STACK NZ APril 2016 Issue 72

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visit GAMES FEATURE
18 APRIL 2016
GAMES
Before development commenced, what did
you identify as the key changes you wanted to
implement with Rugby Challenge 3?
We invested a lot of development time to
add a pro mode, Rugby Sevens, and an online
fanhub for users to create players and teams
– each of these major features bring a whole
new experience to the existing game. As well
as this, significant time was spent improving
subtle details of the games based on a lot of fan
feedback that had been captured.
Are you using a new game engine?
We worked closely with the Sidhe team who
were responsible for the previous games. We
used a lot of their code to ensure we preserved
the gameplay experience that players have
enjoyed in the previous versions. We also
kept the UI flow familiar for the fans, and
concentrated on building in the large new
features, and making dozens of smaller
improvements. It was heavily reworked
for the new platforms.
Union is quite a complex game for
beginners. How do you make the
game accessible to players who
aren’t necessarily big union fans,
but enjoy playing sports sims?
In the career mode you can
simulate games and focus on
the manager side. We even added
several features to simulate the end of
a game, specifically for this experience.
Did you employ motion-capture
technology during development?
Yes, Wicked Witch has an in-house
motion capture system that allows us to add
new animations and improve existing ones as
required.
What prompted the idea to include the Rugby
Sevens?
We saw Sevens as a great way to add an
entirely new experience to the game. Sevens is
fast and furious, and there is a growing fan base
and new competitions... it was a lot of fun to
develop.
How much does forum/fan feedback shape
the way the game develops?
At the beginning of development, lists
of feedback were compiled from forums,
email feedback and social media in general.
These were then categorised, ranked
and prioritised. This is how a lot of the
secondary features, such as adding
tattoos to custom players, made it into
the game.
How big is the team that worked on the
game?
Wicked Witch had about 40 staff working
on the game for more than
a year, in addition to the
management and QA at Tru Blu.
Can you tell us how Be a Pro Mode will work?
You can play rugby from a professional rugby
player’s point of view, customise and control your
player though their career. Gain an all new insight
and experience from controlling the game from a
single player’s perspective. As you progress you
are given objectives depending on your position,
which get more difficult over time and tie into the
new Be a Pro achievements.
How does the Be a Pro Mode and Career
Mode differ?
In Be a Pro Mode, the primary difference
is that you control one player on the field, and
must play to that position. The career is also
different as you must complete objectives and
achievements along the way. It really is a whole
new way to play the game!
What’s involved in securing all the official
licenses?
The management at Tru Blu work tirelessly
to contact, secure, and deal with every country,
league and team in the game. There is also
a rigorous approval process for every team,
sponsors and other official licenses that appear in
the game – it is a lot of work!
All Blacks Rugby Challenge 3 is about to take to the field. STACK spoke
with Daniel Visser, managing director at WickedWitch Software.
Scrum Down
Sevens is fast and
furious, and there is a
growing fan base and
new competitions
• All Blacks
Rugby
Challenge 3
is out April 14