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Creed Arena landed in the Top 20 finalists list for the 2009 Dream.Build.Play challenge. Matt Rietdijk of Safari Studios shares with us the process for creating Creed Arena, and what it was like competing in this year's challenge.
How would you describe Creed Arena for anyone who hasn’t seen or played it yet?
If you take the Gladiator movie and cross it with Halo: Combat Evolved, you get Creed Arena. You're in a stadium filled with thousands of spectators, fighting for popularity with semi-futuristic weapons. The main goal of the game is to become the most popular gladiator in the tournament, and the tournament is made up of many challenges such as "collect the kegs," team popularity matches, and many others.
What made you want to make Creed Arena?
I really wanted to make a shooter with a different goal than the usual "save the world" or "most kills wins" types of games. I also liked the idea of concentrating the action in a more confined area like a sports stadium. Out of these two things the main theme evolved; that you can actually win supporters as you down your opponents (and lose supporters when you epic fail).
Where did you hear about Dream.Build.Play and what made you decide to enter?
I saw the contest advertised on XNA Creators Club Online, and thought it would be a great motivator to push myself towards making a game I'm proud of.
Is this your first time competing in DBP?
I competed in the 2008 DBP with an entry called Fields - Soldier of Time. I was learning XNA Game Studio as I built the game and it was a great experience. Its sequel, Fields Reloaded, is now available on XBOX LIVE Indie Games. Fields Reloaded is sort of a 2.5D platformer/shooter. It has the player as a gangsta who has ventured out of the city to fight an invading army of soldiers. The game takes you through some wild looking levels and the whole game has a sort of hip-hop style to it.
Why did you decide to participate in the Dream.Build.Play Challenge?
Well, aside from the prize money, I knew that our game would receive a lot of exposure if it can make it to the finals. This kind of exposure can really help a lot for an indie developer who doesn't have much money for marketing. There's also the aspect that with a strict deadline, and the knowledge that your game will be played by critics/judges, it gives you an enormous amount of motivation to make the best game possible in a reasonable amount of time.
How long did it take to develop Creed Arena?
I started tinkering around with the graphics engine in March. In April my brother Laurence came on board and we started full-steam-ahead development. We were about five months into it at the time of Dream.Build.Play, and about eight months in total from start to release.
How was your experience using XNA Game Studio to make your game? XNA Game Studio is one of the best things that has ever happened to me... seriously! It gives you all the development power you need, while at the same time taking out the tedious, time-consuming bits that usually drag you down. And one of the best things about XNA Game Studio is the community and forums where you can get help quickly if you get stuck.
What other tools/programs did you use to help you make your game?
Not much else apart from a 3D modeling tool for making the models, and a little texture manipulation tool to help with the textures.
How many people are on your team, and what are their roles?
We are a pair of brothers from Australia. Laurence builds and animates all of the 3D models and I (Matt) do all of the coding. Aside from our main roles, we both like to do a bit of 2D art, music composing, sound engineering and games design, so together we make a good little team!
How was the experience of competing in DBP?
All in all it was very exciting. We of course had some stressful moments, especially getting closer to the deadline, but the feeling of finally having the game completed and submitted was wonderful. There's a whole community of XNA developers out there, and it’s fun to talk to others about their projects and progress at the same time.
Did you playtest your games through CCO? Did it help?
Playtesting is a really important stage in development, and CCO is a great place to do it. Fellow developers will find all sorts of glitches and bugs that you couldn't find on your own, and often give you some good suggestions on how to further improve the game. I love to take the opportunity to check out some of the other games on playtest, too. Not only to help out other developers, but also to see what other interesting and fresh games are being made.
How was your experience with Peer Review?
Peer Review is kind of "truth time" where it becomes clear if you've spent enough time testing or not. I'll be honest, we have had a previous game fail its first time through on Peer Review, but we've always found the process to be fair.
Have you helped to Playtest and Peer Review other games?
Yes, absolutely! Not only is it a great opportunity to see what other mini-masterpieces are being developed, it's also good to be helping out the community. The best thing is, it can all be done by playing games!
Would you participate in the Dream.Build.Play Challenge again?
We already have a new idea for a game brewing, and I dare say that it will end up in DBP 2010.
Any plans to release more games for XBLIG?
Yes, (hopefully) many more! We really believe that XBLIG is moving in the right direction, and we want to be a part of it. I believe that if you're an indie developer and you're good, then you will find success on XBLIG, and that's our aim. As for game specifics, you will have to wait a little while longer I'm afraid!
What’s next for you?
I need to finish designing our next game. Laurence has already started on the 3D art, and I'm itching to start coding it! I'm hoping to release three titles in 2010.
Check out Creed Arena today and download from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
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