putting 2 and 2 together, I
spent a few hours sifting out the dead weight - and the result is the same great
animations weighing in at a staggering 25% of the size! Which in turn means the
loading times have been similarly slashed. Furthermore, the biggest boon is that
the game performs just that little bit better now that megabytes of weight have
been lifted from its shoulders. You can kiss those stuttering intros goodbye,
and closedown is now as tidy as can be. The game
was on the brink of being too high maintenance for anybody to enjoy, so it's a
relief that this breakthrough has brought things back in line with Wrestling Encore...
The Wonder Of Creation
Those reduced loading times get
you in and out of the editor as quickly as possible now too. One of the most important developments
of recent weeks is that this game finally has its own modified version of
Reach's editor. A great deal of new options are required for the wrestling
instalment - and, in the case of moves, a couple of whole new pages! Two separate ones are required now (one for
standing moves and one for ground moves) because of the one-sided presentation,
but what the new system lacks in scale it makes up for in detail - with much more
room to display the options clearly, etc. Other changes since Reach are
that the arms are once again separated into left and right for those unusual
elbow pad combinations. In addition to changing each costume, you're also able
to specify which one is the default by assigning the character an "Intended
Role". That means you can mark people out as managers or referees and be sure
that they'll be photographed as such. Speaking of roles, fans of tag team
wrestling will be pleased to know that it's now possible to specify a
dedicated partner in addition to a manager - so you no longer need to
compromise between the two when hooking people up. Better yet, it's even
possible to assign this tandem a dedicated name so that they needn't be
referred to as "XXX's Team"! You simply enter it alongside your solo name, and
the game will use that one whenever the character is referred to in a team
environment. And of course, one major feature that
remains from Reach and debuts for wrestling is the chance to preview
certain animations. In the same way you saw the punches in Reach, you can
now see every type of attack played out to help you decide. Unfortunately, the
feature doesn't extend to moves as yet - but watch this space now that loading
times aren't an issue...
Female Of The Species
Another big milestone for the
character possibilities is that the women have finally turned up! They were supposed to be
in Reach, but I never got round to readjusting the new character model.
They're here in their latest form now though, and although they're still not
the voluptuous temptresses we'd perhaps like they're still a notch better than
last time. It's hard to make women truly feminine because they have to be
sculpted from the same skeleton as the men (anything more ambitious would
require that they have their own animation sequences). They're helped by the
best selection of female textures yet though, which include cleavage that's as
detailed as the men's muscles! Their femininity also manifests itself in high
pitched versions of the pain sounds. Creating female characters is also a
little more clear-cut this time because "Gender" is a completely separate
option underneath the "Height" and "Weight" settings (rather than a build that
you select as if it were a costume)...
Who's Who
The arrival of the
editor has also required that I delve further into this game's character
selection process. I'm pleased to say that my ambitions of giving you access to
both the rankings AND the grid of boxes is now a reality - as you simply hit TAB
to switch between the two displays! The character boxes are being modified to
offer more information while in that classic grid format too. In addition to a
helpful reminder of their face, a slim-line health meter also runs along the
bottom of the box to show you how fit they are at a glance (which will come in
handy for the booking instalment). The controller icons also return from
Reach to drill home which method you've chosen (although they're still
backed up by the classic coloured backgrounds). This game also throws plenty
of numbers around to help you keep track of who you've chosen and for what
purpose. The many entrants of a Battle Royal, for instance, are numbered to
clarify who'll be out first and last. Meanwhile, the members of a team are
clarified by "T1" or "T2" identifiers. Even the referee gets in on the act
with a little "R1" reference! The promo descriptions have been similarly
clarified, referring to "P1" and "Opponent" rather than the vague monikers of
"Wrestler1" and "Wrestler2"...
Best Of The Best
With the character boxes in
place, I've also been free to reintroduce the tournament system for this game
- and I'm pleased to confirm that it'll be a big part of both exhibitions and
careers. I was expecting to modify it for wrestling, as I'm sure you were, but
it turns out there isn't much call for straying from traditional one-on-one
matches. Any gimmicks would have to be committed to for EVERY stage of EVERY
match, which soon starts to get a little farcical. It's best that tournaments
are respectable competitions where you know what you're getting. The most
drastic change I can offer is that it's now designed to accommodate tag teams.
You simply specify that format before creating a new competition and each box
will then represent a duo rather than an individual wrestler (there are even 2
cups to win!). Speaking of rules, yet another example of their newfound
versatility is that the time limit setting can now be used to set the interval
period for rumbles. That means you can try for the real-life 2-minute
interval, or use even longer intervals for custom matches that don't eliminate
wrestlers quite so quickly. The clock in those circumstances also counts DOWN
now, so you always know where you are. In fact, all time limits count down now
- it's only linear when there is no limit. The match
rules continue to evolve in other ways too. Instead of warning you that KO's aren't relevant here and DQ's aren't relevant there, the game now figures out a way to make anything you
want work. Rather than bringing big matches to a premature halt when such things
occur, the game can now eliminate specific wrestlers and allow the rest of the
match to carry on as planned. For instance, a DQ or count-out in a "Triple
Threat" match will cut out the offending wrestler and leave the others to fight
it out to a decent finish. It sounds like standard stuff, but it wasn't true of
the previous games. All kinds of tiny tweaks like that ensure the matches pan
out better than ever before. It gives the referees more to do too, as they now
spot things like count-out bullying and demand that a persistent wrestler go
away before the count resumes (much like the KO counts in Reach)...
