Here is the Interview
Parxy: I would like to know if the downloadable content will feature new match types (I don't think that's been confirmed) such as Six Sides of Steel and KOTM (if that's not already in the game).
MIDWAY: No, the downloadable content will consist of new wrestlers and their associated moves.
Joe_Jalbert: Blood! Smackdown sells huge and has blood, I think it could only help iMPACT! to include it. Add a feature to turn it off if it's a concern to parents/ players. If not blood how about a sweat effect that has sweat flying off of wrestlers when hit?
MIDWAY: This first version of TNA Impact does not contain blood, but we've done a number of things to try and make the experience as realistic as possible .
Joe_Jalbert: Is it going to be possible to create a decent version of wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, HBK, Macho Man etc. who don't currently work for TNA? I don't mean including all of thier logos etc, but as in smackdown how you can whip up a decent version of non current WWE wrestlers.
MIDWAY: We did not place any content into create-a-wrestler with that thought in mind. That being said, we have seen some very creative uses of the parts that made us smile.
Joe_Jalbert: Will Sting have his current look with the singlet top? current black and white only face paint?
MIDWAY: No. Not in this first version.
Oneway23: Are the movesets for in-game characters editable?
MIDWAY: No, not for this first version. We do understand that this is a great feature and are looking into adding it as we move forward.
Oneway23: Are there any double-team moves for either tag team or multi-man matches?
MIDWAY: No, not in this version. We understand the importance of this, but really wanted to focus on making the game as fun and responsive as possible.
Oneway23: Are there character-specific taunts in the final build?
MIDWAY: We have taunts but some are shared.
Oneway23: Does a submission special move always guarantee victory?
MIDWAY: No. You need to wear down your opponent's limb to achieve victory, it takes several submissions to the same limb.
DrDemonq8: Is there multiple attires in the game? if so, are they customizable
MIDWAY: There are for our create-a-wrestlers, but not for our Superstars. We are looking at this for the future though.
R--K--O: How many finishers can one person have
MIDWAY: One finisher, but you unlock and replace them when using created players
R--K--O: Will PPV arenas be in
MIDWAY: Yes, some of our arenas are utilized in PPV events.
R--K--O: What special matches will there be
MIDWAY: Single, Ultimate X, Handicap, Free For All, Tag Team, Submission
R--K--O: How many Moves are there to be set for a CAW
MIDWAY: You start with around 50-60 moves and throughout the game, you unlock about 70+ new moves that can be assigned.
Lemmys_Wart: Can we accurately create the members of the Bee-Gees if desired?
MIDWAY: As much as I wish we could we can't. We do have a designer that looks surprisingly like Andy.
Symbiot3Spid3y: is there going to be pre made caws like jeff hardy and monty brown and how good is the caw system? how about custom soundtracks is that in and last but not least the online is it two players in ranked match or just unranked and I love you.
MIDWAY: No pre made create-a-wrestlers. The system is pretty good but we have big plans to expand it in the future. No custom soundtracks. Ranked and Unranked 2 player matches.
Xear_226: With the exception of season mode are there belts (ie TNA World, X Division, Tag) that can be defended on the game?
MIDWAY: We really focused on the in-the-ring experience and Story Mode. Going forward, we have big plans to expand the game to possibly include belts and other suggestions.
Symbiot3Spid3y: when is the demo coming out?
MIDWAY: No Demo. We had to work so hard, right up to the buzzer, and so there's no real time to accommodate that this time. We wanted to!
Symbiot3Spid3y: backstage arenas fighting in the crowd for dlc
MIDWAY: Downloadable content is all about wrestlers we didn't get to for the shipping game. You can expect a couple superstars!
Symbiot3Spid3y: unlockable mortal kombat arenas and characters haha Midway is crazy so it might happen.
MIDWAY: No. But you're right. There were plans…
Radiel21: will there be finishers from the back grapple and turnbuckles as well? cause it seems like finishers can only be done from a front grapple which is kind of weird.
