What do Outlaw Golf 2 and Comedy Central’s ‘Insomniac’ have in common? GamersMark sits down with Mike Taramykin, Executive Producer at Hypnotix to get the early word on the sequel to golf’s most outlandish cult classic.
GM: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. We eagerly anticipate getting our mitts on Outlaw Golf 2, myself especially (the original is one of my favorite Xbox games). To give our readers a little background, let’s start off with your name and title at Hypnotix.
MT: Hello, and thanks for the kind words regarding OG1. My name is Mike Taramykin and I am the Executive Producer and one of the designers of all three Outlaw games.
GM: How did the idea for the original Outlaw Golf come about, and were you happy with the game’s performance and the criticism it received by the gaming press?
MT: The original idea came from the notion of “hey lets make a golf game that’s based on the way that regular people play golf.” Of course we soon realized that it would be even better if we added a couple of strippers, a wannabe rapper, and maybe a biker chick for good measure.
In general we were very happy with the game’s performance and the way it was received by gamers. To this day when I am asked what games Hypnotix makes and I say Outlaw Golf, the reply is usually something like “I love that game, me and my friends play it all the time.” I am really proud of how OG seems to be a cult favorite and the best part is that there was never really any marketing hype about the game to make people buy it. Instead folks just bought the game because they heard from someone else that it was good.
The gaming press on the other hand, was a mixed bag. When OG first came out, golf games were a 3 button deal. We took a lot of flak for the analog controls and some reviews said that the Hot Shots controls were “more realistic.” I found it amazing how firmly entrenched some reviewers were in their favorite games. But hey what can you do? On the other hand some reviewers loved the game and appreciated it for what it was supposed to be (a good game that didn’t take itself seriously). I found that as time went by the reviews got better and better.
So now that OG2 is about to come out it’ll be interesting to see how it’s received. I can safely say that we didn’t stray very far from the original formula, and if anything, we pushed everything a little bit farther.
GM: Some gamers thought that Outlaw Golf’s controls were too unforgiving. What steps (if any) have you taken to make sure that Outlaw Golf 2 will be more accessible?
MT: The most significant change that we made was to the way that composure affects your swing. In OG a player’s composure controlled the virtual “sweet spot” of their clubs. This was a pretty cool idea and sounded great in principle, but the side effect was that players that were playing poorly would end up playing even worse, while good players played just as good as they would otherwise. Another problem was that this sweet spot was invisible and players did not have any direct (visual) feedback on how hard or easy their next shot would be. So in OG2 we revised the composure system and instead made it directly affect the possible distance and spin of each shot. So by playing well you will be able to add a few much-needed yards to each shot as well as earn the ability to have the ball bite down harder on the green. But if you end up playing less-than-perfect then you will lose this yardage, but your ability to hit a straight shot will not be affected nearly as much.
We also revised the general swing interface to make it easier to gauge the necessary amount of power that you will need to make your shots.
GM: How did the relationship between Hypnotix and Steve Carell develop, and what happened to that relationship? Can you give us any hints about the new game’s commentator?
MT: Our relationship was great with Steve Carrell. We used him for Outlaw Golf as well as Outlaw Volleyball. (We also used Steve Colbert for The 9 Holes of Xmas). But my goal has always been to use a different person for each of the games, so in OG2 we decided to use Dave Attell. I am a big fan of his show on Comedy Central and thought that he would be a great choice as someone that really has that “Outlaw” personality. I am happy to report that my hunch was quite right.
GM: The original Outlaw Golf had lovely graphics. Is this game using a new graphics engine or still using Renderware? Has EA’s acquisition of Criterion thrown any wrenches into the mix?
MT: I think that graphics in OG were indeed pretty good. The graphics in OV were also a lot better and hopefully we have kicked it up a notch in this game. We are still using Renderware and from what they tell me, the EA acquisition shouldn’t have too much influence in the foreseeable future. I have never considered us to be a developer that chases technology too much and instead we like to concentrate our efforts on being creative with the gameplay. So if EA decides to pull Renderware from the market (which I highly doubt they will) then we will either look for something else or write an engine ourselves.
GM: Which features did you hope to include in Outlaw Golf 2 but were left on the cutting room floor?
MT: Honestly, the only thing that didn’t make it into the game was a funny little way that I wanted to do the game’s credits. Other then that we got everything that we wanted into the game.
