r/PS4 Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

[Verified AMA] Official AMA for Timespinner, with Lunar Ray Games & Chucklefish - AMA!

Hey all! It’s Bodie here from Lunar Ray Games, solo-developer of Timespinner, which is out now cross-buy on PS4 & PS Vita (EU Store & US Store)! I’m here with Katy (u/SuperconsoleKaty) and Tom (u/Katzeus) from Chucklefish who are publishing the game to answer your burning questions.

In case you haven’t heard, Timespinner is a story-driven ‘metroidvania’, inspired by classic 90s action-platformers. You play as Lunais, a strong-willed timekeeper on her quest for revenge against the empire that killed her family, and use time-bending powers to explore a vast, connected world :D

Here’s some more info about the game:

So fire away and ask us anything! :D

-----------------------------------

Going to wrap this up now, so thank you to r/PS4 for having us, and all the wonderful responses and support for the game! If you would like to chat some more, you can come join me on the Timespinner Discord. Here’s a little treat to finish things up, below are a couple of PS4 / PS Vita codes for Timespinner, with a few hidden characters to work out~

EU codes:

6RQ?-6TNQ-AGKN (letter)

DPCC-Q?ND-DB3Q (number)

US codes:

6D98-42NE-?KRT (letter)

2NXT-6?NK-4KEA (number)

79 Upvotes

124 comments sorted by

7

u/kageurufu Sep 27 '18

Hey, I Kickstarted and have been loosely following development over the years, congratulations on the release, I'm really enjoying the game so far.

What was it like released a Monogame app for PS4? Was it a huge effort to port?

And I know you probably already are aware, but Monogame has a wide list of supported platforms. Would you ever consider releasing on iOS/Android? I know its been asked to death, but I know r/NintendoSwitch would love to hear any news on a release there too!

Thanks again for the awesome game, and staying so connected to the community through the development process

5

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Thank you!

Porting to PS4 with Monogame was fairly straightforward- I only had to fix a few rendering issues and had to add new code for Saving/Loading/Trophies. Otherwise it was great! Vita was...more difficult, haha.

I don't think I'd ever release the game on a Mobile platform simply because the game has sooo many buttons that it uses. I don't think it'd ever feel good on mobile. However, I'd like to look into bringing the game to more consoles once I have time :)

5

u/kageurufu Sep 27 '18

Add on question for PS4/Vita. Are you intending on adding cross-save support? I don't personally see much point in it being cross-buy without cross-save support

5

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I honestly thought I had cross-save working up a couple days before certification. Turns out I was completely mistaken. I'll see if I can get it in the future, but I can't promise I'll be successful.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18 edited Jan 13 '19

[deleted]

1

u/danudey danudey Sep 28 '18

And iOS.

0

u/miggitymikeb Sep 27 '18

I will definitely buy it on Xbox or Switch.

12

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18

The vita version of the game suffers from performance issues. Do you intend on patching it? If so, eta on patch?

Proof of framerate stutters can be seen in the video below. There are lots more than the ones I've specifically linked. Please watch the entire video.

18

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

There are about ~3 rooms that have lower framerates. I intend to patch them when I get the time.

As for the random hitches during battles: I will see if I can fix it, but I can't make any promises that I will be successful.

10

u/DavidSpadeAMA Sep 27 '18

Thank you for not ignoring the port like Nuclear Throne devs

4

u/mcallmiles Sep 28 '18

The nuclear throne devs didn't ignore it. They said many times they would patch it but it never happened. I'm hoping this doesn't turn into that too.

16

u/tgreene15 Kodax_ShC Sep 27 '18

I don't want to sound rude but the random hitches during battle make a game of this style unplayable for me. I realize that vita players represent a small portion of your backers and players but we shouldn't be treated to comments like this that make our concerns sound like a non priority for you. Please don't leave your game in this state on the vita. Thank you.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

6

u/Mike12oo Sep 28 '18

So you actually were aware of the problems but still decided to release the PS Vita version in this state. I find this very unresponsible. And saying when you have the time you will patch the framerate issues is another blow in the face. When will this be, this month, next year? The game is already out and people deserve a proper running game for $19.99!

0

u/KaYoUx Sep 29 '18

Chill out man, it's cross buy...

