Indie Games Follow-up: The Class of 2000

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Indie Games Follow-up: The Class of 2000
By Damon Brown
Gamasutra
January 5, 2001
URL: http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20010105/brown_01.htm

The Next Generation

The first Independent Games Festival in 1999 raised the bar on underground computer games, taking 15 incredible developers out of the basement and into the spotlight. As at Cannes or Sundance, thick contracts, hotel meetings and instant celebrity followed.

As noted in the story on the first year finalists, however, it was not all champaign wishes and caviar dreams. Some companies split, some were disillusioned by the big business of game development, and some pushed away the cash bonuses and went back underground. The beauty of the IGF is that these developers had the opportunity to experience these extreme circumstances, to make tough choices and to enter doors previously closed.

The developers in the IGF 2000, like the second cast of CBS' Survivor, were more aware of what they were getting into than the finalists of the first IGF. They knew that success, failure or both were more possible now than ever, and that their once-underground projects would be given more exposure than possible before.

However, the finalists weren't the only people wiser after the first festival. The pressure was on for them to perform from everyone: the ambitious underground gaming community was expecting nothing less than cream-of-the-crop winners, and the press --particularly the electronic media-- were watching the event closely to spot the hottest up-and-coming designers. Perhaps the most dramatic change from the year before, however, was that the number of IGF finalists selected was almost cut in half.

With a good percentage of the first year finalists published by major labels or working on next-gen systems like PS2, the second group realized that more was at stake than ever. They also realized something that the first group didn't realize until after their nominations: This wasn't underground anymore.

A Final Dream

"In June of '99 my son Seumas had further surgery which confirmed that his life would soon be over. Rather than give up, Seumas wanted to finish Tread Marks, enter it in the IGF and strive to be accepted to lecture at the GDC... Everything was a special case for our company, given Seumas' illness and eventual death one week after the IGF."

Jim McNally, president of Longbow Digital Arts

Joseph Campbell, in his many writings about a hero's journey, said that one of the definitions of a hero is that he brings something new to the world. He also wrote that the hero always has an untimely death. By this or perhaps any measurement Seumas McNally, creator of the three-IGF award winner Tread Marks, was a hero.

For the three years before the 2000 IGF Seumas was in a fight against Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer that attacks the lymph nodes. His primary focus was on his creation Tread Marks, a first-person tank game with arcade-like graphics. One of his goals was to enter it into the IGF, and by summer 1999 it became clear that it would be a life-and-death struggle. Jim McNally, current president of LDA and Seumas' father, remembers how determined his son was to make his mark.

"In June of '99 my son Seumas had further surgery which confirmed that his life would soon be over. Rather than give up, Seumas wanted to finish Tread Marks, enter it in the IGF and strive to be accepted to lecture at the GDC," Jim said.

Seumas' project became a focus for the whole family, especially after Tread Marks made it to the final round. "Becoming finalists added an additional catalyst," Jim said. "With Seumas' health deteriorating we focused even more intensely on our goal of having the game finished well in advance, and I believe that we wrapped up work on Tread Marks by mid-December when Seumas started his final treatments." Jim, his mother Wendy and his brother Philippe all got involved in making the game happen.

Seumas' fought to make it to the IGF in mid-March and, in doing so, made history. In an IGF first, Tread Marks went on to win the awards for Game Design, Technical Achievement and the Grand Prize.

Seumas died Tuesday, March 21, a week after his IGF win. The gaming community reacted the loss, conducting a netwide memorial service and creating sites in Seumas' honor. The Seumas McNally Programming Award trust was also started, reminding future game developers of Seumas' insight and the courage.

Longbow's winning moment.

Even though the McNally family was happy to have one of Seumas' wishes fulfilled, it was still a difficult time, not only emotionally but from a financial standpoint as well. LDA was promised some things that never panned out. "Based on some promising words from a few publishers we started spending more money than we were making," Jim recalled, "I don't recommend this approach as it led to stress and tension as things got dragged out. When those promising words turned out to be hollow we were able to get ourselves back on track and back in the black. Be wary."

Jim took over as president after Seumas' death and, by fall 2000, things were back on track. LDA signed with AAAGame UK in August and started distributing Tread Marks in early December. LDA also expanded its number of programmers to tweak and update the Tread Marks originally seen at the IGF.

Now LDA is busy working on the TM2 engine, to be used in the Tread Marks sequel, as well as PS2 version of Tread Marks. With its fully-deformable terrain and complex graphics Tread Marks should be able to thrive on the next-generation systems.

In a final tribute to Seumas, the IGF Grand Prize was officially renamed the Seumas McNally award. "It's a wonderful tribute," Jim said. "We cherish our memories of Seumas and to have him honored in this way, touches us very deeply. We salute the IGF."

