Eye For Games magazine, June 2015

Eye For Games is about game design and development • • www.eyeforgames.com

JUNE 2015

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episode one

Onikira: Demon Killer Watch the episode here!

Hosts: Rai Sewgobind, Chad Fust, Tim Mitchell, Phillip Ash

EFG magazine June 2015 ART DIRECTOR

COVER DESIGN

EDITION SUPPORT

No part of this publication

Rai Sewgobind

Game: Trial by Viking

Creative Uncut

may be reproduced in any

Developer: Last Life Games

COPY EDITOR

Jerry Kline WRITERS & CONTRIBUTORS

Tom Schoen

Max Simard Poirier

Indievelopment

Klei Entertainment Last Life Games

Eye For Games is a platform about game design and development where students, young professionals and developers can network and connect. By looking from different perspectives we provide inspiring, motivating and educative content.

Moon Studio - Gareth Coker PlaysaurusÂ

Switchblade Monkeys

form by print, photo print, microfilm or any other means without

written

permission

from the publisher/author.

www.eyeforgames.com For more information you can contact us at: contact@eyeforgames.com

map of pages

8

GARETH COKER MUSIC & SOUND

26

SECRET PONCHOS IN-DEPTH - CHARACTER AND ABILIT Y DESIGN

map of pages

36

38

Who is Ratchet?

Art book special: Don’t Starve

who is?

in depth - item / creature design

46

52

Trial by Viking

The appeal of Clicker Heroes

in development

author’s blog - Tom Schoen

WE ASKED... Do you feel at home in the game industry?

RAI BLOG

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Freedom of creativity in the game industry, how much do you have?

MORTAL KOMBAT X Featured by Creative Uncut

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music & sound interview with Gareth Coker

Ori and the Blind Forest

by Max Simard Poirier - music & sounds

These days you see games come and go, especially with the number of indie games coming out. With all these new titles and IPs it’s hard to be able to create a vibe of sorts that will stick with the game and truly give it an identity. In my opinion, I truly think music is the key to solidifying a game’s true identity and I find that indie games are the breeding greed for truly innovative soundtracks. Unlike AAA games that must serve a greater audience with “Hans Zimmer-esque” soundtracks filled with giant percussions, immense string sections, and brass that can shake the very earth you walk on, indie games are able to take a chance on new blood and actually explore the subtleties of music in interactive media.

Gareth Coker truly delivered an amazing soundtrack that gives Moon Studio’s game Ori and the Blind Forest a true identity. I had a chance to talk with the composer about his score and how he went about creating and fine tuning it. Having worked in film, advertising, and games, I was truly intrigued and had to speak to him about his work on the game.

interview

MSP: Given your background in film and advertising,

knowledge required for this business; orchestration,

what brought you to games?

synth design, conducting, composition techniques,

GC: An email! Moon Studios director Thomas Mahler

writing to picture, and so on. At the University of

reached out to me before he was pitching Ori. I

Southern California, it was the practical application of

scored the prototype of the game that was pitched

those techniques. That said, film/game scoring is an

to publishers. Microsoft bit, and here we are.

ongoing learning process. Our industry is constantly

Honestly, I’ve never had a preference one way or the

evolving and changing; composers have to adapt.

other between film, games, or advertising; they are

Also, writing for orchestra is a lifetime’s study, never

different mechanisms to tell stories, which is what I

complete! There is always something to learn from

enjoy doing the most through music.

each orchestral recording, that’s when you learn the fastest.

MSP: Do you consider yourself a “gamer”? Did you play a lot of games as a child?

MSP: Who do you thank most for all your motivation?

GC: I am definitely a gamer, and have been since I was

GC: This is an easy one. Simply put, without the

four. My gaming days go back to the ZX Spectrum – a

support of my parents, there’s no way I even get close

machine most people outside of the UK won’t have

to being able to do this for a living. There aren’t really

heard of. I also recall the times when cassette tapes

any artists/creatives in our family, and yet they still

were used to load games. Thus, I have played a lot of

allowed me and gave me the space to follow what I

games, and I think that helps me get into the mindset

love doing.

of what a gamer (even though they are all different) might want or not want from their musical experience when playing a game.

MSP: Over the course of your career you have traveled a lot. Did any of these countries have an impact on your compositions?

GC: It’s difficult to say whether one country in particular

“I think the most unusual thing is that I was given access to the game from the very beginning.”

had any more impact than the other, though I’d be lying if I said that Japan didn’t have an impact, as I lived there for 3 years. A lot of the influence happens simply by osmosis. If you go to another country, really

MSP: Did you do something entirely different with

embrace it, and go off the beaten path, you can really

this soundtrack than what you’re normally used to

gain a lot quite quickly, not just from music but from

doing?

all the different experiences you are likely to have

GC: I think the most unusual thing is that I was

never had before. It’s all of those things that can help

given access to the game from the very beginning.

you later on with writing music. The more you have to

While I haven’t been writing music for the project for

draw on, the easier the creative process becomes – at

four years, I’ve been able to play it throughout its

least for me.

development. This allowed me to get a feel for how the mechanics of the game worked, which gave me

MSP: How would you describe your experience in

ideas on the kind of pulse, drive, and momentum I

school studying film composition?

wanted to give to the music. Then when the visuals

GC: I had two chapters to this. At the Royal Academy

came in gradually, that informed what kinds of

of Music, I gained a lot of the tools and foundation

instruments I wanted to use for each main area of

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interview

the game. The long development time and constant

got in each other’s way, and rarely found music and

access to updated builds meant that when it came to

sound competing for space. Our ideas meshed very

crunch time, not just me, but everyone had a great

well from the beginning. A simple example of this

feel and understanding of the kind of experience we

regarding the music is the fact that there is very little

were trying to create for the game. It meant we could

untuned percussion in the score. This is because Ori’s

get content out pretty quickly that was faithful to the

sound effects sort of act as the percussion section. I

overall vision of the project, as everyone was totally

thought, “Why bother getting in the way of them?’”

in sync.