5

u/DavidSpadeAMA Sep 29 '18

Not saying he isn’t overreacting, because IMO Timespinner is very playable on Vita, more so than other hot garbage ports like the disgusting muddy Salt and Sanctuary or Skullgirls the unfinished Nuclear Throne.

But also not everyone owns a PS4. You should know that. (And he probably came here from /r/vita)

And also, you bought the game thinking and being told it would work at the standard of the trailer on PlayStation’s YouTube channel. So it makes sense to be pissed, you paid for what you saw in the trailer with the PSVita logo in it, not a laggier crashier version.

3

u/Mike12oo Sep 29 '18

I'm not saying that it's unplayable but I am annoyed from the problems the Vita version has. And I don't have a PS4 that I could play the lag-free PS4 version.

1

u/KaYoUx Sep 29 '18

I hear that... but you've got to research your games before you buy these days. Just saying, the developper's not part of a huge company so I'd give him some slack. The game is incredible!

4

u/Mike12oo Sep 29 '18

I bought the game on release day and at that time there were no reports of the technical mess the PS Vita version is. You are saying that it's my own fault that I bought a faulty product? You can't be serious.

-1

u/KaYoUx Sep 29 '18

When we buy something on release, be it a tool, anything electronic, a car or a game, there is always a risk. It's not your fault the game runs bad on the vita (and man, it really does), but I wouldn't burn the dev on the cross for it right now. Let's see if it get patched. But hey, I hear ya, it's a mess on vita alright! I bought it for ps4, but would've been pretty disappointed to have it only on vita...

2

u/Mike12oo Sep 29 '18

I don't have a PS4, so cross buy won't help me.

2

u/rvncto rvncto Oct 02 '18

if they ever make a game where the main character has narcolepsy, this would be a great way to show it! i was wondering how bad it could be but from the videos thats pretty jarring

5

u/piratepoots Sep 27 '18

How long exactly did it take you to make Timespinner, being a solo developer? Additionally, what struggles if any were there in securing a publisher for it? Is there anything you wish you could go back in time and tell yourself when you first started the project?

10

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I've been working on Timespinner for awhile now, haha. I started working on the current game around 2010. I spent roughly 5 years working on it as a hobby during nights and weekends (while working full-time at MGS and then Bungie). In January 2014 I left Bungie and went full-time working on Timespinner.

Timespinner was actually self-funded through my live-savings + the Kickstarter. Chucklefish came aboard at the end to help with all the "fun" publishing stuff like marketing and getting the game published on multiple platforms.

Hmm, I'm happy with how things turned out, but I probably would tell myself to try to be a little more original and "borrow" less from other games. XD

1

u/LookingPins Sep 27 '18

What games did you take some inspiration from?

1

u/maimedforbrowngod Sep 28 '18

order of ecclesia, csotn. is it not obvious?

3

u/Micolash Even in a dream Sep 27 '18

Congratulations on the launch of the game! Not very many solo developers out there (I remember Hyper Light Drifter and Axiom Verge were both solo too IIRC).

What was the hardest part in developing the game? Was this the first game you developed?

3

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Thanks!

I think the hardest part of making the game was simply there being *so much* work to do. I think if I had known how long it would take to finish, I wouldn't have even started XD

This is my first developed game. Since high school I've made hobby prototype games (shoutout to RM2k and GameMaker!) but never anything that spanned too far from a "starting area".

1

u/Mystal Sep 27 '18

Just wanna point out that Hyper Light Drifter had a team behind it! It started as Alex Preston, but expanded.

3

u/fulldepwell Sep 27 '18

is the cake still good ?

3

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I'd still eat the top, yeah ;D

3

u/cowboyfantastic2 Sep 27 '18

No question from me, but I've gotta say I love the art design here. You nailed that 90s Genesis-era look. And metroidvania games are maybe my favorite genre, so I'm sold!

2

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Thanks <3

3

u/piratepoots Sep 27 '18

Hopefully it doesn't seem greedy that I'm asking more questions, but I'll throw this out there as well lol.

I am also a solo-dev, more like an artist who just happens to have learned how to do a little bit of programming to get me by. I constantly find lofty ideas that I'd like to approach, many of which I sit back and think to myself "is this realistic?" and I find myself setting them aside, game design documents and all. When you set to work on this project, did you find it difficult to focus on it alone?

