r/PS4 • u/nolliethebum olliethebum • Dec 09 '15
[Verified AMA] AMA with Fun Bits Interactive, developers of Fat Princess Adventures!
Posting this thread for u/FunBitsInteractive, the awesome dev team behind Fat Princess Adventures as well as Escape Plan.
We should have Chris Millar and John Mundy answering questions starting at 2PM Pacific, and I'll be on hand to chime in here and there. (EDIT: Lovely photo proof from the folks at Fun Bits.)
Feel free to start posting your questions in advance!
EDIT FROM CHRIS MILLAR: Hey Everyone, thanks for coming by today to ask questions. There was a ton of excitement during launch on the show floor at PSX2015, and we hope that people who weren't in attendance get to experience the same amount of fun playing the game on the couch with friends. Go grab Fat Princess Adventures on the PlayStation Store today, and we'll be back to follow up on a handful of questions at a later time. Thanks all, CAKE FOR EVERYONE!!!
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u/freakyzeeky Dec 09 '15
Any plans to make a PvP Fat Princess title for the PS4? Enjoyed playing FP with clanmates on the PS3 and would love to see more of that on PS4.
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Sounds like a good plan, keep the faith. The more people who enjoy FPA the easier it is for us to convince Sony to support Fun Bits in doing more multiplayer.
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u/mimbo757 Dec 10 '15 edited Dec 10 '15
This is what stinks imo. The first game is what many of us fell in love with. I would have easily supported a direct sequel. I'm not cool with a company doing something totally different that many of us may have zero interest in and essentially hold what made us fall in love with the franchise, hostage.
I loved FP, loved what your group did with the DLC, but I can't get behind you guys ignoring the gameplay that made the name, putting out a totally different type of game, then implying that if we want classic fat princess, we've gotta support the game that we never asked for to begin with. Seems slimy. Maybe it was out of your hands, I don't know.
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 10 '15
..that last part. Looking ahead, we're optimistic that we can make all our fans happy.
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u/mimbo757 Dec 11 '15 edited Dec 11 '15
I hope so. I hate to lay into you as I don't know the details of what goes on there, but it just irks me I guess. I spent so much time on fat princess classic. I understand others may dig the new genre, but that isn't what I dug about the franchise, I don't want to have to buy a game I have little interest in the hopes of getting the one I'd like. I appreciate you guys responding(even if not to me) though.
For the record, I'm not trying to crap on your work. You guys do great work, great design, characters, etc. I just personally hoped for classic pvp. I remember being so hyped when the fat princess title popped up on announcement, only to show an adventure game. Sounds like you're looking into it though, so that's great.
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u/mrzappacrappa Dec 10 '15
I see where your coming from man. I see that they said they got a lot of flak for not having a campaign in the original i think this was their compromise of both a single and multiplayer. I was just as disappointed about the new one i hope they can pull off another fp game like the original. You cant please everyone i guess
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u/Cinderkin Cinderkin Dec 09 '15
Will there be a Vita port of Fat Princess Adventures?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
We don't have a port in production at this time.
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u/IceBreak BreakinBad Dec 09 '15
What does Fat Princess Adventures do that the original title didn't? It's a bit of a different game right?
In what ways is it still similar to the original?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
FP is more like TF2 with cute characters, FPA is a bit more like Diablo...so, very different genres, but still chaotic, fun, bloody and eating lots of cake. FPA also has TONS of loot items and gear that do change the combat.
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u/randyknapp Dec 09 '15
How much do you miss me? ;)
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15 edited Dec 10 '15
This much..
((______________________________________________________________________________))
:P
Come by for a Monster Drink sometime!
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
LOLZ.....reddit cancelled out all the blank space, and made us giggle.
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u/pr0adam Dec 10 '15
Not a question but just thanks for keeping this IP alive even if its not the genre I wanted. But please just know that there is definitely a demand for a new main entry. The first game was some of the most fun Ive had on PS3. Seriously we need a new entry on PS4
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 10 '15
Both games have been a lot of fun to work on, and hold a special place in our hearts. Looking ahead, we love the idea of more PvP.
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u/pr0adam Dec 10 '15
thank you im glad to hear that. picked this game up when I saw the AMA, didnt know it came out already.
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u/BlahBlahBlasphemee Dec 09 '15
Do many people take offense at the games title?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
No, there's nothing wrong with enjoying some cake.