MIDWAY: We kicked around the idea of doing finishers from different places, but the people in the focus groups struggled so we decided to keep it simple and do it from the front. Going forward, we plan to re-examine this.
Louie-dooey: Can you play through season mode with regular wrestlers in the game?
MIDWAY: We don't have season mode, just story. Once you see the story, you'll see why it doesn't work with regular wrestlers.
Louie-dooey: Will you be able to fight in the crowd or a certain area in the crowd, like Smackdown vs Raw has.
MIDWAY: No. We are looking into expanding this aspect of the game for a sequel.
Louie-dooey: Are the entrances really as short as the videos show them to be?
MIDWAY: Yes. We are looking at expanding ring entrances in the future, but think we've delivered high quality, realistic entrances. The thing is, people only seem to watch them once or twice so our idea was to truncate them, but keep the energy.
Louie-dooey: Will Sting have a baseball bat as a weapon?
MIDWAY: He wields it, but doesn't get to use it in the ring.
Tripleh_game1: Being new competition in the wrestling video game genre, what did you feel was essential in making TNA iMPACT?
MIDWAY: Clearly our focus was on clean, crisp, responsive, entertaining, and easy to pick up and play gameplay. We accomplished that, and now need to improve that and add additional content and features.
Tripleh_game1: I've noticed the roster doesn't include several wrestlers who are currently in TNA. Can we plan on seeing them included in Downloadable Content somewhere down the line?
MIDWAY: Yes, we will do some for sure and save some others for future TNA games.
Tripleh_game1: What can we expect from story mode? We haven't heard a lot, so I'm wondering if there will features such as voice overs or branching storylines.
MIDWAY: There are voice overs, and surprises, but no branching
Tripleh_game1: I love how the animations in TNA iMPACT are so fluent and non-robotic. Can you share the process of how you motion capture the moves and then put them into the game?
MIDWAY: Thank you! We take pride in that and have been developing this approach for many years inside Midway. First of all, you need talented motion capture actors, great animators, and then good designers to painstakingly script each move until it looks and FEELS right. It takes lots of time. We have so many more moves in the can and ready to script! Exciting!
The_Great_Doran: How many hours is story mode going to be?
MIDWAY: It depends on your match success rate, but you can expect the story mode to be similar to most other games in terms of duration and difficulty. I'm guessing on a first play through it takes about 10+ hours.
The_Great_Doran: Will wrestlers have Stats?
MIDWAY: Wrestlers do have stats! Each TNA star has 5 unique attributes associated with him that affect damage, power, stun, ground time, etc. CAW players get these attributes assigned to them based on wrestling style selected. We are looking at exposing these in the future.
AJ_Kidman: Are all Characters the same AI wise? (since there are no stats, how are each character different besides by movesets & appearances)
MIDWAY: No. There are stats, and the AI plays differently based on that and several other things. Wrestling Style has significant impact on how the AI plays, as well as their tendencies. Once you'll play, you see guys fighting different.
AJ_Kidman: Will we be able to build on our character and if so How?
MIDWAY: As you earn additional Style Points, more moves become unlocked and assignable.
Kunqlao: Is steel chair the only weapon?? if so will weapons be available in DLC??
MIDWAY: Yes. We are expanding this area greatly as we move forward.
Kunqlao: Will there be create an entrance??
MIDWAY: No. Not in this version.
Kunqlao: Why is there a 1,2,3 when in a submission?? does the mean when in a submission you only have 3 seconds to get out or you tap?? and lastly why aren't there rope breaks??
MIDWAY: That is a rare situation where a Finisher ends in a submission.
Glennsoe: Will there be "call names" for caws and will they have some "wrestler names" as call names ?? Such as Scott Hall, Warrior, Macho Man and so on...My guess is that it comes down to copyrights and such.But as long as the call names are "better" than in the Smackdown games, I'm cool !
MIDWAY: No "call names" for this version, but definitely want to add this moving forward.
Glennsoe: Will we be able to fight on the stage and throw people of it?