Gone 'til November
As more and more key features
are stricken from my "to do" list, there's less and less holding back that
all-important career mode. Great swathes of Reach code have been
imported to give us a headstart on that side of things. In fact, the whole
schedule system has already been implemented and is working well! As you can
see, Reach's boxed presentation has returned - only with new icons for
the many more events that you encounter in a wrestling career. Other than
that, it's the same old treadmill of TV and PPV dates - peppered with the odd
inter-promotional supershow. Expect things to be planned out in advance a
little more this time though, rather than having a random opponent dumped on
your lap each week. Hell, if Reach has any influence, you'll be able to
arrange the odd match yourself! As you can see, the new icons are also joined
by this game's own version of the boxing glove cursor. We're working with bare
hands this time - and there are two different ones depending on what the
circumstances are. Wrestling matters are manipulated with a taped up fighter's
hand, while managerial matters fall under the influence of the suited hand
above. I can also reveal that there's a new theme tune ringing out in the
background of that shot! For months now, I've had my hands on a whole new set
of source material with which to make songs - and much of it falls into the
metal genre. I used it to knock up a decent rock song that wouldn't sound out
of place on WWE programming. Like many recent efforts, it's a little vocal
heavy though - so it runs the risk of being more intrusive than the old music.
In any case, the worst case scenario is that we've got some great new entrance
themes...
Self Promotion
I wasn't expecting to tamper with
the promotions, but practically every single one of them has been revamped
already! Like the old Wrestling MPire logo, the old promotion logos
weren't designed to work on anything but a black background - and those that
couldn't make the transition to colour have had to be redrawn. I took the
opportunity to perfect the designs though - and provide them in higher
resolution - so it has been a very fruitful exercise. As you can see above,
the "United Kingdom Wrestling" logo now has more character - quite literally,
as a burly bulldog glowers over the Union Jack! Likewise, the
Super Lucha Libre logo
benefits from having that
vague glittery background replaced by a striking yellow star. I liked the
Rising Sun
Puroresu logo so much that all I can bare to do was recreate the
exact same design in greater detail, and it looks even better for it. On the
other hand, some promotions have taken the opportunity to change their image
completely. There was talk of scrapping Maple Leaf Grappling in favour
of a more credible shoot-fighting candidate, but a more appropriate
new logo
has salvaged it! As you can see, the red & white colour scheme adheres to the promotion's
Canadian heritage more closely - and the respectable design hints at a more
serious organization that focuses on the kind of submission wrestling that would
make Stu Hart proud. That being the case, "shoot fights" are now likely to be
transferred to the Japanese promotion instead - leaving this to be the North
American home of technical wrestling...
Flying The Flag
In addition to new logos, each promotion can also show them off on a new set
of high resolution ring aprons and canvases. It's the same old story of one
design for TV tapings and another for PPV shows, but this game takes a leaf
out of Reach's book by providing them in any of several colours (either
white, blue, or the classic black). The apron designs themselves are also more
informative, with unique slogans and national flags reminded you where you
are. Those of the 6 main promotions are also joined by novelty ones for
interpromotionals, tournaments, memorials, and charity events - which amounts
to dozens upon dozens in total. They're all complement by a range of unique
ring canvases as well, which look all the better for being as high resolution
as they were in Reach. A new set of
blue corner posts and pads have also expanded the range of possibilities
even further, allowing every combination of ring decoration to be offset by
strikingly different rope colour schemes...
Heavy Metal
If you'll forgive the pun, one of the most
recent things to be "polished" is the title belts themselves! As you can see,
the mess of colour we previously had has now been replaced by an intricate high
resolution design. Not only does the texture look better, but it's also applied
better too - staying 100% faithful to the source image as it wraps its way
around the belt model. What you see above is the "World" title, but equally
modified "Inter" and "Tag" titles are also available - and they
look
substantially different from one another this time rather than simply being a
different colour. I was tempted to make
dedicated ones for each promotion, but multiplying 3 titles by 6 companies would
bring the tally to 18 - which is neither practical for my sanity nor your
computer's RAM! Speaking of weapons, after plundering Hard Time one last
time the total has been brought up to a staggering 38 different types - with
fiddly things like screwdrivers, syringes, rocks, and bricks padding out the
selection...
Scars & Expressions
Not to be outdone by the new arena textures, the human textures also continue to be modified for
this game. We've got a new set of scars which build on the bruises of Reach
with the messy cuts you'd expect from wrestling, and even the speech and
eyebrow overlays
have been redrawn in more detail! They're so different that it can be a little
disorientating at times, but it's important that we finally move on from the
shapeless lines that we've been using for the past few years...
New Moves
A steady flow of moves have been
reminding us why we came to the dance in the first place. A nice
"Bulldog" and a decent "Headlock Takedown" are among the first moves to work
the head. Meanwhile, all manner of "Press Slams" are giving powerful wrestlers
something to smile about - the highlight of which is a much improved "Gorilla
Press Slam" that drops the victim face first onto the floor! They're
complemented by a smooth "Powerslam" and a fantastic
Shoulder Powerslam (which, like the Jackhammer, even remains in a
pinning position so you can ride it out like the British Bulldog himself).
Four more moves came out of that shoulder stance too - those being a decent "Shoulder Breaker", a
fantastic "Tombstone", a good "Inverted Piledriver", and an adequate "Jumping
Bodyslam" (Michinoku Driver). The "Tombstone", in particular, benefits from
ending in a kneeling position so that you can ride it out for the pin in
Undertaker fashion. Meanwhile, over at the turnbuckles there's a much improved
version of the mounted punches - which end with the victim being tossed out of
the corner...
New Ground Moves
We're also seeing some of the
best moves yet on the ground. A whole set of "Boston Crab" variations are in
place at the legs - ranging from a modest "Half Crab" to the excruciating
version of the "Lion Tamer" (Walls Of Jericho) that you see above. Meanwhile,
at the head, a much improved "Sleeper Hold" now rocks from side to side rather
than back to front - and there's also a "Dragon Sleeper" variation which is a
notch more painful...
