Defense Grid: The Interviewing Page 2

24 Sep 2009 at 18:19:23 by Tim McDonald

So how much did the final product of Defense Grid change from the initial design? Was there anything big added or changed along the way, or is it pretty close to what you planned from the beginning?

MA (left): We originally had more tower types, and more enemy types, as well as a paper-scissors-rock system for damage types and aliens (i.e. organic aliens were weak to fire, but metallic aliens were weak to electricity). When we started to go down that route though, we realised that it was way too hard for a player to tell what was going on and what they had to do. We changed it so that the game should be more about the placement of towers, and more about the space that they took up and could attack in rather than any innate characteristics (i.e. Inferno is a cone, Concussion is area of effect, Cannon needs line of sight, but the Meteor doesn’t need it since it lobs projectiles.) I think it ended up being a much better game for it.

We also had some enemy types that had the same problem - there were healing aliens that regenerated health when they weren’t being shot at, but it difficult to see that that was what was happening, so we cut them. I think Defense Grid is typical of our process at Hidden Path - we are very iterative, and don’t want to get attached to ideas that turn out hurting the game. If something doesn’t work, we pull it and brainstorm what else we could do.

Quite a community has sprung up around the title, particularly with regards to leaderboards and finding "perfect" runs on the different modes. Ws this a major design decision?

MA: Yes, in a way - we wanted to make sure that the game was fun for people new to tower defence, as well as those who are masters of the genre. It’s really hard to make a game that is well-paced for new players and pros alike, so we spent a lot of time on finding ways to make it work. Interest is a great mechanic for high score earners that doesn’t really affect new players. Same for the orbital laser - if you are getting a high score, or going for golds [the highest award possible on a level - Ed] you don’t use it very often because you lose resources, but it really helps people learning the game avoid getting stuck. Being able to go back to a checkpoint while playing the game is useful for all kinds of players.

You never know when the community is going to embrace a game, but I think it’s important to set it up for a win. I only wish we had enough money to put in the level editor and multiplayer that we originally planned. I still hope we’ll be able to do that some day.

I suspect the fans would love them, but can you give us an idea of any concrete plans you have for the future? Have you thought about a portable version on Nintendo DS, or a PlayStation 3 version, or a sequel, or more DLC, or any of the other hundred things that the fans no doubt want to see?

MA: Lots of plans, but because we’re a small studio, it’s still unclear what we’ll be able to afford. Pretty much everything you just listed we’ve talked about, and we’re getting a lot of interest from publishers now that Defense Grid has done so well.

Speaking of publishers, and considering you are very much an indie developer - where do you think the future of the games industry lies? How do you feel about  a lot of the big companies focusing on profit over innovation or advancement of the industry? Much as this is a business, and money is important...

MA: Well, we’re more conscious of finances than many bigger companies, I think - for us, one bad investment can be the difference between closing our doors and staying in business. I think it’ll end up much like any other industry - large companies will focus on sure bets, smaller companies will take more risk and try innovative things to get a name for themselves, many of which will fail and some of which will be embraced by the larger companies.

Finally, is there anything you want to let the readers know?

MA: Thanks for all your support! Indies like us rely on it (we can’t afford much marketing at all for Defense Grid, which means we have to spread by word of mouth.) If you are curious about Defense Grid, download our free demo on XBLA or PC, and let your friends know if you enjoy it.  Thanks!

We agree with those thoughts. Michael, Jeff - thank you very much for your time.

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