New Wipeout HD interview (French), ten new screens (wow)

[WindyMan]

I spotted this via NeoGAF. PlayFrance has an interview up with Colin, but it's all in French! They've also ten new screens of the game, which are not in French. Thank goodness.

Here's the link to the interview. Can someone translate for us English-speakers please?

http://www.playfrance.com/news-ps3-wipeout-hd-images-infos-697483.html

Here are the screens if you want to save a couple of clicks. WARNING: They are 1280x720 big! Oh so large, but oh so beautiful.

http://i16.tinypic.com/89irqyc.jpg - Sol 2
http://i5.tinypic.com/6kk7wyf.jpg - Sebenco Climb
http://i4.tinypic.com/6ntp5pk.jpg - Sebenco Climb
http://i18.tinypic.com/6pyjbdg.jpg
http://i5.tinypic.com/71hhno7.jpg
http://i17.tinypic.com/8e0az3o.jpg
http://i5.tinypic.com/71x4g9z.jpg
http://i13.tinypic.com/85k5mia.jpg
http://i19.tinypic.com/7xydbtw.jpg - Moa Therma
http://i15.tinypic.com/82m99hf.jpg

If you can help me out with the screens without track names, I'd appreciate it. It's hard to pick out some of the tracks because of how different everything looks when it's all pretty like that.

[Lance]

Oh, damn but they put up some nice pics. Very sweet looking.

[supersocks]

I still think the track surface looks weird and too much like fabric in Sebenco and Sol2 (now, first time ever I thought maybe it is on purpose. Who knows what kind of materials there are in 22nd century?) but those Vineta K screens are just... out... words... none... broiler *faints* :eek

[Lance]

In the pic that is number 9 on the PlayFrance site, I like that building on the right side [and like the Piranha, too] that looks as if the classicising Beaux Arts style of the late 19th & early 20th centuries had been revivified for a newer era. Nice work.

And in some of the other pics, I see at the side of the track the continuous scarring due to the ships often grinding against the trackwalls with the ships' ''wings''.

[Medusa]

WOW. Gorgeous shots. I really need to scrape together the $$ for that PS3. Really soon!

The tracks appear like they have channels running the length of the track, I wonder if that represents anything or just the way the textures came out?

[JABBERJAW]

The track with the channel looks unbelievable. Can the true ps3 wipeout even look better than this? Wow.

[Frances_Penfold]

Holy crap that's amazing :hyper

You can see all of the images together in the thread over at neogaf:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=221288

Fun to read through the various responses there as well-- most of those folks are not the wipeout hardcore but are nonetheless very impressed. I guess that's a good sign!

Edit: here is a translation of the text, originally in French, from somebody at neogaf (can't vouch for accuracy). Mods, feel free to remove if not appropriate to reproduce here :)

Source is here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=221288&page=5

------
Questions for SCE Studio Liverpool
WipEout®HD

Interviewee: Colin Berry – Lead Designer

About the team

1. How many people do you have working on WipEout HD?

We started with a very small team in spring 2007 of around 6 people. We are now up to around 25 or 30 to ensure the final code delivers all the great media feedback we’ve had so far following E3 and the Leipzig Games Convention.

2. Is there anyone who’s worked on all the WipEout games since the start of the franchise?

There are a couple of people yes, an Artist (Darren Douglas) and a Producer (Paul Tweedle) who started out by QA’ing the first WipEout!

3. What do you think makes the WipEout team so special?

There is a good team spirit; we all help each other out as much as possible. Also there are lots of people on the team who are fans of the series so there is a high level of care and attention to detail and it helps having talented designers, artists and coders on the game.

4. What was the one thing the team wanted to change/or introduce most for WipEout HD?

We wanted to provide a good solid online experience for a television based WipEout game. We see online play as a big feature in HD. Also 60 frames per second full 1080p was a day one priority. We also wanted to make it a great addition to PLAYSTATION Store by offering it as a downloadable title.

About WipEout HD

1. How long has it taken to make WipEout a full HD game for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™)?

We started work on the artwork around about February 2007 and the code around April, so just under a year.

2. Would it be fair to consider HD as a port? Apart from 1080p visuals and 60 frames per second animations, what makes it different to Pure and Pulse?