New Attacks
The attacks have also started
competing for attention in recent weeks. A beautiful "Senton Bomb" is now available as both a top rope crush
and a quick crush at ground level. The move now lurches forwards with a nice
whiplash effect after being executed, so it doesn't look quite so effortless!
There's also an equally smooth "Knee Drop" from the top, which once again
rolls forward upon landing in Ric Flair fashion. A shaky tope rope "Elbow
Drop" can't claim to be quite so successful, and falls short of doing Randy
Savage proud. The versions down on the ground are fine though - as is a
slightly improved "Leg Drop", which can also be launched from the tope rope
for major damage. Meanwhile, the new flying attacks versus standing opponents
include a good "Missile Dropkick" and a much improved "Flying Clothesline"
which rolls upon landing in Undertaker style. The "Diving Clothesline" at
ground level, however, is poor by comparison. And all of these additions have
been padded out even further by the return of key punches from Reach,
which ensures you have more options in that department than usual...
New For 2008
The game is finally operating
under its own logo - a milestone that always makes me feel better about a
project's progress. Click for a larger image (which actually makes good
wallpaper if you stretch it!). As you can see, it reverts back to the original
Wrestling MPire - pushing the "MPire" to the side in favour of a striking
"2008" in mock scoreboard lighting. The "edition" gimmick finally seems to be
official too - with this one entitled "Career Edition" and the booking
instalment to be referred to as "Management Edition". Although the logo looks
almost identical, it has actually been redrawn from scratch - which I'm very
pleased about because it's now designed to look good on ANY background. The
old one had no such foresight and was doomed to cling to all things black, but
study the new example closely and you'll see that its outlined form works much
better...
Reading Between The Ropes
In addition to the modified
logo, we also have similarly modified menu boxes (click for a larger shot). Like
the logo, they're still in their early stages - but what we have so far is a larger and sharper version of the rope
gimmick used in previous games. Most strikingly of all, the stuffy old font has
given way to a more anarchic comic book scrawl - which harks back to the WWF
Attitude era! The background has also changed to have more in common with
Reach's coloured gradients than the tiled logo of older games. As
insignificant as it seems, this is another big milestone because it clears the
way for work to begin on the menu screens (i.e. the career mode). We'll be
seeing branches shooting off it on a daily basis from now on. A good case in
point is the character selection process, which is currently figuring what it
wants to keep from Reach. It's likely to keep those stat-comparing
rankings, but I'm also working on making it possible to switch to the classic
grid system at the touch of a button. In the meantime, the character boxes
themselves are already more useful - due to having a little portrait baked right
into them...
Life Through A Lens
The in-game presentation is also being stepped up thanks to the smoothest
camera work yet. I
was expecting to abandon Reach's camera system since it focuses on just
two combatants, but it turns out it wasn't that hard to adapt it to keep track
of bigger matches. What we have now is the smoothest and most reliable
"Contain All" option yet - so much so that it's not even an "option" and
offers its services to any camera angle! The game automatically phases it in
or out throughout the course of the match to best reflect your interests. For
instance, if you stray too far from the others then the camera takes the hint
and makes you the sole focus as you venture backstage and elsewhere. Even in
the heat of battle, the game is good at figuring out who is and isn't relevant
to you and will zoom in on your corner of the ring instead of being pulled
away by someone doing nothing in particular on the other side. As chaotic as
it sounds, it's all so smooth that you'll barely even notice the transitions
being made. It just gently accelerates from here to there, constantly giving
you the best view of the action...
Way With Words
The smooth new camera work also makes the most of promos. Instead of following
the speaker's general location, the camera is now trained to maintain a view
of the target's face (as with Reach's entrance camera) - which means
you no longer have to feel guilty about moving! The way the promos are
presented also looks set to evolve. Not only is there a new comic book style
font (although I'm still not sold on it just yet), but there's a new way of
displaying the text which ensures that it always fits onto the screen. As with
the menu boxes, the game compares the text being used to the space it has to
go in and either shrinks it or enlarges it accordingly. That means the lines
always look balanced regardless of the information being juggled. More
importantly, it also means I no longer have to worry about precise wording and
can use an extra word here or there without it looking odd! Trust me, that's
half the reason my scripts end up sounding clichéd. That said, I have imported
the old promos in their entirety for the time being. That may
sound breathtakingly lazy, but I figure that instantly having access to 90
promos isn't a bad starting point! I'll obviously work through them and re-write
each line where necessary, but throughout that slow process it'll be good to
have the basics to fall back on. Of course, there'll also be plenty of brand new ones - and the
dozen or so that were unique to Booking Encore have got a chance to be
woven into the storylines of the career game this time...
The Eye Of The Beholder
The promos also tie in nicely
with the addition of Hard Time's sophisticated relationship system.
Instead of having one preset friend and one preset enemy, it's now possible to
have a unique relationship with every single character in the game (the length
of which is even measured this time). More importantly, the "anger" system has
also made the transition to ensure that you're temporarily hated by people you
annoy! That was strictly reserved for referees last time, but now even the
greatest of friends will punch you back if you step out of line. As in Hard
Time, their facial expression even turns to anger to drill the point home.
Speaking of relationships, yet another exciting development is the return of
interferences. It's the same old story of wrestlers (or even referees) running
in to temporarily affect the action, but the addition of a second backstage
location means you never know where they're going to come from this time! It's
just a shame that the increased loading times make them an even rarer luxury
than they were before...
