Interview with Indie RPG developer Jason Compton
by Jay Barnson · 04/16/2007 (10:07 am) · 13 comments
It's Interview Time again at Rampant Games! This isn't very Torque-related, but it is indie-related. Here's the teaser:
The "Indie RPG" (Roleplaying Game) is a category of computer game that, by all rights, shouldn't exist. Mainstream developers and publishers tend to shy away from RPGs because they are - short of anything "massively multiplayer" - among the most costly and difficult of games to produce. Only a handful of development houses are capable of pulling it off, and satisfying the often conflicting tastes of very demanding fans. The idea that a handful of indie developers, volunteering part-time effort with a budget that wouldn't even cover a week's operating expenses at a mainstream studio, should tackle this genre, to march where mainstream publishers fear to tread, defies any kind of conventional wisdom in the industry.
Interestingly enough, our story today begins with Baldur's Gate, a mainstream RPG which also defied conventional wisdom. During the mid-90's, conventional wisdom in the videogame industry held that RPGs were dead, and that the market was no longer interested in what was once a staple genre. Baldur's Gate was produced by the fairly new developer Bioware, which had a single action game (Shattered Steel) to its credit. Following hot on the heels of Diablo, Fallout, and Might and Magic VI (not to mention console RPGs like Final Fantasy VII) which topped the game charts in 1997 and 1998, Baldur's Gate was the title that seemed to finally put to rest the cries of the naysayers.
One great feature of Baldur's Gate was that it was relatively friendly to external modifications (or mods), allowing fans to create their own content. This inspired a new generation of amateur game developers, who learned the ropes of CRPG (Computer RPG) design by changing, enhancing, and extending existing games with brand-new content. Several members of one of the more prolific and successful modding groups, the Pocket Plane Group, grew weary of simply extending someone else's game and finally took it upon themselves to produce a brand new RPG, "The Broken Hourglass."
Now, ordinarily I'm a little bit skeptical about a "new" indie developer talking about their yet-unfinished RPG in development. However, Planewalker Games has a track record of successful mods for several years, and their new, built-from-scratch "WeiNGINE" RPG engine is largely complete and functional. Last week I had the chance to enjoy a telephone interview with Jason Compton, the producer of The Broken Hourglass, and he was able to give me the skinny on what I feel confident will be a great indie RPG in the not-too-distant future.
Interested? Here's the (rather lengthy) interview with indie RPG developer Jason Compton of Planewalker Games, on the making of The Broken Hourglass, the upcoming indie RPG. Besides talking about the exciting parts of their new games, Jason also talks about transitioning from mod-developer to a full-fledged game developer, managing teams, scope, and what makes a great RPG. Check it out here:
Beyond the Gate: Jason Compton On the Making of "The Broken Hourglass"
Enjoy!
Jay Barnson
Rampant Games
Tales of the Rampant Coyote
The "Indie RPG" (Roleplaying Game) is a category of computer game that, by all rights, shouldn't exist. Mainstream developers and publishers tend to shy away from RPGs because they are - short of anything "massively multiplayer" - among the most costly and difficult of games to produce. Only a handful of development houses are capable of pulling it off, and satisfying the often conflicting tastes of very demanding fans. The idea that a handful of indie developers, volunteering part-time effort with a budget that wouldn't even cover a week's operating expenses at a mainstream studio, should tackle this genre, to march where mainstream publishers fear to tread, defies any kind of conventional wisdom in the industry.
Interestingly enough, our story today begins with Baldur's Gate, a mainstream RPG which also defied conventional wisdom. During the mid-90's, conventional wisdom in the videogame industry held that RPGs were dead, and that the market was no longer interested in what was once a staple genre. Baldur's Gate was produced by the fairly new developer Bioware, which had a single action game (Shattered Steel) to its credit. Following hot on the heels of Diablo, Fallout, and Might and Magic VI (not to mention console RPGs like Final Fantasy VII) which topped the game charts in 1997 and 1998, Baldur's Gate was the title that seemed to finally put to rest the cries of the naysayers.
One great feature of Baldur's Gate was that it was relatively friendly to external modifications (or mods), allowing fans to create their own content. This inspired a new generation of amateur game developers, who learned the ropes of CRPG (Computer RPG) design by changing, enhancing, and extending existing games with brand-new content. Several members of one of the more prolific and successful modding groups, the Pocket Plane Group, grew weary of simply extending someone else's game and finally took it upon themselves to produce a brand new RPG, "The Broken Hourglass."
Now, ordinarily I'm a little bit skeptical about a "new" indie developer talking about their yet-unfinished RPG in development. However, Planewalker Games has a track record of successful mods for several years, and their new, built-from-scratch "WeiNGINE" RPG engine is largely complete and functional. Last week I had the chance to enjoy a telephone interview with Jason Compton, the producer of The Broken Hourglass, and he was able to give me the skinny on what I feel confident will be a great indie RPG in the not-too-distant future.
