MotoGP 2013 PC Interview

Conducted By – John Williamson

Andrea Basilio, Lead Designer on MotoGP 2013, speaks to TPG about their newest entry in the MotoGP series.

 

As an officially licensed product, did you encounter any restrictions from Dorna during the development process in regards to damage modeling and other key elements of gameplay?

Dorna was the perfect partner for us, during the development they help us a lot in order to obtains all what we need to create the best MotoGP game possible.  Of course they need to bring to the player the true MotoGP experience; we must deliver a game consistent with the license contents.

 

MotoGP 13 adopts a physics engine which is an accurate simulation of the sport.  Were you concerned that this may alienate casual players or did you decide to focus entirely on the hardcore demographic?      

In MotoGP13 we created a scalable physics system that allows all types of players to enjoy the MotoGP experience.  On the other hand, turning off all the riding helps changed a lot the game experience, transforming an accessible game in the ultimate riding simulation.

 

Please give a brief synopsis into how you captured the individual sounds of bikes across different power classes.

With the support of Dorna we had the great chance to record all the bikes of Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP. We brought all the bikes to a power bench in order to obtain the real sound of the engines in stress conditions.

 

The modding scene has always prolonged the length of iconic classics such as Grand Prix 4.  Are there any plans to support this, or do you feel that updated season packs from the community would negatively impact sales of your next game?

We listened very carefully about what our fan base wanted; historically our games have a strong modding community underground.  I do not recon that user generated content has an impact on sales.

 

The passion and attention to detail is evident throughout. Are any members of your team avid motorbike racers in their spare time or simply fans of the sport? 

Milestone has a strong passion for motorsports, especially for bikes and MotoGP. If you want to create a game that fit recreate a sport, you must know it very well. When you start to follow MotoGP it is to difficult not to love it.

 

The graphical detail on each rider is wonderful, how did you achieve this?

We took references on “the field”. As the 2013 season began, our graphical team was sent in the Jerez test. Once there, they had the opportunity to take pictures of every rider (more than 60). With this references we recreated every aspect of lathers, helmets, gloves etc…

 

In a similar vein to Codemasters’ Champions Mode in F1 2012, would you consider including classical races or event type scenarios in the future?

We listened really well what our fan base liked for the future, something similar was already plan for MotoGP13. We will see what is going to happen…

 

Unlike the WRC series, do you feel having the game on Steam has dramatically increased its player base now, and in the future?

Steam represents more of the 80% in PC sales, being on Steam is an amazing opportunity for us. We are working in order to keep this partnership going well into the future.

 

What control scheme did you base the game on?

We are speaking about a bike game, the perfect controlling device doesn’t exist yet We based the game on control pad.

 

In regards to lap times, please discuss how you judged the exact sector times for various difficulties.

The AI difficulty in MotoGP13 does not only affect the split times, but also how the AI riding the bikes. We wanted to recreate believable behaviors not just setting a higher lap time.

 

What do think you can improve on to make the next game even better?

With the power of the next gen we will improve the graphics, but also the physics. With more calculations our simulation will be huge a step forward on PS4 and Xbox One.

 

During my time with MotoGP 13, I struggled to find a race against other players due to under populated servers.  Do you feel this is an issue that is caused by a niche market, or something which can be improved on over time?

We are working pretty hard in order to improve our online system, a lot more is coming…

 

What is your favourite moment in MotoGP history and why?

I’m an Italian and not really old, so speaking about the MotoGP that I can remember, the best moment for me was when Stoner won the championship with Ducati.

 

Did you encounter any technical problems releasing the game on PC?

Not really, PC development had no particular issues.

 

What’s next for the MotoGP series?

We are working on some surprises for our followers; one is quite big and soon is going to be announced.

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