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| Dream.Build.Play Spotlight: Kaleidoscope |
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Kaleidoscope was a top-six finalist in the 2009 Dream.Build.Play challenge. We chatted with the team at Morsel Games about their experience competing in Dream.Build.Play, and the making of their game, Kaleidoscope.
How would you describe Kaleidoscope for anyone who hasn’t seen or played it yet?
Kaleidoscope is an adventure platformer set in a world shrouded by darkness. You must help Tint traverse through the surreal environments (by) collecting color pigments to restore life and color to the world.
What made you want to make Kaleidoscope?
I wanted to make a game that was lighthearted and didn’t rely on violence to drive a satisfying experience. To capture this lighthearted feel, I referenced what kids did for fun. Instantly, a coloring book popped into my head and I loved the idea of a world that evolved through coloring. After a lot of pondering about how to transfer that elegantly into a video game, Kaleidoscope was born.
What games influenced or inspired Kaleidoscope?
I would say that Fez (I think they’ve recently changed it to “Fedge”) and Feist were major influences on Kaleidoscope in the early stages. They were both very unique but kept a degree of simplicity, which is something we really tried to emulate with Kaleidoscope.
Is this the first game you’ve made? If not, can you tell us more about the other things you’ve worked on?
Kaleidoscope is indeed my first game. Sang and Mattias have had their hand in a few other projects before, however, this has been their biggest undertaking as well.
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What games are you playing now (other than your game!)?
I’ve been playing a lot of old classic games lately. I’m only 20 so I wasn’t old enough to really appreciate many of the amazing games that helped drive this industry in the early days.
Where did you hear about the Dream.Build.Play Challenge and what made you decide to enter?
I have always loved playing indie games and I keep up on the indie scene, so I’ve known about Dream.Build.Play since it started. I decided that I wanted to enter the competition almost as soon as I started making Kaleidoscope. I thought it would be a great way to get more people looking at the game and hopefully playing it, too!
Is this your first time competing in Dream.Build.Play?
Yes.
How long did it take you to make Kaleidoscope?
Kaleidoscope was in development for about seven months!
How was the experience of competing in Dream.Build.Play?
Dream.Build.Play was an exciting experience and it was an amazing feeling to be one of the top six out of 350 games!
Would you participate in Dream.Build.Play again?
Of course! It’s quite hard for indie developers to make a name for themselves in this highly competitive industry. Dream.Build.Play gives indies a chance to get the kind of exposure they really need for their games to be noticed.
Did you Playtest your game through XNA Creators Club Online (CCO)? Did it help?
We didn’t actually put Kaleidoscope into Playtesting, but after having gone through the whole process it is definitely something we are going to do for our next game.
How was your experience with Peer Review?
Peer Review was great for us! Our game was approved in just under a week and we got a lot of really good constructive feedback.
Have you helped to Playtest and Peer Review other games?
During the development of Kaleidoscope I was also trying to balance a full course load at university, so needless to say I had little time for anything else. Now that Kaleidoscope is finished I am planning to give back to the community by being more active in the Playtesting and Peer Review process!
How was your experience using XNA Game Studio to make your game?
XNA Game Studio provided me with a very smooth learning curve into the world of game development. One of the great things about XNA Game Studio is the support. There are so many amazing resources available and the community is always willing to lend a hand in the forums. It has been a great experience overall!
What other tools/programs did you use to help you make Kaleidoscope?
I actually didn’t use any other programs besides the hacked-up level editor I built, haha!
How many people are on your team, and what are their roles?
There are currently three people on our team: I am the lead designer and programmer, Sang Han is our talented artist, and Mattias Häggström Gerdt is our creative musician.
Can you walk us through a usual day for you and your team?
We each have very different ways of working, so we’ve found that it’s most effective to do our work separately and meet on Skype regularly to keep ourselves on track. I would say that a usual day for me personally would start with administrative stuff like answering emails and keeping up with the news. This is followed by an alternating mix of designing and programming tasks, as well as a meeting on Skype sometime in the middle of the afternoon.
Any plans to release more games for XBLIG?
We are already in pre-production for a new XBLIG title, keep an eye out!
What’s next for you?
Kaleidoscope is only the beginning for us. We have already started our next game and we have plans for several more going forward.
Help Tint bring life and color back to the world of Kaleidoscope. Download the game today from Xbox LIVE Marketplace. |
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