kelly slater's pro surfer 2 wishlist top ten

1. wave length and dynamics

the number 1 concern, the waves. hard to believe maybe since treyarch did an outstanding job on the wave engine, but my concern about the waves is that they never slow down, never get smaller, never stop barreling, and never end. granted, some waves like kirra, bells, and j-bay do last a long time and seem to stay at full strength trough out, but breaks like sebastian, pipeline, teahupoo, these are quick breaking waves with short rides. currently in the game the surfer stands up and the wave looks the same the whole way through the ride. i think most would get a greater thrill out of their ride if the wave change in size and power throughout, and then ended. sebastian's waves would stop barreling for instance, and the surfer could do easier tricks off the whitewater. at island breaks like teahupoo, the surfer could have a sketchy drop only to find themselves in a sketchier barrel that they barely make it out of with no face afterwards. to just go on forever doesn’t feel like surfing, and for most beaches in ksps, to go on forever is not a very actuate betrayal of the real life locations.

2. paddling and positioning

i believe it was a decision by the ksps team not to include this feature for the game due to perceived lack of interest and not time. i think it was a huge mistake not to, and it's definitely a huge part of the surfing experience. as it stands now the surfer simply lies there on his board and waits for a wave to magically appear. he can’t sit up and look around, his paddling abilities seem limited, and if he duck dives the wave the next one comes just as quick in the same fashion as the first. when the surfer falls, the wave does not end, he is then instantaneously brought back to the line up (which doesn’t even appear is all the way out since there are bigger waves breaking further out in the distance). the surfer/player should have the option to either paddle back out, as well as an option to magically appear back out into the lineup (for those would rather not paddle out). the lack of options on where to surf, inside or the outside, sit up on the board, and the inability to wait longer for a bigger wave or at least paddle around takes away from the game. it is a videogame, but it is a surfing videogame. other ideas on this topic; jumping off a boat or rocks at breaks like teahupoo, kirra (complete with exit moves). getting thrown over the falls in attempts to duck dive huge or powerful waves like mavericks, teahupoo, and pipeline. and hitting the beach at certain beach breaks could also be an added visual.  

3. sim cheat/adjustable option for each attribute and noticeable difference /more attributes

my biggest disappointment about the gameplay is some of the physics. floaters are too easy, barrels are too hard, and the air time is too long. now i'd really like to see more sim like physics and more down to earth air time, but there are concerns coming from not only people like me, but also those who want lengthy air time. the way to accommodate everyone i feel is too improve on the current attribute system. currently the game only allows an increase or decrease in all attributes, the player should have the ability to change these individually to get the gameplay they're looking for. secondly the difference between 1 and 10 should be enormous, currently there is not much of a change in the surfers ability/physics (there should also be more attributes). the area that really needs to be fixed is in air time, and air physics in general. if anything, everything needs to be more customizable. and on that same note i'll throw in request for a sim cheat; less air, more spin, etc.

4. camera angles

the current camera angle aren't bad, but the inability to adjust angles such as height, distance, and other variables takes away from the gameplay. sometimes the player feels he can't see all the wave, and then can't react fast enough to the breaking curl. another reason for a further away camera angle would be for the player to see more of the level/beach. with the camera being so close, it's hard to take in the environment and truly feel g land is that much different looking than pipeline outside of the wave apperances. basically a few more camera angle positioned further away would satisfy this request.

5. ability to go right and left

creating the great wave technology that treyarch has, you have to give them alot of credit and appreciation. however, to take it a step further and have the waves go in both directions would truly be a miracle. one directional waves like pipeline, teahuppo, bells, kirra, they're almost perfect the way they are and would only need minor adjustments for the sequel (mostly what's mentioned by #1). but the beach breaks, especially trestles, were hurt due to the inability to choose which direction you wanted to go. trestles cannot be complete without a more peaky wave with a clear left and right path to choose. i’m guessing this is extremely hard to program, and it appears it must be next to impossible to do since no development team has attempted it yet. but to me, this is the last frontier in terms of surfing games, and even though no developer has been able to do it yet, if anyone can…  

6.  create-a-board/surfer/beach

something that was mentioned, but I imagine was not enough time for. i'm a little more understanding that this feature ended up on the cutting room floor, treyarch was probably too busy working out the kinks for all three platforms no less. and given that they truly redefined water animation for all surfing videogames here after, I can find it in my heart to forgive them for leaving it out of the first installment. but the sequel will be another story. there needs to at least be a create-a-surfer/board feature included for the ksps2. create-a-beach may be too ambitious, but if the development time is there, i wouldn’t put it past a the ksps team to fit it in.

7. surfing tour, more accurate contest detail, asp license

lack of a tour in my opinion greatly takes away form the length of career mode. and the contest structure that is included does not stay true to the actual format presented by such surfing contests  as various billabong pros and quiksilver pros featured by the asp. one thing missing from the o2 series in general is the lack of a sports-like gameplay (last i looked sorts games do sell). suggestions for improvement include; top 2 waves (adjustable to three), wave limit of 10(adjustable), adjustable time limit, colored jerseys, disqualifications, and tour standings. special events like air shows or big wave contest like the eddie could be added bonuses, or side objectives. again, maybe not the most dire concern by most, but one I feel if implemented would add to the career of each pro surfer and lasting appeal of the game tremendously.

8. more

sequels should always have more than the original; more breaks, more pro surfers, more maneuvers, more extras, more secrets, etc. the one area i feel needs the most attention in terms of more is the amount of equipment available to each surfer in the game. currently number of boards for each pro is 10 (excluding the tiki god boards which don't count in my humble opinion), this should be increased to at least 20. seeing your surfer in the same trunks gets stale so at least 5 pairs per pro, and there should be more than 1 wetsuit, and they should not all be just full (short sleeve, spring suit, rash guard, etc.). more and longer pro surfer movie, maybe pile in 20 to 30 breaks, update and increase the current maneuvers, include more extras, etc. this may be an automatic, but i was kind of disappointed with the number of boards and trunks for each surfer for ksps so figured i'd mention it. 

9. include many if not all of the ksps locations

i feel the need to request due to the fear that treyarch may not think to include previously included beaches. since there are only so many world famous beaches out there, to not include the likes of kirra, bells beach, j bay, sebastian, pipeline or teahupoo would be a travesty. each of these ksps breaks should be updated and altered (pier at sebastian comes to mind) to the point that it will be an entirely different experience. these very famous and popular breaks are too much apart of surfing not to be included. 

10. improve the quality, quantity of unlockable secrets

ksps has next to none in terms of unlocakable secrets, and the ones it does like travis patrama, tiki god, and cosmos are not even worth the time it takes to unlock them. unlockable secrets in the game should be ones that someone will want to waste their time with. one suggestion for improvement could be longer pro surfer movies, surfer legends instead of tiki gods, secret breaks (real ones), breaks no one has thought to include or that are truely ungunie; the wedge (california), flowrider (texas), or a certain wave pool in orlando.

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