Firstly people should not underestimate the changes that 60 frames per second and 1080p visuals make to the game. Sure the environments are taken from the PSP versions initially but so much work has gone into hi-resing them up, every building model, and every texture. The game looks so much richer. All the ships are new hi-res models with hi-res texturing and improved lighting too, so the visual changes are dramatically enhanced. The game also has a sleeker new HD front end, the handling model has been refined to fit the Sixaxis controller also the collision system has been improved. Then of course there is online multiplayer which fair enough appears in WipEout Pulse but it is great fun. Playing WipEout against other people on a big TV, it is a lot of fun. In some terms its easy to say ‘it is a port’ but that is something of a disservice, the game has had an overhaul and a freshen up in many little ways which combined give it a strong identity and make it a solid game in its own right. We certainly don’t regard it as a port. Then of course there is downloadable content, which depending on what we settle on, can further push the WipEout HD experience. We are hoping the initial release of HD will be a starting point. We really feel that WipEout HD will be a great addition to PLAYSTATION Store.

3. Do you think full HD has brought about a big change in the game?

I am proud of Pure and Pulse and what we have achieved with them, and WipEout Pulse is a damn good PSP game and experience, it is featured packed and will not disappoint. HD though offers something different, it offers the WipEout experience on a big screen for the first time in a long time, it looks awesome, it plays nice and feels smooth. It is a different experience for people who have maybe forgotten what WipEout on a big screen is like. And of course, 1080p visuals and 60 frames-per-second clearly combined with online play clearly make a big difference on a TV screen.

4. Tell us a bit about the game – is it for established fans or new owners of PS3?

Hopefully WipEout HD will satisfy the core WipEout fans and also be accessible to people who maybe have not played any of the series before. WipEout has always been seen as a hard game, a gamers’ game and that is something we have to cater for and so we have to have a blisteringly frightening speed class within the game and hard competitive AI opponents. But we also want to attract new players and appeal to people who maybe have not tried a futuristic racing game before who are used to their racing games involving cars. As such we have introduced 3 difficulty levels to accompany the 4 speed classes in the game, thus people can start at a beginners’ level if they are new to the game, or start straight off on the hard difficulty if they are a long time fan of the series.

5. Can you tell us about some of the additional downloadable content that’s going to be available?

We are still deciding exactly what downloadable content we will release for HD, but hopefully we will be releasing additional tracks which could include a mixture of old tracks and brand new ones. Additional ships and music are also on the list of downloadable content we hope to release. We are also looking into releasing an extra game mode or two via downloadable content, but the exact extent and feasibility of this, we are still looking into. So for the time being, nothing concrete, but plenty of options are available to us.

6. WipEout is renowned for its music – can you tell us about what’s in store for HD?

The initial release of HD will contain 9 music tracks from WipEout Pulse, including tracks from Kraftwerk, Mason, DJ Fresh and Stanton Warriors. All the music is going to be mixed in 5.1 surround as are the sound effects.

7. You can use the SIXAXIS™ controller – where will you use it because we think steering at 100s of mph will be pretty difficult?

We are currently looking into this, we have a few ideas but we also share the concern of how useful full Sixaxis motion control will be at the highest speeds. There are however several ways we are looking into implementing it, it could end up linked into the weapon functionality or the ship pitch control it doesn’t necessarily have to link to the direct steering control of the ship.

8. Are you satisfied with the levels of online gameplay for the HD version?

As a designer I am never satisfied with anything I always want more, more features, more time, more everything concerning each and every aspect of the game. We are still working hard on the online side of WipEout HD and it is progressing well. The online gameplay is good and due to the plug-in modular system of design and code we can expand the feature set of the game through downloads, meaning that the initial online experience on launch can be added to over time to further enrich the experience.

9. After such a distinguished history, where does a franchise like WipEout go from here?

For the time being we are continuing to work hard on WipEout HD and supporting it through additional content. Beyond that, there is not much more to add at the moment, although on a personal level I think online functionality should play a large part in as many games as possible these days where feasible.

