Exclusive Interview: Vicarious Visions talks Tony Hawk for DS!

We know youll all excited about Nintendos Wifi Connection, so to get you excited even more we conducted an interview with Dan Wallace, Producer at Vicarious Visions for Tony Hawks American SK8Land DS.

In the interview we asked him questions about how the Wifi will work, the games Soundtrack and more. Make sure you read the full story for this Vooks.Net exclusive interview. The console versions of the game are one big overworld, how is the game for the DS setup? One big Overworld or segredated into many sections and how big is each level?

Most of Tony Hawks American SK8Land DS gameplay takes different areas of Los Angeles California and all the areas are interconnected. You can skate directly from one place to another without having to exit out to the menu.

Previous Tony Hawk console titles have had full soundtracks, while the GBA had digitalised music with the greater power of the DS is it now possible to have at least a partial sound track?

I love the soundtrack and the team was really excited to put it together. The songs for American SK8Land DS were chosen from our favorite songs from the American Wasteland soundtrack. There are approximately 30 minutes of mp3 quality music in the game. Youll notice how good the music sounds, especially while wearing headphones.

Will you be able to create your own identity with the game, Create a Skater would work wonders online has this been included in the game?

We really went out of our way to create an experience that was unique to the DS. In story mode you create your own character and the story is told from his or her perspective. Our create-a-skater has over 1.7 million permutations and that persona is carried over into the online space.

Did Nintendo approach you to include online gaming in Tony Hawk or vice-versa?

We knew that the DS hardware was Wi-Fi enabled for local area connections so when Nintendo announced they would be rolling out a free online Wi-Fi service we saw an opportunity to step up and take advantage.

How was it working with Nintendo Wifi Connection how easy is it easy to develop for and is it much different from the usual online gaming services?

The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection API is fairly simple from a development perspective. However, implementing an online game design can be challenging. We wanted to create a splash with American SK8Land and we squeezed as much in as we possibly could. The big differences in the service will be most apparent to the gamers. The service is completely free and there are thousands of connection points for people that dont have wireless at home. This is a bold move by Nintendo and one of the reasons we were attracted to the concept.

How are Wifi Connection games organised, is there one giant lobby, player matchmaking, will you be able to find your friends easy?

There are two very simple ways to create head-to-head matches: automatch and friends automatch. After selecting one of the options you will be connected and dropped into one of the levels in Free Skate mode. From there either player can select the multiplayer game mode and options.

Advertisement

Will you be able to communicate with players before after or even during a round of skating, Is voice chat featured in the game?

After playing someone online its going to be so cool to log into American-sk8land.com and join the online community. The website will allow players to interact with one another by posting messages to the forum. Players can see how they rank against other skaters from around the world, share custom skateboard art and so much more!

Obviously the DS is not as powerful as the PSP but can still stand up on its own, what surprised your with the DS and what features had to be cut?

We were developing in the second generation of titles from Vicarious Visions and I had already seen some impressive looking games. Still, I cant help but be impressed with how good SK8Land looks. The art team did a tremendous job and they deserve a lot credit. Theyve proven that if youre talented enough you dont need a billion polygons and a gig of RAM to create outstanding works of art.

Thanks Dan for taking the time to answer our Questions!