SSX Developer Blog - Owning the Planet

One of the cornerstones of SSX is tracks - levels, runs, peaks, mountains. Many qualities combine to create that ineffable SSX experience: the way that there are a million options, how you see new lines down every time you try a run, how great moments flow in to one another, how you round a corner to see a gorgeous vista, and many others. Creating levels like this has always been an immense challenge, but we knew from the beginning that we needed to go a step beyond: not only did we need incredible levels, we needed an incredible number of them.

Having a huge number of levels creates tons of new opportunities: there can be more variety, more novelty, and more depth in any kind of challenge. Whatever you like, there's more of it, so you can always find new challenge that you're sure to enjoy. We think this kind of choice is a great thing for players, and enhances the already great value that SSX offers.
 

Creating tons of content is an extraordinarily difficult and complex endeavor, so we've had to invent all new tools and techniques, the most fundamental of which is sourcing data from NASA topography maps (the ASTER GDEM). We used this data to rapidly construct real-life mountains and prototype riding down them. This gave us a fantastic way to test and explore real life data, and discover the differences between real mountains.
 

Of course, real mountains on their own aren't enough. They need the SSX treatment: huge kickers, half-pipes, switchbacks, rails, tunnels, crevasses, and much more (which you'll see later), all crafted to deliver great lines and exhilarating trick chances. Drawing on what we learned with our NASA-driven prototypes, we created a tool capable of rapidly adding that SSX flair, defining in immense detail the ingredients necessary to create a world-class SSX experience. With this tool, Mountain Man, we can more quickly than ever before create stunning-looking and insanely fun tracks that you're sure to have an absolute blast Owning the Planet!

Tom Munro, SSX Development Team Designer

Keep an eye out for our first in a series of five Iconic Terrains blogs coming next week!