Miscellaneous

1. Who holds the fastest lap record on any track in the office?

That is most likely to be Karl Jones, one of the designers. He is pretty much established as the best player, although one of the programmers, Martin Linklater would argue otherwise, and recently I have been close to catching up too 

2. If you could add one more weapon to the game, what would it be?

Well after Pure, we wanted the cannon back and so we added it. I’m not sure there is one off the top of my head. The weapons are integral to the game and the balance of the game and we consider them heavily. I guess in future I’d like us to maybe look at some sort of battering-ram / snow plough type effect but this would more likely be additional functionality for the Auto-Pilot as opposed a new weapon.

3. Is there a track you’ve always wanted to have on a WipEout game that you haven’t been able to get?

I guess that is music track…. We have tended to be very lucky with music in that we tend to get the people we want. People we have approached have been keen to provide us with work. Getting Kraftwerk was especially pleasing based on their history and body of work. From a purely personal point of view, there is a track on the Spawn soundtrack called No Remorse, it is Slayer featuring Atari Teenage Riot. I think a remix of that would be great, but it is purely my personal choice.

[WindyMan]

BTW, you can see all of the images together in a thread over at neogaf:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=221288

Fun to read through the various responses there as well-- most of those folks are not the wipeout hardcore but are nonetheless very impressed. I guess that's a good sign!

I regularly go to NeoGAF, and one of the attitudes there toward Wipeout HD is that it's going to be something of a "stop gap" game between now and when the real Wipeout PS3 is released, which is presumably what SCEEL will be working on as soon as Wipeout HD is done. That is, Sony is commissioning a "port" of the PSP games just to milk some more money out people instead of focusing on a true PS3 sequel.

I disagree with that, as I'm sure everyone else here does. However, there's no ignoring the fact that the two major reasons why the PS3 is becoming very attractive to me is Wipeout HD, which is a pretty version of the Wipeout PSP games I've already played to death; and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which is essentially a glorified (and pricey) demo of the full game that probably won't come out for another two years. Basically, I want a PS3 for two "incomplete" games.

Funny.

[Frances_Penfold]

Yeah, I don't get the "stop-gap" attitude either. On the positive side, lots of folks are really, really excited about those screenshots! It would be great if Wipeout HD impacted the perception of the PS3 like Wipeout Pulse impacted the perception of the PSP.

Also-- I found a translation in the neogaf thread, I appended it to my previous post above.

[G'Kyl]

Honestly, as much as I'm excited about HD there is no denying the fact that it seems to be hardly more than an updated Pulse plus a few things thrown in for good measure. I've always considered art direction far more important than a high end graphics engine, so I don't entirely get the HiRes thrill either. To those of you who play Pulse: What are you hoping to get out of HD? Nice graphics? Check. What else? It's a serious question, I don't mean to mock anyone or any game. :)

Ben

[Sausehuhn]

I can't believe how different Vineta K looks. It's unbelievable! The whole game looks so much more "grown-up". Can't wait to play that. And there's bump-mapping all the way! And reflections! And lighting! Yes!

Good you guys at SL did not overdo it with the effects, it's just stunning! :)


EDIT:
Just found this (http://images.playfrance.com/5/4789/artwork/zoom/2287.jpg) and this (http://images.playfrance.com/5/4789/artwork/zoom/8170.jpg) artwork in the linked thread, too :)


EDIT2:
Could you please add rain to one (or more) of the tracks? Cause then I'm out of words.

[Asayyeah]

Looks so beautiful !


The online gameplay is good and due to the plug-in modular system of design and code we can expand the feature set of the game through downloads, meaning that the initial online experience on launch can be added to over time to further enrich the experience.

In case of cheaters exploiting a hack, SL can solve the problem : that's good to hear :rock

[miufs]

OMG...

This pictures blew me away! I never felt so excited about a WO game since WO2097 as i am now...:rock

This game is shaping to be truly amazing.

Add some extra-tripping soundtrack and some weather effects (like mentioned in the post above) to it and i´ll have the game of my life! =)

[Lance]

I would think that a major reason that Sony is putting a partly new WipEout on PS3 is to give more people a reason to buy PS3. It always helps to have another great game in your console's portfolio. Without HD, they might have to wait a much longer time before they had another topline racing game. PS3 is still not a major sales success and is getting pasted by Wii, so there's lot of incentive for Sony to do everything possible to improve.

