- Now that the funding goal of $150k has been reached over the weekend, tell us about your expectations (and your plans) for the rest of this week.
> We’re going to start focusing on trying to reach some of our Stretch Goals so we can give our fans the deepest and most fulfilling experience we can. Hopefully we’ll manage to get a little rest now too 😉
- Care to elaborate a little about those stretch goals?
> Yea, sure! With the lower tiers we’ll be unlocking some nice little add-ons like extended soundtracks and Achievements. As we move up higher on the ladder we get to more content rich goals like Crafting, and new game modes like Arena and Roguelike. We also have some purely cosmetic goals like Gender Swap, as well as functional things like professional language translations. We’re hoping to be able to achieve all these things for the final game regardless of money raised, but hope to guarantee them by reaching the goals!
In this week’s post, we’re talking with fellow XNA developer James Petruzzi of Discord Games. James is responsible for the multiplayer action title Take Arms on Xbox 360, followed by labyrinth puzzler 48 Chambers. Up next is Chasm, a 2D Action-RPG Platformer, aimed at PC, Mac and Linux.
- Welcome to WakeUpAndCode.com, James! Do you… umm… wake up and start coding every morning? 🙂
– I wish! It was like that for a while, and was amazing. Since GDC though,
it’s been pretty much full-time on marketing, promotion, and keeping things
running smoothly. Hopefully we’ll get back to coding soon!
- How did you get started in game development?
taught myself Torquescript. From there I got sucked into XNA and C# around
2008, and then the rest is history!
- What can you tell us about your new title Chasm?
– It’s a 2d action-RPG platformer featuring procedurally generated dungeons,
authentic pixel art, and Metroid-style progression system. We’re developing
it for PC, and have a demo available now for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- When did you know that you would be ready for Kickstarter?
– After we showed it off at GDC and got a really positive reaction. I
decided it was time to take a leap and see if we could make it happen.
Support the Campaign! kickstarter.com/projects/discordgames/chasm
- What do you have to say to your current backers and potential customer base?
– Thank you! Without your support, this game would not be able to be made.
And who would want to live in a world like that?
- Who else is part of Discord Games?
– Tim Dodd and Jimi Stevulak from Take Arms are both back on board doing
programming and music respectively. On the art side we’ve got Tony Redmer
doing environment art, and Glauber Kotaki doing sprite animations.
- What are your thoughts on XNA?
– I still love it. I love C#, and the speed I can develop with it. With
Monogame stepping up to fill in Microsoft’s shoes, I think it has a bright
future ahead of it.
- If Microsoft has an Indie program for their next console, would you consider porting your game to it?
– Yea, definitely. I’m hoping they go the way of Nintendo, Sony, and Valve
and get rid of all the crazy fees, publisher requirements, no new content
rule, etc. Only time will tell I suppose.
- How about the Ouya game console? Any interest in that?
– We’re looking into it, but just kinda waiting to see what happens with it.
We’re still quite a ways off from release, so it’s still a bit early to be
thinking of ports.
- Any inspiring words for fellow Indie developers?
– If it’s your dream, never give up. There’s lots of times you’ll be ready
to throw in the towel, but just remember that everyone’s been in that spot
before. You have to dig deep and find the internal motivation to keep going,
and strive to do better than the day before.
Chasm trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_-BHR5vo5E
When are games for wii coming? And how to I help for you to reach your goal?
To help Discord Games reach their goal, click on the KickStarter link and pledge a donation. Then, tell all your friends about it, so they may also pitch in.
To get more information about other platforms, you can reach Discord Games on Twitter @DiscordGames or through their contact page at: http://discordgames.com/?page_id=2