Hotdog) So what inspired you to make a game like 'Bounce!'?
Kamikazi Uk) 'Bounce!' originally started out as an idea based around an advert which I'd seen on T.V. The people were doing Trick-Shots with Ping-Pong balls and hitting off various obstacles around the garage, to get it into cups. The idea started to evolve from there, with the purchase of the C4 Engine we had the basis for our gun with the grenade launcher weapon as it was almost perfect for the use of the ball shooting gun. I then was at college and looking around play.com and spotted a toy ball firing gun and I thought "hmmm... that has never been done in a game" so the gun was evolved from that reference off play.com and various toy shops.
Hotdog) What do you believe was/is the hardest part about creating 'Bounce!'?
Kamikazi Uk) 'Bounce!' was a huge challenge for us as we have created various styles of genres such as Racing and Death-Match styled Modifications but never have done a puzzle game. Also this was our first Indie game. The puzzle element had our minds boggled and a lot of the time had blank minds to what to do to make the next level even better and harder for the users. We had plenty of ideas on paper but it was hard to translate that into 3D. It was hard making tasks unique, not just making every task the same with a different texture or prop. This was a huge task trying to design the levels themselves and took up most of the development time.
Hotdog) The feel of 'Bounce!' is very stylish, yet comic in nature. What inspired your art development?
Kamikazi Uk) We have always been trying to push out really bright and fun games/mods. The reason for this is we were really sick of seeing the same generic styling in games with Greys and Blacks being constantly used. We came across this kinda style in our last title "Varion". We use lots of ways to create our textures but most are created by hand then edited to our desire.
Hotdog) When designing 'Bounce!', what kind of audience were you aiming for? Do you think 'Bounce!' will be popular with all ages?
Kamikazi Uk) Our initial audience was between 8 - 14 year old. We chose this as we wanted to give the younger generation some fun and very interactive game as there isn't many around anymore. It seems as though the WII is the only system with casual gaming. Then our game started to evolve and we felt as though some levels were starting to get harder for 14 year olds to complete. We then thought why not make the game appealing to everyone all ages. We really planned out how hard each level is, to make it so it's challenging for all ages, but also not to hard that people won't want to play it. We have various elements in the game to help beginners such as Panels which explain some of the harder tasks and cameras to see where the ball is going. We also have the Challenge Mode which is unlocked when players find 25 treasures we have dropped around the levels. This mode has 3 special challenge modes which are designed for the hard-core audience with Platform Tower a giant tower designed similar to Mirrors Edge where you need to not fall and climb right to the top. Also some other special challenges which we don't want to spoil just yet. We also plan on implementing some Updates/DLC later with extreme stages and various new features for the game.
Hotdog) Was it difficult to get a publisher interested in distributing 'Bounce?' How much do you expect to sell it for retail or online?
Kamikazi Uk) We currently have 2 distributors (Desura and Gamers-Gate) which both contacted us to want to sell 'Bounce!'. We will be hoping to market the game with a new trailer and final demo releasing within next 3 months if all goes well. This will hopefully get more distributors interested and can get a even wider audience for bounce!. We are hoping to sell the game for £6.99 which will get 20 Ball Count Levels, Timer Challenge (Play through Ball-Count with Timer Possibly Leader boards), Challenge Mode (3 Levels), 50 Collectables to find to unlock rooms and special features plus a whole load more.
Hotdog) Does the team work together in one place, or do you all hail from different areas and work over the internet?
Kamikazi Uk) Our team is from all over the world and we work over the internet. We have people in Denmark, UK, USA, Canada and various other countries. I have built the team up over 2 - 3 years and we tend to have a big team, but only use members when we need them (freelancing). I do most of the work on 'Bounce!', as it started out as a small project for me for my portfolio. We currently use small teams on projects and with 'Bounce!' we have 5 members, all doing various elements. We feel with a smaller team you get more done as your not spending a lot of time managing people.
(Look on our official website if you want to see the full team)
Hotdog) Looking through your previous projects, you've worked alot on Modifications. What made you switch to Indie development?
Kamikazi Uk) We have worked on modifications for many years. I personally worked on modifications for the past 5 - 6 years. We have gained alot of experience from mods, with what makes them fail or succeed. We just felt as though the team was strong enough to go Indie. We planned over various months what engines to choose and we bought C4 engine as it was the cheapest and stronger engine for that time.
Hotdog) After 'Bounce!''s release, do you have any other projects in the works?
Kamikazi Uk) We have big documents with tons of ideas which we planned on doing at some stage but we can't say just yet. We are always looking at the current economy with which types of games are succeeding and which are failing. We are always experimenting with ideas as well, meaning we don't just go for the standard genres like most developers. We think 'Bounce!' is a fresh new look at games and is a totally different genre of gaming. We will decide which idea we plan on doing once we finish 'Bounce!'
Hotdog) Thankyou very much for taking the time to answer our questions, I know I am greatly looking forward to the release of 'Bounce!'. Keep up the good work!
Kamikazi Uk) Thanks for interviewing, We loved the experience.
(Click Here for Interview on Website)
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