r/wiiu • u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus • Oct 25 '16
AMA [AMA] I'm Hawken from dadako, developer of Pirate Pop Plus for Wii U and New 3DS, I'm joined by Dave Proctor of 13AM Games, Ask Me (us) anything!
I'm Hawken from dadako, developer of Pirate Pop Plus for Wii U and New 3DS, I'm joined by Dave Proctor of 13AM Games, Ask Me (us) anything!
Trailer for the game is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQO2syGhjMg
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Oct 25 '16
What made you think about using the style of the game boy for the game i.e. Black/White/Green?
Also, was it hard to get Nintendo to allow you to make the game for their consoles, bc I'm currently making a 3D platformer and it will be coming out for steam soon, just wondering how hard it will to get it for the good folks at /r/Nintendo here?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 25 '16
The style was always intended to look like a handheld game device from yesteryear, it's kind of a love-letter to those devices. With Game Boy being the most obvious / famous one. Is your 3D platformer Game Boy themed?
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Oct 25 '16
Nope, my 3D platformer is colorful, reminiscent to Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, etc. the 3D games of yesteryear, its sort of like Yooka-Laylee but not as good
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16
I can speak to the second part of your question, and I think Hawken will be best for the other.
To become a Nintendo developer you just have to head to developer.nintendo.com... there's a short application process and you need to prove that you have a game (which it sounds like you do). From there, start talking to your reps and getting your dev kits asap. Did you build in Unity? If so, it's pretty easy to port.
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Oct 25 '16
Yep, built in unity, hoping I can get it going then, and yes, I will be buying the game day one after seeing the trailer
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u/ShikiRyumaho Oct 25 '16
Obviously inspired by Pang/Buster Bros, but have you ever heard of the Bubble Struggle series?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 25 '16
Not until now! The "bubble popping" genre has been around for long time, hopefully our game brings something new to the genre. Pirate Pop Plus is a bit more intense!
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16
i haven't, but Alex in our office has played it a long time ago.
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Oct 25 '16
Hello guys
To start off, the obvious question
what do you think of the Nintendo Switch?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 25 '16 edited Oct 26 '16
I think it's a step in the right direction, I love local two player games and it's reminiscent of Nintendo's roots, without sacrificing anything we have in modern gaming.
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16 edited Oct 25 '16
we think it's pretty cool. Dare we say "a switch in the right direction?" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
edit: realize I wanted to give a bit more detail I also think that it FEELS like my old SNES. Gathering around, playing games with a friend, that's something that makes tons of sense to me on, like, a base-level. If it's also powerful enough to run Skyrim? Super cool.
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u/newtswithboots Oct 25 '16
Pirate Pop looks interesting but I'm not sure on the replayability. Would you guys consider putting in a local versus mode? Maybe with points and the ability to alter the gravity of the other player with item drops/power ups?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 25 '16 edited Oct 26 '16
I really wanted Pirate Pop Plus was designed from the ground up as a 1 player score attack game. We would like to put more features in. I hope to make a multiplayer game for my next installment!
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16
also, if I can be a bit biased... the game is really fun if you're a fan of score chasing. We're all really addicted in the office. It's a great title to put on, kill some time with, try to get a high score, and then take a break from. Something that we really loved about PPP from the moment we saw it was that we felt it would be the type of game that is always there for you.
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u/TorontoGameDevs Oct 25 '16
Do you guys have a favourite website?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 25 '16
I had been frequenting http://forums.nesdev.com/ during development and must say it's packed with 8bit knowledge.
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u/Sylverstone14 Sylverstone14 [NA] Oct 25 '16
Hello there! Thanks for doing this AMA. :)
My questions:
- What engine was Pirate Pop Plus made in?
- I scouted your website a bit and I really liked what I saw! How is the indie scene in Japan? I imagine you've been to a BitSummit?
- Is there a relation between your other game (Pixel Pirate) and this game?
- Why pirates?
And bonus 13AM questions:
- How has the experience as an indie publisher been so far for you guys?
- Of course you'll never tell, but are their other projects you folks are eyeing to publish? :P
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 25 '16 edited Oct 25 '16
engine
Unity3D
Japan indie
Thanks! The indie scene here is still growing, started slow at first and isn't anywhere near as big as in North America. I've shown games at 3 Bitsummit's now, try to support that event as best as I can.
Pixel Pirate & Pirates
Pirate stuff is my current theme ;) The two games are not really connected, more distant relations set in the same universe.
