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~ March 2015 ~
Patrick Hickey Jr has always been a tireless supporter of independent
projects,
and here he checks back in with me 3 years after our
first exchange:
What did you learn from
the original Wrestling Revolution and how has it impacted this game?
The 2D game introduced a kind of “puppetry” where I could animate all of the
different body parts separately and create the naturalistic movements that we
like to see from wrestling. That made it possible for any move to segue into
any other move at any moment, and then sell the landing differently each time.
That extra layer of variety really helps a wrestling game, so my priority with
the 3D game was to incorporate that. I managed to keep everything that was
good about 2D and take it even further in 3D, so I’m very happy with how the
concept evolved.
What made you want to take the series into full 3D?
People assume that 3D is harder than 2D, but you’d be surprised that it can
often be the other way around. Making a 2D game is like animating a Disney
movie, whereas 3D can be as simple as pointing a camera at an actor! As far as
wrestling is concerned, I was able to depict a wider array of movements in 3D
– most of which looked better in the process. I was also excited about taking
3D gameplay further than anybody thought was possible on a mobile. I knew if I
broke down that barrier there would be an audience for it, and now it has
surpassed the 2D game to become the most popular I have ever made.
I love that new moves are being added to the game
with every update. Are you watching wrestling every week and trying to keep it
current? What's your process?
Ironically, I watch WWE less since the shows became longer! I simply don’t
have 3 hours of spare time, so I have to skim through it. I’m more likely to
tune in to the PPVs or look up a particular match on YouTube. But yes,
whenever I do watch it I always spot a move that jumps to the top of my “to
do” list. My wrestling apps are some of the most consistently updated there
has ever been, but people still can’t get enough. A wrestling game is never
complete because there’s always some new content that fans want.
What else do you really want to add to the game?
I feel I’ve already surpassed what anybody expected from a 3D mobile app, so
I’m not beating myself up about new additions. You have to be careful because
it’s like a house of cards that could fall down if you stack it too high.
Every expansion prevents the game working for someone or other, so my priority
at the moment is to maintain a stable gaming experience – especially on
Lollipop, which has thrown a spanner in the works for many developers. There
are 8,000 different Android devices and I have to work hard to accommodate as
many of them as possible.
A game like this would be huge on the Nintendo Wii U.
Any desire to port it over? Why/Why Not?
As much as I’d like to reach as many platforms as possible, the major consoles
like Playstation, Xbox, and Wii are simply beyond my capabilities at the
moment. I’d have to see them become a little bit more open before I publish on
there. But more open is the way the industry is going, so never say never.
Do the success of other indie wrestling games the
likes of "5 Star Wrestling" and other play a role in what you do with your
game?
I’m friendly with all of those developers, to the extent that we have a kind
of “stable” where we’re supportive of each other’s efforts. There’s no
competition because we all have our own domains. 5-Star Wrestling is exclusive
to Playstation, Action Arcade Wrestling is on Xbox, Pro Wrestling X is for PC,
and I’m doing mobiles. We’ve got all 4 corners of the games industry
represented, so it’s exciting to be part of an independent uprising! We all
have our own way of doing things as well, so it’s interesting to see different
solutions to the same problems. 5-Star Wrestling shoots for realism, Action
Arcade makes it fun, Pro Wrestling X is driven by nostalgia, and I like to do
things on a large scale.
Bottom line, why should someone play this game?
Wrestling Revolution 3D is the biggest 3D wrestling game on mobiles –
featuring an epic universe of 300 characters, and up to 20 of them in the ring
at once. It also offers 2 different career modes for either taking shots in
the ring or calling the shots backstage. With a unique animation system that
allows anything to happen at any moment, I believe it’s the most complete
package wrestling fans could ever fit in the palm of their hand!
What's next?
I’ve been watching more MMA than WWE thus far in 2015, so it’s likely that
will culminate in a spin-off game. I’ll be redesigning the engine to have
greater control over specific strikes and counters. It’ll be a more serious
and tactical version of what we saw in Wrestling Revolution. But before that,
I also have a school-based sequel to Hard Time that I’m looking forward to
finishing. Even that will have more in common with wrestling than you might
think!
Copyright © MDickie 2000 - 2015
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