MIDWAY: Great idea!
Glennsoe: Midway have said so many times the moves in right now are just a temporary moveset and that the final build will have the characters actual accurate movesets,so how accurate will the movesets be??
MIDWAY: We tried to do the best we could in the time we had. Building a new engine from the ground up, and capturing the amount of moves we did was a huge undertaking. Our #1 priority moving forward is to expand the move sets and continue improving the accuracy.
Glennsoe: What about stamina ?? From watching the clips, it seems the wrestlers "never" gets tired..
MIDWAY: Stamina affects how long your wrestler stays in a stunned state.
Glennsoe: How many caw slots for ps3 and xbox ???
MIDWAY: 5
Glennsoe: Other then Create a wrestler, what other create modes is there?(Create a belt Create a PPV, etc...)
MIDWAY: None in this version.
Glennsoe: The Smackdown series has recently attracted more fans to the series by including a "legends" roster as a portion of the game. Has midway thought to incorporate anything like this? Possibly making a "TNA Pioneers" section of the roster for guys like Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Ken Shamrock, Sabu, Monty Brown, D-lo Brown,and Jerry Lynn?
MIDWAY: Great idea. We will look at that in the future. So much to do!
My_ddt: About how many moves were motion-captured for the game?
MIDWAY: Over the 2.5 years of development, we captured about 2000 moves and reactions. We didn't have time to process and script all of them, but we will!
My_ddt: Why don't the PS2 and Wii versions of the game have a CAW mode? There is no excuse for this, you could just have a less graphically stunning CAW for these systems.
MIDWAY: It's difficult to make a new game and multiple platforms! A huge effort in fact! It's certainly something we'd like to do, and we're trying our best to get important features into our sequel.
KrackerJacksYum: an you tell me stuff about the Wii version? And are Wii owners going to get Screwed just like SVR 08 on Wii?
MIDWAY: We are happy and excited with the Wii version!
d.wkingofkingd: If and when there is a TNA iMPACT 2, can we expect alot of gimmick matches and added features in it. Like stuff we missed out on in the first one.
MIDWAY: Absolutely! We are already working hard at adding content and planning for what else to add!
Ciancr17: On the 360 edition of the game-will I be able to talk song's from my HDD and put it on my CAW as a entrances music?
MIDWAY: No. But great idea that we'd like to support.
Hart_Break_Kid_4Life: Can we have a description of the controller layout as it relates to each wrestlers moveset?
MIDWAY: We are trying to get a controller configuration out so players can see and learn more about how the game plays. Stay tuned.
Beerbottlebuster: Say I wanted to improve on the moveset of a wrestler such as Abyss or Tomko. I copied him in CAW and did so. Could I then use my improved version of Abyss in the story mode or for the story mode does the CAW have to be an original?
MIDWAY: Well, our story mode really requires you to create an original character, so it wouldn't work with an existing wrestler.
Beerbottlebuster: You included in your Listers intro " the men and women from TNA elbow drop their way onto your favorite console.". That is where my next question comes from. We know that the Knockouts aren't in the game. Can they be created in the CAW mode or is the CAW mode strickly male wrestler as I heard in the beginning?
MIDWAY: Not in this version. But we love the Knockouts!
DevilSauce: Do grapples work like they do in most other wrestling games? i.e., you hit the grapple button, go into a weak or strong tie-up, then do a move from the tie-up such as a suplex, piledriver, punch, irish whip, etc.
MIDWAY: Yes. Strong+Grab creates a lock-up, where many moves originate. Simply pressing Grab will do a character specific move. However, combining Away or Toward along the other buttons (Grab, Punch, Kick) will also select unique moves.
DevilSauce: In the TNA-Listers preview for Shark Boy, Greggy lists 4 grapple moves for Shark Boy and says "there are tie-up moves only when you hit the grapple button while pressing toward or away from the enemy as well as when you hit the shoulder button and grapple while pressing toward or away from the enemy", which leads one to believe that there are only 4 grapple moves per wrestler. Can you clarify this?