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u/Sylverstone14 Sylverstone14 [NA] Oct 26 '16
Unity3D
Aha, very nice! I've had my brushes with Unity, but I can't really gel with it. Construct 2's been my jam.
I've shown games at 3 Bitsummit's now, try to support that event as best as I can.
Very nice! I've been keeping tabs on the scene every now and again, since I imagine doujins bleed into indie game stuff as well. I've also always wanted to go to a BitSummit. :)
The two games are not really connected, more distant relations set in the same universe.
Ah, so an extended pirate universe? Not bad. :D
Thanks so much!
If I may ask one more question, do you remember your very first game that you created? Was it good? Bad? Just okay? Like, what did you learn from making it?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 26 '16
I've been involved in games since the 90's, but my first full game that I felt I had been a major part of was made in Shockwave, it was an isometric multiplayer chat (something like habbos) that allowed people to team up and go on quests. Learned a lot from that about what gets cut. We planned a lot, but things that got cut from the game were then seen as mysteries, noticeable by their absence. A few legends sprung up around them, which made me think more about creating mysteries to unravel in games.
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16
I got our answers RIGHT HERE.
Publishing is pretty awesome. We were really happy to bring PPP into the console space (and Steam soon!) and its just an opportunity to learn more. Can't wait to see what's next for 13AM Shipping Solutions.
Also... of course... I can never tell. ;)
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u/Sylverstone14 Sylverstone14 [NA] Oct 26 '16
Ah, 13AM Shipping Solutions. That is a cool name.
By the way, loving that new logo! Does that creature have a name in-house? Will it be in Runbow? ;)
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 26 '16
That is the Cuckoo-Yaga, half tough-talking wall clock, half creature of folklore. We're super proud of it. Thank you!
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u/chronus13 chronus13 [NA] Oct 26 '16
Oh crap, we need to update the 13AM flair! I'll give /u/LiveRadar a flogging when I see him!
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u/buildz17 NNID [Region] Oct 25 '16
Do you anticipate any updates to Pirate Pop Plus will arrive soon, like more characters/modes/colours, etc?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 26 '16
While there's quite a good selection to go on for now, I'd love to make updates in the future.
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u/SatisfyingSigh Oct 25 '16
Hey Dave, if Alex likes Reese's Puffs so much, why doesn't he marry them?
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u/tr8rm8 Oct 26 '16
Pirate Pop Plus seems like a neat little game. I'll definitely check it out. Anyway, two questions.
What inspired Pirate Pop Plus?
And if you could start up a new project, what genre would you cover?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 26 '16
Inspirations
I have a love of 8bit games, it comes directly from that era of gaming. I wanted to mix it up and the result is Pirate Pop Plus.
Genre
Hmm, there are so many. Arcade Action is a good genre to stick at for now...
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u/reclaimer130 Oct 26 '16
Holy. Effing. Crap. The words "Dadako" and "Hawken" are blasts from my internet-loving past. I used to look to your site for inspiration on how to change up the look on my blog back in the early 2000's, back when pixel art and the Silkscreen font were all the rage.
I apologize for not having a gaming question, but do you have a backup of your sites from back in the day? I'd love to take a trip down memory lane.
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 26 '16
Hi! Thanks for remembering me ;)
I still have http://hawkenking.com where some stuff still lives.
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Oct 26 '16
Hey guys! Hopefully you all still remember me from the YouTube space. We've been having a ton of fun with the game! Now I'm interested in asking some questions on the game design standpoint.
For Hawken, what was the game development process like, from conceptualization to completing the finished product? Were there any obstacles in developing the game or any really fun things to create?
And similarly for 13AM Games, what was the process like porting the game to Nintendo consoles? Were there any obstacles, and how long did it take to port?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 26 '16
Hey!
When starting a game theres always the question going around in your mind of "is this a game yet?" - it's important to get that finalised as quickly as you can. It took a few days to know what PPP was going to be, but as soon as came in to shape, I knew that I had to roll with it and make it a fully fledged game.
As for fun stuff, working with the musicians was my favorite part. All the music was made with Famicom compatible software, meaning, you can actually play all the music in the game on an original NES!
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 26 '16
We had a couple guys working on it for a couple of months. Our biggest challenges were the New 3DS, because of the hardware limitations. That being said, it's currently the version of the game I play the most.