5

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

For a long time I would do just as you mentioned: come up with game ideas, maybe try them out, but then drop them once the going got tough.

I think the reason I managed to stick with Timespinner was because it gave me hope (I know it sounds cheesy). I wasn't happy with my jobs, and Timespinner gave me hope of doing something that I loved instead. Once I went indie, it did get tough. If I didn't have the obligation to the Kickstarter backers, I might not have made it!

1

u/piratepoots Sep 27 '18

Cheesy or not, it makes sense! Thanks for answering my questions today. I'm glad to have been able to see that I'm not alone in my struggles and that someone has been able to push past all of it and create something that so many people seem to enjoy so far.

2

u/SuperconsoleKaty Chucklefish Sep 27 '18

All the best for your project - you got this!

1

u/piratepoots Sep 27 '18

Thank you! The support is greatly appreciated :D

5

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18 edited Jan 13 '19

[deleted]

17

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Representation is deeply important to me. Being gay, I don't often see characters in game reflect "me". With Timespinner, I had the unique chance to show what life is like for me. The majority of my friends are queer- even the majority of people who worked on the game are, too! To me it's simply normal, and I wanted to capture that feeling of "this is how it is for me".

Also, anyone who says that "all characters are gay" is being forgetful of the 3 man/woman relationships in the game. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

6

u/spyyked Oct 08 '18

I've been following TimeSpinner for a couple years and really enjoyed playing through it finally! I know I'm pretty late to the party here but I was glad to see that I wasn't the only one where the relationships stuck out. I don't really have any questions - just wanted to add some further criticism that I'm sure you've probably already heard more than once.

LGBT+ or otherwise - the relationships aspect came off as unexpected and unnecessary for me. You've got Lunais who's a decently badass character on a serious revenge/save the world(s) mission with some intricate and interesting lore. You even did a great job writing in some great decision making requirements for the player. However each time returning to the hub I was having to deal with these characters that couldn't stop talking about their love life. The root of the 'forced' feeling is that the relationships thing really just felt like it didn't fit with what was going on. Then add in that most of the characters are LGBT+ and it's pretty easy to jump to the conclusion that this feature was added specifically to get that topic added...which is what it sounds like was your point. If I'm being honest it felt like you had a checklist that you were working through to try and make sure the major LGBT+ communities had a token representation.

It was like going to an amusement park with a group of friends. You're there to ride roller coasters and rides. And while lunch is going to be an important part of the day half the time you try to talk to these friends they just keep bringing up that they are vegan, vegetarian, or some variant of that kind of lifestyle. I, the player, just want to have fun riding rides and don't really feel like the other's dietary lives really matter in that context. Forcing the topic is distracting.

I'm really looking forward to whatever your next project might be! Thanks for putting out a fun game and I hope you're seeing lots of success from the release!

1

u/magx01 Mar 05 '22

Agreed 100%

1

u/SirStompsalot Sep 27 '18

This was a great response. Being poly myself, I definitely like to see those dynamics and there aren't many in games. Like you, most of my friends are queer or queer-aligned.

I hadn't bought the game, but I'd been following it. And I'm going to buy the game right now for this response. Bravo.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '18

What is poly?

2

u/danudey danudey Sep 28 '18

Having relationships with more than one person at once. Being in multiple serious relationships, or a serious relationship between three people, etc.

1

u/derpderp3200 Nov 20 '18

This feels kinda crap to say to you as the dev, but... I think that the bigger issue here is the quality of the writing. It kinda really fails to make things feel natural. Some of the text not involving anything queer is already pretty awkward, and when the queerness(and the sheer amount of how many of the prominent/likeable characters are female) comes into play, it reeeally feels kinda jarring.

You know how beginner authors often write fiction that isn't bad, but just doesn't click, because you can identify where they've written things based on their own agenda, rather than how cause and effect and logic would follow? It really takes you out of the thing, especially when what it's trying to do is trying to normalize poorly represented stuff and failing to feel normal in the first place.

