GZ: What’s the enemy variety like, and can we expect to see some formidable bosses?
JC: At this moment, we are not doing any kind of “random” generation of creature types. Though there might be some slight variable behavior, each creature is being created by hand to have its own unique behavior. We want to have as much variety as we can get in there! You can expect to see some formidable bosses, and some will require a bit of awareness while you’re fighting. Not all bosses can just be killed by applying the most damage possible to them.
GZ: What level of challenge are we looking at with Edge of Space?
JC: For core release, we want it to be fair paced. With how we want to handle progression, a player who is playing alone might take longer to get to the point that a challenge is not impossible, but with a group it would be possible earlier. The harder you push yourself to encounter things before you are properly equipped will increase the challenge, but if you are properly equipped (barring you bring 100 players in your server) it should keep you on your toes. Later down the line we would like to create a "hardcore" mode for those players that just love the challenge.
GZ: Edge of Space will feature multiplayer so folks can team up and explore together. How much focus is there on this aspect of the game? How different is the experience if a player chooses to team up with some friends or go it alone?
JC: We have built the game from the ground up with multiplayer in mind. Notch actually spoke about this in his current development. Instead of building the game single player into multiplayer, you start multiplayer and architecturally engineer it so that playing single player operates the same as the multiplayer setup but through almost an “emulation” of the network within the computer. This is really important because as a small team we don't want to get caught having to create proprietary code for single player versus multiplayer. So technologically, once we have everything working multiplayer we just port it into the single player mode. This also ensures that the most complicated part, multiplayer, is very stable.
We have always felt games are better when they can be played with friends, so I think the experience will always be much better when you’re working together. It is hard to really tangibly describe how much different it might be. Some tasks and challenges will become considerably easier with more people helping you.
GZ: Visually, Edge of Space features an appealing graphical style that’s full of color. How did you ultimately decide on this visual direction?
JC: One of our artists, who sadly had to go back to school, took our original concepts and really pushed it all to the next level. I would say he really set the overall core style of Edge of Space. There were two big factors when we were figuring out the style. One, we wanted it to be strikingly different from Terraria and other “lower bit” styles. We really love those styles, but we wanted Edge of Space to be strikingly different. Two, we really loved the 2D PS2 age of graphics and we wanted to be somewhere around that level of detail. Games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night come to mind as an example.
GZ: Can you share some of your biggest influences as far as games or developers are concerned?
JC: When it comes to game developers, I think we are really influenced by all the indies that are getting out there more. It is not an easy task to do something like this, and it is very inspiring to see a ton of indies really rising up and becoming more prominent in the industry.
After polling the core team, Archimedian Dynasty, pre-NGE Star Wars Galaxies, Castlevania, Metroid, Panzer Dragoon, Full Throttle, Quest for Glory, Mass Effect, Total War, Ultima, The Legend of Zelda, Diablo 2, and Bubble Bobble round out the games that have influenced us.
As you can see we have a pretty diverse gaming background to draw from, but that's one of the great things about being an indie. Everyone on the team has a much greater impact on the game as a whole.
GZ: What have you been having the most fun with during the development of Edge of Space?
JC: Personally, I have the most fun when I am working on a new creature or figuring out how to create systems that have meaningful impact within the game. Not just coming up with the idea, but following through with the execution. Secretly, I enjoy toiling over things like resource generation, making sure the jetpack feels right, making sure the sound of the laser pick is not annoying but distinctive, etc.
GZ: Does the dev team of Handyman Studios have any free time to play games on the side? If so, what are you currently playing?
JC: Some more than others. Every other week I am a single dad on top of everything so it can make it challenging to get the game time in I would like. The games I have recently leaned into playing are ones that allow me to jump in and out quickly or I can pause at any time while I'm playing. So I tend to be doing a lot of dabbling. I would say the major thing I have been playing with some consistency lately is X-COM: Enemy Unknown and FTL: Faster Than Light. Paul and I will play Borderlands 2, Guild Wars 2, or Saints Row: The Third sometimes for quick lunch breaks. Generally spend much more time working on Edge of Space than time playing other games at the moment.
GZ: Last, can you explain that crazy awesome shark with the laser cannons? That thing is way too rad!
JC: The “Laser Shark” is an experiment that went just a bit too well — isn’t science grand! I have actually spent a good deal of time thinking through exactly how this encounter will play out, but I can tell you this: When you hear its roar, no matter at what stage of the game you are in, you should fear it. It will be one of the roaming bosses moving about, and not one to be taken lightly at all.
The idea actually started as just a laser shark, then it moved to laser shark with rockets, then a cybernetic rocket powered laser shark. It was very much a group effort. It really kind of sets a great deal of the tone of Edge of Space. We like it to be a bit darker but not take ourselves too seriously. I mean, really, we have penguins in space suits toting rocket launchers. Edge of Space is not all foreboding and deadly, but I wouldn't say that it is a "run around smelling the roses" kind of game. At least not until you secure a location and terraform it.
I would like to personally thank Jacob for taking the time to answer my questions regarding Edge of Space. It definitely looks like there's a lot for players to mess around with in the game, as well as a vast world to explore. Also, laser sharks. (Also, rocket launcher penguins!)
Want to talk about indie games, Kirby, or cheap pizza? Follow me on Twitter @dr_davidsanchez.