Match Made In Hell
In addition to intruders, it's
also once again possible to pile as many wrestlers as you want into the
matches! As ever, you can have up to 5-vs-5 tag team matches - complete with the most reliable
AI yet that ensures your team-mates behave appropriately. I'm also pleased to
have the Royal Rumble style "sequential" match format on the table -
whereby characters enter on a minutely basis, and can be eliminated upon being
thrown to the outside. With that to experiment with, the final verdict on
performance is that the matches themselves are no worse than what we had in
Wrestling Encore. It's just the loading times that will make you think twice
about staging matches with more than 10 characters. That said, we're only
talking about a few seconds per character. It just feels like a long time when
you're staring at a screen, so perhaps a more informative loading display will
lessen the blow? Meanwhile, all of the hardcore gimmicks are in place to make
your custom matches even more interesting! Following on from the improved
cage, the barbed wire ropes you see above have also had a facelift. As you can
see, they're now literally ropes wrapped in real strands of metal. I was sat
there looking at the feeble metal texture of previous games and decided that
it wasn't in keeping with the advances this 2008 instalment has made. You can
still have that metal core instead of coloured ropes though, and even the
electrified version keeps the wire in place to give things some sort of
structure. Other than that, it's the same old story of scoring bonus damage
when you whip someone into these sinister constructions. The blast timer has
returned as well, allowing you to turn the arena into war zone after a certain
amount of time...
Interior Decoration
The sophisticated match options once again allow you to specify how items are
used too, and it's even easier to have your way this time. Instead of having
to commit to putting ALL items in the ring or at ringside, the options now
read "Mostly In The Ring", etc - which still gives you the basics at ringside
and then positions the rest elsewhere. The same thing applies to your
selection of items, which now read "Mostly Ladders", etc - so you can specify
one particular type without it being the only thing you see! There's even a
nice link between both selection and layout, where you can specify a preferred
type and then have those exclusively placed in the ring - such as glass panes
for a "Hall Of Mirrors" gimmick or explosives for a "Mine Field" gimmick.
Again, the difference here is that they're not the only things you see and
only add to the surrounding decoration instead of replacing it. Even the
relatively straightforward task of placing items in their standard position
has been improved. The game now considers how big an item is when placing it,
so a crate or trashcan is now tucked in against a wall instead of leaving a
space where a table would have been. It's one of many tiny pieces of
programming that makes a big difference about how you feel about the game...
Wear It With Pride
The way you interact with
handheld weapons also continues to evolve. Reach's belts that were
really worn were too good to leave out, so I figured out a way of combining
them with the handheld belts of this game. The result is that it's now possible to strap them around your waist or over
your shoulder with a simple tap of the "Taunt" command! You can then walk around
with them as surely as you did in Reach, before returning them to your
hand with the "Drop" command. It really is as simple as it sounds, and
works extremely well. There are similar touches for other novelty weapons,
where hitting the "Taunt" command will trigger a unique way of celebrating
with them - such as with the trophy you see above, which is now small enough
to be grasped in both hands. Even the microphone can be spoken into as if you
were berating your opponent mid-match (not that anybody can tell what's being
said!). Speaking of new animations, other titbits include a new standing
examination for referees so that they no longer get down to their knees only
to reach up like a dog!
Low Blow
The wrestling action itself is constantly evolving with new moves and attacks.
One of the most significant developments is that the crouching punch has
returned to help you mount an offence while still on the ground. A major
difference here, however, is that you return to your kneeling position instead
of getting up - and can therefore fire it off as many times as you want! That
makes it more effective than ever, since you can resist getting up until any
threats have been suitably neutralized. Meanwhile, the "Dropkick" you see
above is the most elaborate attack so far - and finally steers us away from
the punches of Reach. It has also given me a chance to assess how such
attacks should pan out in this game. Missing them in the old series would see
you collapse as if you'd broken your neck, but now that only happens if you're
really tired (and even when it does, the new kneeling positions ensure you're
not always flat on the canvas). The big news with attacks is that the CPU's
are better at using them as well. This game's artificial intelligence takes
many of the advances of
Reach and puts them into a wrestling context. They don't exactly
"learn" how best to attack depending on what did or didn't work, but they do
consider what an attack's limits are and use it accordingly. That ensures
they're as formidable as a human opponent, and makes for some satisfying action.
The defensive AI is even more effective - allowing your opponents to block and
dodge with pinpoint accuracy (neither of which was even possible in the
previous games). Plus they're exploring the playing field with more common
sense than ever before and don't act quite so strangely...
Here Comes The Pain
The moves are seeping in slowly but surely. We finally have a decent "Suplex"
- which is locked on snugly, lifted with a realistic amount of effort, and
brought down nicely. It's a good move to have in the bank, because every possible variation of it has
swiftly followed! In addition to the
obligatory "stalling" variations, there's the best "Snap Suplex" yet and a
superb "Brainbuster" (at last!). Veering closer to the finisher side of
things, there's also a good "Suplex Slam" (Jackhammer) and a
decent "Suplex Drop". One interesting development here is that, like regular
falls, the numerous grounded states have allowed moves to end however they want
(rather than forcing them right back up to their feet or leaving them flat on
the ground). The Jackhammer, for instance, ends exactly as you'd expect - with
the aggressor kneeling over the guy he just slammed! It's even acknowledged as a
pinning position, so you're free to try your luck after executing it. We're also
seeing plenty of standing holds. A "Sleeper Hold" got us started, which is
well animated in theory - it's just a shame that such a precisely held move
doesn't fare well with height differences. A "Side Headlock" fares much
better, and is both wrapped on and wrenched more snugly than ever. A "Headlock
Punch" variation that results in an attack is also quite good. As in Hard
Time, it's locked on with the left arm this time while a fist is thrown
with the right - so that you hit them with any weapons you might have in hand!