MIDWAY: As mentioned above, combing Direction and Strong with the face buttons will execute additional moves. And depending on your opponents current state, other appropriate moves will also occur. We certainly plan on adding additional states and moves in future sequels, but feel we are off and running with good set of core moves.
DevilSauce: Earlier preview match videos released show a more deliberate style of wrestling (i.e., wrestlers go into tie-ups and remain there until the player picks a move), while newer ones are more arcade-y (i.e., wrestlers never get into tie-ups that last longer than 1/2 a second or so and automatically go into a move).
MIDWAY: We have changed the mechanics somewhat over time, but tie ups can last several seconds, unless you choose to perform a move.
DevilSauce: Are there sliders/options to make the game more sim or more arcade like to suit the player's preference?
MIDWAY: Just a difficulty setting. We are not trying to make this game "arcade like". We are trying to make a wrestling game, as true to wrestling and the talent as possible. Our first game does accentuate the more sensational aerial attacks, but our intent is to be wrestling, not arcade fighting.
DevilSauce: In the Christian Cage video, we see that Style Points unlock moves for Create a Player. Do we have to unlock movesets/advanced play styles for existing wrestlers?
MIDWAY: Just for CAW.
DevilSauce: Can movesets for existing wrestlers be modified to reflect their current status? e.g., someone decides to change his finisher in real-life.
MIDWAY: No, but we are looking at supporting this in the future.
Morphodite: Lets Say Youre In a 3 Way Brawl and 2 People are In The Midst Of Fighting, Lets say as well if you're the Odd Man Not Fighting Will you be able to attack the two and interupt the Move.
MIDWAY: Yes. Lots of cool stuff can come from these situations, and we have great plans for this in the future.
AntDaGamer77: Is There Gonna Be Trophy Support I See 360 has achievements so why not the PS3?
MIDWAY: Not for this version. In the future, absolutely.
AntDaGamer77: Will there be any TNA Japan superstars in otherwords guys that made an appearance from Japan in TNA such as Mutoh, Nakamura, Tiger Mask, etc?
MIDWAY: We are seriously looking at that now!
Creepyspencer12bacon: How many people can play online?
MIDWAY: 2
Creepyspencer12bacon: How many people can be in the ring at the same time?
MIDWAY: 4. We will expand upon this in the future.
Adam_I3OMB: From what I've seen from the game, many superstars are missing their famous moves, for example Joe's Island Driver, AJ's springboard 450, to what extent will the wrestlers have their genuine moveset?
MIDWAY: We understand. We did the best we could in the time we had, but again, move accuracy is our #1 priority moving forward.
Luis_85: Is there weight limits??/how many pounds can small guys carry?
MIDWAY: No Limits
Luis_85: Around how many characters are unlockable??
MIDWAY: About 10
Luis_85: Since there are already plans to make a 2nd game,would it and future tna games be out in a year or more than that?
MIDWAY: We have so much we need to add, and it all can't happen in just 1 sequel, so we are going to work hard each year to add as much as possible until we have more content than any other wrestling video game!
JeRicHo0L: How will the online mode be like? (Ranking, Lobbies, Trade, Options to set up a match, Buddy List, Private Messaging, Noob List, Kicking players out of a match, Will the match end when someone gets disconnected,...?)
MIDWAY: Yes for most of this.
JeRicHo0L: which company will be responsible for TNA's Online Mode? (GameSpy, DemonWare,...?)
MIDWAY: Quazzal
Goldberg4LifeUT: Can you interrumpt moves?
MIDWAY: Yes, and it is super cool!
Goldberg4LifeUT: Do the wrestlers sell damage properly? I've seen a video of Shelley hitting Christian with his finisher, and Christian gets up right away.
MIDWAY: People stay on the ground longer the more damaged they are. There is a fine line in there, and we are doing our best to keep the game real, and fun.
Goldberg4LifeUT: Is there a create-a-tournament or a create-an-event option?