I wonder also if there are people who prefer to have a full-size high-rez big-screen console instead of a portable, who would be unlikely to buy a PSP. Some might not like the small screen of a portable, or if they have to choose only one console and gamedisc because of economics, would go for the big one.

[Frances_Penfold]

^^
My interpretation is like Lance's. Personally, I am excited about Wipeout HD because it will allow me to play Pure/Pulse tracks on a large screen, with improved graphics, using an analog controller, with better online features. That's worth $50 to me-- and I'm glad to have access to the game much earlier than a full-fledged new entry to the franchise (which I am also looking forward to as well).


Just found this (http://images.playfrance.com/5/4789/artwork/zoom/2287.jpg) and this (http://images.playfrance.com/5/4789/artwork/zoom/8170.jpg) artwork in the linked thread, too :)

That second picture you link there is really fun IMO :)

[G'Kyl]

Some might not like the small screen of a portable, or if they have to choose only one console and gamedisc because of economics, would go for the big one.

Absolutely, it's great more people get their hands on the current WO generation, and I'll have my download copy the day it will be available! :) I'm just wondering why Sony doesn't mind adding what's more of a conversion than a sequel to a strong brand such as WipEout.

Ben

[Rapier Racer]

I want HD not only because it looks stunning but because I want to play Wipeout on a proper size screen again, I also hope HD won't be so easy to cheat at. Now then a more pressing issue, in those lovely shots, that Assegai, tell me thats not going to be the final version? Please.

[Roz]

Good lord! Those screenshots are beautiful! Now I MUST get a PS3 in 2008. :'(

[Medusa]

I wonder what the minimum resolution is that WOHD will run at? Does the PS3 have to be hooked up to a 1080p screen, or will 720p work? Will it be playable on a normal tv (480i in N.America)??

Although I'm sure it would look pretty bad at 480i, I'm still curious.

[WindyMan]

I wonder what the minimum resolution is that WOHD will run at? Does the PS3 have to be hooked up to a 1080p screen, or will 720p work? Will it be playable on a normal tv (480i in N.America)??

Of course it will. Any game console can be connected to any TV anywhere in the world (more or less) so you can play the game on whatever you have. It's just that the game, and the PS3, can support resolutions as high as 1080p. If all you've got it 480i or 720p, it will just display in those resolutions.

[Chill]

Sorry I'm a little late... Yes, rain is all that it would seem to need, and this would be the exact Wipeout I had dreamt of waiting for Fusion (which was a let down...) My dream has finally come true (at least it seems that way)... :p

[Mano]

Screens look great!

There are adaptors that make old playstation controllers work through the usb port of the ps3, i will take this moment solemnly to request support for the NeGcon via this device...

:D it had to be said...

I find motion sensors ok for some generic games, but still they arent precise and are laggy (by a slim fraction of second margin but theres lag), you know at some moment when you know the game etc. you need that precision (pretty please?), i am not saying this is the only way to play, i just need the option to check out for myself :D

kind of a longshot, i know.

[swift killer]

Those screens look amazing!

Just think of this; we all know that HD is not the PROPER WipEout for PS3, you can only imagine who good the proper PS3 WipEout will look.

I just hope we're not forced to use the SIXAXIS control, it just feels to akward.

[cybrpnk]

Personally, i am quite excited about the sixaxis controller implementation... when done right, like in Ridge Racer 7...(i find it right anyway...it's responsive, fun, and the only way i'll ever play ridge racer from now on)...it will truly determine WipEout HD as a next-gen gaming experience... I have confidence that Studio Liverpool will do it right...if not, HD will only be a stepping stone, and by the time a true PS3 WipEout comes out, it will be the definitive anti-gravity experience... Let's hope, HD is not a stepping stone... :)

[Hyper Shadow]

The latest issue of GamesTM has a WipEout HD preview in it. Still looking as lovely as ever.

The one thing that has confused me is they have a side panel with a little on the control system and it says that one control system had to be dropped because it was so 'painful'. I'm just wondering what they tried and why it was so bad?

[Sausehuhn]

Btw:
It could be that these screens are already a few months old, because IGN has a few of them too, but already for a long(er) time. And one of the guys from SL (was it Colin?) said that one of the Sebenco-screens must have been from an older version of the game in an other thread.
Now if the screens were made all at the same time (and I guess so), the game will probably look even better now :)


EDIT:
Found it. And it was Egg. Sorry, Jon ;)
link (http://www.wipeoutzone.com/forum/showpost.php?p=73566&postcount=20)

[Egg]

Forgiven!