Interested? Here's the (rather lengthy) interview with indie RPG developer Jason Compton of Planewalker Games, on the making of The Broken Hourglass, the upcoming indie RPG. Besides talking about the exciting parts of their new games, Jason also talks about transitioning from mod-developer to a full-fledged game developer, managing teams, scope, and what makes a great RPG. Check it out here:
Beyond the Gate: Jason Compton On the Making of "The Broken Hourglass"
Enjoy!
Jay Barnson
Rampant Games
Tales of the Rampant Coyote
About the author
Jay has been a mainstream and indie game developer for a... uh, long time. His professional start came in 1994 developing titles for the then-unknown and upcoming Sony Playstation. He runs Rampant Games and blogs at Tales of the Rampant Coyote.
#2
So I'm putting in my hopes that the indie game developers will help break us out of the rut.
The Broken Hourglass doesn't sound to be anything amazingly genre-redefining on the surface of it. But after learning more about things like the equipment system, I believe its got some very interesting and innovative systems packed into the game. Hopefully that will be well-exploited by the final game.
04/16/2007 (11:32 am)
IMO, we maybe need to go backwards a little bit more in order to go forward. I think the RPG genre has painted itself into a corner somewhat in recent years, and has narrowed its focus too much.So I'm putting in my hopes that the indie game developers will help break us out of the rut.
The Broken Hourglass doesn't sound to be anything amazingly genre-redefining on the surface of it. But after learning more about things like the equipment system, I believe its got some very interesting and innovative systems packed into the game. Hopefully that will be well-exploited by the final game.
#3
04/16/2007 (1:12 pm)
Great job. These interviews are a great way to get to know more about the indie experience, and you do a really nice job of them, Jay.
#4
I seem to have trouble, you know, actually getting games DONE these days, so this gives me something to talk about instead :)
04/16/2007 (1:13 pm)
Thanks, Mike.I seem to have trouble, you know, actually getting games DONE these days, so this gives me something to talk about instead :)
#5
There are two things that make me chuckle quietly to myself as I type away in my nerd-box (i.e. cubicle to you geeks in denial) hoping my boss doesn't catch me reading blogs again. The first is what I would hugely consider an oxy-moron "conventional wisdom."
Following a common belief is generally not wisdom, but conforming. The best in history came from people who broke out of the mold and ignored 'conventional wisdom'.
If you look at most of the cases, those that did this would be considered "Indies" in their own right especially when Indie generally meant outsider.
The second amusing thing is that no matter how often we do it, people seem shocked that Indies take all the risks that the 'big boys' are too afraid to. We had this discussion at IMGDC this past weekend as well and the truth of the matter is that the Indies don't CONSIDER it a risk. We consider it a necessity to fulfill the passion and express ourselves through the game itself.
04/16/2007 (1:43 pm)
Quote:The idea that a handful of indie developers, volunteering part-time effort with a budget that wouldn't even cover a week's operating expenses at a mainstream studio, should tackle this genre, to march where mainstream publishers fear to tread, defies any kind of conventional wisdom in the industry.
There are two things that make me chuckle quietly to myself as I type away in my nerd-box (i.e. cubicle to you geeks in denial) hoping my boss doesn't catch me reading blogs again. The first is what I would hugely consider an oxy-moron "conventional wisdom."
Following a common belief is generally not wisdom, but conforming. The best
If you look at most of the cases, those that did this would be considered "Indies" in their own right especially when Indie generally meant outsider.
The second amusing thing is that no matter how often we do it, people seem shocked that Indies take all the risks that the 'big boys' are too afraid to. We had this discussion at IMGDC this past weekend as well and the truth of the matter is that the Indies don't CONSIDER it a risk. We consider it a necessity to fulfill the passion and express ourselves through the game itself.
#6
04/16/2007 (1:59 pm)
Thanks for another one Jay!
#7
I also think looking back on it now BG's success was probably helped a lot by allowing the mods to be made on it which is pretty much a guaranteed part of most AAA games now.
I related to the part of the article where he mentioned that it's hard to find an engine set up for rpg style game, I've looked a ton myself. Must be nice to know someone who can code up a new engine for you. Seems like the vast majority of engines are set up for fps (yes I know you can go in and change the game aspect and just keep the rendering engine part but for a lot of us that's way outside our abilities).
Nice article
04/16/2007 (3:17 pm)
I had wrote in a forum post that I thought most developers would focus more on mmorpg then rpg because the amount of work to money made ratios were so different, glad to see that thought backed up by someone else. But I also think it has to do with the pllayer base shifting to more multiplayer in every genre as well, people like to play with other people more then AI.I also think looking back on it now BG's success was probably helped a lot by allowing the mods to be made on it which is pretty much a guaranteed part of most AAA games now.