MIDWAY: That didn't quite make the release for this first game, but we love the idea.
Irish-And-Proud: I've read that the PS2 and Wii versions won't have the Create-A-Wrestler mode. Will there be anything PS2-specific?
MIDWAY: Yes! PS2 and Wii have combos!
NocturnalXS: Are there tables? If so, can you slam someone through the TNA announcer table?
MIDWAY: Not in this version, but they are coming!
NocturnalXS: What was the hardest part about making the TNA videogame?
MIDWAY: Starting from scratch and having 25+ wrestlers that need custom move sets and signature gameplay! Tough!
My_ddt: Why does the CAW look VERY limited in the videos IGN has shown of it? Is it just because it is a preview build? Not many moves are available, and it doesn't look like I can even create my favorite wrestlers if the movelist remains the same as it is in the videos, or you can't unlock more moves through Story Mode or through doing matches to get Style Points to unlock more moves.
MIDWAY: Moves are unlocked in Story Mode. We do plan on expanding create-a-wrestler in the future to include more moves and categories.
My_ddt: Why can't we create female wrestlers in the CAW?
MIDWAY: Adding a female skeleton, moves, and audio was just too much for us on this first TNA game.
My_ddt: Why can't we change the height and weight of the CAW? Is it because the CAW is the character Suicide in the Story Mode?
MIDWAY: You can adjust weight and height. We do want to expand upon this in the future. Technically, it's difficult to align all the hands and such when the size disparity is significant.
My_ddt: Where are the 1500 moves in CAW that the TNA wrestlers were supposed to have motion-captured that Midway and TNA wrestlers were bragging about in video interviews? There were not even 100 moves in the CAW video. What happened to all of the other moves?
MIDWAY: We were not able to get all of the motion captured move processed and into the game. We are very particular and careful with our moves, and don't just throw things in quickly.
My_ddt: Why are you putting in fictional characters as hidden characters, like Afro Thunder from Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, instead of putting in other wrestlers from TNA's roster? It doesn't make any sense.
MIDWAY: Understood. Afro was fairly quick for us to drop in since we had his assets, and he uses an existing move set. We are expanding our TNA roster as we move forward.
Dandonian: As the Unreal Engine supports Natural Motions Morpheme which inturn can call Euphoria, is there any chance that the next installment of the game will make use of these amazing technologies?
MIDWAY: Great thought! Yes, we are experimenting with this type of technology now, and we will add this feature in the future!
Robwfc: Will there be people who are no longer with Tna but aren't with wwe ie Raven, sabu,Monty brown or even shannon moore or chris harris I'm not expecting moore or harris really maybe as downloadable.
MIDWAY: Kind of…
Robwfc: How often will there be new downloadable stuff. I it just gonna be when the game is released. Also will commentary still mention the guys who are downloaded thats if new wrestlers can be downloaded.
MIDWAY: We will support downloadable content for the first several months after release, and determine the plan after that. Commentary can change along with the downloadable content wrestlers.
Robwfc: What do you think is the best feature of the game that is better than the Smackdown vs raw games.
MIDWAY: We have much respect for SVR. Their amount of content is huge. But we are very happy with how TNA feels in terms of responsiveness, impact of the moves, and smoothness.
Robwfc: Will there be any sort of mode similar to the gm mode in smackdown vs raw. I realise that there aren't seperate brands like there are in wwe but being able to have weekly impacts and be able to pick matches for ppvs would be great.
MIDWAY: Not in this version.
HorrorStoryKillah: We already know this is the first release as a TNA Impact game, what can we expect in the next few years for this game in terms of the product evolution? More Weapons? Longer Entrances? More Match types?
MIDWAY: All of that. Improved gameplay and AI will always be a high priority.
HorrorStoryKillah: Are there any ideas from other wrestling games you are considering just to give us an estimated idea of what to expect in the future of TNA impact?
MIDWAY: We look at everything, and have special marketing groups which look at and attempt to decipher what the end user really wants in his wrestling game. We do read all of the forums. Frequently.
