Tony Hawk for the Nintendo DS is a handheld extreme sports game based on the upcoming console game by Neversoft / Activision. The game will bring the Tony Hawk experience to handheld in a way never before possible. Players will be able to explore the exciting and diverse levels of the game from the perspective of a completely 3D free roaming camera.

The players will be able take part in the action with their own custom skaters, created with a new touch screen create-a-skater interface. The main gameplay will take place on the top screen, while the bottom screen will display secondary information like trick text and dialogue. The player will use the touch screen to create custom graphics for skateboard decks, create custom graffiti tags, view level maps, perform tantrum recoveries and use the new context sensitive fly-out buttons for special moves. Levels will contain multiple transition points to new areas such as skate shops, a graffiti garage, a barber shop, clothing store or other levels.

Game Chronicles talks with Vicarious Visions on just what it takes to bring a major franchise like Tony Hawk to the DS handheld system.

GCM:	Thank you for your time! Please get us started by introducing yourself and telling us about the team behind the DS version of Tony Hawk.
Dan Wallace:	I’m Dan Wallace, Producer at Vicarious Visions working on Tony Hawk’s American SK8Land for Nintendo DS. VV has been making Tony Hawk games for a few years now so the team is full of seasoned Tony Hawk veterans. The team also has a great mix of both handheld and console experience, which has really been important for this title.

GCM:	The DS seems to be getting a lot of GBA-hybrid games lately. Was this game created from scratch specifically with the DS in mind?
Dan Wallace:	Absolutely! In order to reach the potential of the hardware we knew we would have to do a tremendous amount of ground up development. We didn’t shy away from that prospect. We’ve buckled down and produced a 3D game engine for the DS that is a technical marvel. I don’t think anyone will be thinking GBA while they’re playing this game.

GCM:

How will you be implementing the touch screen into the control scheme?

Dan Wallace:

Without altering the core handling we’ve made aspects of the game more accessible with a touch screen “specials” system and a Focus mode. For example, players can now use the touch screen to pull off special combos instead of memorizing how to pull off those moves with the D-Pad. The context sensitivity means you can do much cooler moves more easily. We’ve also expanded certain areas of the game like Tantrums. On other versions of the game, Tantrums are mostly a button mashing frenzy. On the DS a fun and addicting mini game comes up when you bail. The tantrum mini-game has gone over so well that we’ve been finding ways to introduce it in other areas of the game. We also take advantage of the touch screen with our graphical editors for creating tags and board art, soft keyboard for text entry, as well as an extremely intuitive “Create-a-Skater” and “Create-a-Park” modes.

GCM:	History has shown us that Tony Hawk fans are quite divided on their system preferences when it comes to skate and trick controls. Just how well will the DS version play without analog sticks and how easily will console skaters be able to adapt?
Dan Wallace:	The core skating mechanics of Tony Hawk translate over to the DS controls very nicely. The game plays extremely well with D-Pads – remember, PlayStation games were designed for D-Pads before the analog controllers were available. I think the learning curve for the DS control layout will be quick and painless.

GCM:	About how many tricks can we look forward to mastering on the DS and are there any tricks exclusive to the DS version?
Dan Wallace:	We have approximately 150 tricks incorporated into the game. As far as DS exclusive ones go, you might want to keep an eye out for them!

GCM:

How many levels will the DS feature and what kind of locations (skate parks, city, urban, etc)? Any favorites?

Dan Wallace:

We have seven vast areas - some are indoor, some are outdoor and one is on an island. Most of them are in the Los Angeles area. One of the strengths of the game is how well all the areas play and how much of a different experience each one is. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Downtown Los Angeles. It fits my style of play because there are so many great spine transfers and places to acid drop from. But everyone on the team has their own favorite level.

GCM:	Tony Hawk DS will be one of the first online games in Nintendo’s bold new move to go “wi-fi anywhere” with the DS. What were some challenges in creating a game that not only plays via traditional wireless, but over the Internet as well?
Dan Wallace:	WiFi online gaming on a handheld is a relatively new concept and something that is brand new to the DS, so there have been challenges. We’re working really hard to provide an easy way of connecting online and create a smooth playing experience. We’re also doing some pretty innovative stuff with developing an online community around the game. Stay tuned for more info on these features!

GCM:	Will there be any type of single-card wireless modes offered for local multiplayer?
Dan Wallace:	Because of the huge number of tricks, big gameplay areas and the soundtrack, we’ve had to invent some pretty wicked technologies that stream graphics and sound directly off the ROM. With so much data being streamed, more than one card is required for local multiplayer.

GCM:	The DS microphone seems to be getting overlooked in most of the current games. Any plans to use voice input in this game either for gameplay or Internet chatting?
Dan Wallace:	One of the cool features unique to the DS is the Custom Sound feature. You can record your own sound effects and assign them to different actions in the game. When you pull of a great move you can hear your own “Woot!” or if you bail you can hear your dissatisfaction.

GCM:	Tony Hawk games are known for their vast and diverse musical content. Just how much music can you pack onto a DS game card?
Dan Wallace:	Right now we have 13 full-length songs on our soundtrack. This is the first time we’ve been able to include licensed music on the GBA and we’re really excited to be delivering a high quality audio experience for both DS and GBA. There are some great bands in the game and they really adds a lot to the portable experience!

GCM:

“Create-a-Skater” is a popular feature in the Tony Hawk console games. What level of customization will we have over our skater as far as look and wardrobe on the DS?

Dan Wallace:

It’s amazing how many different looks you can come up with. In addition to having a crazy number of physical permutations, we also have a paint editor where you can draw custom deck and graffiti art from scratch. The best part is that it all comes through in the multi-player experience, including custom sounds! Personalization of the game is a really big focus for us on this project. The touch screen based “Create-a-Park” system has quickly become a favorite element of the game for us.

GCM:

Vicarious Visions has a long history with the GBA. Just how different is it to program for the DS?

Dan Wallace:

The DS has all the elements of the GBA but is more powerful in both 2D and 3D capabilities. In some respects it is similar to programming as GBA, but in many areas it’s completely different. Nintendo has designed a great system that has some very unique qualities. The challenge in programming for DS is not about wrestling with the quirks of the hardware (unlike many other platforms), rather squeezing in all the interesting new things we can do with the device into one game!

GCM:

Thanks again for answering our questions! Do you have any parting words for our readers?

Dan Wallace:

Vicarious Visions brought Tony Hawk to the GBA when the system launched back in 2001. It really was a great accomplishment for us and something that really showed off what the GBA could do. Our goal with bringing Tony Hawk to the DS is the same. It really pushes the hardware in 3D graphics, Local WiFi and Online, touch screen/dual screen use and even the microphone in some cool new ways. We’re into the final push of the project and we’re excited about getting it into the hands of gamers for the holidays!

---