This was one of the things we discovered early on in the game’s development, and taking away the option

MSP: Let’s say you get started on a score for a

of having untuned percussion meant I could focus on

video game, what is the first thing you do? How do

other ways to give the music rhythmic energy, which

you start composing?

we largely did through tonal pulses, rather than tribal

GC: If it’s available, I’ll always ask for a build of the

drum rhythms.

game. I think it makes life a lot easier if you can really understand the mechanics of the game from an

MSP: What do you like about indie games?

early stage. Then I’ll try and dig into the story and

GC: I can’t really compare the indie game experience

overall narrative arc of the game and also what the

to the big studio game experience, but one of the

director / development studio is trying to achieve.

things I liked about Ori was how easy it was to interact

Then it’s simply a case of writing, testing in-game,

with other members of Moon Studios, and also, as I’ve

and iterating, finding themes, discarding themes,

alluded to already, having the constant access to all

developing themes, testing again. The score as it’s

the development builds of the game. Even though they

heard in Ori is simply the result of me playing the

weren’t my personal programmers, it felt like Willem

game a lot, and then recomposing certain sections to

Vos and David Clark (who handled the majority of

improve the overall flow. I think the earlier you can

the music implementation) were always just a Skype

play the game, even before you’ve written a note of

message away. It felt like whatever I asked for it was

music, the easier it makes the creative process.

handled within a matter of hours, if not minutes! I really liked the openness of the studio. It was very

MSP: What was your initial reaction when you saw

easy to get feedback, both good and bad, on your

the game in its development stage?

work!

GC: The first time I saw the game was its prototype.

The game had a different look back then, a lot more

MSP: Do you often let yourself get inspired by other

abstract, but the core mechanics of the game were

forms of artistic expression like books, visual art,

there and simply put, when I picked up the controller

etc.?

and wandered around the world, I thought “This is

GC: We are lucky to have some fantastic museums and

fun, beautiful, and challenging.” When you see those

art collections in Los Angeles. LACMA (Los Angeles

three things, that’s often a promising sign for what is

County Museum of Art) almost always has something

to come.

new and interesting to look at, and I always have fun if I go to the California Science Center. I find I get inspired

MSP: Did you have a lot of collaboration and back

by not just art, but also knowledge and stories. The

and forth with the sound designer on the game?

world has a rich history, and frankly, there is so much

GC: Andrew Lackey was our chief sound designer

of it that I know comparatively nothing about. A good

for the game, and while we never met in person, I

story for me, whether it’s expressed in a painting, a

feel like we had some kind of a telepathic link

book, a documentary or a film, is something that can

throughout the game’s development. We never really

often kickstart a good idea.

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interview

MSP: When is it you feel you are the most creative?

GC: It’s either the middle of the night, or first thing in the morning, depending on my sleep pattern, which varies greatly. I am not creative in the afternoon, so that time is usually reserved for tasks that don’t require the creative side of my brain. Of course, the other thing that always inspires creativity is the ticking clock that represents your deadline!

MSP: Is there anything in particular (or anyone) that inspires you constantly?

GC: I generally don’t have to look too far for inspiration.

Great art and music is never far away. Personally, I never tire of hearing the work of the composer Maurice Ravel. There is a beauty to his orchestral work that is also very accessible to the untrained ear.

I can put a work by Ravel on, read the score, and I’ll almost always find something new that interests me.

MSP: Do you have a quick fix for writer’s block?

GC: Writer’s block is the worst! But I have found that if I am struggling for an idea, I simply fall back on to techniques that I learned and it can often get me out of a hole. Some of the best advice given to me, was “If in doubt, play the tune.” That is, if you’re struggling in a scene, if you play the melody it can often get you through that scene. It generally works, although the one caveat is that you need a good melody in the first place!! The other thing that I find that is very effective is getting some exercise; I usually choose to play tennis or go for a run.

MSP: If there was one game you could go back in time and create the soundtrack for, what would it be?

GC: I am a huge sci-fi fan, and I love the world that was created by Bioware for this game series - I would love to go back and do Mass Effect. That said, it’s tough to imagine music any different from what is in the game now, but it sure is fun to think about musically conceptualizing a gigantic new world/galaxy like that one!

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blog

Freedom of creativity in the game industry, how much do you have?

by Rai Sewgobind - blog

I am not a feminist, but I do believe in equality. I have an opinion, I have a point of view, and if I would like to see something changed in the game industry then I do this as a gamer, not as a feminist who is targeting the game industry.