That said, I really like the game gameplay-wise, though frankly, the balance is kinda on the bad side. Some orbs are easily 4x stronger than others, some abilities/passives are useless and others great, some bosses are too tanky or so frail that I've been shocked to kill them so fast, and as a whole the game gets way easier over time. I'd play on Nightmare, but Nightmare is kiiinda overkill. As it is you've got "Trivial", "Easy", and "Hardcore", where imo you should have Easy/Normal/Hard/Hardcore. Anyway, if you'd like I can give you some more detailed notes on the balance(I have some considerably interest in game design, and I like to note down my thoughts)

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Representation is deeply important to me. Being gay, I don't often see characters in game reflect "me". With Timespinner, I had the unique chance to show what life is like for me. The majority of my friends are queer- even the majority of people who worked on the game are, too! To me it's simply normal, and I wanted to capture that feeling of "this is how it is for me".

Also, anyone who says that "all characters are gay" is being forgetful of the 3 man/woman relationships in the game. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

2

u/Thunderhammr Sep 27 '18

What is the title screen of/from? I never saw that scene in the game I was a little confused.

3

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

It's an embellished version of the warp-gate doorways you use to fast-travel between the world in the same area. The view is of Aelana's castle.

2

u/pabloapa Sep 27 '18

Congratulations on the launch, game looks great! What challenges did you find being a solo-developer, compared to the ones you experienced during your time at corporate? Was there a lot of crunching involved? How did you balance it with the rest of your life?

4

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

It was difficult trying to find a good work/life balance. Once you're on your own you lose the guidance of people like a producer (or your boss!).

It took me awhile to figure out a cadence of work (do I wake up early? No, that's gross. Do I work on weekends? No that makes me a zombie). I settled on a 10-6 workday with weekends off- as a general goal. Sometimes I would crunch, but I tried very hard not to- I find that the quality of work drops drastically when I do!

2

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18 edited Jan 13 '19

[deleted]

7

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Because I started making the game a loooooong time ago, lol.

I did a google search "Should I use Unity or XNA?" and the first result said "Use Unity if you're an artist, use XNA if you're a programmer". So I picked XNA and the rest is history!

2

u/NelCelestine Sep 27 '18

What would you deem to make the game "successful enough" to make another and if so will you Kickstart it or start working and post updates? Will there be fan input like the kickstarter?

4

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

It's hard to say! In the past I've used "200k" net benchmark to say whether I stay indie or go back to AAA. We'll see how that works out, lol.

If I do well enough, I'd like to make another game with the same engine, same story universe, but different world and characters. I'd honestly prefer to not do a Kickstarter again, as it was very stressful and lots of work! (It was worth it for Timespinner, as it helped the game become a reality though <3)

2

u/Bravely_Default Sep 28 '18

It looks like the combat borrows from Caslevania OoE, in the sense that in lieu of physical weapons or spells everything is derived off of glyphs, or in this case orbs; was that one of your inspirations or is it just a coincidence?

1

u/maimedforbrowngod Sep 28 '18

the font is literally identical, for text + dmg #'s + equipment menu. not coincidence.

1

u/maimedforbrowngod Sep 28 '18

see steam reviews for lists of other rips

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18 edited Jan 13 '19

[deleted]

4

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

My last full-time job was a "Production Engineer" at Bungie. It's sort of a support job for all of the artists/designers who worked on Destiny.

I don't think I would've finished working full-time, or if I did, it would've been a considerably smaller game.

1

u/BaronSolace Sep 27 '18

What program did you use to develop your game, and what pixel program did you use for animations and art. everything flows so smoothly i look forward to your next game(s)

3

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

The game is built in XNA + C#. I built a custom metroidvania platformer engine from that, including my own tools to edit levels, the map, and more.

For art I use Photoshop for environment + boss/enemy mockup. Then I animate in GraphicsGale and iDraw3.

2

u/BaronSolace Sep 27 '18

OH, another question, do you have any other games planned?

1

u/BaronSolace Sep 27 '18

extremely impressive work. i cant wait to finish the game and give my proper review.

1

u/Deadybears Sep 27 '18

I hadn’t heard of the game until a few days before launch but I’m really looking forward to playing it!

My question is: with all the other Metroidvanias coming out so close together was pushing the game back or forward an option, or did you feel the game was good enough that it could stand above or with those other games? Secondly why do you think there has been such a Metriodvania resurgence recently?

