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MotoGP 14 Interview - Next Gen Riders

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20 May 2014

Yesterday we gave you a small tease about MotoGP 14 and its next-generation incarnation on PlayStation 4. Today, as promised, it’s time for the full scoop on this racing game by Milestone scheduled for a June release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC and PS Vita. Enjoy!

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  • Hello there! Can you introduce yourself and your game to our readers?

Hi guys, I’m Andrea Basilio, Game Director of MotoGP™14.

 

  • How big is Milestone right now? As the biggest Italian studio, what do you think of the development scene in Italy?

Milestone is the largest Italian videogame developer and it’s the biggest two-wheel videogame developer worldwide. Now it counts more than 100 employees and it has grown a lot during the past two years. About Italian videogame development the first thing that comes up in my mind is ‘different’ from other countries such as US, UK, etc… In Italy, the videogame culture is growing a lot and a lot of small studios have been founded. The Italian indie scene right now is very promising. I think right now Italy has to do a little bit more in terms of dedicated education for the new generations of workers and it have to push more this particular and amazing culture.

 

  • What are the main new features introduced by MotoGP 14? Is there something we will only see on PC & PS4 versions when compared to the less powerful hardware platforms?

MotoGP™14 has been rebuilt from scratch this year due to the introduction of the new Console Generation. We have developed a new engine that work smoothly on the old and new generation, plus we’ve included into our new engine two powerful middleware: F-Mod for the audio – the same used by Forza – and YEBIS 2 for the lighting – the same used by Final Fantasy and showed during Agni’s philosophy tech demo. In MotoGP™14 we have 3 new offline modes: 2013 Real Events, MotoGP™ Champions Challenges and Safety Car, plus 1 new online mode: Split Battle. Speaking about special features or performance we’ve for sure the remote play between PSVita and PS4 and the calculation of the physics is 3 times more powerful than the previous consoles.

 

  • You mentioned a richer, evolved multiplayer experience - can you expand on that?

We’ve enhanced the multiplayer experience based on MotoGP™13. For example as explained before we’ve included the Split battle that basically let the players to compete in order to collect the best split times. Plus, from the experience of MotoGP™13 we’ve included Sprint season that let the players race to reach the first class (MotoGP™) staring from Moto3™ and then Moto2™. At least, I’d like to ensure to PC players that this year the online experience will be more stable.

 

  • Racing fans are usually very keen on audio, and I’ve read about a new dedicated engine - can you tell us something about it?

The first thing to say is that usually players are used to hear the bikes audio from TV and Youtube. The real sound when you are into the GP is really different. As the previous year we’ve recorded the audio directly from bikes and we’ve included F-Mod. This middleware, very popular into other videogame companies, has completely changed the in-game sound. The best evidence is the switch between helmet view and third person view. If you try it for sure you’ll notice the difference.

 

  • Can you tell us why did you choose the YEBIS 2 middleware, and what does it bring to the table?

We’ve analyzed several middleware in order to understand which of them could suit better on our engine. I think that Yebis showed his power during the tech demo of E3 2013 and the video of the past GDC. Speaking about MotoGP™14, it changes completely the lighting, the shadowing and the reflections of the game. Recently we’ve released screenshots about it, because it’s the best way to showcase the differences.

 

  • How was your experience with PlayStation 4 as a developer? Can we expect the PS4 version to be on par with PC in terms of graphics?

The experience on PS4 has been very powerful. Compared to the architecture of the PS3, this new console is much more similar to a PC so it’s easier to develop on it. The two versions (PC and PS4) are at the same level, in fact we can ensure 1080p on both the platforms with a minimum stable 30fps due to the large amount of bikes that race at the same time.

 

  • Will you use the DualShock 4 features, such as the touchpad, in any particular way?

With the DualShock 4 touch pad you can change the different camera views of the game. It’s a good position to make that but for the future we will study something more particular.

 

  • The game won’t be coming out on Xbox One. Is there a specific reason why, and can you tell us about it? What about next year’s edition?

We don’t have a specific preference for one or another console. I’d like to explain that to all the fans! This year was a matter of time and keeping a high standard so we’ve decided to keep the exclusive on PS4.

 

  • You’ve been doing licensed racing games for a while now. Would you like to try and experiment in the future with some other genre, or perhaps even different takes on racing, such as Jet Ski or something futuristic?

Racing is Milestone DNA. We’ve developed a strong know-how during these years and we think our way is in this particular side of the videogame industry. We’ve several new project and I think the fans have to stay tuned in these months.

 

  • Thanks for your time!