Recently I read a Gamasutra interview with Koji “IGA” Igarashi: “The most difficult thing for me was changing the main character to a woman.” The first thing I thought when reading this was what his reason was, because to me it sounded like he had to force himself into making this decision. But then I read this: “Americans really love tough female characters. It’s also a country where a lot of questions and problems about gender are currently being advanced, and there’s many people who believe ‘there’s been nothing but male heroes in video games; please make games with both genders.’

“Many people who believe that there’s nothing but male heroes in video games?”

I think I know who he is talking about and it’s not “many people” - it’s a certain group of people. And this certain group of people does not speak for a certain other group of people even if both groups play video games. So why should that certain group have the upper hand and result in an artist making a decision that took away his freedom of deciding the gender for his game?

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blog

Another thing Koji “IGA” Igarashi said in the interview:

Feminists started with fighting for equality, but all I am

“I think having a female hero is more motivating

seeing now is an excuse. I am a gamer, I am woman, I

to male gamers, and I think women would like to

am a woman doing business in the game industry. I do

control a female avatar, too. Including both genders

not call myself a girl-gamer AND yet I do support video

as protagonists would have been way too much work

games having female and male protagonists.

for us to handle, so we decided on making the hero a woman.”

Maybe you shouldn’t take things so personally in video games. Imagine if male gamers would do that...

I know that it is pretty much not acceptable anymore these days when a developer explains that it is simply

To all game artists and developers out there (who have

too much work to put both genders as protagonists.

the freedom): give your idea, creativity, and decisions

Yet they decided to change the hero into a woman. It

the needed priority. Work from there together with

looks to me that male gamers easily accept a female

your community, because they will enjoy your game

hero more than female gamers accept male heroes. I

regardless of its genders.

wonder how many non-gender targeted video games with a female protagonist have been supported by women. To me this is not equality.

Yesterday I was Fem Sheppard.

Today I am Geralt of Rivia.

At this point I would also like to ask Igarashi, “How

Tomorrow I am Kirby.

much freedom do you give yourself when creating a

But I am always myself, enjoying video games.

game that comes from your heart, from your passion?”

- Rai Sewgobind, Founder of Eye For Games

If you are a part of the game industry then you’ve already figured out how certain things work. How triple A companies and publishers have their own business model, did their research, and have their target audience set. And you also know how independent game developers have their bowl of noodles and their piece of freedom. But do you really think that both types have the same level of freedom?

Gamasutra interview resource http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/244376/Bloodstaineds_female_lead_Miriam_reflects_the_games_audience.php

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feature | creative uncut

concept art

MORTAL KOMBAT X

artists Marc o N e lo r, J u s t in Mu r r ay, Bernard Beneteau, Sol omon Gai tan, At omhawk Desi gn

FEATURE BY

C R E AT I V E U N C U T

feature

| creative uncut

feature | creative uncut

feature

| creative uncut

feature | creative uncut

feature

| creative uncut

feature | creative uncut

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feature | creative uncut

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in depth

in depth

CHARACTER AND ABILITY DESIGN in Secret Ponchos IN DEPTH

Jose Lopez

Yousuf Mapara

Hi there, my name is Jose Lopez, I’m the Art

Hello, my name is Yousuf Mapara, I am the

Director on Secret Ponchos. My main role was

creative director on Secret Ponchos, so I oversee

to give the game a stylized look in the visual

the game creatively, and design the gameplay

side, mainly through character design.

and mood of the game.

Art Director on Secret Ponchos

Creative Director on Secret Ponchos

CHARACTER DESIGN We kicked off the game with five different characters: Phantom Poncho, Kid Red, Killer, Matador, and Deserter. Each one of them has a very unique look and fighting style. We started with the cowboys, Killer and Kid Red, which fit the more familiar western persona. Phantom Poncho added a bit of Mexican flare with the Day of the Dead mask and charro suit. Then to venture out a bit and spice up our line up, we added civil war fighter Deserter, and for our female character The Matador, adding some Spanish beauty.

On our second wave we introduced two great characters Gordo and The Wolf.

Gordo has a huge presence, he’s massive with a great silhouette and his Gatling gun is pretty much part of the character; the overpowering weapon looks great while firing. And the Wolf, she is lethal and quite different from the rest, the wolf fur she has wrapped over her body makes her look like the real animal as she crawls thru the maps ready for another kill.

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in depth

“I just wanted to design characters I would love to draw and that hopefully people react to.”

INSPIRED BY ANYTHING SPECIFIC? Yes. They all originated from real wild west characters but the main inspiration comes from the countless western films we’ve seen all our lives that we love so much.

DEVELOPMENT We made sure that the game was cohesive, and that all characters would fit into that time period of the Wild West. We referenced the western films that we love, weapons, costumes, and started making a list of what fits our outlaw needs. But mainly we wanted to give each one of them a specific personality and history, so we wrote character bios describing their back story and attitude. From there we looked at how they would carry through from a fighting style and game play. We always made sure all the elements were accomplished. We never just settled on a character just because it was a good design.

TRY TO DO ANYTHING UNIQUE WITH EACH CHARACTER? From my end I just wanted to design characters I would love to draw and that hopefully people react to. Another thing is the weapon they carry. It became essential to the design to know what he or she would be packing, it set the tone on who the were, what they been through, and how they fight.

