STACK #128 Jun 2016

GAMES

FEATURE

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This month Italian studio Milestone S.r.l release its annual bike racing franchise.We spoke with Milestone technical designer Andrea Basilio about what to expect from MotoGP 15 . MOTOGP 15

How important is fan feedback to a franchise like MotoGP? We listen carefully to our fans and communities and when possible we follow ideas and advice from our community. For instance, the split screen is one feature that a lot of players asked us to keep. What were the most popular fan requests for MotoGP 15 ? Without a doubt it was custom team. The possibility to race for a private team and also be the team manager is a great feature. We worked really hard on it, and I’m sure that players will appreciate it. Can you tell us what improvements have been made to the online component of the game? In MotoGP 15 we decided to keep the same game modes from last year and focus all our efforts on online stability and Xbox One integrations. At the end of the day, we offer players four exciting online game modes: Grand Prix, Championship, Sprint Season and Split Times. Why is Moto GP 15 the racer we must buy this year? Basically because it is going to be the biggest MotoGP ever. We’ve included all the classes from this year's championship and also from 2014. We’ve also included legendary riders from the two stroke era and technically speaking, we’ve

Can you outline the new features we can expect to see in MotoGP 15 ? The biggest features we’re adding in MotoGP 15 are team creation and customisation and the brand new Beat the Time mode. The career in the new MotoGP will be really different from the previous game installments, with the possibility of being the manager of your own team. On the other hand, we developed the Beat the Time mode in order to give players a chance to ride the less famous bikes, normally shadowed by the most famous bikes of the championship. We expect a huge online challenge now because for the first time, we have a “challenge driven” leaderboard. What are the customisation options in the game? The most important evolution present in MotoGP 15 is that the player can create and race (career mode) for his own team. When the team is created it is possible to buy the bike that the player likes and customise it as they want, selecting from a list of liveries available. The colours of the liveries are also customisable by the player. What can you tell us about the new enhanced career mode? In career mode the player can freely choose the path that he desires: racing for his own team and make the climbing from Moto3 to MotoGP, buying new bikes and contracting with different sponsors (all the sponsors in the game exist in the official championship) or they can follow the more usual path and race for real teams. It is also possible during a season to switch between your personal team and the official teams. In this way the player can win the championship with his own team or, for instance, with Valentino Rossi as a teammate.

With an annual franchise like MotoGP, how far out does the planning begin for the game? Normally we start the concept phase of a new chapter a year and half before the release. This means that we imagine the next game some months before the end of development of the previous. The real production phase starts one year (more or less) before the release date. What are the challenges in bringing new features to an annual franchise? It is a great challenge. Lucky for us the MotoGP championship is a great inspiration, and also with the help of our fans and communities, it is not that hard to bring new stuff every year. The main pillar in the MotoGP franchise is to recreate the exact MotoGP feeling and experience. Our improvements every year reflect this. Do you get constructive feedback from professional riders? Yes we do! With MotoGP, thanks to our licensors (Dorna) and other Milestone partners, we have a great opportunity to have several riders test the game before the release. We have the pleasure of hosting several Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP riders at our studios including the four- time world champion, Jorge Lorenzo.

introduced several game engine updates – a new rain system, new shade system and much more… Additionally, the bike physics are a big step forward compared to MotoGP 14 .

• MotoGP 15 is out June 19

JUNE 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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