When I first made your acquintance some 15+ years ago, you were working on mods for the old Fallout games. Last year you released Redaxium, an avant-garde CRPG developed entirely by you. Could you do a brief recap of your career as a developer?
redratic: Let me say i've always liked the name of DAC.
Duck And Cover is reference to Fallout right?
Anyway..
Everyone should make an effort to know these games old and new.
Even if they aren't your cup of tea.
Yes i've done some modding of them. But modding is very limited compared to the imagination
and your own sense of what could be done in theory.
For Redaxium I was hoping to incorporate more lessons from Fallout games and even the clones of them.
But I ran out of time and to borrow a quote "Real Artists Ship".
It’s in Jeff Vogel’s Failing to Fail video. Recommend everyone watch it, it’s informative and entertaining.
You have worked on several projects over the years. Could you tell us about these other titles?
redratic: I don't really want to dive into my past work as it has little to do with the present.
But for all those modders out there or people interested in becoming gamedevelopers i'll briefly cover my origins.
The private "projects" include all the programs I thought would challenge me to create or maybe be useful one day.
Occasionally I make a tool I think is good but then I find out it isn't or I feel I could make something better.
I usually don't put my code on the internet. Today people are pretty vicious.
Either host your code on some open source hub or you may as well not exist.
Those same people usually won't contribute anyway.
In the end anyone who knows the woes of cross-platform support versus being optimized,
you get forced to use a scripting language. But if you make something truly great people
will put up with whatever dependencies it requires.
I'd recommend modding for this reason. Mod something people already like enough to take a chance
downloading your mod. I have not been a modder for a long time and would not generally
consider the work of old to be representative of my skills now.
But it's certainly tempting. But modding debugging tools are usually atrocious.
Nothing beats having full view of source code. If you strap in and make your own game,
you will be far less disappointed by the fruits of your labor.
The public "projects" are the art you've seen posted in various places.
You need people to review your art or you can't really get better.
You don't even need constructive feedback, as an artist you just need reactions.
Personally I focus on 3D models, usually characters as those are more interesting to look at.
You see a strange character can be imported into any game and be recognized as a human or creature.
But strange objects may not be so easily recognized.
You could view people's minds as hypothetical virtual simulations of games they can imagine.
Characters can be more easily imagined in one environment or another, but other 3D objects may disappoint.
I believe this has something to do with the fact living creatures are known to migrate.
I'm sure the programmers are desperate to know what i've actually programmed before taking
on making an entire game. The answer is everything. But not so much specialization at any one thing.
I'd recommend staying away from things like AI and Quest generation.
These are very attractive subjects but without a properly defined game world, and a functioning one,
your designs will never be satisfactory. Also typically you need lots of data or content before
the full effects your designs can be felt. That means you may as well make a game first.
How would you describe Redaxium?
redratic: So first let me just say i've absolutely NOT created Duck Nukem, Fantastic Game, Hylics,
Xeno Clash etc etc. Those are mods or games made by other people.
Some "weird" games are quite inspiring, because especially as a jack of all trades type, they seem
very doable. Just don't overcomplicate too much.
Hint: A magnum opus need not be boring or require your entire life.
One last thing, Duck Nukem was by far the deciding factor. Fallout itself comes second to that. Even if it’s ironic most of the gameplay came from Fallout. Also I believe the creator of Duck Nukem to be “brain trepaning”. Which is a reference to drilling a hole in your head as some ritual to free your mind further.
Redaxium, my somewhat unfinished magnum opus, is an open-world CRPG with its own hypothetical plot and lots of generic RPG features crammed in. Each feature of the game works, and could only use a little more fleshing out at best.
If you take it all in, you see the game for what it is:
A giant playable game with thank goodness an endgame and purpose for the player.
The game's steampage best summarizes the thrust of the plot.
I'll give it a try:
You have disputes between 3 main factions, man, machine, and hybrids.
Their abilities are different but it's a society where WORK is the only goal.