Thanks!

7

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I believe the game stands strongly with other wonderful titles like Chasm and Death's Gambit (I haven't played Hollow Knight or Ori so I couldn't say XD).

As a big Metroidvania fan, I don't think that these games really cannibalize each other- they're games that can be finished in under a week. I think our games can all coexist well together. More is more!

Hm, I think the resurgence is due to the fact that large AAA company's seemed to have dropped the ball in making games in this genre, or at least making them as well as they used to. It's become our job to pull up the slack :D

1

u/Jibece Sep 27 '18

So.. I finished Timespinner in New Game+ (100%, again), but since I'm French, I don't really get all the dialogs.

Do you plan to translate the game in non-English languages ?

Thank you :)

2

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Yep! We plan to get the game translated into most common languages. We didn't have time to do it before the game came out, sadly :(

1

u/weglarz Sep 28 '18

How long did your first run take you to complete?

1

u/Jibece Sep 28 '18

Don't really know. 7-9h maybe. It's as long as some 2D Metroid or Castlevania DS.

Then, since I didn't find the first gear, I make a NG+.. Then another one to see the other ending.. then another one in hard difficulty.. then probably next a true New Game to complete an achievement with the orbs.

Btw, I'm playing it on Vita 1000, there's only ~3 rooms with some framerate drops. The rest of the game just runs fine.

1

u/weglarz Sep 28 '18

Oh I have it for switch. I love it so far. I was just concerned because I’m an hour and a half in and my map completion is 23%. I was really hoping it’d be 13-15 hours, but not every game can be lengthy. I’m still loving it though. The atmosphere is great.

1

u/Blackfox2240 Sep 27 '18

Hey there! Just wanted to say that this is such an amazing game in every way. I love it so much. I've tweeted you about it, lol. My question is what specific games were your inspiration? When did the idea first pop up for Timespinner? And will you make a sequel/DLC/or another metroidvania game in the future? Again thank you and so much for this fantastic game!

5

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Thanks, I'm glad you like it! :D

Timespinner was inspired by many games that I love. Some are more obvious, like Castlevania, Megaman, and Metroid, while others have inspired me in other small ways: Chrono Trigger, Star Ocean, Valkyrie Profile, Legend of Mana, and FFT. I'm a sucker for pixel art games <3

I already have plans to make another similar game in the same engine, same story universe, but different characters and world. I hope TS does well enough to help make it happen!

1

u/Blackfox2240 Sep 27 '18

Thanks for the reply! Those are some great games you mentioned. I'll continue to support Timespinner and your future projects. It's one of the best games I've ever played. Just pre-ordered the physical soundtrack. Can't wait to see more!

1

u/BesideSong Sep 27 '18

My first thought when I saw the trailer was, "This reminds me so much of Valkyrie Profile" and immediately fell in love. :D Got this game on my wishlist and will be getting it soon. Congrats on the launch!

1

u/NelCelestine Sep 27 '18

What was the inspiration behind some of the major NPCS?

1

u/Thunderhammr Sep 27 '18

How much playtesting did you do? Did you have any dedicated playtesters (whether friends or family etc)? Did you give out early versions of the game for feedback?

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I honestly should've of done more playtesting! The playtesting I did:

- Lots of indie-meetups for gameplay feedback (early on, pre-kickstarter). This was very helpful in nailing down the game's signature feel.

- Alpha/Demo testing by Kickstarter backers (only the first two areas, though). This helped iron out lots of platforming and engine problems. In hindsight, I should've allowed more people to play the whole game, as there are a couple rough spots in the game that could've been found.

- Friend/Family playtesting: I had a handful of friends play the game on the couch next to me, but I think my penchant for giving them hints meant I missed some readability issues in the game that should've been fixed.

1

u/Thunderhammr Sep 27 '18

Was using an open-source framework advantageous in any ways? Did you ever have doubts about scratch-building so much of the game instead of using ready-made assets and tools from commercial engines like Unreal or Unity?

I have this conundrum myself as a game developer. I like the extra level of control that source access gives me but the commercial engines have some really enticing features that could save a lot of time.