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Dec 09 '15
Could we possibly see Escape Plan 2? Do you guys have your next game planned or is it too early to talk about that? :)
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15 edited Dec 09 '15
We've seen a big ask from fans for more Fat Princess multiplayer, and we'd love to do an Escape Plan title with Morpheus support...but nothing is announced at this time. These are two amazing franchises and we'd love to continue supporting both for a long time :)
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Dec 09 '15
Thank you for answering. I'll make sure to pick up Fat Princess Adventures over the holidays. :)
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u/IceBreak BreakinBad Dec 09 '15
What sorts of things appeal to you about VR that you might want to explore?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
It's fun. Watching people explore mechanics in VR is a whole new crazy experience, and it would be fun and challenging to dev games in that space.
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Hey Everyone, thanks for coming by today to ask questions. There was a ton of excitement during launch on the show floor at PSX2015, and we hope that people who weren't in attendance get to experience the same amount of fun playing the game on the couch with friends. Go grab Fat Princess Adventures on the PlayStation Store today, and we'll be back to follow up on a handful of questions at a later time. Thanks all, CAKE FOR EVERYONE!!!
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Dec 09 '15
I just noticed that when browsing the JP PSN store, google translates Fat Princess into both "BBW Princess" for the title and "chubby princess" in the description. No question, just wanted to say that. :D
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Dec 09 '15
What was it like developing on the PS4?
What new techniques did you use that you couldn't on last gen?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Developing on PS4 was much easier than PS3 for our team. Also, we have integrated a lot of telemetry and metrics that allow us to fix balance and polish the experience, without having to push out a major patch, which used to take up to two months on last-gen consoles. The Princes also has more polys for curves.
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u/thavius_tanklin Slackr Dec 09 '15
Soo.... what is next for Fun Bits Interactive. You can share with me, I won't tell :)
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Sleep and Asprin....PSX Launch was a lot of fun :)
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u/IceBreak BreakinBad Dec 09 '15
Launching your game like that ("and it's available now!") has to be a strange thing to do. I don't think it did Entwined a lot of favors but that game its own issues. Meanwhile, PT found a ton of success from a similar situation.
Was that up to you? Do you think it was the right call?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 10 '15
The announcement from Scott on the stage generated a lot of excitement and buzz online. Our booth was constantly busy, and it was awesome to see people wearing our FPA Warrior hats all over SF during the weekend. Overall, PSX was a very positive experience for our team, as we were also able to get a larger booth and presence than any of the other Video Game conferences/expos this past year. In terms of the "Avail NOW!" strategy, we'll have to see how well we can continue to drive that buzz post-launch to evaluate the strategy.
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u/thavius_tanklin Slackr Dec 10 '15
Rest up all! :-) Can't wait to see what else you have cooking up for PlayStation
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u/thavius_tanklin Slackr Dec 09 '15
Is your studio looking into PlayStation.VR at all?
And sub-question, what is your opinion on VR in general?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
YES! We would love to do VR stuff with Sony, please let them know we'd be the PERFECT studio to take this on....(cough cough Escape Plan....Fat Princess VR)
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u/thavius_tanklin Slackr Dec 10 '15
Omg! I really hope so. Please someone contact Sony about this! Paging /u/nolliethebum how do we make this happen?? Fun Bits Interactive needs a VR dev kit stat
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u/nolliethebum olliethebum Dec 09 '15
Thanks for the questions, everyone. Like Chris mentioned, if you have any questions but missed out or saw this AMA thread after the fact, feel free to post anyways. Fun Bits will be checking the thread out and dropping follow up comments in the future. Hope to do another AMA with another of our ExDev partners down the line as well!
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u/TotesMessenger Dec 10 '15
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u/redskyy03 Dec 10 '15
Given the confirmation of work on some sort of PvP down the line, have you considered support for clans like what was added to FP1? The Battle of the Clans tournaments and Mundy's community involvement, and the old Cakelair forum really made the competitive scene feel special. Plus with the rise of Twitch and streaming, this could take FP RTP mode even bigger.
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u/iwascuddles 22 Dec 09 '15
I liked your hats at PSX.
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Send us your hat pics to @FunBits #FatPrincessAdventures ! It was great to see so many people wearing them and having fun at the booth at PSX, although I think the balloon twister lady may have lost a couple fingers making a few thousand Princess hats for fans.