SCRAPPED IDEAS We had a few good ones that didn’t make the first cut but that doesn’t mean they are out completely. Once we picked the number of characters we were going to be able to put in the release of the game, we looked at them as a group: how they looked together, fight each other, and try to feed looks that cater to different type of players. So the original band of five we had was the most diverse on its own, and at the same time worked the best together for our the first wave of the game.

FAVORITE CHARACTER Phantom Poncho! The character carries the look of the game like no other I believe.

The way we stylized all the familiar elements in design plus adding touches of mystery make him very special.

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in depth

in depth

in depth

“ We try and keep the moves feeling “physical” and grounded in a spaghetti western theme. ”

ABILITY DESIGN We focus on making sure each outlaw plays totally different from the others, and that these changes affect how you use your outlaw strategically. Each character has a primary and secondary weapon, and within those weapon types you can launch different moves, usually two or three. For example Kid Red wields dual pistols, he can shoot them rapidly one after another, or you can use his alternate fire where he blasts both at the same time into the chest of an enemy, knocking them down and stunning them.

Aside from the moves, characters also have very important subtle differences that affect how they play. For example, one outlaw may regenerate stamina slower than another, making each point more valuable to them. They all have differnent strengths and weaknesses in how they perform their fundamental actions, so it’s not just their special abilities that set them apart.

INSPIRATION AND IDEAS I draw inspiration from the character art Jose creates, and use the inspiration of their personalities that we imagine. We make a list of moves that would suit that attitude of the character, and then we make sure to compare that set overall with the entire set to make sure they work as a unit. Before I finalize the short list of moves, another important step is I try and get the character’s basic locomotion working (walk cycles, runs, etc), so I can run around in game and try and visualize, looking at the model and pretending I’m doing the attacks.

It’s not just one move at a time you worry about though, because all the moves need to work together as a set, and then that character needs to work well with the other characters as a larger set, so this stage is really important. Once I have the moves in my head shortlisted, I start animating them. The animations themselves give me more information and sometimes the moves change slightly at this phase.

Once I’m happy with them we prototype the gameplay and test that it’s all coming together.

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in depth

in depth

We try and keep the moves feeling “physical” and grounded in a spaghetti western theme. The other big factor we go by is “everything has a cost,” so that you are constantly making strategic decisions when playing about what the risk for a certain move is. Even something as simple as a dive roll has a trade off - it costs stamina. If you’re too aggressive you might not be able to make an escape. If you miss a heavy attack, you might be caught in a recover animation where you are sliding across the dusty ground for a second and vulnerable to a counter attack.

In Secret Ponchos there is constant decision making going on during the battle, which creates the gameplay.

VISUAL VERSUS TECHNICAL We typically start with the visuals (which is a different way of working than most studios), and the attitude of the character to inspire the context of the attacks. We try and understand first the overall rhythm we want the character to play at, and the last step is then defining the technical details (i.e. is it a stun/wound/range/ are-of-effect). The technical details change a lot during iteration, but usually the rhythm and concept of the character stay as the anchor.

ANY SCRAPPED ABILITIES? Yes lots! Every character has had scrapped ideas. We explore a lot of ground before picking what we think works the best. Though it would be awesome to make it perfect the first time, as we develop the outlaws, we see ways to make them better. For example, Gordo had a move where he could spit alcohol onto an opponent, and the next shot landed on them would ignite them into flames. He could also plant his peg leg down and pivot on it shooting his gatling gun in circles quickly! We cut those moves in favor of others, but they would be pretty fun.

FAVORITE ABILITY? Killer’s knife throw is my favorite ability at the moment, especially when landed from super long range. If you hold down R2 while you throw his knife, the camera attaches to the knife and follows it as it spins through the air. You can bank the knife a little left or right to curve the trajectory as if he put a spin on it, and it’s really satisfying to connect with a target who is running from it.

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR PASSION WITH US! No problem. A lot of people do not know the background of how this game was made, but Secret Ponchos was not made by a big studio, we’re the opposite! A tiny group of friends working out of our homes. We started collaborating together as a passion project only because we were excited to make a game that was fresh and that we would want to play. We hope you and your readers enjoy the gameplay and the art style, and feel we brought something fresh to the combat game scene.

Switchblade Monkeys

Secret Ponchos EFG

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Do you feel at home in the game industry?

Eye for Games asked the community if they feel at home in the games industry and if there are certain things that could demotivate their passion. Here’s what our community had to say about it.

Rai Sewgobind - founder, Eye For Games

From a media platform, yes there’s enough that can

I do feel at home in the industry because that’s

demotivate me. It can get pretty tough since we’re still

where my passion lies. This is what best connects me

a very small outlet. Knowing that we are still growing,

with people working in the industry, and even other

improving, and have the support of our community

gamers.

helps a lot.

Tim Pelham - CEO at Nitrous Butterfly I’ve been working on game development on my

lost in the process as one becomes overwhelmed.

own for over 10 years and have a couple of released

Staying motivated is such a large challenge and

games, but I still feel like an outsider from an industry

proper motivation can often come from the simplest

perspective. Maybe I’m just anti-social, but I generally

sources. The game industry in general can be both a

find the game development community intimidating

big motivating and demotivating factor depending on

to enter.

who and how you approach.

