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Cyanide’s Patrick Pligersdorffer scrums up
a tour of Pro Rugby Manager 2 “You don’t really have to know the ins and outs of the sport to play the game” Ruck, scrum, maul – do you know what those three terms have in common? No, they are not referring to a hack-and-slash RPG. If you do know to what they refer, you are likely a fan or have knowledge of the international sport of rugby. Pro Rugby Manager was the opportunity for gamers to immerse themselves into the hard-hitting world of this sport, and now Digital Jesters and Cyanide are back for the next round in Pro Rugby Manager 2. Featuring more than 100 clubs, national teams with 30 authentic stadiums and photo-realistic players, this title promises to allow players to explore the facets of the game from the front office to the sidelines and onto the field itself. But what exactly is new about the upcoming (late February release date) title?
Patrick Pligersdorffer of Cyanide, the development company of the title, took some time to talk with GameZone.com about Pro Rugby Manager 2. Questions: What new features have been added to make Pro Rugby Manager 2 a more robust experience than its predecessor? Patrick: It is quite difficult to make a short list because we’ve added quite a few new features. The main new feature is probably the 2D mode that lets you play matches on 2D representation of the pitch. It allows the player to get a better tactical overview and also has the benefit of working on lower-end PCs. On the database front, we’ve added a few championships (Canada, Wales, Ireland, Japan, for example). The players’ database has been updated to show the latest player movements. While last year, players only had one position; they can now have up to 3 positions that they can play which gives more flexibility to the gamer. Training has been totally revamped and is a much more user-friendly experience. Youth development has also been improved. Regarding the match itself, the main new feature is the possibility to choose between a variety of preset tactics after line-outs and scrums. There are more possibilities than last year on defense such as pressing the opponent’s fly half for example. Graphically, all the stadiums from the Zurich Premiership and the French Top 16 have been modeled (+ a few extra stadiums). Animations are based on motion-capture and the 3D games now include replays and cutscenes for a more immersive experience. After the game, you will have to answer questions from the media about your team’s performance.
Q: While a great deal of the world may be familiar with the nuances of the sport, there are probably a lot of people who know little, and couldn't tell the difference between a scrum and a lineout. How does this game cater to the rugby neophyte and educate him or her in the game? Patrick: You don’t really have to know the ins and outs of the sport to play the game. Obviously it will help but most of the time, you don’t need an in-depth knowledge of the rules to make a choice. Neophytes will be better off leaving the micromanagement of players to the AI while focusing on higher level tactics which are rather self explanatory such as play with your big men or play wide with your fast players. After a couple attempts, players should get a feel about what a specific tactic implies. After that, it’s pretty standard to all sports games, identify the strengths of your team and your opponents’ weaknesses and try to take advantage of both. During matches, the commentators will often explain why a penalty was called which can provide a better understanding of the game flow. Q: Will game players be able to manage all aspects of a franchise? How much control will the gameplayer have over the action on the field? Will players be able to customize the experience to have little to do with actual matches, or does the game require hands-on in virtually ever aspect of the game? Patrick: Gamers have as much control over their team as they want to. For example, they can micromanage the weekly training of their players or leave to the assistants. Additionally, we often provide tips to improve your team’s performance. As for the action on the field, you can either let the computer manage your team, decide on high-level strategies or micro-manage each action by deciding who will get the ball and what to do with it. The more you know about rugby, the more you are likely to be interested in micro-managing your team on the pitch. Obviously, you are also in charge of substitutions and the levels of aggressiveness of your players on offense and defense (which impacts their foul propensity).
Q: Graphically, does this game use the same engine as the original title, or have the graphics been upgraded? Patrick: It’s built on the same core engine but we have made very substantial improvements. The use of motion capture will make the players much more realistic. The new lighting effects also have a significant graphical impact, especially for games played at night. The players themselves are much more detailed and can now be wearing bandages and gloves. Additionally, the game includes a player editor that allows you to customize each player’s physical appearance. We have also added cutscenes, replays of tries and penalties to make the matches more immersive and look like a TV broadcast. Q: Does this game support online play? Patrick: Yes. Gamers can play single matches over LAN or the Internet. Additionally, we will provide tools to create online tournaments. Q: What aspects of the sport do you think make for a compelling videogame experience? Patrick: Rugby is a very tactical game, and the fact that the action is often “paused” for mauls, scrums and line-outs provide plenty of opportunities to impact on the outcome of the match, which is not the case of soccer, for example. Graphically, it is also a spectacular sport with big hits. Q: This game is currently listed as a PC title. Will there be a chance that it may be ported to other console platforms? Patrick: That’s clearly something we are looking at. It has been requested quite often on our boards, but we would need to adapt the gameplay to fit console controllers. It won’t come before fall 2005 if we go ahead with the port though. The new Mac mini, unveiled today by Apple, could move the platform into the mainstream market and make it a viable platform (subject to seeing full specs of course).
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