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The Around the World in 80 Games spotlight series is all about highlighting the good work our international game developers are doing for Xbox LIVE Indie Games. In our latest installment, Andrea Tabacco of An-Tab Studios tells us about making Xbox LIVE Indie Games in Italy!
Where are you and your team from?
We are from Milano, Italy.
What languages do you speak?
[We speak] Italian (of course) and English.
How popular are video games and video game development where you are from?
I can say video games are popular here, but there are not so many games developers, at least big ones, that are Italians. It looks like things will change a bit in the next few years.
Could you describe your games for anyone who hasn’t seen or played them yet?
So, let’s start with the latest:
Amniotic: It’s basically a twin stick shooter game with a fluid, 3D-looking style. We change things a bit by adding a tail made of rings that you can collect which destroys your enemies. Every ring you take will increase your shooting capability, as well as the length of your tail, making it easier for your enemies to hurt you. If you lose all your rings it’s game over. You can also play co-op.
Jackpot Stadium: The main idea of this game is to mix air hockey and pong with a 3D pinball-looking style and some addictive gameplay.
You can hit the ball in different ways by rotating your paddle and then control its direction; every hit will increase a score jackpot that you can grab by slamming the ball on your opponent’s wall. To make the action continue, the ball never restarts in the middle of the playfield after a goal. You have to make it pass the middle line in less than five seconds. This game is for one or two players.
Smashell: This was our first game. We also sent it to the Dream.Build.Play Challenge in 2008.
It’s a score attack game played as a platform in which you control a shell wheel and have to smash the bad guys to gain points, coins, and make combos.
To help you, there are several bonuses like special buttons that if pressed will give you something different depending on its color (coins, shield, healing apples, play an explosion), special coins (used to buy an extra life), energy drinks (that will slow down all your enemies) and sometimes you will be able to jump into the “Upgrade House” and gain an upgrade!
As you play, the difficulty increases. You will have to fight bosses, avoid lasers, accept challenges, gain medals, and you could also unlock a sweet Piggybot!
What made you want to create these games?
We wanted to do some small games where the fun is all about their simplicity and their intuitive gameplay.
What games influenced or inspired these games?
Smashell was of course influenced by [the] Super Mario [series], but the main idea was to take the simplicity of old arcade games like Space Invaders, where you have to destroy all the enemies inside the “arena” and increase your score. But I also wanted to try a more platformer-style instead of the classic shooter one.
About the other two, you can easily deduce some of their inspirations by reading the descriptions, but we always wanted to give the player a different point of view; many small differences that change the way you play.
What games are you playing now (other than your games!)?
I’m afraid I don’t have much time to play, actually. The latest game I should finish is Devil May Cry 4. Oh, how many people in that game are waiting to be saved!? Other titles I‘ve played are Banjo and Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, Ninja Gaiden II, and Crash of the Titans.
Can you tell us more about the other games you’ve worked on?
I started to make PC games when I was 14, but of course at that time it was more like a hobby, so let’s start with latest ones:
I worked some years ago on Splinter Cell 4 (Xbox/PS2) by Ubisoft. Then, I started my indie adventure with the help of an Ubisoft programmer and we made Rollik. It is a PC game with marbles on sand paths. After that title, the most relevant things are what you can see on the Xbox LIVE Indie Games Channel.
Why did you choose XNA Game Studio to make your game?
There are many reasons! The main one is about how incredibly fast you can bring your ideas to life. I heard about the [XNA] Framework from a friend while I was working to build an OpenGL engine. I was impressed by how easily you can code and test on your Xbox 360 without a development kit.
What other tools/programs do you use to help you make your games?
We use Blender for all 3D assets, GIMP for the 2D stuff, and Audacity as the sound editor.
How long did it take you to make your games?
Every game was developed in about two months (for Smashell it took a bit more).
How many people are on your team?
Actually, we are two people: me (programmer, artist) and Valentina Marasco (artist).
Can you walk us through a usual day for you and your team?
There’s no usual day, even if I’m a programmer I don’t like routine (feel free not to smile about this one). Seriously, I just have an almost detailed plan about when big tasks should be completed. Then I define small ones if needed. As long as deadlines are respected there’s no need for more detailed scheduling.
Do you have any ideas, wishes, hopes, and/or dreams for anything XNA Creators Club Online could do or provide to be even better?
I think the ability to use Achievements in [Xbox LIVE] Indie Games would be a cool thing, but I know this fits more with the dreams category. It would also be nice if you could put themes for your games on the service.
What’s next for you?
We are working on a bigger project while improving our small engine, but it’s too early to say something about it. Let’s just say “top secret." That always sounds cool.
Want to download these games and check them out yourself? You can do that through the Xbox LIVE Indie Games channel on Xbox.com, or through the Xbox LIVE Marketplace on your Xbox 360!
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