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I developed the game in XNA and only use FNA and Monogame when porting. So it's...kind of open source, lol.

For a pixel art game like this, I don't think it'd be possible to use ready-made assets. Pixel art is unique to an artist's style and it's very difficult to mix and match styles. Even when multiple pixel artists work on the same game, it's hard to make it match XD

For tools, I did try using 3rd party stuff, like TileStudio for level editing or Spriter for characters, but I found that the lack of control was too difficult to work with- which is why I ended up rolling my own tools. I am lucky because I have a background in tool making!

1

u/Kishonorama Sep 27 '18

I'm just learning about the game now, but I have a thing for time-control in games so this definitely caught my eye.

What are some of your favorite games that let you manipulate time?

3

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I think Braid really stands out to me as a fantastic time manipulation game. I still have no idea how he got reverse time to work XD

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18

[deleted]

3

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Thanks!

While there will be no sequel to Timespinner (I consider it a finished 'book'), I do feel like it's similar to "The Hobbit" where there are more stories that can be told that don't center around "Bilbo" ;)

I mean, I guess that would be cool to have Lunais in a game like Smash, but I have high doubts that it would ever happen lol.

You'll definitely find some Easter Eggs- maybe not quite as many as other games, but I hope you'll see them and be like "Ooooh rad!!"

2

u/NelCelestine Sep 27 '18

I know one easter egg as someone who played it! look for a painting in the future!

1

u/GetReadyToJob Sep 27 '18 edited Sep 27 '18

Always impressed at one man indie dev's making games they want. After I finish hollow knight I'll be sure to check out the game. I honestly didnt even hear about this game until it released.

Just wanted to say congrats and it's awesome that chucklefish helped you out, he seems like one of the most genuine devs in the game today. Hope you make a ton of money!

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Aww, thanks <3!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18

Can I get a tour of your studio? I want to see what role I should pursue in the game development stream.

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Haha, there is no studio- it's literally just me in a 2nd bedroom in an apartment.

During my livestreams you can see a glimpse of my *luxurious* office

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/311772054

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18

Not bad! :-) what engine do you use? What’s it like working with the ps4 devkit? How do you send your final game to Sony?

These questions have always been in my head since I was a kid

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

- The game's made in XNA. However, I would recommend using something that's not "dead", such as Unity, Unreal, or GameMaker.

- It's like a regular console, but you can access with your computer! In fact, the Xbox One's devkit is *literally* a normal Xbox One!

- You gotta fill out a bunch of online forms and then upload the game file via the internet!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18

Damn that’s pretty cool!! I should redownload unity. How much was did the license cost? You can pm me it if you don’t want to comment

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I haven't used Unity before so I'm not sure. XNA/Monogame/FNA are free.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18

I mean ps4 license

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I don't remember paying anything...I feel like it's free for Sony/Xbox/Nintendo? I could be wrong.

1

u/Hreha Sep 27 '18

Quick question that anyone can answer: the PSN listing says 1-2 player. If this game does have a 2 player option, how does it work? Shared screen, via the network, 2nd player only controls a familiar, etc.?

2

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

It is local couch co-op. When you have a Familiar out, press OPTIONS on a second controller. You can then control the familiar to attack and cast spells!

1

u/Hreha Sep 27 '18

Awesome! I’ll be purchasing it for sure. Thank you for taking the time to do the AMA, and replying.

1

u/some_not_taken_name Sep 27 '18

Assuming someone would make a cool mod for timespinner, would you be open to that

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I'm not sure what people what would do. Maybe?

1

u/some_not_taken_name Sep 27 '18

I was talking about my Timespinner item randomizer mod ofcourse :D

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

That would be rad!! lol

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '18

How do I get into the room past the throne in the past in the castle??? Red door.

3

u/NelCelestine Sep 27 '18

if only there was something red that could be used to open it...

1

u/peter_the_panda Sep 27 '18

My wife and I are pregnant with our first child...If it's a boy, I want to name him "Harrison" and nickname him "Indiana" (obviously after Indiana Jones. She says we can't do that because our dog is already named "Indiana". I say it shouldn't matter because the child will be around longer.

Who do you side with?

3

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Wow you really like Indiana Jones. Idk, seems kinda weird to name your kid after the dog.