That’s not to say that the game industry in general

For me a big motivator and demotivator is following

has a bad community, as it can be both motivating

other projects development. This can be very inspiring

and de-motivating. I think it’s important to realize

and motivating, but can sometimes have the opposite

that while you’re excited about what you’re working

effect of feeling like you’re nowhere near what others

on, so is everyone else with their own projects. One

are capable of.

needs to show interest to get interest.

I think it really depends on the person. Having passion for something you’re working on is certainly a key ingredient and I think something that is so often

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Christopher Anthony Conrad - Director Business Development - Americas at Mobecan “They will rot your brains,” “You’ll never get a

welcome in the gaming industry, for the most part,

girlfriend playing those all day,” “Good luck getting a

because of the shared passion we all have.

job in games.”

Whether it is a cry of victory or groan of defeat, it’s These were all things I heard growing up. Yet, never

our love of games which unites us, and honestly has

did I imagine I would be working with some of the

led to the strongest professional and personal bonds

nicest individuals, in an industry I love. I’ve always felt

I’ve experienced.

Brian Faulkner - Program Designer/programmer at iFF_Games I definitely feel at home in the game industry. I love

Nothing makes me rethink about being in the game

playing games by myself and with groups of friends

industry. There are several things that demotivate

just as much as I love making games. Going to big

me and slow me down when working on projects.

game events like GDC is one of the biggest things I

Especially when starting a new project. Putting in

look forward to all year. To hang out with so many

hours and not getting any sleep, then morning comes

gamers and developers and talk about games for a

and it does not look like you did much from a visual

whole week is pretty awesome.

perspective. But, once the pieces all start coming together and people are wanting to play it, it's all

It is definitely going to take more than just passion.

worth it.

Of course, passion for being a part of something as awesome as the games we all create will help you to find ways to get everything you need.

Jonathan Jennings - Unity Developer at Fuel Games Around developers definitely. I love passionate,

The most demotivating thing about the industry is

intelligent people, and we have an industry that’s rife

the double-sided sword that is your value as a game

with them. Upper management/executives make me

developer. On one hand you can be highly sought

feel uncomfortable, but I understand that I am the

after for your experience, knowledge, and skill set,

passion/creative side and they are the money/value

but at the same time our skill sets are usually feature

side. We need each other - most of the time.

or project specific. Once those skill sets become unnecessary so do we. I liken it to an athlete - you are

I think passion is fantastic but working in games

valuable when you have an immediate need and are

is a continual learning process. Being passionate

nothing more than a waste of space at most studios

and staying a student are what make great game

when you have fulfilled said need.

developers.

There

are

always

new

approaches,

methods, and techniques to add to our repertoires.

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who is?

by Tom Schoen

who is?

RATCHET Name:

Birth year/age: Birthplace:

Ratchet

15 years old (first series) Fastoon

Gender:

Male

Height:

5’1 (155 cm)

Weight:

97.5lbs (44.3kgs)

Race/species:

Lombax

Haircolor:

Yellow

Eyecolor:

Green

Skin color:

Special: Combat style: Primary weapon(s): Primary enemy: Goal: Support/Associates/sidekicks:

Yellow/orange/brown

Bomb glove Somewhat acrobatic - slashing Large Wrench Drek To save the Solana Galaxy Clank

"Son of a Qwark!" - Ratchet Initially, various designs for Ratchet were made-first showing cat-like features, but then changed to more dog-like features. For his final design it looked like two different animal features were combined and refined.

Ratchet’s personality sometimes appears different than how he looks from the outside. He isn’t afraid to make his opinion clear, which often brings his headstrong personality to the front.

His confidence takes him, along with his robot buddy Clank, on a mission to save the Solana Galaxy. This adventure also shows off Ratchet’s comedic side.

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THE ART AND DESIGN OF VIDEO GAMES - ART BOOK SPECIAL This article first appeared in "The Art of Design of Video Games," a book EFG published in 2014.

DON’T STARVE Klei Entertainment

TOPICS:

CHARACTER AND ITEM DESIGN

in depth

Alex Savin Artist / Animator

I’m Alex Savin and I am an artist/animator on Don’t Starve. There was only between one and three artists on the project at any given time, so we tended to jump around a lot. We’d do all types of art assignments needed for the game whether it be concept art, character design, animation, UI, etc.

Kelly Graham Artist

Hey! I’m Kelly Graham, also an artist on the Don’t Starve team. Like Alex said, on a small team you are a Jack-of-all-trades! We had new content updates every three weeks so maintaining the art style and gameplay consistency was sometimes a challenge.

I’d test out new features and try to work with the designers as much as I could before release so that things looked and felt right in game.

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I N S P I R AT I O N Alex: We looked at a lot of different sources for inspiration. Early

Kelly: Yeah, the theme became combo-creatures pretty quickly! I

Tim Burton, H.P. Lovecraft, Lemony Snicket, Jim Henson, Jules

think that really helped give a familiar sense to the Don’t Starve

Verne, Edward Gorey, and a ton of art blogs just to see what

creatures and how you should interact with them but still gave

else was out there. I’m sure I’m forgetting a dozen more. Our

you room to be delighted/weirded out by them. Chester was

process for designing creatures was fairly loose. We’d come up

designed as a furry mobile treasure chest which upon first glance

with interesting looking shapes or mashup a couple of different

you’re like, “What the crap is that thing?!” But we animated him

animals. How about if this bird’s body was a huge eyeball and

to bounce around with his tongue out and follow you like a dog,

it walked on stilt-like legs? Okay! Let’s give the rabbits horns -

so then you love him.

done!

