“Size Matters” for the next Ratchet & Clank
by Louis Bedigian 

“It's so satisfying turning your opponent into a cow!” 

Comical, immersive, and dangerously habit-forming, the Ratchet & Clank series has continually answered the question: “What would happen if an action/adventure gave birth to a first-person shooter’s baby?” 

With subtitles like Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet enjoys poking fun at the obvious. The latest chapter, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, makes a reference to an intergalactic debate between male and female gamers – does size really matter, or do all weapons turn enemies into cows equally? 

Developed exclusively for PSP, Size Matters will be the first game to cram its irresistible gameplay style into a convenient, handheld package. “The biggest strength of the PSP is obviously its portability and wireless multiplayer capabilities,” said Jon Mayfield, Engine Programmer. “That is really what makes Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters different from all the others. How else am I going to have a quick multiplayer game of Iron Lombax Mode next time I'm stuck in the airport?” 

“With everything else we tried to stay true to the rest of the series and I believe we have succeeded,” he continues. “The graphics were a key area where we spent extra effort. The Ratchet & Clank games have always been some of the best-looking games of their type on the PlayStation 2, and I think the same can now be said for Ratchet & Clank on the PSP.” 

The following is our in-depth conversation with the Size Matters development team at High Impact Games. 

Size Matters isn't just the first of its kind on PSP, it's also an entirely new adventure in the series. Where are the characters are going – their story, their mission, and where it will take them? 

Lesley Mathieson, Design Director: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters takes place after the events of Ratchet: Deadlocked, and Ratchet and Clank are taking a much needed vacation. While relaxing, they get approached by a little girl named Luna, who is doing a school report on heroes. Shortly afterwards, she’s kidnapped by a group of mysterious robots, and our heroes set off to rescue her. Their mission takes them in unusual directions, and on a much bigger galactic adventure than they’d anticipated! 

Typically handheld games lose a bit of their console appeal in the translation to portability. Size Matters looks to change that, so tell us: will the gameplay instantly remind us of the other games in the series? 

Dallas Robinson, Environment Artist: Yes, the gameplay will feel very comfortable to those who have played a Ratchet & Clank game before. Many of the controls are the same as before. However, due to the lack of a second analog stick, strafe has been moved over to the D-pad, yet still feels natural. Ratchet still gets many new weapons and gadgets, which level up along the way. Everything is very action-packed and the mayhem gets even better in multiplayer. I'm telling you: it's so satisfying turning your opponent into a cow! 

How does the new armor customization system work? Does it relate to the new upgrades? 

Avery Bennet, Designer: Throughout Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, you'll find various pieces of armor that Ratchet can wear on his feet, torso, hands, or head.  The parts come in different styles and themes, and though they all protect you from damage to various degrees, at first they don't match up.  Once you equip a full set of a certain type of armor, however, the abilities of that particular set are activated.  Not only does it provide you a bonus amount of protection, but you also unlock unique abilities depending on the set.  For example, a full set of Wildfire armor becomes superheated - you leave behind fiery footprints, and your wrench bursts into flames so that any enemies you strike catch on fire and take extra damage. 

What are some of the new level types being developed? Could you describe some of them for us? 

Ken Strickland, Designer: Think of the core Ratchet gameplay as a warehouse full of chocolate.  Chocolate (like Ratchet's weaponry) is delicious, but you can't eat even pure deliciousness for twenty hours straight without getting a little sick. 

That's where alternate mechanics and mini-games come into play. Of course, you can't sate your audience with the flour cracker equivalent of a mini-game; you need a different flavor that stands on its own. Not to worry, as we've got "tasty" in spades. Giant Clank now takes the battle into space in a delicious variant on the rail shooter that shows off some of the best FX the PSP has shown to date. Then you've got the Skyboarding challenges, an incredibly fast racing game that's all about strategic choice of paths and boosted flight. Then you've got the trail mix medley of robot games: gadgebot survival, gadgebot tossing, and Clank's destruction derby. There's something downright chilling about watching Clank destroy other robots with a variety of robotic torsos. It's a brief glimpse at the beast within. 