Meanwhile, down on the ground a self-explanatory "Groin Kick" is an attacking
move at the legs - while the "Mounted Punches" allow you to pummel an opponent
at the head. It looks a lot better than last time, but there's still something
not quite right about it. Despite their apparent simplicity, you wouldn't
believe how difficult it is to get punches looking right in a synchronized
animation...
New Costumes
The screenshots should start to look a little more attractive from now on,
because we're finally starting to see some unique items of clothing for this
game. Up until now I've been making do with what Reach left behind, but
a brand new range of wrestling tights is slowly being put together. As you can
see, the patterns down the side are already more fanciful than the triangular
trim that EVERY pair of leggings had in the previous games! I'm hoping to make
each item of clothing somewhat unique this time, with different patterns and
motifs. In the meantime, the way leg textures are loaded in is already giving
us more options than Reach had. You see, the "Shorts" options are now
taken from the pool of "Legs" rather than having their own separate folder.
That's actually good news, because it means you can now wear ANY leg texture
as either a baggy short or a tight short - and in the case of trousers, you
can even wear a shortened version of any of those! It has effectively doubled
the number of clothing options down there...
Destruction Derby
After weeks of distractions,
those all-important destructible items have finally joined the action! At this
early stage, it's practically a direct import of the system used in Wrestling
Encore. However, one tiny
change with significant implications is that there are now TWO ways of holding a
piece of furniture depending on whether it's wide or narrow. That means
smaller items such as monitors can now be grasped tightly at the sides, rather
than mysteriously following a pair of outstretched hands. More importantly, it
also means such items are now free to be shown at the scale that suits them -
such as the slim-line trashcan above, which no longer needs to be unusually
wide. That still doesn't mean it can be wielded like a handheld weapon, but it's
a good aesthetic. Speaking of which, many of the items are in the process of
being redrawn for the new generation (and accompanied by new creations should
any spring to mind). A good case in point is a
new ladder,
which has been both remodelled from scratch and redecorated with a more
detailed texture. It's no better to use, once again allowing you to leap
instantly to the top, but it's a welcome update nonetheless...
Play Where They Lay
The handheld weapons
are also on hand to compliment the destructible furniture - and they're
actually compatible with one another this time! Thanks to World War Alpha
and Hard Time, weapons have come a long way since the last wrestling
game. Each of those games had sophisticated physics that allowed the items to
bounce off or land on any surface, and now Wrestling MPire 2008 brings
that level of detail to the squared circle. Instead of passing through scenery
on the way to the floor, items can now be dropped (or thrown) onto any raised
surface - whether that be static scenery or a movable piece of furniture. It's
not especially useful, but it is realistic to see weapons sitting on top of
crates and tables. As if that's not exciting enough, the real
news is that the selection of weapons looks set to explode in light of recent
projects. The ancient weapons from World War Alpha and the fiddly tools
from Hard Time are all being experimented with to see which ones are
worth re-using. Meanwhile, all the old favourites are being tidied up and used
in their latest and greatest form. The selection has already expanded from less
than 30 to almost 40 different weapons...
The Sword In The Stone
The way you access weapons has
also been influenced by the advances of World War Alpha and
Hard Time. For instance, it's already possible to "snatch" weapons from
opponents instead of making the effort to find your own! And, as in Hard
Time, that feature also lends itself to picking up items that are sitting
at eye level rather than on the ground. Once you've got them, the manner in
which you use them is also as detailed as it was in recent games. For a start,
there are dedicated animations for swinging or stabbing with a weapon - so you
no longer have to settle for "punching" with them. That even extends to strong
attacks and attacks to the ground, which all have their own unique animations
for making use of the weapon's style. Nowhere is that more noticeable than
with broad items, such as chairs, which have to be held in two hands instead
of one. It's even possible to
block with those
now (as with all weapons), effectively hiding yourself under a shell of steel!
Infernal Affairs
As ever, the most devastating
weapons of them all are explosives - which are back and better than ever!
Particle effects aren't my strong suit (chiefly because my computer can't handle
them), but I pulled out all the stops to get things looking as good as possible
this time.
One of the biggest changes is that the dark particles from Reach's blood
have made it possible to have BLACK smoke in addition to white smoke! Together
with a greater range of white flames, that ensures the explosions billow with
more texture than the basic red & yellow of previous games. It also means they
leave a convincing trail of smoke, which is especially true of burning items.
It's once again possible to set fire to weapons and furniture (either
deliberately or inadvertently with explosions!), which effectively doubles the
damage they inflict...
Wrestling MPire 2008 Latest
Speaking of particle effects, an equally welcome development is the addition
of the new gore effect that you see above.
It goes far beyond the tiny specks of blood from Reach and allows bloody
impacts to be accompanied by thick dollops of crimson! It's so different from
what we've had before that I struggled to figure out where it does and doesn't
belong, but I've settled on a system that figures out how much scarring there
is at the point of impact and tries to reflect that. That means your early
attacks are relatively clean, and they slowly evolve into a blood-soaked mess
as the action progresses! Those thick drops of blood also do a more convincing
job of producing puddles on the floor. In fact, that's the only way it happens
now - so you can always see where a stain of blood has come from...
Give The Man A Hand
Once again, the culmination of all that scarring is to lose a limb completely
- and the excessive new gore does an excellent job of selling that. In
previous games you had to settle for seeing a gaping wound where the limb used
to be, but now you see the damn thing explode into a fountain of blood as
well! Once it's gone, things take an even more interesting turn too. The
notion of losing limbs has been combined with the specific injuries of
Reach to ensure that they affect your play in a realistic manner. The loss
of fingers, for instance, instantly gives you an "injured" hand - and causes
all strikes with that hand to aggravate the situation. Same thing with arms
and legs - the loss of which produces a dedicated injury in that area (it's
chilling to see a one-legged man bend over to nurse his stump!). It's even
possible to lose individual ears in this instalment, which wasn't possible
last time because they had only just arrived...
