An introduction to the explosive fighter

Project Manager Neven Dravinski gives us an update on UFC® 2009 Undisputed...

How is development coming along?
Development
on the game is coming along great! We’re getting more & more models
coming in, as well as new moves & submissions. We are really
starting to see the game take shape, & the gameplay is evolving every
day. This is the really exciting time; the fruits of our labor are
coming into the game, which is really satisfying.

How many fighters are in the game?
We
will feature over 80 fighters spanning all five of the UFC’s weight
classes. So far, we have announced Chuck Liddell, Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson, Forrest Griffin, BJ Penn, Anderson Silva, Michael Bisping,
Roger Huerta, Wanderlei Silva, Matt Hughes & even Amir Sadollah,
winner of the recent seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” We are
still many months from launch & there will be more fighters
announced, but rest assured fans will be able to have a great roster to
work with when the game comes out.

The UFC's official tag line is "as real as it gets." What are you doing to embrace this in the game?
“As
Real as it Gets” is certainly part of our motivation at THQ. Visually
speaking, players will see impressive in-game models complete with
realistic injuries. We bring in the fighters for 3D scanning & high
resolution photography sessions to create photorealistic
representations of them in the game. We also have access to UFC’s
production staff. Players will see the same presentation in the game
as they would at a pay-per-view event, from broadcast graphics to
camera angles. “As Real As it Gets” extends to the gameplay as well;
our designers are training with UFC trainers to make sure that the
fighter’s in-game moves are accurate. Joe Rogan & Mike Goldberg are
participating in the game as well, so players should prepare to hear
some of the best sports commentary ever presented as they will make
contextually accurate statements within fights. We are going to give
people the most comprehensive UFC experience possible.

Can you give us a brief overview of what fans can expect in terms of gameplay controls?
As
we’re still a few months out from launch, our controls are still in a
state of adjustment. We want players to master the controls & still
make them accessible to pick up & play. Creating a control scheme
for a mixed martial arts game creates unique challenges. We want to
give the players the sense of struggle from any position inside the
Octagon. As such, players will perform controller inputs analogous to
the animations they are seeing on screen. Ultimately, we want players
to feel like the controller is merely an extension of the on-screen
character, as we are literally bringing the action to the player’s
fingertips.

The ground game is expected to make a huge impact on gameplay. What can you tell us about it?
The
ground game is the thing that will really differentiate UFC 2009
Undisputed from other fighting games out there. While most fighting
games offer very little in the way of ground combat, nearly half of UFC
2009 Undisputed combat will come from the ground, grapple & clinch
positions. This presents a great challenge from a design, animation
& technical perspective. However, our work with mixed martial arts
trainers, great collaboration with the UFC & technical solutions like
our combat physics system are all shaping up to create the best ground
combat ever presented in a videogame.

What aspects of the game are you the most excited about?
How
can I be asked to pick among my children? In all fairness, I think the
there are so many things to be excited about in this game. As a fan, I
can’t get enough of watching my favorite fighters in the Octagon; I
wish I could see guys like Anderson Silva & BJ Penn fight every
week. When the game comes out, I can just see people fighting with
their favorite guys over & over again. That’s something I think we
are really going to be able offer people; any time anyone has wanted to
see a fight between two certain people, they will have that opportunity
just a button press away.

Source: http://www.thq-games.com/uk/features/show/4137

Nice interview. Ground work is still puzzling me but i guess in a year & a months time almost.