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DESIGN Alex: Sometimes we would just design a weird and creepy

Kelly: In general, we tried to keep with the eerie, cute theme and

creature and the game designers would find a suitable use for

avoided anything too spacey looking. In some cases, with both

it in game. The Deerclops was an example where we designed

creatures and items, we’d just be hashing out stupid ideas and

the character and then came up with a use for him afterwards.

if something made us chuckle (and could be remotely useful in

Other times the game designers wanted to fill a missing role

game) we’d throw it in!

and we’d design a character based on their input. The Treeguard was created to prevent players from cutting whole forests down without consequences, and the monkeys were created so that you couldn’t leave your items out on the floor without having them stolen.

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Alex: At first we brainstormed the different

Kelly: There’s over 300 items in Don’t

things we could make from just the basics

Starve that you can craft, cook, or just

like berries, carrots, monster meat...we

pick up in the wilderness. It was more

quickly realized that you can only make

challenging than I anticipated to design

so much interesting food with those

so many distinctive and delicious looking

combinations. From a visual perspective,

food dishes that read as tiny icons. I

it isn’t very interesting just to see different

would sometimes browse through recipe

lumps of cooked vegetables or meats, so

images to get ideas. Or sometimes I

we focused on designing cooked items

would be like, “Mmm, perogies.” And then

that

I would draw perogies.

were

visually

distinct

from

one

another, like the square waffles or the round meatballs,

trying to get quickly

recognizable shapes and make it look like a delicious hunger-replenishing meal!

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in depth

PIGMAN DESIGN Alex: The Pigman concept was there even in the

Kelly: I like that the Pigmen break up the

original pitch. The idea was for them to be a non-

loneliness in Don’t Starve. They have these fancy

threatening species that you could interact with

little houses and try to talk to you like cavemen,

that would positively or negatively affect your

but then you’re battling spiders together like bros

world. Based on that, we made them upright,

and you feel a little less alone.

bipedal creatures with primitive human qualities.

We went through a few re-designs. At one point they had white eyes, but they looked too creepy to befriend. We also scaled them down to be about the height of Wilson because they were menacingly large before. After the first color pass they looked too “clean” so we gave their skin a texture that made them more filthy looking and pig-like.

Klei Entertainment

Don’t Starve EFG

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into EFG

AT AN EVENT AS A PRESS BOOTH? In May 2015, the event Indievelopment took place in the Netherlands. This is a great event highlighting the Dutch game industry. Lots of game developers and game related companies had the chance to show their best products, and so did we.

It might sound a bit strange to have a booth as a media/press platform, but if you know Eye For Games then you know that we have a lot more to offer. In fact, our booth showcased a few art pieces from different developers from all over the world, which also made a good test for the students to guess the title of the game.

But what made me really proud and excited was being able to listen and give advice to people who were looking for it. It’s such a great thing when talking to people who are interested in the games industry and ending up in a long and good conversation. And this was another thing the EFG booth proved to be - a place where you can get inspired, motivated, and educated.

This was a great opportunity for us and we hope to get this opportunity on bigger events in the future!

Like I said to our visitors, join our community! The bigger we are and the bigger we get means we can do more and give more.

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Yep, this was pretty much the booth. But these images and the art book said plenty enough to attract people from all corners! Rai had to work with the tools she had at home and her tight budget to get this semi game art gallery at Indievelopment.

into EFG

YOU COULD BE OUR GUESTHOST ON AN EPISODE! Since we are now in the middle of some new developments some of our monthly content has been delayed. But it's not all bad news! In fact we are planning to spice things up with the EFG Podcast and we're sharing this exclusively with you today!

We are planning to share our episode schedule with you in advance so you can decide if you would like to be the guest host on a specific episode. In this way you can add, discuss, or share your point of view on different topics.

So whenever you see the podcast episode schedule posted on our Facebook page just join the discussion and leave a comment.

w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / E y e F o r G a m e s

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in development

by Jerry Kline - in development

IN DEVELOPMENT

in development

Dustin Hendricks

Designer, programmer and writer on Trial by Viking Thanks for taking the time to speak with me Jerry. My name is Dustin Hendricks, and I am the designer, programmer, and writer for the upcoming game Trial by Viking.

In a few words, what is Trial by Viking?

then have an assortment of secondary and passive

Trial by Viking is a side scrolling action adventure,

items you can use, which range from double jumps

where you play as a morally conflicted viking working

and wall jumps, to bombs and a grappling hook.

as an agent of Odin in the worlds of the Norse gods.