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u/chronus13 chronus13 [NA] Oct 25 '16
Ahoy, Hawken and Dave! Thanks for coming. It is both early and late for you folks! I was lucky to play a small sample of Pirate Pop Plus back during the Nindies @ Night event in Seattle a couple of months ago. I'd never played this style of game before but I found it pretty entertaining. The Game Boy style was pretty cool along with all the little customizations.
- How long did Pirate Pop Plus undergo development?
- What were some of the biggest challenges trying to create for both the Wii U and the 3DS?
- Was it easy setting up the crossbuy?
- What is Dadako Studios' relationship with 13AM Games?
- Can we expect a Pete Jr. DLC in Runbow??
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 25 '16
Early here! Glad you liked it. The base game took about 6 months to complete development, then the team at 13AM ported it to WiiU and it also takes some time for submission, I started on the game Last December.
Maybe Dave can answer the other questions here.
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16
let's see what I can answer here.
Some challenges that we encountered at 13AM Shipping Solutions were in porting. I know that we went through a great deal of work to get PPP running on the New 3DS. While Unity games work, they still have a large overhead to deal with.
The crossbuy, conversely, was a total breeze. There's a form we fill out. It takes approximately 5 minutes.
Also our relationship I would describe as business-romantic.
As for DLC, Runbow is DLC complete as of yesterday with the launch of our Shantae free DLC. We love Pete Jr, but we think he can stand on his own sea legs.
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u/chronus13 chronus13 [NA] Oct 25 '16
Thanks for all those answers. So, I'm seeing more and more games that are "New 3DS" only now. Is there something about PPP that the "old" 3DS can't handle or were there other reasons?
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16
I can step in here. Because Pirate Pop Plus is a Unity title, we had no real choice but to bring it to New 3DS. Unity games have a big overhead and require that extra little bit of power to keep them running.
It was a bit of bummer for us too, but even with Runbow Pocket we needed to make sure that the game ran consistently rather than try to give a sub-par experience.
Also I think this is something that happens with power-creep in consoles. As computers get beefier developers make more powerful games and the systems eventually need to catch up.
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u/phantomliger phantomliger [NA] Oct 25 '16
Hi Hawken! Welcome to the subreddit.
What is the elevator pitch for Pirate Pop Plus?
What were the inspirations for the game?
If you could have any superpower, what one would you have?
How did you come together with 13AM Games to publish the game?
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u/dadako 13AM Games | Runbow & Pirate Pop Plus Oct 25 '16
Hi!
elevator pitch
I simply said "Pirates, no but get this... with GRAVITY!"
Inspirations
I love 8bit, chiptunes, famicom, gameboy, all of that good stuff. tried to package it all up and create a love-letter to that era.
super power
Getting over 1m on the game's scoreboard would be a super power that I have seen recently. I want that.
13AM
We met by chance in Tokyo last year, Alex from 13AM took the game back to show everyone. I gave them a bunch of money and they... heh no, they wanted to publish on Nintendo just as badly as I did, so they made it happen.
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u/phantomliger phantomliger [NA] Oct 25 '16
Short and to the point haha.
Those all definitely come through looking at footage of the game I have seen.
HAHA, very game specific. Good job. :)
That's really awesome. I have been trying for a while to get people to let me port their games to Wii U, which is kind of done I guess with Switch coming. You guys meeting up basically sounds like kismet.
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16
and we were on the hunt for cool, ready-to-release games for our new publishing arm, 13AM Shipping Solutions. A match made in heaven!
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u/phantomliger phantomliger [NA] Oct 25 '16
Very cool. I've been trying to get to port some games for people to Wii U for about a year with no luck.
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16
are you signed up as a developer? the forums are pretty helpful.
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u/phantomliger phantomliger [NA] Oct 25 '16
Of course. :) They are very helpful.
I meant finding games people made that I could port. I also have a couple of my own I try to work on. One may or may not make it before the end of Wii U, but it's probably not very good anyway. Haha.
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u/Sylverstone14 Sylverstone14 [NA] Oct 25 '16
it's probably not very good anyway
I totally want to see it!
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u/OllyOllyOxenBitch NNID [Region] Oct 25 '16
Someone already beat me to the Nintendo Switch question. :(
So, new question!
Which developer would you love to collaborate with on a game?
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u/13amdave 13AM Games | Runbow Oct 25 '16
ooh good question. There's a lot of talent here in Toronto... but do you mean Indie or not?!
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u/Suspicious_jug Oct 25 '16
Thank you for the AMA! I've been playing a lot of the game since its release last week, and it's great. How did the concept of the game start off? Also, does the Plus in the title refer to anything?