Robert Maher, developer on the retro sci-fi adventure title, Rex Rocket speaks to TPG about Kickstarter, Greenlight, life as an indie developer and much more.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your role with the development of Rex Rocket.
I’m the artist / level designer / game designer for Rex Rocket. I handle all the graphics, level designs, and gameplay alongside Tyler Bud. I’ve been working on Rex for about 6 months now and we are just starting to get into the fun and interesting stuff.
How did you get started in developing PC games?
I caught the game dev bug when I was about 24. I had been working for a local advertising agency, mostly with Flash, when I stumbled on an awesome web game called Canabalt. I researched the game and found a great ActionScript framework called Flixel. Ever since then I’ve been hooked.
Where did the idea for Rex Rocket come from?
The seed started when I was a young kid playing video games on the NES- games like Mario, Metroid and Mega Man. Rex Rocket is hugely inspired by these games and it shows. I wanted a platformer that had similarities in gameplay to Mega Man but had lots of new and updated mechanics that could be meshed in. In Rex Rocket we are breaking away from the traditional Metroidvania / Mega Man game by adding in things like dynamic zoomable cameras, lots of action cutscenes, cool new gameplay mechanics like dashing, wall jumping, 4-way directional shooting, a teleporting system, et cetera.
Some devs admitted their games were too hard upon release because they became experts as they developed the game. Talk about setting the difficulty levels for Rex Rocket and if you faced a similar challenge.
I think this is something that many game devs struggle with. After working on a game and developing all the levels, it becomes really difficult to see the game through the eyes of a new and inexperienced player. What may seem like child’s play to you can be a gauntlet for someone else. I think that the best way to remedy this is just by simply playtesting the game and adjusting the difficulty levels appropriately. With Rex, I’ve rated the difficulty of each enemy, obstacle, puzzle, and action. I can easily set a steady tempo to build the player up and create a great flow to the game using this system.
Please talk about developing the art style, level design and music for Rex Rocket.
As I mentioned above, the game is heavily inspired by the retro platformmers. For the art style and overall setting, we wanted something futuristic, mechanical, and nostalgic. I used the NES 54 color palette as a jumping off point for all the colors in the game. I love this color palette, and I think that just the colors alone will stir up some feelings of nostalgia in gamers.
Outside of creating the game itself, what is the toughest aspect of being an indie developer?
For me it’s the sacrifice of free time to work on the game. I have a full-time job, so I really only get in about 20 hours a week on the project if I’m lucky. In addition, I’m on a small team- it’s just Tyler and I- so I have to wear a lot of hats. For example, I had to do a ton of marketing and promotion for our Kickstarter campaign; giving interviews, contacting game reviewers and journalists, it’s all very time consuming.
How did you go about funding Rex Rocket and did you receive financial or emotional support from friends and family?
Well, we have the Kickstarter, but other than that we’re on our own financially. I get a ton of support with writing, editing, and the creative process from my awesome girlfriend Lauren. Spending my free time on a project subtracts from other things in life that I’d like to enjoy. My family is also a huge source of motivation and support while I work on Rex.
How important is it to get instant feedback about Rex Rocket from users through online message boards and other social networking sites?
We’ve learned so much from message boards! While big companies can pay people to test their games, we will be relying on our Kickstarter Beta testers and friends to provide us with feedback on the game. All beta testers will have access to a forum that they can use to discuss gameplay issues and bugs. Any feedback is good feedback.
How much value do you place on the opinions of those who review Rex Rocket professionally?
I place a ton of value on the opinions of anyone who reviews the games, even if I disagree. These are the folks who do this day in and day out and I consider their feedback invaluable.
How do you feel about the various indie bundle promotions and the “Pay What You Want” pricing methodology? Would you be interested in contributing to a project like that in the future?
We are definitely considering it for the future.
What are your thoughts on how the PC gaming industry as a whole are dealing with the problem of intrusive DRM and piracy?
I think that DRM only treats your paying customers like pirates, and doesn’t really do anything to stop actual game pirates from playing a game.
How do you feel about DLC and its current implementation in the PC gaming industry?
I think it’s great! DLC is one of the magic things that sprung up with having a game connected to the internet. Allowing a publisher to supply their fans with extra content is great.
How do you feel about the online modding community in general and specifically if mods were created for Rex Rocket?
I think it would be awesome. We have kicked around the idea of open sourcing the level editor to allow for anyone to create a level with Rex Rocket or use it to create an entirely new game.
What advice would you give up-and-coming indie PC developers who are trying to break into the business?
Don’t give up. It’s not easy chasing a dream but it is well worth the effort.
We would like to thank Robert for his wonderful answers. You can check out Rex Rocket on Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight.
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