Now that’s a big monster. 

Clank will play a bigger role in this game, correct? Does that mean he'll be playable? If so, how does he change the dynamics of the gameplay? 

Matt Gilgenbach, Gameplay Programmer: Yes. Clank is a favorite for many fans as well as members of the development team, so we felt that he should have a larger part in the heroic duo's latest adventure. He’s also playable in many forms. We have the classic Clank gameplay where he commands bots and where he grows and levels cities as Giant Clank, but we've given him exciting new abilities. Clank can pilot vehicles in an exciting destruction derby, throw bots in a new intergalactic sport, and solve 2D gadgebot puzzles. Giant Clank now even fights while flying in some of the most amazing space battles!

How are you handling the game's camera, an area that is usually quite difficult on a handheld? 

Justin Wilder, Gameplay Programmer: While we have kept the same basic camera behavior from the Ratchet & Clank series on the PlayStation 2, we've also made a few changes to adapt the game to portable hardware.  Most notably, the camera rotation control is now on the shoulder buttons.  This allows the player to turn the camera while moving Ratchet and firing weapons - without ever disrupting gameplay.  Additionally, the player can strafe at any time using the D-Pad, or optionally all the time with the analog stick.  And finally, for those who prefer not to manipulate the camera directly, we've added a mode where the camera actively positions itself behind Ratchet. 

Multiplayer has become a key component of the series and is being carried over to Size Matters. Tell us about it. 

Dave Goodrich, Multiplayer Designer: We have incorporated several of the classic multiplayer modes such as Death Match, Team Death Match, Capture the Flag and an exciting new mode called Iron Lombax. These modes can be played in Ad-hoc and Infrastructure mode, allowing people to play with friends locally or across the country via the Internet. 

The game includes a nice compliment of weapons that can level up through use and even be enhanced with mods that give new abilities. There is also a variety of skins and team colors players can pick from. 

We’re very excited about the multiplayer mode here at High Impact and hope you will be too. 

Are any of the maps / stages being designed specifically for the multiplayer mode(s)? 

Dave Goodrich, Multiplayer Designer: All the multiplayer maps were specifically designed for multiplayer mode, though they are visually themed around levels from Ratchet and Clank; Size Matters. The maps were created to accommodate the various game modes such as Death Match, Capture the Flag and Iron Lombax. 

What can you tell us about the different multiplayer modes, assuming there is more than one...? 

Jeff Parrott, Multiplayer Artist: There is more than one mode! We actually have three very unique multiplayer modes. The first one is Deathmatch which works like your typical deathmatch in other multiplayer games except with the weapons that you know and love from the single-player game. Capture the Flag also is included free of charge as well and this mode is pretty straight forward. 

Iron Lombax is a completely new mode created for this game and with four players in mind. The mode is actually unique for each level. For instance, one level has you working for a fast food chain trying to get the cows around the level before the competition does. Another map has you locating homing beacons that attract hovermines and using that to destroy the other team’s base. 

Will you be able to play against your friends locally and online? 

Tyler Wells, Multiplayer Programmer: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters will have support for both Ad-hoc and Infrastructure play.  This means you have the option to start a game with your nearby friends, or meet up with and challenge other people from around the country! 

The Ratchet & Clank games always have excellent subtitles. "Going Commando," "Up Your Arsenal," "Size Matters." Who's coming up with these amusing titles, and how do you decide which one to use? Is it the one that a smirk the instant people hear it? 

Lesley Mathieson, Design Director: The titles are decided on as a team. Once the story of the game and its gameplay are established, everyone on the team sends in suggestions for the latest subtitle. Usually, we can just tell what title clicks as soon as we hear it, and it does get a lot of laughs. We ask the team what they think of the submitted titles, and often there is one that’s just overwhelmingly popular. We thought Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters was an excellent choice because it matched the earlier Ratchet & Clank games that share the same, lighter tone of our game, and it fit well with the story we wanted to tell.

Thank you for your time.

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