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Let's FIFA: World Cup |
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2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is the perfect accompaniment to the nocturnal habits Australian soccer fans will be adopting this month. Producer Simon Humber explains why. |
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How did you go about meticulously recreating the World Cup stadiums, some of which must have been still under construction while you were working? Did game designers actually travel to South Africa to get some first-hand knowledge of the facilities?
SIMON HUMBER: I did plan to travel to South Africa, but sadly it wasn’t possible. What we did was hire a well known sports photographer who lives in South Africa, and then via our friends at FIFA, he was able to tour around each of the stadia and take all the photos we needed to recreate them. Some of the new ones were a challenge as they were not 100 percent complete, but from the building in progress and the architectural drawings of the completed design, we were able to fill in any blanks.
Is there a stadium that you are particularly proud of recreating, and why?
SH: I would say that the marquee stadium is the new ground in Durban. It’s visually stunning, with a giant arch down the centre of the pitch from behind each of the goals. There’s even a cable car that travels to the highest point of the arch, which must be a great experience. A sunny day in Durban provides a very good looking game of football in World Cup.
Could you tell us a bit more about creating the backdrops for the stadiums – for instance Table Mountain next to the Cape Town stadium? Can gamers expect to see famous South African sights in the background, and how did you go about creating those?
SH: These are large stadia, so from the inside there are not the small stands present which would enable us to show the surrounding countryside. But we did want to give the gamer the message they are in South Africa, so we have localised training arenas; one of which is set in Cape Town and has Table Mountain in the background.
Have you included the sound of the vuvuzela – the supporters’ trumpet that will be heard at every game in June?
SH: We have certainly included the vuvuzela, as it is the sound of South African football. It makes matches in World Cup feel really intense and the soundscape for this game is totally unique and really gives the flavor of the tournament. If people really don’t like the vuvuzela, we’ve included a slider so its volume can be reduced.
Will gamers have the ability to play in different South African weather conditions? If so, how did you go about creating those?
SH: For each of the stadia we’re creating three different lighting conditions, as eight of them host matches at three different times of day. So we have daytime, dusk and night, which gives a totally different feel and loads of variety when playing through the tournament.
How did you go about creating the national anthems before each game?
SH: We license the anthems from a company that has recordings of each of them. Then we use them at the start of the game and after the game to reward the winning team. The gamer can also play them from our 3D globe where they can perform a freeform rotation of the world to find any of the 199 countries and see facts, figures and trigger the anthems.
When it comes to gameplay, what are some of the new features gamers can look forward to?
SH: From the gameplay in FIFA 10, there are over 100 improvements/refinements that make the World Cup gameplay the next step forward in the series. Many major frustrations from FIFA 10 are solved in World Cup, plus we’ve added a bunch of new features. For instance, the penalty kicks are new and now use an analogue aiming system and a test of the player’s composure. We have a two button control method, so that new players can have a gentle introduction to the game, and perhaps you can play with your dad or a friend who has found the game too complicated to play before. There are altitude effects on player’s stamina and the ball physics. We also reflect the fact that away games are harder than home games, and ensure that teams who are well known for being strong at home are worthy opponents in the game.
If a gamer is good enough, is it possible to take South Africa all the way to the Final, or have other teams been designed to be much stronger?
SH: Since we have five different skill levels, it should be possible to take just about any nation all the way to the Final. But playing on the skill level that reflects the gamer’s skill obviously makes this far more challenging. Other teams are stronger than South Africa, but they have home advantage so anything is possible.
This being the first African World Cup, the tournament in South Africa should be unlike any previous World Cup when it comes to atmosphere. Are you confident that the game reflects that?
SH: The atmosphere in the game is probably the best we’ve ever created. The carnival of the world’s biggest sporting event is captured visually and aurally to really bring home what is special about the tournament. We have high-res crowd shots of the teams supported, confetti and streamers raining down, seat cards held up by the fans, as well as the normal banners and flags you’d expect. Managers are present in the game for many of the teams, and so for the first time Mr Diego Maradona appears in one of our games. The soundtrack is really intense and gives that different feel that international football has over club football. Plus we’ve raised the bar visually on the pitch, players and environment, so it looks even better than FIFA 10.
Discover 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa at JB Hi-Fi » |
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