You can see that some of the concept art for the level design in this game was kinda similar to SSX3's, there's a bridge with a strange shape and a bunch of arrows indicating different paths to take, thing is, if you want all that to be relevant you need that concept and convert it to what the player needs/wants to do.
The base controls for your characters are so utterly unforgiving that you don't give a shit where you're going, snow/ice surfaces are samey, jump distances are irrelevant since you can interrupt your tricks at any moment, rails are magnets so if you are falling close to one you are getting attached to it, you don't need to balance on rails, you can also end rail uber tricks (foot off the board) on the ground, and to fall off you have to hit something head on, a 100% perpendicular wall or you don't fall, and of course you have a rewind; all this makes the level design basically non existant, with all that i don't give a shit about the concept art bridge when i'm playing the game.
In some of the "making off" videos they had a massive wall of text with messages like "MAKE AWESOME FEEL EASY" and "ELIMINATE FURSTRATION (JANK)"; here lies the issue, if you aren't willing to create different consequences, good or bad, to microdecisions for the player to learn and improve, engagement is the last thing that player will give to your sports game.
The trick point system is basic, basic, basic, more points for flips than spins, just do the uber trick with more points while flipping, hands off before touching the ground, hold the combo with nose and tailpresses and that's it, oh wait the "duplicate trick system", just switch between the 2 best tricks. also instead of putting an event timer or placing trick multipliers throughout the level so you create a route like in SSX3 or even real life, they decided to make a "Flow meter" so if you are stalling too much the multiplier goes down, solution? stall as much as you can while the multiplier is at 20x, that's it. World Records on trick events are 15-20 minutes on a track that should be 3, blackflipping with the same 2 uber tricks the whole fucking time. PAIN
The base game under all this crap is really nice, I coudn't find what engine this game used, but like, is good good, and graphics, while the levels are empty and it renders at 585p30 with FXAA on 7th gen consoles, i really like illumination, colors and models whenever you can see them up close, mostly in the helicopter scenes
Good base but ruined by shitty modern game design.
The base controls for your characters are so utterly unforgiving that you don't give a shit where you're going, snow/ice surfaces are samey, jump distances are irrelevant since you can interrupt your tricks at any moment, rails are magnets so if you are falling close to one you are getting attached to it, you don't need to balance on rails, you can also end rail uber tricks (foot off the board) on the ground, and to fall off you have to hit something head on, a 100% perpendicular wall or you don't fall, and of course you have a rewind; all this makes the level design basically non existant, with all that i don't give a shit about the concept art bridge when i'm playing the game.
In some of the "making off" videos they had a massive wall of text with messages like "MAKE AWESOME FEEL EASY" and "ELIMINATE FURSTRATION (JANK)"; here lies the issue, if you aren't willing to create different consequences, good or bad, to microdecisions for the player to learn and improve, engagement is the last thing that player will give to your sports game.
The trick point system is basic, basic, basic, more points for flips than spins, just do the uber trick with more points while flipping, hands off before touching the ground, hold the combo with nose and tailpresses and that's it, oh wait the "duplicate trick system", just switch between the 2 best tricks. also instead of putting an event timer or placing trick multipliers throughout the level so you create a route like in SSX3 or even real life, they decided to make a "Flow meter" so if you are stalling too much the multiplier goes down, solution? stall as much as you can while the multiplier is at 20x, that's it. World Records on trick events are 15-20 minutes on a track that should be 3, blackflipping with the same 2 uber tricks the whole fucking time. PAIN
The base game under all this crap is really nice, I coudn't find what engine this game used, but like, is good good, and graphics, while the levels are empty and it renders at 585p30 with FXAA on 7th gen consoles, i really like illumination, colors and models whenever you can see them up close, mostly in the helicopter scenes
Good base but ruined by shitty modern game design.