It is often said that the only legacy we leave behind after death is our creations. Seumas' work has gone beyond his physical departure and his honor through the IGF will live until the end of video games themselves; in other words, forever.

One For the Underground

"I believe strongly that the industry is at a turning point, and the indie scene is going to explode into something really big. People want something unique, and they're going online, looking to us indies, to provide that."

Mason McCuskey, head of Spin Studios

In the days of multi-million dollar budgets and huge game companies, it is both refreshing and unusual to see a developer with a single-digit staff, nevertheless one person. Mason McCuskey's IGF finalist Quaternion not only beat the competition, but also reminded the gaming community that there was a time when excellent games were made by a single person.

McCuskey said the puzzle game, released through his company Spin Studios, was well received because of its instant accessibility. "Quaternion is a game that you can just pick up and play instantly, and that made it great for the IGF pavilion. People would come up, learn the rules in a few seconds, pick up a controller, and be off and playing."

After nearly a year of polishing, Quaternion went gold in early December and is being sold independently on the Spin Studios website. McCuskey said there have been many people interested in the title, most as a result of the IGF. "Being selected as an IGF finalists really helped Quaternion get noticed. Our page hits skyrocketed when the major gaming news sites announced the finalists -- there are very few gamers out there who wouldn't want to know what game developers consider to be the top independent games of the year."

Quaternion is a game that you can just pick up and play instantly, and that made it great for the IGF pavilion"

Even months after the festival he still remembers the "overnight notoriety" of his title. "All of a sudden, you go from just another indie to having people email you, demanding to know when a beta is coming out, when they can check out your game. It rules!"

McCuskey said that things weren't always so great for Spin Studios and warns other indies that there are many great developers out there.

"I think there are a lot of indies out there who just take it for granted that they have the best game in the world and will blow away all of the competition... and that's too bad, because they set themselves up for this huge let down if they don't get in. I can empathize," McCuskey said, speaking from experience. "I was like that a couple years ago. I entered the first IGF, and I ate it big time when I didn't advance to the finals."

Now with Quaternion finally available on his site, McCuskey is concentrating on the future. "I have two design docs that are almost complete, some contract work and a book on game programming that should hit the shelves in 2001."

At least some of his success is a direct result of the IGF.

"The IGF name has come to symbolize creativity, the independent spirit, and craftsmanship, so when people realize you're an IGF finalist, they know that you're a serious independent developer. Thanks to the IGF, I was able to get my foot in doors that had previously been
bolted shut."

Russian Moonshine

"Our goal is simple: create the best games in the world... We consider computer games a new kind of art!"

Andrey "KranK" Kouzmine, president of K-D LAB

Though computer and video games are widely considered a worldwide phenomenon, the common perception is that all development happens only in America, England and Japan. As a result, the attention garnered by the IGF finalist Moonshine Runners was even more pronounced when people realized that the creators, K-D LAB, were based in Russia.

"Don't forget that we were the single team from the Eastern Hemisphere -- all other winners came from the USA or Canada!" said Andrey "KranK" Kouzmine, president of K-D LAB. He admits that because of the geographic distance his team of 17 have not been able to correspond with other developers as much as their North American peers.

One thing K-D LAB does share with many of the former IGF finalists, however, is a publishing contract. "A couple of months after the IGF we signed an agreement with the largest Russian software publisher, the 1C company, to publish the game in Russia. In June, Moonshine Runners was featured at the cover of the best national game magazine, Game.EXE. Then we showed the game at the ECTS trade show. Currently we are in negotiations with different companies about publishing our game in USA, Europe and Asia," Kouzmine said.

The K-D LAB team.

Even with limited contact K-D LAB gathered a wealth of constructive criticism from others through the GDC, the 2000 conference being the first the team had attended. The insight gained, Kouzmine said, helped make Moonshine Runners a more appealing game to publishers. "At the festival we got some great feedback from the GDC participants, including both developers and publishers. We analyzed it and decided to change several important aspects of the game."

K-D LAB is busy working on multiple projects outside of Moonshine Runners. It has a strategy title in the works, funded by 1C, as well as a small-scale project. "We are going to start another big game in the near future based on a licensed technology, which we are in the pre-production stage of now," Kouzmine said.

Despite the number of projects, Kouzmine said K-D LAB has a straightforward goal for the future. "Simple: create the best games in the world."

Entering the Dragon's Lair

"We stood out because we did something different, and we did it well. I was pleased to see that the 2000 finalists were almost all doing something different from the run of the mill game - that's what the contest should be about."

