Brian Ekberg of Gamespot.com has the latest regarding the development of UFC Undisputed 2010, including news that Brock Lesnar will grace this year’s cover and that many significant adjustments have been made to round out a player’s fighting experience.
GS: What were the top priorities with this year’s game?
OK: The top priority with UFC Undisputed 2010 is a continued march toward being perceived as, “As Real as It Gets.” We’re constantly tinkering with game systems, graphics, and modes to ensure we deliver the experience our fans deserve.
One example of this is the revision of our fighting technique system and the introduction of the fight camp concept to our Career mode. In UFC 2009 Undisputed, players chose a striking technique and a grappling technique at the beginning of their careers and then worked exclusively on leveling those two techniques. This year, players will be able to visit fight camps and work on individual moves that they want to improve on or add to their arsenal. For example, if players want to strengthen their guillotine choke or learn something more esoteric like a Peruvian Neck Tie, they’d go to a fight camp and work on it. Afterward, they’d be free to go learn something else from another fight camp, like a judo throw or a special takedown.
GS: UFC 2009 successfully married deep combat and easy-to-learn controls. What’s changed with combat in this year’s game?
OK: We’re glad to hear GameSpot feels we were successful in this regard. The fight system in UFC 2009 Undisputed is something we pride ourselves on with the game. We’re constantly looking for ways to improve on our systems, and one big way is in the further improvements to our ultimate fight control. In UFC 2009 Undisputed, clinch grappling and ground grappling were handled with multiple control schemes, which could be cumbersome to juggle depending on the fighter’s orientation. This year, we undertook a new design philosophy that allowed us to better align our clinch grappling and ground grappling. In essence, players will now perform clinch pummels and throws using the ultimate fighting control the same way they performed transitions in UFC 2009 Undisputed.
GS: There was some criticism of the submission system in UFC 2009–the button mashing/stick rolling wasn’t a particular favorite and there seemed to be a lack of flash submits. How has the submit system changed this time around? Is submission success still tied to your opponent’s stamina level?
OK: While we’ve done quite a bit of tinkering with the submission system, the stick rolling method of submission execution and escape (known semiofficially as The Shine) will return. It’s something that’s steadily become a signature element of the game, and we’re pretty fond of it. What we did want to change was the button mashing/brute force escape we utilized last year. This enabled fighters with high strength to be just as good at getting out of submissions as fighters with high submission defense.
Now all fighters will utilize The Shine, but the parameters that govern the success of getting out of a submission have changed. For UFC Undisputed 2010, the submission calculations will use either a fighter’s submission defense or his current energy level expressed as a percentage–whichever is higher. For example, let’s say a fighter has a submission defense skill of 50. If the fighter has 100 stamina and full (100 percent) energy, the game will look at this energy level, and the fighter will have a great chance of getting out of a submission. If the fighter has 100 stamina and has used the majority of his energy reserves, the game will look at the fighter’s submission defense skill; in this case, shine hard! We feel this system is fairer to players and more representative of how an actual submission struggle would go down.
As for flash submissions, all we can say is stay tuned! We’ve overhauled much more of the submission system, and we can’t wait to show it off.
GS: Will the cage have any effect on gameplay this time around? If so, how will it be used?
OK: We’ve implemented full cage support in UFC Undisputed 2010, and its effect on gameplay is huge. Since this year also sees us introduce new fighting techniques, including Greco-Roman wrestling, we feel that this, combined with all the other gameplay elements, like using the cage to prevent a takedown, is sure to have a dramatic impact on the way the game is played.
Our design approach to implementing cage gameplay allowed us to utilize our universal grapple system concept. On the ground, we have a rising hierarchy of positional advantage based on how much threat potential one fighter has in relation to another. In the case of two equally skilled fighters in open guard, for instance, the fighter on top is in a slightly better situation than the fighter on the bottom. We express this by saying the top fighter has a 55/45 advantage over the bottom fighter, expressed in the damage output of his strikes, the lethality of his submissions, etc. Put the same two fighters in the mount position, for instance, and that advantage changes to something much more dramatic, like say a 90/10 in favor of the top fighter.
We’ve utilized similar thinking with regard to the cage. Let’s say we have the same two equally skilled fighters in the single collar tie position in the middle of the octagon. We consider this position to be one in which both fighters have equal advantage–a true 50/50 position. If one fighter manages to push his opponent up against the cage, he’ll restrict his movement, limit the force he’s able to generate on his strikes, and make it harder for him to regain energy; thus, shifting the balance in the favor of the free-standing fighter. It’s an elegant system that we feel accurately represents the strategies employed in a real UFC fight.
Payout Perspective:
The game is slated for a May25th release, and just like last year, it will play an important role in the UFC’s integrated marketing strategy to really push the summer slate of events: the UFC Expo on Memorial Day Weekend, UFC 115 in Vancouver, UFC 116 in July that will possibly feature Brock Lesnar, etc.
If you’re at all interested in the game, head over to Gamespot and read the full interview; many little tidbits that are sure to please fans of the series. Also expect more news on the game following the UFC 109 weekend, as THQ is bringing in the press on Saturday to unveil the game.
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