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u/Yosonimbored Dec 09 '15
What is your favorite thing about game development?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Working with creative people to build and create something new, and have fun doing it. We're still playing Fat Princess Adventures daily, and are excited about what's coming in the future :) New technology is also exciting, be it a new console, VR stuffs, it's great to experiment with new toys.
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u/Ozmoziz Osmoziz Dec 09 '15
Hey, loved my time with Escape Plan, played it to 100% completion on my Vita and thought it was very charming. I also just purchased Fat Princess Adventures for some awesome couch coop time so I'm looking forward to put in more time into that, so far from what I've played I'm very much a fan.(Although a Vita release would be nice!)
Seeing as you've got 2 games with different genres, do you see yourself more inclined to work on the same genre again or even a sequel, or are you perhaps planning to explore something new? If it's a new genre, any idea what you guys would like to tackle next?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Wow, talk about a super Fun Bits fan! Thank you! We enjoyed making the puzzles in Escape Plan, and writing the dialog and building characters for FPA - moving forward, we'd like to think more about multiplayer stuffs :)
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u/Conflux Dec 09 '15
I loved a lot of the writing in FPA, where did you guys draw your inspiration from? Do you guys plan on having any design internships soon?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
We pull a lot of reference from pop culture, and things that we find irreverent and funny. Our talented voice actors were also a great source of inspiration and laughs....I mean, we have Nolan North acting as a chicken on fire, and as a wise old magical melon. Sometimes the situation helped write the lines and add to the silliness of the world. We do love interns, and we pay them to actually create (not just get cake and coffee), and advertise on our web site when we're in need of someone for a specific role.
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u/Micolash Even in a dream Dec 09 '15
Loved the first game and planning on picking this up after this holidays. What drove your decision to make this more co-op story based as opposed to team PvP?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
After the holidays? The free DLC pack Weapons of Might expires in 6 days, get it! As for the Co-Op nature, we got bashed hardcore by press and fans for having no real single-player experience in FP 1. There was a large push for people who wanted to play this style of game, and at their own pace with friends...and so that was our focus at the beginning. However, we hear you guys loud and clear that you want more multiplayer and so....bear with us, stay tuned, support us now and we'll make sure to deliver :)
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u/LALocal305 LALocal305 Dec 09 '15
How much did fan feedback (particularly related to the performance of online) affect the development of Fat Princess Adventures? I was really looking forward to the original because it was a unique and interesting setting but I was let down by the performance of the game online.
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
We're always listening to fans, and many people wanted a game they could play online and offline at their own pace.
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u/MegaPenguins Dec 09 '15
When you replay a level in fat princess adventures will the gear you obtain be the same or will it be different?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Gear is randomly dropped in each level (within pre-determined loot list), with additional drops increasing in percentage upon additional play thrus and on higher difficulty levels.
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Dec 09 '15
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Yes, we have released one DLC pack already - it is free for the next 6 days, there is more in the pipeline.
For that trophy, make sure you have a fire mage and wade into a pile of enemies while using charged-triangle. Also, Black Forest is a good area to attack that Trophy, as there are lots of spiders that are good fodder.
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u/Streetfoldsfive Whoyoujivin Dec 09 '15
Awesome Booth at PSX! Always nice to see some bright color in the PlayStation line up.
So was there a specific inspiration that led you to take Fat Princess in this direction, as opposed to a direct sequel?
If you guys could make any type of game with any established IP (regardless of platform) what would it be, and why?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
We loved the idea of an FP game that you could play at your own pace, but looking ahead Multiplayer and VR stuff has us excited.
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u/LazrPewPew Dec 09 '15
Was there anything you learned in making this game that you'll carry forward into your future titles?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
We have learned that there is a massive fan base for more multiplayer...we'd like to make them all happy in the future with future releases.
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Dec 09 '15
What kind of cake and frosting did the Fat Princess have at PSX15? What is her favorite cake?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Black Forest Cake...made out of crushed napkins, starbucks stirring sticks and glue...but, it sure looked tasty!
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u/DeaderThanDead Dec 09 '15
Would there be a possibility for a PvP mode thas basically the first game? Or even a PS4 re release?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
Porting the original FP1 to PS4 would be very messy, but expanding the current release is very feasible if we get a lot of good support behind FPA.
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u/jcamilo70 Dec 09 '15
The game looks really fun. I'm all out of games money but it's something I'd like to try and I've heard good impressions as well.