There are also various temporary power ups you can find in the form of potions in the levels, which can

What are the primary goals of the game?

do things like slow time (more so for bad guys than

You start off knowing very little about the world that

yourself), or make your character miniature sized so

Odin has pulled you into. He has instructed you with

you can fit through tiny passageways.

the vague goal of collecting shards of an ancient

new abilities. You will need many of these abilities to

What were some of the inspirations for Trial by Viking? Did you look at any other games to get inspiration or ideas for how the mechanics of the game should work?

progress in the game, much like a Metroidvania. You

This game honestly started off as a mix between Cut

will also need to make some friends who will help you

the Rope and Ghosts and Goblins. It has of course

along the way as well. For instance, you may make

evolved into something entirely different since then,

a valkyrie friend who picks you up for a few of the

but you will still see some light puzzle elements that

levels, and now all of the sudden you are steering a

involve cutting ropes. You will see elements inspired

flying valkyrie through the game! In the end however,

by the fast-paced action of the Super Mario Wii U

you will find the main goal of the game is to decide

games; the upgrades and idea that equips can double

the fate of the cosmos through your choices and

as both weapons as well as keys to access new areas

actions. You will get to make some narrative decisions

from the Metroid games; the combat style of Rogue

throughout the game, which when combined will

Legacy, and writing style and narrative decision

decide the game’s ending and the final boss you

making in Telltale’s episodic games.

shattered Sunstone originally forged by the gods. You quickly learn that these shards will also allow you to choose special gifts from Odin, which will grant you

face. I think that may be as much as I can say without

Can you tell us about some of the movesets and skills the player will be able to use in the game?

The game seems to emphasize exploration as opposed to a more linear level design, is that correct? Why did you choose to make the game emphasize exploration, as opposed to a more linear world?

You start off the game with an axe that Odin has

I love both linear, more action oriented games, as well

enchanted for you. You will be able to use the axe as

as explorative, more discovery oriented games. I also

both a ranged throwing weapon, as well as a melee

like variety in games. No one likes doing the same type

weapon with combos. You will then have opportunities

of thing over and over, so I really made a point to go

to upgrade your axe’s enchantments. In the case of the

back and forth between the two styles of levels within

frost axe enchantment, it will even allow you to freeze

the same game. In the exploration focused levels,

enemies and jump on their heads when needed. You

you will find a bit slower pace where you may need

spoiling some of the later plot points.

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a bunch of different game objects that can interact

What engine are you using to build Trial by Viking, and why?

with each other in various ways almost like a Rube

I am using Unity3D as the engine. I think most major

Goldberg machine. For instance, you may need to

engines can create similar quality games in the hands

set off an explosion chain reaction with a bomb that

of the right people. I see many questions posted to

opens a passage to a switch that turns on an air vent,

forums and Facebook groups asking which is the best

allowing you to cut a crate suspended in the air by a

engine, and it’s really what you do with the engine

rope, and push the crate up onto a ledge (using the

that matters most in my opinion. I think Unity often

air vent) which has a pressure plate on it, which opens

gets a bad rap because at some point it attracted more

the door to a trove of sunstones. Something like that

novice game makers, and so there are a good number

anyways. These levels of have a fair amount of action

of lower quality games being released that use it.

though as well. The specifically action focused levels

The deciding factors for me were price and export

however are more just you trying to run as fast as you

capabilities. I wanted to be able to be on as many

can to the end while surviving a whole lot of enemies,

platforms as possible without going broke. There are

hazards, and jumps. Those levels are great if you have

a lot of small caveats when it comes to using Unity

a heavy left thumb like me and like to run.

however, that take time to learn, like how to warm up

to solve a few puzzles. Those puzzles may involve

your shaders or to avoid using functions with “Stay”

Why did you choose to go for a Nordic / viking theme for the game? Was that a decision made early on during development, or did it come to you later?

in them when possible. The system itself is really

The Nordic/viking theme was one of the very first things decided. If you go back in time on my Twitter

What are some other essential tools and programs you’ve been using for development?

timeline, you might see a few super early prototype

Well, I use some common programming classes,

images that show the viking main character back

like one for generating hash values, and one for

at the end of 2013 when I first started creating the

serializing objects into JSON for save files and internet

game. I’ve always loved vikings and Norse mythology.

communication. I also built some Unity Editor scripts

The mythology really has some of the most complex

that help with quick exports. For instance, one script

interwoven stories and fantastical ideas I’ve ever

removes all unneeded levels and resource files, builds

delved into. I really like the idea that the Norse gods

a demo build, then replaces those files, all with just

are flawed just as we are, and have moral struggles

one push of a button. The one tool that really helped

similar to our own. It is such a rich source to draw

a ton with level building is called Rotorz Tile System,

inspiration from. I was also heavily inspired by a (new

which you can get from the Unity Asset Store. It allows

at the time) fictional television show called Vikings

me to paint custom 3D objects on a grid for quick level

on the History channel. It has some really well done

building. I still have to place the background props,

writing, and characters that you can’t help but love.

enemies, hazards, and other interactive objects by

There is some really cool work being done there.

hand, but it allows me to get a framework up and

Although I have been seeing more and more viking

running for each level quickly. Without this, it would

themed games in development lately, and I really

probably take me four years instead of two to build

hope that vikings do not become the new zombies

the 130 levels that will be included in the final game.

of games.