Dazed And Confused
On the lighter side of things,
a different kind of ailment is the "blind" state
that now works alongside Reach's "dizzy" state instead of replacing it.
Although both can occur after a stiff blow to the head, there are some cases
when blindness is more likely than dizziness so it's good to have both options
in place. Speaking of reactions, one small touch that I'm loving is an
expanded version of Reach's gestures - where they would respond
positively or negatively to the end of a round or match. A similar system is in
place here, which queues up a reaction for all concerned whenever a fall is
scored or something of equal significance happens. The victors acknowledge their progress with a brief celebration, while
the defeated express varying degrees of disappointment. It's especially good for
selling things like count-out's and DQ's, where the situation may not have
otherwise been clear...
From The Top
In amongst this chaos, there has also been time for some good old-fashioned
wrestling moves. A slightly better animated "Superplex"
has got the corner moves off to a promising start. Everything from the carry up
to the landing has been handled better than ever before, and bodes well for
future moves. It's just a shame it took me the best part of a day to make! On
the programming side of things, one small development that's having a big
impact is that the moves now know when either participant is lying
outstretched. Ever noticed how you would slam someone in Wrestling Encore
and THEN they'd realize they were lying on something and belatedly rise up on
top of it? Well, now some smart programming forecasts that situation and
prevents there being any difference between your status during and after a
move. Hard one to explain, but if I've done my job you won't even notice it...
Man Of 1'000 Holds
We're also starting to see the submission holds factor into the gameplay. The "Scorpion Lock" (Sharpshooter)
you see above is the first move at the legs, while a relatively humble
"Camel Clutch"
is the first ground move at the head. Both of them are locked on and held more
convincingly than ever before - just like the regular moves. The latter, in
particular, now has you turning into it while rolling your opponent onto his
front - so it's locked on much smoother and quicker this time (and the wrench
backwards looks suitably painful!). Above all else, having those
animations to work has finally given me the green light to bring in the whole submission
system - which sits alongside the pinning system as a way of ending a match.
There are one or two changes behind the scenes too, which affect the pain they
inflict and the chances of scoring a tap-out...
Beneath A Steel Sky
Talk about saving the best for last! Weeks of work spent on hardcore action
has been rounded off with the biggest weapon of them all - the steel cage. In
terms of gameplay, it's once again little more than a better animated version
of what we had before. The ring is surrounded by 4 walls of wire mesh, which
are designed to keep you inside but can be scaled for high flying attacks or
escape victories. However, if nothing else, the structure itself is looking a
lot better this time (click for a larger shot). For a start, the cage's outer
frame is now made of the same transparent girders as the light fittings
(rather than thick chunks of metal we had
last time).
That's more in keeping with the way real steel cages are constructed nowadays,
and helps to make it look a little more convincing. More importantly, there's
also a better cage shaking process - which uses realistic physics to shake
each wall backwards or forwards and side-to-side. It's as though I animated it
with great care in a modelling program, but it's actually purely mathematical
- which allows me to cause shakes of varying severity at the touch of a
button! In this case, you see all kinds of realistic shakes for everything
from climbing to smashing...
Any Which Way But Loose
The game continues to reintroduce
the grappling options from the original game - albeit with considerably more
style this time! Further to the new toss out mentioned last time, there's now an
equally improved toss IN - which allows you to steer opponents back into the
ring. They're both easier to trigger too, so you're much more likely to make use
of them. In a similar manner, it's also once again possible to drag opponents
either in or out when one party is situated on the apron. The animations there
are particularly good, and bode well for the proper moves that are to come.
In the meantime, one exciting piece of news is that this game takes things even
further by allowing you to grab opponents while they're perching on the
turnbuckle! You then instantly
throw them down
in a "Press Slam" style (although the Gods of animation weren't smiling on that
one, so it's not sold quite as well as a Ric Flair bump). The beauty of it is
that it's also available for dragging down opponents from any similar height, so
you can also use it on the outside for tossing people off aprons, railings, and
even items...
All The Right Moves
With the novelties out of the
way, the proper moves that form the backbone of any wrestling game are also
starting to emerge. A beautifully animated "Bodyslam" has got us started. It features a lower
pick up at the beginning to make the victim feel heavier, and ends with a firmer
throw to the canvas. If the other animations follow suit we should be in for a visual
treat that harks back to AKI in their heyday! The only downside is that
each one is a little work of art that takes up to 2 hours to produce, which
isn't exactly the work rate we're looking for. I'm especially pleased that all
the trimmings are in place too. It's once again possible to
throw an opponent
out of the ring with such moves by steering them towards the ropes. As
with other recent falls, the animation there is better than ever too - with
limbs flailing as the victim plummets to the ground. The old animation is
practically static by comparison! Meanwhile, the mid-move turning that helps you
make use of the feature has also been implemented. The 360 degree control system
has revolutionized that too, allowing you to pinpoint the area in 3D space that
you aim towards. The wrestler then moves smoothly towards that, speeding up the
further away your demand is to ensure that you always hit the target. Hard one
to explain, but you'll appreciate it when you see it...
Pulling Your Leg
Before I got stuck any further into making moves,
I thought I'd get the basics out of the way for ground grappling as well.
It's once again possible to put your hands on a grounded opponent and seize them
by either the
head or legs in preparation for a move. As you can see, the animations
appear to be practically identical to what we saw before - but I can assure you
that they have been redrawn from scratch and play out a notch more smoothly. The
great new synchronized grappling system has even been adapted for these ground
grapples to ensure that taller characters have a firm grip on the limbs of
smaller opponents (and vice versa). There aren't any aggressive holds as yet,
but it is possible to drag the victim around and either release them or usher
them to their feet. As
with a lot of things about this remake, it's amazing how easily they've been
reintroduced to the action too. The intricacies of that system took me weeks to
perfect the first time round, and here I am slotting the whole thing back in in
a couple of days! Same thing with the reversal and mess up features, which were
brain teasers at their conception but have since been reintroduced in a matter
of hours. But hey, if it ain't broke don't waste weeks of valuable production
time pretending to fix it!