There are two themes that are suppose to drive the faction conflicts.
One is robots have sentience so they deserve group rights.
Second is humans are known to self-propagate.
Measures by these two factions to control what the other wants
is suppose to turn pretty dark.
I also should point out the only reason you have this faction breakdown,
is the tribes of old came together in peace because of a mysterious technological artifact.
This lead to future where hybrids and machines would be what separates members of society the most.
You've stated that your main influences for Redaxium were Fallout and a Doom mod called Duck Nukem. I'm sure most people on DAC are familiar with Fallout, but can you tell us a little bit about Duck Nukem and how it influenced your game?
redratic: Duck Nukem captured a broad but also a deep experience in one. I'd say the broadness of darkness even.
It's a touch comical, but it's everybit the nightmare you really need for a properly basic existence.
I think what really caught my attention was the author's use of assets to depict the world.
But also the pace of the game atleast if you go by the videos, can be called a game and not just a horror film.
You have expressed some worry over how people interpret your game and that they might not appreciate your intentions. How should new players approach Redaxium, and why do you think it is important that the game is played the "right" way?
redratic: Redaxium is a CRPG but is lacking in introductory explanation in a few ways.
The game isn't about blasting your way through corridors of visceral opposition.
It's more about intelligently navigating the world that is.
It's also not an LSD simulator, I ran out of time early in the project to entertain such things.
I believe it can be said it's an adventure RPG put together like a CRPG.
Reluctantly, it may be accurately characterized as walking simulator survival game, but if the developer didn't know it.
One person amusingly compared Redaxium to a submarine experience hinting at things like the complexity of navigating.
Funnily enough i've identified a striking amount of things that could support that perspective.
You seem quite unwilling to compromise on your vision for the game, which in turn may make the game less approachable, meaning less players will see your game. It's a tough balancing act. Where do you draw the line?
redratic: Having to be mass appeal kills game developer's dreams and hardcore user's wishes alike.
That said i've watched a youtuber's videos and he has convinced me the start of a game needs to be as helpful as possible,
and that doesn't mean it has to kill immersion. You can also still offer opt-out for those who'd like to skip your tutorial / intro bits.
Shoutout to Josh Strife Hayes I guess.
The game was released on Early Access last summer and left EA at the end of the year. Why Early Access? What do you feel were the pros and cons of it?
redratic: Early Access gives a game developer time to feel out sales and interest in the core of what their game has to offer.
It also can shine a light on what you've were unable to see due to tunnel vision when you were making a game for just yourself.
In reality if you're a solo indie, meaning just 1 guy/girl, your community is as big (or less) as the players you were able to attract.
Keep that in mind if you're thinking you'll get good poll data from actual players.
Let's talk about the art style. The game's visuals are very different from the norm and seem to be the biggest point of contention. How big of an impact do you think aesthetic preferences have on the way games are perceived and received? Why do you think Redaxium's aesthetics rub people the wrong way?
redratic: People want safety when trying something new. It can be overwhelming for aesthetics to be otherwordly for an honest to goodness unknown game.
In reality the best developers, modders, artists always get shit on.
There are only two effective ways to respond to negativity.
Stand up for yourself or totally ignore it while continuing to do your best.
You have created all of the assets in the game if I recall correctly. Why not use third party assets?
redratic: Why be a solo indie developer than have to explain how you borrowed some fraction of someone else's work?
Solo indie development exists for about 3 reasons.
1) You trust no one else to get the job done.
2) You are trying to pad your CV.
3) You want the benefit of total creative control.
And best creative control is when you do everything.
Plus the more you use other's stuff the more your game is just like others.
Though it does hurt the feelings more to still be accused of being an asset flip when it's your first game.
Was Redaxium always a project of gargantuan scope, or did your plans expand as you worked on the game? Did you achieve what you set out to do, and what would you say were the biggest difficulties in making Redaxium?
redratic: Redaxium started out as a game I could plausibly make and feature my art. Something that could be great if released on time and fully baked.