Developer Handyman Studios has been hard at work developing Edge of Space. The indie title offers 2D action-adventure gameplay with an emphasis on exploration, looting, and crafting. Oh, and there are also sharks with lasers strapped to 'em! We had the chance to chat with Handyman CEO and Lead Designer Jacob Crane and get a bit of insight in regards to Edge of Space. Looks like there's much, much more to look forward to in the game than just weapon-powered sharks, which is definitely great news. Not that laser sharks wouldn't have been enough.
GameZone: Can you briefly describe Edge of Space for any readers who may be unfamiliar with the game? What kind of game is it? What types of individuals will this title appeal to most?
Jacob Crane: Edge of Space is a 2D sandbox game that takes elements from its predecessors and builds upon them with things like a deeper crafting system, more events, a different kind of spatial awareness, a universal goal, and a reactive environment, all with cybernetic rocket powered laser sharks!
GZ: 2D sandbox games can provide an entirely different experience from 3D open world games. While working on Edge of Space, do you ever come across challenges due to certain ideas being more suitable for 3D sandbox games, or do you simply adapt those ideas to make them appropriate for the 2D landscape?
JC: You're right, 2D sandbox games come with some very different technology approaches as well as design choices from the 3D open world games. I think the largest challenges fall more to the technology than the design per se, as design adapts to what the technology can provide. We use the Unity3D engine as our core, but we have heavily modified it to be able to support our 2D world needs.
As far as translation of ideas, our predecessors did a great job of capturing the translation of a 2D sandbox open world game from the 3D open world game when it comes to the core concepts and spatial manipulation. I think design-wise creating interesting creature behavior in 2D space is a bit more challenging, as well as figuring out ways for the player to be more conscious about the space they are in.
GZ: Edge of Space has drawn comparisons to Terraria due to the open world, building mechanics, and crafting elements inherent in both games. What differentiates this title from 2011’s beloved indie hit? Could Terraria fans potentially find a new adventure that they’ll be enticed to jump right into?
JC: Players of Terraria will definitely notice some things that feel similar since we are expanding upon the “genre” so to speak. Similar to how in all shooters you shoot guns. We will admit that there are parts of Edge of Space that will require a bit more thinking. Our crafting system starts off similar as X requirement met gets you Y thing, but as you get into more advanced crafting you have to start paying attention to other stats and it becomes a bit more like a puzzle. This will lead into another part of crafting we have not gone into too much detail about yet. We wanted to offer a bit more progression to some systems and opt-in complexity. Another unique feature would be our power system. It is necessary in the game instead of just an add-on, but in general you can keep your use of it very simple, but it’s there for those who want to get really complex and innovative with it. It will offer these players the power to do some pretty impressive things.
We also have a concept of a “Co-Op” Weapon. These are weapon abilities that happen based on mixing of weapon types or two players using variable complementing weapons. An example in the beta is a weapon that tags an enemy, and a rocket launcher that if the rocket flies near a tagged enemy it will lock on and begin to track the target. The goal will be to make it so a skilled player could achieve these effects by himself, but working with others would make achieving the benefits much easier.
GZ: How would you describe the scope of the world in Edge of Space?
JC: At the moment, we are trying to keep a healthy ambition. We have a lot of features in store but are focused on the core set. We want to make sure we deliver a strong core experience before adding loads of extra features. In the long run, we will be giving our users the ability to choose from a selection of patch options for what they want to see patched. We already have a great deal of patches in the pipeline for after release.
In the grand scope, as we hinted in the Kickstarter, we will be also starting to work on a major addition to game and gameplay … spaceships!
GZ: What kinds of tasks can players undertake? Is there a linear sequence of events, a string of missions, or a series of bosses for players to seek out and tackle on top of the free open world?
JC: There will be events that the player can undertake and things that should pull you out of your safe little home to explore the unknown. There will not be a set of linear sequences of events but instead there is one super goal: terraform the entire world, which has a very meaningful effect. It reduces the exposure rank of an area. This will make it easier for you to use variable equipment that might give you more power but did not have the stats to support the exposure rank.
Everything else will be the adventure you create through the events you choose to do or avoid and your experience as you move toward the main goal. There is a story and a meaning to things in Edge of Space. Some very talented writers that I've had the pleasure of working with taught me how to create history to help drive things within a world. We might never come out and tell you directly, “This is how this happened and this is why this works,” but there will be clues. I think there are a lot of ways to make sandboxes, but we like the idea of the story being created by the players' actions and not something we dictate to them.
GZ: One of the key features in Edge of Space is the use of reactive environments which are being quoted as working against the player. Can you give some examples as to the types of situations players can expect to encounter?
JC: A good example might be when you are exploring and wandering in on a nest of sorts while you’re hunting for materials or carving out your new home. This causes a chain reaction that can lead to a very unhappy queen creature causing you some problems. Also, there will be creatures that can push back on terraformed areas. So you want to keep mindful of those kinds of things. This is just a simple example of some of the things we have planned.
GZ: Aside from exploring and creating, players will also be able to engage in combat. How does this aspect of Edge of Space play out? What kinds of weapons and items will be scattered throughout the world?
All the weapons and items have not been finalized, but we do follow a philosophy of “loot to build.” We are very influenced by pre-NGE Star Wars Galaxies and we really liked the idea that the kind of loot you find are components that you use to create something instead of just kill and loot. Combat, in general, will be quick bursts of intensity. But that will vary based on what you’re fighting, and the conditions you’re fighting in. Not all armor/weapon schematics will be given freely to the player — some you will have to find or research to acquire.
