Halfbrick Echoes Developer Interview

Written by Jigsaw hc

Tuesday, 12 May 2009 08:47

The guys and gals over at Halfbrick have released their second "Halfbrick Fridays"title with Halfbrick Echoes. They were kind enough to take time away from their upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game Raskulls to do a quick interview with me. Be sure to thank Halfbrick Echoes lead Alex Butterfield for taking his time to answer some questions for us.

On a quick side note before we get started Halfbrick is running a Design a Raskull competition that is open to anyone. Your design could end up in an Xbox Live Arcade game.

Question: How did the idea for Halfbrick Echoes come about?

Alex Butterfield: I tripped over my own foot one morning and thought “Gee – I’m glad there aren’t two dozen more of those around the room.”

Actually, the truth is a little more mundane. About ten years ago, I played a NetYaroze game called TimeSlip. It had an interesting concept, taking the core idea behind Snake in a new direction. Instead of the long tail that follows your path in Snake, TimeSlip cut that tail into discrete segments (earlier versions of yourself – or a tail with large holes in it, if you want to imagine it that way) and placed the mechanic in a side-on platformer. I felt the move to platformer was a mistake, as was their system for creating new versions of yourself, but that some truly unique and very elegant gameplay could be achieved by exploring the idea in the original top-down 2D.

For a long time I waited, certain that somebody would make the game I was imagining, but it just never happened. I had long forgotten it when my work on Crush for the PSP reawakened my appetite for innovative game mechanics and my mind returned to the concept. I toyed with the idea in my head for about a year before the chance to pitch it as a Halfbrick Fridays project arose and I haven’t looked back since.

Question: Could you describe Halfbrick Echoes for anyone who hasn’t seen it?

Alex Butterfield: A girl has a seizure in art class and wakes up in a strange world. Everywhere she walks, Echoes of herself stalk her footsteps, echoes she mustn’t run into. The closer the player gets to completing each level, the more echoes there are to dodge and the harder it gets.

Playing the game requires a mixture of quick decision making and coordination with a smattering of broad strategy. There is a gameplay trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBD92vBgI_c but the best way to experience the game is to download the free trial from Xbox Live Community Games and play it.

Question: How large was the team that created Halfbrick Echoes and how long did it take to develop?

Alex Butterfield: Because the game is worked on by people in between publisher funded projects, the team tended to shrink and grow depending on who was available. I got really excited one morning because we had 5 people, but the main production push was done with a 3 person team and there was about a month either side of that where it was just me working in lunch breaks and after hours.

All up, I’d say about 5 man-months of work went into the game from initial prototype through to final product.

Question: When you first set out to make Halfbrick Echoes was it always planned to be this type of part action and part strategy game?

Alex Butterfield: No. I originally intended to have a larger puzzle emphasis in the gameplay, but an early prototype I created made it apparent the gameplay was more suited to players making split-second decisions. More defined puzzles tended to result in players having to wait around too much for their echoes to be in the right place. People may talk about playing the waiting game, but I play it every morning in Brisbane traffic and I wouldn’t pay money for that game.
Clockwork mode ended up being the closest to a true puzzle game, but even here it is more a case of applying broad strategy. It’s just not possible to start a level and work out where two dozen versions of yourself will be in a few minutes time. Instead, the game becomes more about crowd control, like a drover rounding up cattle, well, kind of… if the drover was also the cattle.

Question: Halfbrick Echoes supports 2 player locally. Why did you guys decide not to inlcude support for playing over Xbox Live?

Alex Butterfield: The limited development time for the game pretty much ruled that out as an option from the start but I also feel it’s not necessary as the primary focus of Halfbrick Echoes is single player. I put a lot of time into focus testing and tweaking multiplayer, but as a way for players to share a fun game experience with friends and family, not as a hardcore competitive battlefield.

Question: Looking back on Halfbrick Echoes what are the things that you are most proud of?

Alex Butterfield: That people are enjoying the game is fantastic. It’s only been out for a few days, but the feedback on the forums has been really positive. It doesn’t matter how much you focus test a game or how sure you are in your gut that you’ve tweaked it well, you never truly know until the public gets a hold of it.

Question: Was there anything you were hoping to get into Halfbrick Echoes that did not make it?

Alex Butterfield: Yes, there were loads of features I would have liked to try. Too many to list them all here, but a major one was the 2 player cooperative Amigo Mode. In this mode, echoes walk along their paths towards whichever player is closest, so the players have to work together with one drawing Echoes away while the other darts in to grab the crystals. Ultimately, I had to cut scope to deliver the game to the level of polish I wanted and Amigo Mode had the biggest risks attached.

Another feature that would add a lot to the game is moving level parts. However, with each level needing custom art, I had to lock down the level collision early and the technology for moving parts simply couldn’t be added in time.

The good news is, I intend to take Echoes further – so there will be a sequel or expanded version of the game at some point in the future and those things that didn’t make it in this time around will definitely be a priority.

Question: In playing through Halfbrick Echoes there are screens from your upcoming titles for both Xbox Live Arcade and Community Games. Can you tell us a little about these titles and when we can expect them to release?

Alex Butterfield: Each game has a different product owner, which is great because it guarantees a wide range of flavors. The next title due out on Community Games is Halfbrick Thrusts which is a stylish 2D racing game with gravity. It blends the fine-tuned controls of games like Trackmania with hectic multiplayer interaction for up to 4 players. Halfbrick Thrusts is due out in late May.

Following that, the next game to land with a splatter of gibs is Halfbrick Zombies are Coming. Imagine Smash TV in top-down 3D with swarms of zombies. Angry bloodthirsty zombies! On steroids!!! Halfbrick Zombies are Coming is due out in early July.

Finally, in the big league, on Xbox Live Arcade, we have an amazing game called Raskulls. It’s Mr Driller meets MarioKart, but it’s so much more. With a cast of adorable skeletons in fancy dress, a full single player adventure and two dozen fine-tuned multiplayer levels, Raskulls is bursting with gaming goodness. Raskulls is due out around August.

Question: Can you give us some tips or strategies for Halfbrick Echoes?

Alex Butterfield: Don’t stand still in a corridor – later on that Echo might end up in your way. If you have to cross paths repeatedly with your echoes, try to find an open area to do it in as it leaves you more space to sidestep.

Look at the footprints of the echoes to get an idea of how safe an area is. The more footprints, the sooner you’re likely to have an echo headed your way. Also watch the blue dots that show where echoes are about to move. If you’re near dots, then you’re near danger.

Don’t stop to think. Don’t hesitate. Trust your instincts. The more you play the game, the more you’ll find yourself dashing everywhere, ducking through closing gaps and brushing past echoes with seasoned bravado.