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Written by Jigsaw hc
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Wednesday, 19 November 2008 10:27 |
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Since Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is the first really episodic game on Xbox Live Arcade I though everyone might enjoy hearing a little more about it. A special Thank You to Joel DeYoung, Hothead's COO and Producer of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.
Question: How has Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness evolved from Episode One to Episode Two?
Joel DeYoung: Nearly all of the changes we made in Episode Two were the direct result of player feedback from Episode One. We made some adjustments to the way the combat plays and completely upgraded the special combat moves to include a new rhythm element for Gabe’s minigame and a shooting gallery for Tycho’s. We added skill levels to the game and of course, a bunch of new options for your customizable character.
Question: When you set out to make Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, was it always planned to be episodic? Did you consider other approaches?
Joel DeYoung: It was always planned to be episodic and it was for a number of reasons. One reason is that digital distribution lends itself well to episodic content, and Hothead is a company dedicated to digital distribution. Another reason was that the episodic format would help us get our game into the hands of players swiftly (rather than having to wait two or three years) and swiftly incorporate feedback from fans into the development of the next episode.
Question: Has it been difficult for your development team to balance the RPG and adventure elements of the game?
Joel DeYoung: With a small development team, we definitely had to prioritize between the two elements. For Episode One, we focused on making the RPG combat feel fresh and intuitive, as this was an important component of the game and critical to the player’s experience. With the combat system established and the basic ground work for the adventure elements laid down in Episode One, in Episode Two we could focus on really beefing up the adventure game play, adding more traditional puzzles and quests.
Question: The XBLA and PSN versions of the game were announced some time after the initial announcement of the game (Aug. 07 and July 08, respectively). However, I have to ask -- was it decided from the very beginning that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness should be on consoles in addition to PC?
Joel DeYoung: Absolutely! We want as many people to enjoy our games as possible, and that means console gamers, too. Of course we don't ultimately control whether the game will be allowed on those console download services, so we weren't able to announce that the game was coming out on those platforms until we had worked out all the details with Microsoft and Sony. You can rest assured that we at Hothead will always try to get our games on as many platforms as possible.
Question: How difficult is it to develop for Xbox Live Arcade? Were there particular challenges your team had to overcome on the Penny Arcade series that may be different from other XBLA titles?
Joel DeYoung: I would say that developing for Xbox Live Arcade is a very straightforward process, with Microsoft supporting and coordinating each step along the way. However, back when we started Episode One, we were in the unusual position of being a title that relied heavily upon its look and feel (environments, animation, sounds, etc.) for creating the gamers’ experience. Those high-quality graphics and audio needs put us right up against the maximum file size for an XBLA title. This eased up a bit for us in Episode Two, as we’d learned many lessons in Episode One, but it was still very important for us to concentrate on keeping the game within that same size limit.
Question: Looking back on the first two episodes of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, what are the things that you are most proud of?
Joel DeYoung: Probably the thing we are most proud of is successfully executing on the episodic model. Our design allows people to continue their adventure from a previous episode, bringing with them their character and items from a completed save file, or to jump right into any episode without having played previous ones. Also, we have worked with the Penny Arcade guys to put a lot of thought into the story for each episode, while maintaining an overarching story through all the episodes.
Question: How many episodes are being planned and when we can expect the next one?
Joel DeYoung: There are four episodes planned in total for the current On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness series, though other Penny Arcade Adventures titles are under consideration. Episode Three is still early in development, with the goal of releasing a new episode every 4-5 months.
Question: Can you give us a few tips, tricks, or hints for playing Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two?
Joel DeYoung: I would say that the best thing you can do is to get your combat hit counter up. The more hits you can perform on an enemy without being hit yourself, the more powerful you will become. That means becoming skilled at timing blocks. Max out your hit counter to gain the upper hand against stronger enemies and to get the “POWER SURRRGE!” achievement. Good luck! |