Buckle Up
Yet
another foundation being laid for the future is the addition of turnbuckle slumps, which will
eventually lead to moves from that position. You may recall that they were
last-minute additions to Wrestling Encore, so it'll be interesting to see
how they evolve as a solid part of this game from the start. The process of
putting opponents in the corner in the first place is already smoother than
ever, with a nice turning animation for whips and a separate backwards slump for
falls. The sheer number of new falls means it's more satisfying than ever to see
opponents either fall INTO such positions or collapse OUT of them. Yet another
nice touch is that the slumped character's head eventually regains consciousness
and resumes looking at his opponent (in much the same way grounded victims now
do), leaving you to decide when you get back into the action. And the level of
interaction is as high as ever - once again allowing surreptitious players to
unfasten the corner
pads to expose the flesh-tearing steel underneath!
Don't Look Down
With the game in a more
comfortable state, I was able to return to the climbing system to polish up a few things
and ended up revolutionizing it even further! For a start, as you can see, it's
now possible to clamber up to the balcony above the entrance way in much the
same way you would climb the video screen last time. One key difference here,
however, is that the climbing part is one swift automatic process that instantly
takes you to the top (like an extended version of hopping onto an item). Not
only is that quicker and more practical, but it also means you get to stand up
there and function as if it were any other platform! In fact, the real
breakthrough here is that you can even EXPLORE platforms now. The guy on that
balcony can step anywhere along it as if it was a ring apron, and the same goes
for railings and the edges of the seating areas which are now similarly
accessible. In addition to simply helping you get around, being able to take a
few steps on the scenery also looks and feels great. And that's just half the
story! The new system is so versatile that the possibilities have absolutely
exploded - allowing you to clamber up anything backstage, from
bookshelves
and lockers
to sofas and
toilet cubicles. It's already one of the most interactive wrestling
games of all time, and I haven't even made a start on the items yet...
Wrapped Up
One of the wrestling game's most
important elements, the pinning system, has finally made an appearance. It's
actually one of the least revolutionary features so far, being practically
identical to what we saw in Wrestling Encore - save for the usual dose of
improved animation. Other than that, you once again press the "Taunt" command in
close proximity to a fallen enemy to kneel down and wrap them up in the most
appropriate of 5 positions. The fact you can do it when they're on all fours
mixes things up now though, and hovering over a fallen opponent looks better as
standard thanks to the kneeling position. There's also plenty of polish
elsewhere. The height you rise to when crawling over an opponent is more
accurately linked to their build than ever before, ensuring that pin attempts
always look as logical as possible regardless of the size of the participants
(much like the synchronized grapples)...
Don't Cross The Boss
Along with the pinning
possibilities, another feature I'm pleased to have made a start on is the role
of referees. Up until now they've been wandering around aimlessly, but now
they're once again on hand to spot pinfall attempts and attend to them. It's the
same old story of improved animations performing the functions we've already
seen before, but the programming behind the scenes is also tighter here and
allows me to exercise much more control over officiating. A good case in point
is the addition of count-out's, which return from Reach and slot
effortlessly into the referee's existing duties. I'm a little anxious that too
many matches will be ending that way, but there are plenty of options to counter
it such as a slower version of the count (and not least the option to turn off
count-out's altogether!). The more accurate assessment of rope breaks is also
worth mentioning. Instead of taking a rough guess as to whether someone's
touching the ropes during a pin or hold, the game now studies every limb to
figure out exactly where and when they're occurring. That basically means you'll
NEVER hear the call when it isn't warranted and you'll ALWAYS hear it when it
is. Alas, the same couldn't be said for the previous instalment...
Feel The Power
If Reach made Wrestling Encore "look" like a demo,
then this new project promises to make Reach PLAY like a demo! It's
already halfway there after inheriting much of boxing game's engine. The first few days
were spent trawling through the code and carefully weeding out the boxing
elements that aren't relevant to a wrestling game, while keeping the common
elements that would give us a headstart. The first thing to go was
the attacking system, which has once again been condensed onto just one button.
And the fist-based collision detection has gone with it, since it's not entirely
compatible with wrestling novelties such as dropkicks, etc. An equally
sophisticated new system has arisen to take its place though. The different
attacks now use an ungodly amount of data (as illustrated by
this code) to precisely figure out when an impact
starts and ends - with the range rising and falling smoothly as the animation
progresses, which is then further offset against the size of the aggressor to
ensure bigger characters really do enjoy a better reach (which wasn't true of
Wrestling Encore). The travelling of these moves is also as smooth as it was
in Reach (albeit linked to "Agility" this time instead of the now defunct
"Reach"). Most pleasingly of all, the reaction to these attacks is also finely
tuned - even more so than in Reach - with the victim ALWAYS reeling back
far enough to stay beyond the aggressor (thus preventing clipping)...
Smack Down
A basic set of ground attacks
have also been implemented, and they've been similarly refined for the new
generation. Thanks to the new grounded states, you can now kick an opponent
through each stage of suffering instead of repeatedly digging into them while
they're lying on the ground. The attack simply connects earlier if they're
crawling or kneeling, and then forces them further down to the ground -
effectively doubling the number of reactions there can be! It's also more
realistic (and more fun!) to be able to attack a grounded opponent at any time
instead of having to wait until they're flat on the ground. They're not
entirely helpless down there though. Unlike Reach, which demanded that
you get up, this game allows you to sit out your time on the ground and regain
consciousness (at which point your head resumes staring at the target). You
can then operate at that level for as long as you want - effectively deciding
when to launch that crouching punch instead of praying it happens by chance!