I wanted to somewhat 1UP Duck Nukem perhaps like "Le Fantabulous" game aims to 1UP the first "Fantastic Game".
But I also had all my own ideas of aesthetics and stories I wanted to tell.
The gargantuan size happened somewhere around the time I realized there's little difference in if you tell a story
in one long winding tunnel or split up across many definite towns/areas that could individually be explored.
It also meant i'd have more space to try different ideas for settings out.
Plus it helps that Unity3D's terrain tool was fairly easy to use.
I also like games that are of epic size even if the instanced areas are closed in.
What counts is how convincing you are with the space you have.
The Random Encounters were added so I could certify myself more as a CRPG.
The Passage Ways were added because I thought the various Tribesmen would
need a place to hangout and they could serve as great place to make Duck Nukem
inspired content.
What does game development mean to you, and why do you gravitate towards it?
redratic: I love this question.
Game development done right, is just innocently making a game with pride.
Game development is bringing the skills you already have to bare.
It's also solving problems on the way to making an original product of some kind.
It's about little stories and lessons, that can have a major impact on how you do things in the future.
Game development will learn you about yourself.
Game development done right, is actually like the idea of game development people have.
You sit around think up designs, get hyped, and you work hard without incident.
But in the real world game development is hazing, uncertainty, and endless failure.
Game development is chaos.
Game development is coping with the mistakes you cannot actually learn from in the current project.
Game development is the hobbyist's nightmare.
A chore that steals your freedom to do the things you want to do.
What are your thoughts on the state of the gaming industry, from the perspective of a solo indie developer?
redratic: I thought I knew everything up until I had to go public with the game.
So many things went wrong and weren't as expected.
I understand far better now why many game studios are conservative with what they're willing to try.
But also how when the opportunity arises, you'd have to be crazy not to pursue your true ambitions.
I am however a solo indie developer, so I had less variables to worry about.
Now that Redaxium is "finished", have you had any time to reflect on its development yet (what do you like about it, what don't you like, what would you have done differently, etc.)? Any idea of what you're going to do next?
redratic: I like that for Redaxium I made sure its world space was as organized as possible.
I like the effort I put into making things unique without bloating the asset pool to do the trick.
I like how in the earliest stages to somewhere before going public with the demo, I was well paced and didn't chase the daily "high" of an update.
I don't like how few animations there are. But there's only so many ways you can bend a skeleton.
I don't like how often I broke save game support because of trying to be TOO exact in how things matched up.
I don't like how much time I wasted updating a demo when no one played it. It also meant I had to remove demo anyway because I lost so much time
I couldn't go back and update it when I was busy in Early Access.
I don't like how much data I ended up making that was Unity3D specific. Meaning i'd have to do deep research if I ever
wanted to extract it and move it into another game project or have a tool read it with ease.
I don't like how much gameplay features relied on scene-structure that was defined by the scene hierarchy rather than a more procedural method.
I would have done gameplay very differently.
The common stuff that's expected of RPGs can always be added-in later, but you're stuck if you have nothing original
to offer.
I would have made debugging easier somehow.
I also think more systems for the player to measure their personal progress would have helped.
As for what's next I am uncertain. I think will take another shot at releasing a game.
Something to get me reasonable sales so I can do right by myself and my playerbase and give my games all the polish
they need.
Thank you for the interview. Any final words for our readers?
redratic: Timing is everything but expect everything to go wrong.
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If you enjoyed this interview, please consider buying Redaxium on Steam, it's like 10 bucks. If you're on the fence, you should check out Moonrise's review over at RPGCodex:
The developer himself was much harsher:Let's be real about value. The game costs less than the price of a movie ticket. Out of sheer curiosity you'll get that much out of it. . . Redaxium is unlike anything else. I can't give a glowing recommendation, but I do suggest you check it out.
Ratings i'd give this game:
4/10 for Early Access
2/10 for Release
Overall rating:
You cucked yourself out of 10.
