STACK #183 Jan 2020

GAMES FEATURE

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It’s another summer of tennis, and this year we can play along with the Australian Open in AOTennis 2 . STACK spoke with Big Ant Studios CEO Ross Symons about their latest sports title. OPEN UP!

world have to find such a delicate balance in their schedules, so it was important to us to reflect that in the career mode too. What are the biggest gameplay improvements that players should expect ? We have significantly increased the amount of animation, so the game plays much more smoothly this year. Tennis fans are passionate, and we got so much great feedback from our first AOTennis game that we’ve been able to create a comprehensive checklist of improvements, and in going through that we’ve deeply refined the physics, mechanics, movement and shot-making systems. One of the things that Big Ant has always been renowned for is our in-depth player and stadia creators. That’s no different with AO Tennis 2 , with millions of possible combinations within just the default player creator. Add in the ability to create your own uniforms and logos, and you’ll truly be able to put yourself into the game. Is there anything new to look forward to in the popular content editor?

narrative mode in one of our sports titles, and it adds a lot of depth to something that fans already play for hundreds of hours. We’ve got a reputation system in place. How you behave on the court, as well as in press conferences, will influence how the crowd and media respond to you in the future. You can

What’s the biggest challenge that you’ve found in bringing a real-world sport into the realm of video games? ROSS SYMONS: It’s all about meeting the expectations of the fans. It doesn’t matter what sport it is, fans want to see realism and authenticity – they want to see their favourite players, playing on their favourite courts, and the action needs to look and feel just like it does in the broadcasts. Of course, achieving realism and authenticity is the most challenging thing you can do in video games, and the team at Big Ant Studios certainly love that challenge. What would you say is the biggest new thing for players to look forward to in AO Tennis 2 ? The biggest addition that we’ve made to AOTennis is a true, narrative-driven career mode. In AOTennis you had the challenge of working your way to world number one by playing tournaments all around the world. That’s included in AOTennis 2 , but in addition you now also need to deal with the fans, attend press conferences, plus keep your sponsors and your manager happy. It’s the first time that Big Ant Studios has worked on a genuine

One of the things that Big Ant has always been renowned for is our in-depth player and stadia creators

choose to be one of the nicest people on tour, or a bit of a firebrand, and that will influence some career opportunities that you may get – whether you are offered the opportunity to participate in charity events, for example, or which sponsors might want to take you on. You’ll also need to juggle training, travel, fatigue and injuries. Tennis players in the real

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JANUARY 2020

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