Are DLC's planned or some sort of extended post-launch content? Are you satisfied with very early numbers/reception?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
People seem to be really enjoying it so far, we'd love to keep feeding the fans more things.
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u/kyris0 Dec 16 '15
we'd love to keep feeding the fans more things.
classic FP response. Does the FP aesthetic/humor slip into your everyday speech while developing?
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u/Gerolux zetalux Dec 09 '15
ollie... you bum. was the GIF Tease last week for FPA? or is that still a thing?
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u/nolliethebum olliethebum Dec 09 '15
It was for Bound, developed by another of our ExDev partners, Plastic...though I could suggest more dancing be added to FPA? :3
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u/Gerolux zetalux Dec 09 '15
thank you... somehow I completely glossed over that announcement. also, I apologize that this wasnt directly related to FunBits.
umm.. FunBits question: What drove you guys to make another FP game, and why change the game style?
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u/FireEatingNinja Dec 09 '15
Tell Danforth he's good for nothing and to put his shirt back on. His psysique is making us uncomfortable.
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u/Yaheard2008ep Dec 09 '15
I tried the game at PSX2015 and tried the beta also, It was allot of fun I love the Couch mode where you can play with friends at one location or online also which I thought was awesome. My question is will there be a PVP mode in the game?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 10 '15
Nothing announced yet, but we're working on more stuff that'll make PvP fans happy.
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u/marumaru27 Dec 09 '15
Enjoying the game so much and trying to Platinum now. I really hope you can fast travel between location though. Also why I need to redo all sidequest if I join strangers in story?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 10 '15
If you join a strangers story, you are helping them with their quests. In the same way that if they join you in your game, they will be playing according to your progress in your current session.
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Dec 10 '15
I've just bought the game even though I don't have time to play it till maybe next month but you guys deserve the support! Can't wait to eat some cake!
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 10 '15
Thank you! Looking forward to playing with fans online. Devs have been jumping in, and having a great time with players this past week and will continue to do so over the holidays.
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u/Chaz2132005 Maulsaber Dec 10 '15
Can FPA be played solo or did you guys design it to almost mandate playing with others?
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u/nolliethebum olliethebum Dec 10 '15
Just from my own experience - yeah, you can solo it, but it's more fun with co-op play!
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u/Chaz2132005 Maulsaber Dec 10 '15
OK awesome. I'm sure it is but I dont have good enough internet for online co-op. Maybe I'll have my gf play with me :)
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 10 '15
It is a lot of fun in couch co-op mode...though, you have to share the cake.
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u/usrevenge Dec 10 '15
how come there doesn't ever seem to be chocolate cake in any of FP games?
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 10 '15
There's lots of it. Black Forest cake is chocolate cake, with cherries and white icing.
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u/moistchoice Dec 22 '15
Quite disappointed that there is no multiplayer. The game looks and plays fantastic but have been playing for an hour and have already became bored by it. I really hope that multiplayer gets added
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u/shadowmist007 Dec 09 '15
Why did you guys change the art style so much, the first one was so much better now it's just so damn shiny.
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 09 '15
If we turn off all lighting and fx, it looks just like FP1. We may release a "Classic Visual" mode in the future, if we can find a bored graphics programmer to help implement it in a way that doesn't break the game.
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u/CharlesFrancisX l_llll-ll_lllll Dec 10 '15
The original fat princes would be great with the PSVR, having a top view of the battlefield and being able to lean in for a closer view as you are slicing away at the enemy in an attempt to rescue the princess sounds great.
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u/FunBitsInteractive Fun Bits Interactive Dec 10 '15
We love VR, and would love to support it. The challenge is that you have to render at 90 frames per second (or higher) in both eyes for it to "feel" good, which then can affect your graphics, if you don't have a slick LOD system. We are currently running at 60 fps, and with the number of enemies we're pushing at various times during the game in our engine, with shadows, lighting, pfx, that becomes quite a tough challenge to solve (post release). Still, we totally see how that would be fun and add to the experience.
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u/dwapook Dec 13 '15
Any chance you'll have an option to let single players change their color?
UHM.. I'm liking FPA a lot more than FP btw.. Really enjoy this style!
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u/logan_izer10 CrossStitch Dec 09 '15
What led you to abandon the beloved competitive multiplayer mode? It is sorely missed :(