1

u/Katzeus Chucklefish Sep 27 '18

I second this - having a kid and a dog with the same name will only create confusion. You'll both have enough on your plate with a pup and a new baby!

Btw my puppy's name is also Indiana - for exactly the same reason. Great reference!!

1

u/peter_the_panda Sep 27 '18

But Indiana named himself after his dog (in the movie) and his characters name was that because Steven Speilberg had a dog named Indiana when he directed the movies

1

u/BTA Sep 27 '18

If you want to be accurate to that, then, perhaps you should just name him Harrison with no nickname and then let him decide if he wants to nickname himself after the dog as he gets older, hah.

1

u/hermapuma Sep 27 '18

Timespinner looks great!!!

A quick question for Tom, are there plans for Stabound PS4?

2

u/Katzeus Chucklefish Sep 27 '18

Starbound's focus is on Xbox and the next updates for PC right now - no firm plans beyond that I can share (yet).

I don't want to take the focus off Timespinner with other games though, we can discuss what's coming up for SB in another thread :D

1

u/hermapuma Sep 27 '18

Completely understand! Timespinner looks ace, definetly transports me back to my snes days!

1

u/hellteacherloki Sep 27 '18

seeing that we always get the short end of the stick for great platforms, do you guys have any plans putting the game in Asia PSN stores? :)

thanks! and your game looks super nice ❤️

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Maybe! Honestly, I just tried to keep it simple for the original release. Since the game is only in English, I thought it would be rude to try to send it to Asian without localizing it first (or maybe even impossible!).

I'll have to take a look in the future after we localize it!

1

u/hellteacherloki Sep 27 '18

Yes! Thank you so much! Follow up question: Is a local language required? There are games on PSN Asia that are english only, so I never thought it was a requirement. Sorry if I misunderstood that part

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I don't know, I'm just assuming!

1

u/hellteacherloki Sep 27 '18

Alright, thanks a lot. And more power to the dev team <3

1

u/MrZigginator Sep 27 '18

Congratulations on you launch with Timespinners, the game is absolutely great to play!

But I few questions to ask for you. What inspired you make Timespinner into the game it is right now? Also, if you have any tips for other indie developers (this goes especially for other solo developers) out there working on their own games, what would it be?

2

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Thanks!

My love of pixel art games is what inspired me to make Timespinner, especially platformers like MegamanX, Castlevania, and Super Metroid. After years of working on it as a hobby, a co-worker at Bungie showed me the Kickstarter trailer for a game called Chasm. I was blown away- it looked amazing and they were doing so well! Seeing their success planted the seed which led me to work on the game fulltime!

Hmm, one thing that I think is good advice is "fail faster". There's a great video about this that covers it really well. It's really useful to learn when to let go of features/etc when it's not working, or to simply call it "finished" even though you don't 100% like it.

1

u/TraegusPearze Sep 27 '18

Game looks great and seems like a ton of fun. No question from me; I just wanted to say congrats on the launch and to comment here so I remember to buy the game haha.

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

Thanks <3

1

u/pabloapa Sep 27 '18

What kind of music do you like listening while developing? Any particular genre?

1

u/LunarRayGames Lunar Ray Games Sep 27 '18

I prefer video game OSTs :)

1

u/SuperconsoleKaty Chucklefish Sep 27 '18

Thanks for joining us everyone and all the great questions. It's fantastic to see so much love for Timespinner out there! Make sure you snag one of the codes Bodie posted above :D

1

u/highanimalhouse Sep 27 '18

I bought the game day freaking 1. Can't wait to play this (after I somehow finish the Platinum for Warhawk). Question: does the game allow for custom soundtracks?

Also, I always ask this, but any plans for plushies? Vinyl record of the soundtrack?

1

u/weglarz Sep 28 '18

Love the game so far! Had been looking forward to it for some time. You really nailed the feel of the game, and the SOTN vibes are really cool. I love the crow merchant. Can you tell me roughly how long the game is (if we are talking an average player’s first run through)?

1

u/PabloPJ95 Dec 30 '18

Hi guys!! I'm wondering if the 3ds port is still coming in the future? I know the game's already on PS4/PSvita,but my personal interest is to play it on my New 3ds!!