Mike Inglehart, NHL Hitz Pro Interview

My name is Mike Inglehart, lead designer on NHL Hitz Pro. I have been in the games industry for 4+ years now finishing Hitz Pro along with James Cameron's Dark Angel for PS2 and XBox and two older PSX titles called Perfect Weapon and The Crow City of Angels.

The move to 5-on-5 was really a smart move as we needed to legitimize the series. Many gamers looked at HITZ as only a mere parody of the sport and knowing that we had quite authentic hockey gameplay (although arcadey) we wanted to have a chance at getting people to at least try HITZ Pro and let the game speak for itself.

As far as moving to 5-on-5, it was our biggest feature, as we needed to increase the ice size, the rosters add rules not to mention other sim-like features such as fatigue and goalie changes. Moving to legitimate hockey was a very challenging task.

We wanted to make sure that we were true to the HITZ franchise by not losing the fast and furious play that had made HITZ as popular as it has become. When we added more players and bigger ice we were worried that the hitting element would disappear but were surprised to find out that we actually had more hits per game. In addition, each feature we added was linked to the HITZ style of play. For example, our fatigue system is based on hits not ice time alone. So in the end, we focused on what worked in the past and built new gameplay conventions around those successful features.

NL Games has some of the biggest hockey fans on the planet, not to mention an extensive history of personal successes in hockey itself. There are a handful of us who played at a high level when we were younger as well so we have a great background in terms of experience on the ice and off the ice. We also play on Wednesday mornings before work and many of us play in competitive leagues, so needless to say, hockey runs thick here at Next Level Games.

I think being a sports fan helps to include those little details that gamers love. I think you can successfully make a good sports game with a general knowledge but knowing a sport inside and out helps to make the best game. In addition, the more on-ice or on-field experience you have you can really help to get across the feel of gameplay and the true sense of emotion. I would say my extensive hockey background was a very valuable asset in helping to create NHL Hitz Pro.

The best part about making NHL Hitz Pro was definitely the All Star Game trip in Florida. We met Nicklas Lidstrom, Stephen Weiss, Eric Brewer, Henrik Tallinder and Glen Murray at the hockey school shoot we did the day of the skills competition and then had tickets to the skills events and the game itself. It was truly a great experience.

Games are fantasy but I think you want to try and include as many realistic features delivering the best game experience. My own standpoint is that at times, sport games tend to add too much realism and forget about what is fun to the user. Just because you are making a sports game does not mean that you have to eliminate the fun factor. You constantly need to remember that we are making a game and a game is all about being fun at the end of the day. So, in HITZ Pro we delivered realistic elements but made sure they were fun, and from the feedback consumers have been posting we hit our target with great results.

Our biggest setback was building a team as we went. HITZ Pro was our first game and we were adding personnel as we created the game, which made it hard at times to organize our tasks and the project in general. But we came together and put out the fires as they happened and at the end of it all, we have a great hockey game.

We did motion capture for 5 straight cold days out at a rink here in British Columbia. We spent between 8-12 hours each day capturing diving one-timers, the fighting, new goalie saves and cut scene content. It was a cold week where my toes were becoming frozen but in the end, the quality of our presentation went up quite a bit so it was well worth it. We also had all the NHL games at work via a satellite dish, which helped us study goal horns and presentation.

The most important piece of knowledge that I have taken with me from HITZ Pro is that gameplay is king in our industry. Your game has to be fun otherwise, the game modes, presentation and even the new kid on the block being console online play will mean nothing. I think as the industry matures you will see gameplay moved back to the forefront in all genres and people will not stand for sub par gameplay experience. People like HITZ Pro because it's damn fun!!

First Person Hockey....hmmmm....that's a good question. It seems to be the next phenomenom in sports but I think we have a lot of areas in the normal third person view to fix before we get inside the head of a hockey player. Team based sports require a good look at the ice and first person hockey although sounds cool seems to be down the road in the future.

Will the NHL Strike? I hope not, I do not want to think of what would happen if NHL stopped play again. Athletes and owners alike need to find a way to co-exist with realistic goals. As far as the games impact, I think it's hard to buy a new game should the NHL strike as the league is your motivation to buy a new game. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

If all goes right my beloved Buffalo Sabres will hoist the cup but if realism prevails I would say Ottawa, Colorado or Detroit!

(October 19, 2003)