Recently, I was lucky enough to ask some questions the Lead Developer of Project Nimbus - Pawee Pakamekanon. Project Nimbus is a fast-paced, action mech game, in which the player takes to the skies to battle in a post-apocalyptic world. The project began as a Kickstarter, which finished in January 2014, raising $17,000, and is now advancing through Early Access on Steam.
Q: What inspired you to make Project Nimbus?
A: "Project Nimbus took inspiration from a lot of mecha anime and video games like Armored Core series (especially For Answer), Mobile Suit Gundam series (especially SEED and Unicorn), Macross series, Eureka seven and Ace Combat series (ok, that's fighter jet game. But we really took heavy influence from it especially about level design and missions event directing. Especially from Shattered Skies and Unsung War).
I can't remember how long I dreamed of making a 'giant robot' game. Maybe since I practiced making games in middle school. I used to be a kid daydreaming in class that a giant robot fall from sky to the school's football field and choose me to pilot it and fight evil giant robot near the school (where all my friend and teacher can see me doing awesome thing). That's one thing I can remember from my childhood. I'm that kind of kid.
One thing I can remember is I was in high school when the first trailer of Armored Core 4 coming out. When I saw it, I thought 'I want to make a game like that, and try to actually make a game like that, that day. (Sure, I failed at that time). Over the period of many years I've been exposed to much more mecha anime and games, so well, there is a lot of influence from here and there.
You guys remember the moment that you use the bullet time and shoot down incoming missiles? The design decision that lead us to do that in the game is inspired by one scene in Macross Zero that Roy Fokker shoot down in his VF-0 humanoid mode. Remember using your laser sword to blade incoming missiles / cannon bullets and they explode in mid-air (or change its course if it's not HE shell due to Leidenforst effect)? That's inspired by the second Martian super robot appeared in Aldnoah. Zero series. There is a lot of concept in this game influenced by Gundam series that I think the fan will realise. For example, prototype mech and weapons that's controlled by pilot's brainwave.
...And there are a lot more things inspired by various mecha game/anime that the mecha fan can recognise when they see them. If I list everything it will be much longer (and I'm not sure that this interview will ever be finished). But well, I think speaking frankly that what we're doing right now is inspired by what is in those great work created before ours, is a good way to paying homage.
When I see awesome moments in animation or video game, I sometimes think, 'Holy sh*t, I want this happened in my game, and a few days or weeks later, it's there. Project Nimbus is like the mixture of everything I like in the mecha genre so far. And I'm trying to deliver those feelings with our team's ability the best I can.
This is just from me. In fact, there are other people working on this game too. And all team members have something they like so it appears in the results product too. For example, Rattapoom (BlindShooter); one of our mech designers, is a huge fan of realistic militaristic mecha like Front Mission's Wanzer, Gun Griffon and Heavy Gear. I think this is reflected in the Battle Frames which he designs."
Q: What's the biggest challenge you've faced so far in making the game?
A: "In terms of technical challenge, it's like SEALs' motto "The only easy day was yesterday". The further we go into the development, the bigger and more complicated technical challenges we face. We keep adding new and fresh things every mission to keep the player engaged throughout the game's long campaign. It's totally the opposite from 'the development will become easier when it pass the starting point' or 'the further the game got into development, the easier it is' type story and we cannot do that because that will make the game boring and repetitive. By continuing to make the game, we become better and better every day, that makes us able to add things that used to be too hard to make in the past into the game. The biggest challenge we faced yesterday is nothing compare to the challenge we're facing today.
So, taking this into consideration and looking at the length of game's campaign, the amount of work is overwhelming. I think the sheer amount of work in front of us by its self-compare to our manpower can be considered as one very big challenge."
A: "In terms of technical challenge, it's like SEALs' motto "The only easy day was yesterday". The further we go into the development, the bigger and more complicated technical challenges we face. We keep adding new and fresh things every mission to keep the player engaged throughout the game's long campaign. It's totally the opposite from 'the development will become easier when it pass the starting point' or 'the further the game got into development, the easier it is' type story and we cannot do that because that will make the game boring and repetitive. By continuing to make the game, we become better and better every day, that makes us able to add things that used to be too hard to make in the past into the game. The biggest challenge we faced yesterday is nothing compare to the challenge we're facing today.
So, taking this into consideration and looking at the length of game's campaign, the amount of work is overwhelming. I think the sheer amount of work in front of us by its self-compare to our manpower can be considered as one very big challenge."
Q: How did your friends and family react when you decided to become a full-time game developer?
A: My family members were like "Well, you've been doing this and have dreamed of this for all your life, haven't you?", and so, when I decided to go full-time game making, they gave me great support. My friends' reactions are mixed between 'That's awesome, friend!' and 'You're nuts'.
Q: You've already confirmed that multiplayer will be an upcoming feature, what form will it appear in? PvP or co-op?