Masterj22: how has the recant move of the team affected the game?
MIDWAY: It hasn't! We are moving now!
Masterj22: how many mocap animations did you guys recored?
MIDWAY: 2000+. Remember, these are reactions, attacks, and power moves
Masterj22: the game doesn't look like it has stats, how are differnt characters going to feel differnt?
MIDWAY: There are internal stats!
RDMoney: Will there be Create-A-Championship and usable online? If not, why?!
MIDWAY: Great idea. And we will need to add this in the future.
RDMoney: Will TNA Championships be defended in Exhibition mode?
MIDWAY: No, but definitely coming.
NewHellraiser: One other question to you. Is there anything that you have seen in regard to wrestler specific moves besides the finisher? Are they unlockable? (This is probably been asked) but geez from the media, the BME for Daniels?, scissor kick for booker T, etc. Really, this is kind of a big concern in my opinion, first game or not, you have to put out a game that compares with its competitor and again in my opinion, spending all that time on the detail for each wrestler they need to have their specific moves to really enhance the experience for a game that could make or break Midway... ok off my soapbox. But really do you know anything about this?
MIDWAY: We tried to add as many signature moves as possible to each guy, beyond their Finisher. AJ's Pele kick, Joe's drop kick, etc. Many moves are shared, and we know that this is the #1 area for improvement moving forward.
RDMoney: I read an article somewhere that creation would be a "Huge" part in this TNA. Now I'm reading that there are only 5 CAW slots and no CAW online. How is this playing a huge part?
MIDWAY: Understood. We need to improve in the area. Things got cut, and now we can pick the ball up on those things once again.
RDMoney: With all the technology that Yukes and THQ have passed down throughout the years, how come TNA is lacking? For example, sound customization, online mode and matches. I understand its TNA's first game, but shouldn't we be able to defend championships in exhibition mode especially if it's trying to be No Mercy like? This is not a question but a comment. Midway, you have dropped the ball.
MIDWAY: Understand your thoughts. But in 2.5 years, we were able to craft a great base engine for wrestling video games, motion capture a ton of moves, and create a fun game with a new feel for this audience. We will continue to improve and strive to make the best wrestling game on the market.
TNAAJStyles313: Will I be able to team up with a friend online and go against the computer.
MIDWAY: Not yet, but on-line is so very important, you know lots of attention is being paid to this now.
TNAAJStyles313: Also could you tell me if Petey Williams or Kaz are in the game
MIDWAY: DLC
NewHellraiser: A long time ago we got an update saying that TNA Impact will have an Entrance Theme creator. Is this still true? If it is what is it like? How does it work? Etc...
MIDWAY: No. That did not make the first games content
Elipvice: Here's my question : I've read that there will be DLC like new wrestlers and such in America. I would like to have confirmation that DLC will also be available in Europe, and if so, if there's gonna be some delay or not. You see, I live in France and wrestling fans here are poorly represented or rewarded. So this is important to me. DLC the same day here as in America would be a huge huge major point for wrestling fans.
MIDWAY: Yes.
No Double Team Moves(yet there are Tag Team matches), No edit moves, No Custom Soundtrack, No Create an Entrace, FIVE CAW Slots? Seriously? and 2 player online. Those were the biggest for me personally. I don't think it's even going to garnish a rental from me really.
The only reason they don't have a Demo is because they know people will hate it and won't buy it. So it seems like Wrestlemania 21 actually beats this game out. Never thought I'd see the day.
ing demo?!!!
I had a lot of hope for this game, but that Q & A is horrible. I swear someone in promotions should be fired for allowing that to go down. I also get the feeling Midway are looking at the questions going "Holly Hell! Who knew they wanted that?!?" From now on when I see a developer say "Well, we are looking to No Mercy for inspiration.." It'll be my cue to run. No one who has ever said that has produced a decent game. This is looking worse that Wrestlemania 21 for Xbox.
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