NBA Street Homecourt Q&A
We chat with NBA Street Homecourt producer Todd Batty about the development of the upcoming arcade hoops game.
The NBA Street series has been ripping up the b-ball courts for years now, and now that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles are in full effect, it follows that EA Sports Big's popular series would ready itself for the next generation. As we've seen in prior previews, the game continues the over-the-top antics from the previous entries in the series--though, if anything, the rim rocking has been ratcheted up a few notches this time around. We recently spoke with Homecourt producer Todd Batty about the game's development, how they did some of those sick dunks, and his favorite tricks in the game.
GameSpot: Let's start with some thoughts on the previous game in the series, NBA Street V3. What did you like about that game, and where do you think it needed improvement?
Todd Batty: We thought the move to next-gen hardware provided us with an opportunity to start with a clean slate, so we actually looked to all three previous versions of Street for inspiration when building Homecourt. Ultimately we wanted to capture the innovation and easy pick-up-and-play aspect of [NBA Street], the raw gameplay feel and fun factor of [NBA Street Vol. 2], and some of the refinement of [NBA Street V3]. Fans of the series will definitely recognize features from all three previous games in NBA Street Homecourt, along with a healthy dose of new innovation.
GS: Because this is the next-gen debut of the game, how much of Homecourt has been built from the ground up for the PS3 and/or Xbox 360? From a features and development standpoint, what does more-powerful hardware mean to a game like this?
TB: The game has been completely rebuilt for both the 360 and the PS3. Early on in development we looked at the possibility of porting the V3 code base onto the next-gen hardware and starting from there, but ultimately [we] decided in favor of a complete rewrite. The extra horsepower of the new consoles allowed us to create an incredibly fast, responsive animation control system, arguably the best-looking NBA players ever built, and stunningly detailed 360-degree environments--all while still running at a silky smooth 60fps on both consoles.
GS: EA Sports has been shifting many of the controls for its games to the two analog sticks--as in NBA Street v3--but in Homecourt, the tricks have moved back to the face buttons. Why make the switch, and what can the current system do that the old one couldn't?
TB: We wanted to create a gameplay experience that could be enjoyed by casual gamers and hardcore gamers alike, and [we] felt as though returning tricks back to the face buttons was a change that would help support this goal. Once we started experimenting with the press-hold-release system that we use throughout NBA Street Homecourt, we realized that we could have a ton of gameplay depth without complex controller inputs. This in turn created a system that was very simple for a new or casual consumer to pick up and play, yet still had enough sophistication and depth that it takes time for a hardcore user to master. It also allows for seemingly unlimited strings of trick combinations that flow from one to the other with remarkable responsiveness.
GS: Some of the tricks, especially the double dunks, are insane. Were those stunts animated, mo-capped, or some combination thereof?
TB: [Laughing] We've been asked that question a lot since releasing preview video clips of the game. All I can say is that we used a wide array of mo-cap talent for this title, from streetball star Joey "King Handles" Haywood, to NBA Star Carmelo Anthony, to a former NBA team mascot. Combine their motion capture with some creative animation direction and the talent of some of the best hand-key animators in the world, and the result is what you see in NBA Street Homecourt.
GS: Defense is a big part of gameplay in Homecourt, particularly physical contact between players. How did you go about striking a balance between over-the-top offense and effective defense in development?
TB: NBA Street has always been about fun-to-play defense, and we thought the addition of physical play would provide a great new weapon for defenders. One of the biggest effects of this addition is that it has finally made a physical defender like Ron Artest a valuable commodity to have on your team. The most physical players in the league can even push around ball carriers from behind, which is really tough to guard against on offense and makes for some great strategic gameplay. As far as keeping things balanced goes, we made sure to not add in any offensive features until we already knew what the defensive "counter" would be. This allowed us to maintain a fairly even balance throughout development.
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- Feb 16, 2007
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- Release: Mar 6, 2007 »
- ESRB: Everyone
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