A: Actually, I'd like to do both of them. But PvP shall appear before co-op."
Q: When do you expect to finish Project Nimbus?
A: August this year. At this moment, we're about a month behind schedule so I'm working and trying to speed the development process up.
Q: What are your plans for after you've finished Project Nimbus? Another game?
A: You know, that's one of our favourite topics that our team chats about at the dining table whenever we meet. So, well, at this moment it's not decided yet. But it will be a mecha game.
What advice would you give to somebody who would like to make their own game?
A: By using the words 'would like to do' you mean 'want to do for so long and haven't do it yet' right? If that's so, do it. Choose and download a game engine, follow its tutorial, make a game. And no matter what, never ever give up. It will be very hard to learn at the beginning. But once you pass one point, once you start to able to make things go in the way you intend, it will be fun and rewarding. But that's nothing compared to when the game is finished, the satisfaction is... you know, the feeling that you're at the top of the world. Your first game will be your lifetime achievement, will be the success that you'll remember until the last day of your life.
You can cry, you can be angry, you can clench your teeth and your fists, you can rest when you're tired. But no matter what, never give up.
Q: Will you add extra content when the main story is finished, such as DLC?
A: We've not planned for that yet.
A: My family members were like "Well, you've been doing this and have dreamed of this for all your life, haven't you?", and so, when I decided to go full-time game making, they gave me great support. My friends' reactions are mixed between 'That's awesome, friend!' and 'You're nuts'.
Q: You've already confirmed that multiplayer will be an upcoming feature, what form will it appear in? PvP or co-op?
A: Actually, I'd like to do both of them. But PvP shall appear before co-op."
Q: When do you expect to finish Project Nimbus?
A: August this year. At this moment, we're about a month behind schedule so I'm working and trying to speed the development process up.
Q: What are your plans for after you've finished Project Nimbus? Another game?
A: You know, that's one of our favourite topics that our team chats about at the dining table whenever we meet. So, well, at this moment it's not decided yet. But it will be a mecha game.
What advice would you give to somebody who would like to make their own game?
A: By using the words 'would like to do' you mean 'want to do for so long and haven't do it yet' right? If that's so, do it. Choose and download a game engine, follow its tutorial, make a game. And no matter what, never ever give up. It will be very hard to learn at the beginning. But once you pass one point, once you start to able to make things go in the way you intend, it will be fun and rewarding. But that's nothing compared to when the game is finished, the satisfaction is... you know, the feeling that you're at the top of the world. Your first game will be your lifetime achievement, will be the success that you'll remember until the last day of your life.
You can cry, you can be angry, you can clench your teeth and your fists, you can rest when you're tired. But no matter what, never give up.
Q: Will you add extra content when the main story is finished, such as DLC?
A: We've not planned for that yet.
Project Nimbus - Steam Early Access trailer
Q: How did you start developing games, and how did GameCrafterTeam form?
A: When I was 13, after 56k internet was installed at my home in around 2003, I searched for game making software on the search engine and found 3D RAD. So I, in that time download its free version and started following tutorials and started learning to make 3D games around that time. But the free version of 3D RAD doesn't come with the exporter that will export the .exe file of the game made in it. So when I was about to start high school in 2005, I begged my parents to buy the license for the engine if I could pass the entrance exam to get into the top classroom of my high school. They accepted. So well, after some trial and error, I got my first game published on the internet, on a local software download website, 6th January, 2006. That game, which I spent about 2 weeks making, received about 3000 downloads in its first month. For a high schooler and a kid that just publish his first game, I felt really good about that. So I started practicing and working on games seriously since the first year of my high school life.
Ok, that's enough for the how I started making games part. GameCrafterTeam was formed in 2008, just before the first year of my university life began. I met Apinporn (Runrunpyon), the first voice actress who was willing to voice for my game for the first time in March 2008. It's a really good feeling to have other people also take part in your dream project. So I worked on my dream project (in that time) really hard and released it in May 2008. I think we can count that GameCrafterTeam formed at that time. In 2008, I met Nattawat (Ton3D), a major team member (and we still make games together today) and so we made a game together, making the largest game we thought we could do in the time frame of one year, and had Apinporn voice it. We kept doing this for 4 years until we graduated from university. In that time, we met a lot more people, most of them are VAs, some of them are programmers and artists. Some people stay making games with us for a while, some make games with us for a very long time.
You can find Project Nimbus @ IndieDB, Steam, Facebook, Kickstarter, and Twitch (this is where Pawee livestreams the development of the game).
I would like to thank Pawee for taking the time out of his busy schedule to give such detailed and informative responses. Pawee's native language is not English, so apologies for any language impediments. I wish Pawee and the rest of GameCrafterTeam all the best in Project Nimbus and any future endeavors!
by Jasper Broxton | |