Don’t Mess With Great Gameplay!

How Wipeout Innovated On PSP

Clark Davies, Designer

Studio Liverpool

There are very few brand new concepts. Often it is a case of arranging old pieces

together in new and different ways. Communication to the player is key.

- Tetsuya Mizuguchi

Introduction

• The Need For Player Empowerment

• Focus On Hardware

• Creative Tools / Customisable Features• Building The Community

• Wrap-up

The Need For Player Empowerment

How Games Innovate Over Time

• 99%ers

How Games Innovate Over Time

• Sea changers

How Games Innovate Over Time

• Evolvers

How Wipeout Evolved Over Time

• PlayStation era

• Anti-grav racing, speed classes, airbrakes, weapons

• Energy system, pitlanes

• Boost mechanic

How Wipeout Evolved Over Time

• PlayStation 2 era

• Off-road sections

• ‘Surface locked’ ship handling

• Upgrade system

• Zone mode

How Wipeout Evolved Over Time

• PlayStation Portable era

• Refocus

• DLC

• Track building

• Graphic design

• Handling and mechanics

Number 2 on Metacritic PSP

1 million+ sales

Evolution For Wipeout Pulse

• Improve accessibility

Handling model refined AI difficulty introduced

Evolution For Wipeout Pulse

• Implement new features

Online playStructured solo game

Evolution For Wipeout Pulse

• Responding to feedback

• Focus group test results:• Novice gamers needed ‘safe’ introduction

• Solo events given prominence

• Zone mode as emergent tutorial

The Next Step

Focus On Hardware

Hardware Strengths = New Features

• Multiple file format support

MP3 music playback JPEG photo mode

Hardware Strengths = New Features

• Upgradeable firmware

PLAYSTATION®Network support

Hardware Strengths = New Features

• Wifi – data sharing

• Built in web browser

Handheld philosophy

• Bite size gameplay– Short races, shallow menus

• Automatic saving and loading• Every gameplay session is positive

– Loyalty points

• Customisable controls

Creative Tools For Players

Ship Skin Editor

• Flash application• Simple interface• Outsourced• Cut and paste features

Custom Grid Editor

• Create your own single player campaign• Additional functionality

– Larger grids– Custom tournaments– Adjustable targets

• Share grids over wifi• Fansites

Building The Community

The Online Fan Base

• Wipeoutzone.com– Forums– Manual leaderboards

• European fan-meet– Ad-hoc play– Pulse announced

Wipeout-game.com

• 8 month timescale• PSN integration• Profile upload• Team allegiance + stats tracking• Ongoing project• Relaunch for HD

Moderation

• Ship skins– Online moderation– In-game moderation

• Website– PSN integration

Wrap-up

Feature comparison

Wipeout Pulse

NFS Pro Street

Crazy Taxi

Burnout Dominator

Test Drive Unlimited

Juiced 2

Sega Rally

Ad-hoc multiplayer X X X X X X X

Online multiplayer X X X X

MP3 playback X X

Photo X

PlayStation Network X

Community website X

Data sharing X X

DLC X X X

Customisation X X X

Conclusions

• Innovation doesn’t have to be driven by gameplay• Applying existing features to the handheld space is valid• A player-centric philosophy is a suitable replacement for

narrative

Thanks for your time!