Looking through those NeoGaf shots this morning, and they're still fairly old. The Qirex is a prototype model - that's been recently replaced. But HD comes on so quickly every week, that most things are out of date even with the quick turnaround of internet articles.

And I love reading the Xbots on some of the forums out there, claiming these shots are faked by Studio Liverpool's art team. Brilliant insight, guys.

[Dogg Thang]

It is looking pretty stunning. Not at all what I expected - when it was announced, I thought it would just be the bare minimum of touch-up plus a HD output of Pure and Pulse but the amount of work in these images is staggering. I'm very impressed.

[Chill]

Personally, i am quite excited about the sixaxis controller implementation... HD may only be a stepping stone, and by the time a true PS3 WipEout comes out, it will be the definitive anti-gravity experience... Let's hope, HD is not a stepping stone... :)

Unless the second one is super-super badass... ;) An HD Wipeout that re-amped all of the PS1 versions would be crazy... :o

About the sixaxis... do you think it would be possible to still have a negcon with sixaxis availability, perhaps if the sensor on the pad is in the centor core of the neggy... because I've begin to really love the feel of the negcon, mabye it can be brought back still??

[Seek100]

From a purely personal point of view, there is a track on the Spawn soundtrack called No Remorse, it is Slayer featuring Atari Teenage Riot. I think a remix of that would be great, but it is purely my personal choice.

Holy dogpoop on a stick, Colin likes ATR! :D That track in particular is seven shades of awesome, especially in ATR's live sets. Hey Colin - any chance of some of Alec Empire's drum'n'bass on the next wipEout? In particular 'Forgive Not Muthaf**kers! (Cause it Don't Make it Alright!)' from the 'Destroy Deutschland! Fight Against Nazis!' EP goes very well in Pulse.

On the screenshots, it just keeps looking better and better, I can't believe these are still a work in progress - though I thought I'd seen a couple in some IGN piece a few weeks back, the new, new ones are looking suitably spiffy.

P.S. Egg, the new Qirex, does it still look similar to the one we've seen so far, cause I really like it, it's a lot different to the usual Qirex, especially with the Pulse one looking so 'oldskool' - not that that's a bad thing either.

[BulletWraith]

don't mind me

[Lance]

.
A tendency to wander offtopic does seem to be increasing in this thread, yes
.

[Mark Of Insanity]

I really like the Qirex and Assegais shown in the pictures... the Assegai doesn't really look like an Assegai, but it has it's own style and I like that. I really hope HD has the loyalty system.

Aesthetically, I think that the Triakis, EG-X and Goteki will be my favourites.

I am thoroughly impressed with HD. Waiting for news on PS3 WO before I make up my mind about buying a PS3 though.
The picture of Sol2 is my background! :g

[Rapier Racer]

If the pics in my Playstation magazine are accurate it won't look like that, it's got the Pulse standard models here. Also it says Triakis is Australian.

[Seek100]

Your magazine is lying to you, or they're just lazy and using some old screens of Pulse they had lying around.

Oh and Triakis is a multinational but apparently headquartered in Australia, that bit is accurate (AFAIK).

[infoxicated]

Yeah - HQ for the racing team is in Adelaide, Australia, but they are indeed a multinational megacorp. :+

[Rapier Racer]

Megacorp?? So it's like Triakis vs Microsoft in a bid to control the world! How will windows fight its way out of this one.

[Task]

Yeah - HQ for the racing team is in Adelaide, Australia, but they are indeed a multinational megacorp. :+Awesome. I can see the custom Triakis skin now:
Triakis - No Rules

[Lance]

Let's hope that the independent Linux open-source anti-gravity racing teams can at least hold their own against the megacorps.

[infoxicated]

Actually, I had the Bush family favourite Haliburton in mind at the time. :)

[Lance]

So Triakis definitely has at least one very high-ranking friend in the Australian government, eh?

[RJ O'Connell]

Definitely looks nice. Man, I'm wanting a PS3 more and more by the screenshot.