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powerful however, and I love the component, prefab, and drag and drop to public variable capabilities.

in development

in development

Have there been any design ideas that you had to scrap? If so what were they and why?

the bathroom during the show. This of course lead to

Hah! So many. Some of the earlier prototypes involved

a super talented pixel artist who became a fast friend

using a mouse or touch inputs to cut various ropes

during this year’s GDC. You may have seen mentions

(like the puzzle game Cut the Rope). Solving these

of the game Penarium from Team 17 being released

puzzles would allow your side scrolling character to

sometime this month. Thomas was the main pixel

advance further into the levels. I thought it might be

artist for it and it looks awesome.

many jokes, but it is also how I met Thomas Noppers,

fun, but the idea failed spectacularly once in prototype form. The pace interruption of switching back and

What is the current status of the game?

forth from keyboard to mouse sucked the fun out of

Trial by Viking is somewhere around 70% done. I

both sides of the game. Instead of removing the idea

am currently working on finishing up the cutscenes

completely however, the idea evolved into the main

and story elements, and I also have about 30 more

character using their axe to cut ropes when needed

levels to design after that. I will also be running a

instead. This ended up being very different, but

small Kickstarter campaign in the next month or so

added a lot of its own cool opportunities for different

to (hopefully) fund some original music tracks as well

puzzle and action level concepts.

as the voice over narration for the game, which will be done by the super talented voice actor Erik Braa.

What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

You may recognize Erik from his work on League

I think the biggest challenge so far has been getting

Blind Forest. If you want to know when that campaign

the word out about the game. It’s something that

gets launched, you can find some links on the Last

looms over every indie developer. If you don’t have

Life Games website to a few places you can follow us

a publisher yet, you have to do all of the promotion

online (http://lastlifegames.com).

of Legends, Telltale’s Walking Dead, or Ori and the

yourself, which most developers (including me) people on your own, but it feels unnatural to promote

Is there a release date set? And what platforms will you be focusing on?

yourself. I find it’s much easier for me to promote

I am aiming for fall of 2015. Hopefully early October.

the work of my friends than my own. In an attempt to

A hard date is not yet set however. I will be focusing

promote Trial by Viking however, I got booth space

on the PC/Mac/Linux releases first, then console

at GDC Play this year, which was awesome, but also

releases after that, and then some time after that a

extremely stressful and difficult to pull off. I am a

mobile/tablet port. The Steam and console releases

one person studio, which means I often work with

depend on a few things. If I pick up a decent publisher

some talented freelancers that I know in order to get

before then it should be fairly easy to get on all major

artwork and audio created for the games I make. That

platforms digitally. Otherwise I will have to rely on

also means I had to work the booth at GDC alone.

Steam Greenlight and will need to scrap together

Luckily I got some help from friends. I even made a

additional funding for console devkits. Devkits can be

post on Twitter offering a free GDC ticket to anyone

pretty expensive for a tiny developer like me.

hate doing. Not only is it hard to reach very many

who would watch my booth a few times while I go to

Last Life Games 50

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Trial by Viking

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AUTHOR’S BLOG

by Tom Schoen

You might have seen articles on other sites: Clicker Heroes is a hit! Even at the time of writing this Clicker Heroes is the 7th most played game on Steam, amidst games like GTA V, Garry’s Mod, and Team Fortress 2. The success of the game can also be seen on other platforms such as Reddit, where a whopping 10,674 clickers are currently looking to exchange tactics on how to progress as much as possible, as quickly as possible.

For those who don’t know, Clicker Heroes is a game, much like Cookie Clicker or AdVenture Capitalist, where you are tasked with amassing fortune to spend on upgrades to amass more fortune to spend on more upgrades. Money is gained from clicking on monsters untill they die. The higher the damage the faster the progress. The player usually has a number of different upgrades to chose from with their own benefits ranging from more damage per click to granting an auto click function so the game will go on doing damage, and thus collecting gold, on it’s own. Clicker Heroes doesn’t need a whole lot of maintanence and will continue getting that sweet currency when you’re not playing or don’t even have your computer turned on.

blog

So, what’s the appeal of Clicker Heroes? The game is rather shallow at second or even first glance but managed to keep a steady player base of around 32,000+ gamers a day since it’s Steam launch on May 13th. To answer that question we would have to see what Clicker Heroes does to you, as a player. You are asked to click a monster, who receives damage and after a small amount of damage they spout cash like a fountain, which can be invested to get more damage and more quickly dispatch the onslaught of baddies. You, as the player, are being asked for the smallest of inputs but are being rewarded greatly for it with progression, loot, victory and praise. The game ramps up the hp of the monsters and adds another element: The illusion of choice. After a certain amount of levels you’ll be faced with a seemingly big decision: Do I upgrade my exisiting character? Or spend three times the gold on the next tier character? We call this an illusion because these choices won’t matter as much when you’re only a little further down the line and basicly stop meaning once you hit level 120 or so.

While looking for a reason why I’ve been playing a game where clicking was my only interaction for 27 hours I came across something called a Skinner Box. B.F. Skinner was a psychologist from the early 1930’s who discovered that it was possible to condition the volition in human behaviour. While we won’t go too far into that subject matter here, this technique is used quite often in game development today, particularly in RPG and Social games. When clicking or upgrading characters in Clicker Heroes the player actively chooses to partake and receive gold. The game rewards the player with the equivalent of the same amount of gold but with an increasing time investment per payout. It does keep the player engaged and enjoying themselves, as proven by the 32,000+ players who have been playing for over a month now.

Clicker Heroes makes great use of a proven formula to keep players engaged. It’s a fascinating piece of game design and player engagement. Now if we could only apply that kind of engagement to real life activities we’d be on our way.

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