GM: What is your personal favorite addition to the sequel?
MT: I am really proud of the way we implemented the online play. Both the Xbox and PS2 versions offer a lot of choices for how people can play the game. I am really looking forward to playing both of them online and getting my ass kicked by someone that has taken the time and learned all of the nuances of the game that we created. To me the ultimate compliment is when someone else cares enough about your game to get better at it than you are.
GM: How many courses and characters? Unlockables and secrets?
MT: 8 courses, and 10 golfers, plus lots of unlockable costumes and other goodies.
GM: I have heard conflicting information regarding the “mini golf” mode. Can you clarify a bit what that will be?
MT: Sure. The game features 7 regular (if you can call them that) golf courses and then one special course called Psycho Sands. This 8th course is basically a life size mini-golf course where every hole has a different theme. One of the holes is based on the D-Day invasion, one is set in space, and another is located in the desert outside Area 51. Each hole also has multiple ways to play it. There is always the straight ahead way, but in addition to that we also added a few cheats and shortcuts that allow you to get a better score. The deal with Psycho Sands is that you unlock each of its holes by playing the Tour Mode. It is however available to play online at anytime.
GM: What online modes will be available, and how many players will it support? Will OG2 support guest logins or stat tracking? Any Xbox Live 3.0 features?
MT: Outlaw Golf 2 supports up to 4 players online and every game mode except “My One and Only” and “Pick Up Sticks” will be available. The game will support voice mail and all the other features that Microsoft is requiring Live games to have. The top 50 (or 100… I’m not sure which) ranked players will also be able to create their own custom tournaments. In addition we will host an official tournament each week.
GM: Outlaw Golf had 2 special edition 9-hole games distributed through Blockbuster Video. Will you be doing the same with OG2, or will you be supporting downloadable content instead, or both?
MT: The special edition games were a special deal that Simon and Schuster had with Blockbuster. There is nothing like that in the works, but you never know. As for downloadable content, I am very hopeful that we’ll be able to provide new stuff as time goes by.
GM: Ebgames.com lists Outlaw Golf 2 with a retail price of only $19.99. Whose decision was it to make Outlaw Golf 2 a “budget title”, and are you concerned that the price might scare away more gamers than it attracts?
MT: The price was Global Star’s idea and at first we were definitely apprehensive about it. However the rational behind it is really smart. Their goal is to attract as many gamers as possible to the franchise and show them what Outlaw games are all about. I think that if as long as the game is well received and people generally like it, then the $20 price will be a really good reason to try it out. Any worries that I personally had about this strategy were completely put to rest by the success of NFL 2K5.
GM: Why no support for the Gamecube?
MT: We made the original OG for the Gamecube and the sales were really low. So instead we are bringing OG2 out on the Xbox and PS2 at the same time. We think that the PS2 audience is more inclined to appreciate the game’s sense of humor then the GC.
GM: Which competitor’s product do you consider to be Outlaw Golf’s greatest competition and what features of that game do you enjoy the most?
MT: Well in the world of Golf games there aren’t all that many players to begin with. I’d say that Hot Shots 4 and Tiger Woods 2005 are our only competition. However I also think that OG2 has its very own place beside both of these other games. We try to mix the fantasy elements of HS with the realism of TW, and then we add the strippers and ex-cons for good measure. The thing with golf games though is that it’s fine to own several of them. As opposed to something like a football game, where all of the players and stadiums are exactly the same, each golf game features totally different courses and therefore gives players a totally different experience. I don’t think that video game golfers have to choose.
As for features that I like in these other games, I would say that the character creator in TW is just plain awesome. I have a feeling that we’ll be doing something like that before long. But I’m sure that if we do, it’ll have its own twist.
GM: What other projects are you working on? Will the Outlaw series spill over into any other sports?
MT: Right now we are working on a special edition of Outlaw Volleyball for the PS2 as well as a brand new Outlaw Tennis game.
GM: What next-gen console(s) are you most excited about developing on and why?
MT: At this point I am equally excited about all of them because they all represent the evolution of the industry and I know that pretty soon we’ll be able to pull off things that aren’t even close to possible now.
Outlaw Golf 2 tees off on the Xbox and Playstation 2 on 10/19/04. For more information on Outlaw Golf 2 and other Hypnotix games, check out their website at www.hypnotix.com.