There'll even be a mule kick for when on all fours, but all this has yet to be
implemented...
From The Top
Of course, the biggest "ground
attacks" of them all come from on high - and that's already possible thanks to
the addition of flying attacks. I dedicate a whole week to producing the best
system yet, and although it's still not
perfect it is at least a notch better
than what we saw in Wrestling Encore. The floaty physics of the previous
game have been replaced by something a little more dynamic, and they're more
accurately linked to the agility of the wrestler as well - so there's a
considerable difference between sluggish heavyweights and natural high-flyers.
They also launch differently depending on how far away your intended target is
- which wasn't strictly true of the previous games. They flew off with the
same gusto no matter what and then tried to rectify themselves in mid-air to
hit their target (not always convincingly). Now, however, you won't find an
agile wrestler jumping any further than he has to. In the case of moving
targets, they even turn more easily in mid-air to deliver the blow correctly!
The animations even take into account how big the drop is, so huge leaps to
the outside are now just as smooth as those that take place inside the ring.
In the case of things like splashes, I've also been looking into how the
wrestlers pile on top of one another. One of my pet hates from the previous
games was how bodies would rise and fall unconvincingly as the game tried to
figure out who should be lying on top of who and in what manner. Now the game
keeps things as logical as possible by scanning the bodies of all concerned
and calculating exactly where they overlap. You probably won't even notice it,
which I suppose is the point!
Platform Games
The number of things you can use as a launch pad looks set to expand in this
game too. It's already possible to clamber on and off the turnbuckles by any
means, and to launch attacks from the apron to the outside. However, I'm also
hoping to make every other part of the arena just as interactive - starting
with the railings. It's once again possible to hop on and off them (thus
allowing you behind the barrier once more), but the system here is workable
for ANY similar scenery - such as the sofas, bookshelves, and lockers that now
lie backstage! When every possibility has been programmed, it should even be
possible to shimmy up to the edges of the new seating areas and launch an
attack from there. Not only will there be more options, but they'll work
better too - thanks to the most sophisticated flight programming yet that
ensures you take the best route and steers you away from illogical landings...
The Harder They Fall
Don't get too comfortable up
there though, because the FALLING possibilities are just as advanced as the
flying possibilities! Looking back at the old code, I was horrified that the
standard falling animations were also wheeled out for falling off platforms.
Now I'm pleased to say that there are dedicated new animations for falling
from a great height - and they benefit from the same flight physics that
flying attacks enjoy. Each serves their own purpose too. Instead of them
both falling backwards in some fashion, the fall onto the front now literally
somersaults forwards and is used for when being struck from behind! The same is
true back on the ground, where a new falling forward animation has been added
since Reach. It's the same effect that every game from Grass Roots
onwards has made good use of, but this is its first outing in a wrestling game -
and it couldn't be more at home...
Tied Up
Perhaps the most important
development so far is the addition of grappling - and it's yet another confident
stride in the right direction. As you can see, the bizarre shoulder-to-shoulder
dancing of previous games has finally been replaced by a proper "elbow-collar"
tie-up! It's a much more aggressive animation - not least because the victim now
has his own separate subjugated stance, which leaves you in no doubt as to who's
controlling the action! It wasn't easy synchronizing these more precise stances,
but I pulled out all the stops to make it happen and the results are there to be
enjoyed on screen. It even extends to the moving animations, and ensures the
victim looks like he's being tugged around. And one feature I've been looking
forward to since Reach's clinching is that the wrestlers now aim their
grapples either higher or lower to make them work at any height! A fine example
is this shot,
which shows a 7-foot giant keeping his hands on a 5-foot opponent. It even
affects the initial lunge, so every moment of interaction is perfectly logical
and looks seamless. Speaking of which, even that lunge is looking better than
ever thanks to a smooth new animation. It's even working better too, due to
the increased role of statistics. As with all attacks, "Agility" now affects
how far the attempt travels and "Skill" determines how quickly it's performed
- so exceptional ability in either area (or both) can be key to having success
with grapples...
Crack Of The Whip
And what good would a grapple
be without moves to unleash? Unfortunately, it'll be a while before the full
quota is there to make use of - but until then a traditional "Irish Whip" has
got us started. Even this most basic of moves has raised the bar though, and
has set a good standard of quality for the other animations to follow. It's
much more energetic - with a big tug of the arm at the start and a firm push
at the end. The old animation looks like a pat on the back by comparison!
We're also starting to see the whipping variations that help you take control
of the ring - such as tossing an opponent to the outside. That animation is
equally different - with the aggressor taking his victim by the scruff of the
neck and throwing him
over the top rope
instead of gently pushing him through the middle! The animation is generally
of a good quality too, although the manhandling is so precise that it
currently looks a little odd with characters of different heights. It's fresh
out of the oven though and has plenty of time to be knocked into something
special...
Rope Burn
Unlike in the boxing game,
whipping yourself or your opponent into the ropes now results in a bounce too.
As in real life, it can either be used to add extra leverage to your attack or
to create extra vulnerability in an oncoming opponent (or to simply get them
out of the way!). It's at this juncture that I should probably point out that
the game has already reverted back to the 3-rope ring we associate with
wrestling. The 4-rope boxing ring with its vertical pads isn't even in there
as an option because it would conflict with turnbuckle climbing and other ring
interactions. However, the good news is that the new ropes have inherited the
old ones' attention to detail - and once again shake gently when pressed
against in any way. They even move differently depending on where along them
you climb through too, which was a level of detail strictly reserved for Irish
whips in the previous game...
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