Operation Sports is proud to present Part 1 of our 2 part interview with Joe Nickolls, Producer of 2006 FIFA World Cup. We'd also like to thank our community for submitting some great questions!

Operation Sports: Is the gameplay the exact same as Road to the World Cup, or have you changed it up at all? What features can we expect to be different with this version than we saw with Road to the World Cup?

Joe Nickolls: 2006 FIFA World Cup is more responsive than Road to the World Cup, we have a new shooting model and penalty kick shooting model, improved goalkeeper AI, and enhanced star player attributes to make the players play more like the real thing. The star players in 2006 FIFA World Cup play more realistic and are more authentic than any soccer game we have produced. In addition we have a new game mode called Global Challenge that recreates exciting moments from past World Cup and qualifying games that challenges users to re-write history using modern teams. I think fans of our FIFA series will find this very challenging.

Operation Sports: Tell us a little bit about the new penalty kick mode?

Joe Nickolls: Penalty Kicks play such a big part of World Cup that we wanted to make this feature as authentic as possible. When you get to the penalty shoot-out situation the pressure goes up. What we have tried to do is transfer that pressure to the user in the videogame. In the real world you see the crowd and your teammates reacting to each situation and there’s pressure on each player to make the shot. We have tried to take that feeling and make it visual. Gamers can now employ new moves to improve their chances of scoring or saving the shot. New distracting techniques for the keeper, including waving arms and moving along the goal line, make this really authentic. Even the shooting player can attempt to chip his shot to fool the goalkeeper. The penalty mode incorporates a new ‘nerve bar’. Pressing the shot button to hit the sweet spot is the key to the perfect shot. However, the sweet spot now moves at varying speeds depending on the ability and experience of the player, making it hard or easier to hit the target.

Operation Sports: Will the cpu make substitutions?

Joe Nickolls: Yes! The CPU will make both tactical substitutions and substitutions based on fatigue and injury.

Operation Sports: What's up with EA servers? Will this game lag online?

Joe Nickolls: This really depends on the internet connection speed with the users’ own systems and not EA’s servers. We are starting to see more and more players play online, especially in North America, and I really think this is going to become more and more popular. It really unites people who have a passion for football all over the world.

Operation Sports: How big will the call up/selection pools of players be for the teams in the game?

Joe Nickolls: It varies but you will have anywhere between 25 and 45 players to choose from and you can pick your own squad complete with subs and reserves.

Operation Sports: Will you be able to set up your own custom world cup group by group?

Joe Nickolls: Yes. You can go through your own full qualification process to advance the teams or you can go right to the authentic World Cup tournament with the 32 teams that have qualified for the real life tournament.

Operation Sports: Will gameplay sliders be included?

Joe Nickolls: If you are talking about skill levels and speeds the answer is yes.

Operation Sports: Can you explain in better detail the new ‘advanced shooting mechanics’ from the press release?

Joe Nickolls: In our other FIFA games when you are shooting you have to hold down the button to determine how hard you shoot the ball. What we found is that as you come in on goal users get excited and hold down the button far too long, blasting the ball over the bar, and sending it way off target. That was frustrating for users. In 2006 FIFA World Cup when you hold the shoot button down now it will control the angle of the shot. So if you hold the button down longer it will increase the angle of the shot and if you just tap the button the shot will be low. We take care of the power and kind of shot for you.

The shooting model has been much improved with context sensitive AI. Shooting now takes into account distance and angle from goal. Also pressure from defending players will have a direct effect on the success of the shot.

I guarantee that people who play World Cup will see shots they have never seen before because we’re giving assistance to make the shot more realistic. On top of that we’ve tuned the physics of the ball. The ball can now deflect off the keeper, hit the cross-bar then fall back in front of the goal giving the striker another chance to be knocked in and enabling more variety in the types of shots. You don’t want the user to become bored. You want diversity in the kinds of shots you take like sliding kicks, diving headers etc.

Operation Sports: Have ball physics been updated at all?

Joe Nickolls: Yes, ball physics have been completely redone.

Operation Sports: Is there create a player?

Joe Nickolls: There is create-a-player for current gen.

Operation Sports: Will the game support ‘progressive scan’ on the PS2?

Joe Nickolls: Yes.

Operation Sports: How many commentator languages will be available for the North American version?

Joe Nickolls: There will be English and Spanish.

Operation Sports: Are there any new camera angles in addition to the ones in FIFA 06?

Joe Nickolls: We have changed a few of the cameras. The default camera is elevated slightly and zoomed in slightly giving you a better look at the players and the pitch but not too close that you can’t see where everybody is at all times in order to play an effective soccer game. We have tested this camera with a lot of groups and everyone seems to like it a lot. Of course users can change all of the cameras too their liking anyway.