I related to the part of the article where he mentioned that it's hard to find an engine set up for rpg style game, I've looked a ton myself. Must be nice to know someone who can code up a new engine for you. Seems like the vast majority of engines are set up for fps (yes I know you can go in and change the game aspect and just keep the rendering engine part but for a lot of us that's way outside our abilities).
Nice article
#8
04/16/2007 (4:00 pm)
I have a dream that Troika might be reborn as an indie rpg developer with their 3-4 core employees. Well I can always dream :)
#9
So yeah, what I really feel is that indie-dom is a haven for RPGs in the future. Oh, of course we'll get our big, beautiful 3D multimillion-dollar-budget extravaganza, and we'll love them for the spectacle that they are, and they'll be awesome. But my own feeling is that - if we can get away from wizards and elves (not entirely - I love wizards and elves), there could be a lot of room for indies to do well in this.
04/16/2007 (9:16 pm)
I am becoming increasingly of the opinion that - particularly with RPGs - too many chefs spoil the broth. I think some of the more recent games coming out of the west, in particular, have a very 'designed by committee' feel to them. You compare Jeff Vogel's games, or Amanda Fitch's Aveyond to the (admittedly altogother too rare) mainstream RPG releases, and the mainstream games will often come up feeling to generic. They don't have nearly as much personality.So yeah, what I really feel is that indie-dom is a haven for RPGs in the future. Oh, of course we'll get our big, beautiful 3D multimillion-dollar-budget extravaganza, and we'll love them for the spectacle that they are, and they'll be awesome. But my own feeling is that - if we can get away from wizards and elves (not entirely - I love wizards and elves), there could be a lot of room for indies to do well in this.
#10
Do you ever visit rpgcodex.com? Sort of the anti-establishment RPG site out there. Though a bit on the totally negative curmudgeon side of the modern day RPGs, it at least gives some better perspective of the games coming out today.
This reminds me that I need to check out the latest version of Omega Syndrome.
04/17/2007 (3:42 am)
@JayDo you ever visit rpgcodex.com? Sort of the anti-establishment RPG site out there. Though a bit on the totally negative curmudgeon side of the modern day RPGs, it at least gives some better perspective of the games coming out today.
This reminds me that I need to check out the latest version of Omega Syndrome.
#11
And yes, I can get just as much of a curmudgeon --- but I still admit that I like the new mainstream stuff coming out. I just grouse about what they could be doing and aren't.
04/17/2007 (6:59 am)
Matt - Yep, I visit RPGCodex irregularly but frequently.And yes, I can get just as much of a curmudgeon --- but I still admit that I like the new mainstream stuff coming out. I just grouse about what they could be doing and aren't.
#12
I worked on pretty much the same thing that can be found in BG2 for my Wc3 partial conversion before I decided to cancel the release of the mod since I was more interested in supporting my own game rather than Blizzard's (people actually commented that they were buying Wc3 for my mods).
Anyways, that same idea I am expanding in my own game. I am not surprised that they aren't touching the BG universe anymore (compared to NwN) because it's impossible to recreate the same level of detail unless the developers are ready to spend 5-9 years working on the game itself (which includes studying what made BG2 such a great game). I wasn't a big fan of DnD.. still am not, but in BG2, I am willing to learn about it all (though it doesn't matter unless you really want to understand what weapon will do how much damage and what is THACO and all).
I don't know why the RPGs designed by Indies should be labeled as 'Indie RPG' but I know they aren't anywhere near what the big boys do with these games.
04/17/2007 (12:37 pm)
Baldur's Gate was awesome, but Baldur's Gate 2 was a legend which still takes the top spot in the Top 10 RPG/Adventure titles ever created.I worked on pretty much the same thing that can be found in BG2 for my Wc3 partial conversion before I decided to cancel the release of the mod since I was more interested in supporting my own game rather than Blizzard's (people actually commented that they were buying Wc3 for my mods).
Anyways, that same idea I am expanding in my own game. I am not surprised that they aren't touching the BG universe anymore (compared to NwN) because it's impossible to recreate the same level of detail unless the developers are ready to spend 5-9 years working on the game itself (which includes studying what made BG2 such a great game). I wasn't a big fan of DnD.. still am not, but in BG2, I am willing to learn about it all (though it doesn't matter unless you really want to understand what weapon will do how much damage and what is THACO and all).
I don't know why the RPGs designed by Indies should be labeled as 'Indie RPG' but I know they aren't anywhere near what the big boys do with these games.
#13
Same here, finally beat Oblivion recently, I enjoyed but there are many elements, graphics aside, that could be SO much better.
04/17/2007 (3:02 pm)
Quote:And yes, I can get just as much of a curmudgeon --- but I still admit that I like the new mainstream
stuff coming out. I just grouse about what they could be doing and aren't.
Same here, finally beat Oblivion recently, I enjoyed but there are many elements, graphics aside, that could be SO much better.
Torque 3D Owner Matt Huston
Atomic Banzai Games
I'm looking forward to Broken Hourglass.