David Dunham of A-Sharp, LLC

The turn-based King of Dragon Pass seems to embody the best principles of independent game development: innovate design, quirky humor and an ambitious, though attainable, concept with possibly more variations than a game of Diablo. A-Sharp LLC, creator of the IGF Visual Art winner, is aware of the potency of great graphics, but also realizes the value of excellent game design.

"King of Dragon Pass has a fine art style that almost no other games attempt, and we had some excellent artists executing it," said A-Sharp's David Dunham. "I think we backed it up with an interesting, deep setting, an unusual multi-generational story and some fine writing."

King of Dragon Pass stood out at the IGF, getting the attention of quite a few publishers. "It was certainly a big change to have people coming up to us and asking about publishing it, instead of trying to hunt down the right people and make a pitch," Dunham said

Nothing came of the publishing discussions, but A-Sharp was already thinking of its future well before the IGF. It opted for complete independence. "I think the big change had nothing to do with the IGF," said Dunham. "Shortly after submitting to the 2000 contest was when we
decided we'd need to self-publish. That was certainly something of a career shift, since we had to get into production and marketing."

A-Sharp self-shipped King of Dragon Pass right before the IGF finals in March. The IGF became an excellent promotional vehicle for the game which the team has built upon. "I remember someone complaining last year about the cost of entry and the difficulty of duplicating CDs. Well yes, there is non-zero work involved, but the opportunity to have your game noticed is well worth it," Dunham said. The team's most recently effort in marketing is creating game t-shirts, now available on its website.

A-Sharp team members as Dragon Pass characters.

The small team of two, composed of Dunham and Elise Bowditch, admits that it's not sure what is planned next. Dunham said he would love to do another title as innovative as King of Dragon Pass and hopes that the standards remains high for the IGF finalists and winners.

Taking Care of Business

"We plan to continue making exciting, creative games and have a damn fun time making them."

James Thrush, Super X Studios

Super X Studios seems to be continually busy, as if it hasn't slowed down since its IGF win -- this becomes apparent while trying to track them down for an interview. "Sorry for the delay getting back to you," said Super X's James Thrush. "We've been busy finishing Far Gate, which just went gold!"

The work ethic of Super X, formerly ThrushWave Technology, evidently showed last March when its space RTS Far Gate (then called The Rift) received the IGF Audience Award. Its efforts also paid off after the IGF, when Super X signed a contract with French publishers Microids.

The Super X team.

"The IGF was instrumental in us landing our publishing contract for Far Gate with Microids, France," Thrush said. "Microids, along with half a dozen other major publishers, approached us at the IGF to discuss publishing opportunities. This, along with the exposure to the press and to other game developers, helped establish Far Gate as a potential major title."

It has been a long journey for the ten-person studio. "We began the project last 1997, and for the first two years there were only four people on the project: one programmer, two artists and one musician," Thrush said. "Only in the last four months of the project did we expand to 10 people."

Now with Far Gate complete, Super X is working on a Far Gate expansion pack, a possible console port and, of course, a new title.

Thrush recommends anyone interested in game development to get involved with the IGF, despite the heavy workload. "Do it! You won't regret it. And keep trying -- it took us two years to get into the finals."

Back for More

"Hearts is doing great, we have been steadily increasing our online players and eating full meals. Can't complain about that! Our next game, Hardwood Spades, has made it to the IGF 2001. We are totally jazzed and hope to milk out the spotlight a little better this time."

Jonas Stewart, Silver Creek Entertainment

In the days of four-year game development cycles and consoles that claim to be "thinking," there is something to be said for simple, addictive gameplay, presented in a beautiful form. Silver Creek Entertainment, creator of IGF finalist Hardwood Hearts believes this simplicity may have been what caught the attention of the festival.

"Well not sure what the actual reason, but I suspect that it's the fact that we had a well polished and finished looking game," said Silver Creek Entertainment's Jonas Stewart. "Hardwood Hearts did a great job presenting a classic game in a new light. Adding visual effects that augmented the original game."

His team seems to be onto something: Their follow-up, Hardwood Spades, has made it to the 2001 IGF finals. "We are totally jazzed and hope to milk out the spotlight a little better this time," Stewart said.

Though they had success with the last IGF, Stewart said that Silver Creek Entertainment has been supporting the GDC for years prior. "We have yet to miss a year at the GDC since we started going about five or six years now. We normally volunteer and find that a cool way to experience the conference and highly recommend doing it, especially to folks that don't think they can afford to go this year."

Right now Silver Creek Entertainment is polishing up Hardwood Spades and getting ready for the next IGF. Though it is a second go-around for them, Stewart remains humble (and humorous) about the honor of being selected. "The best thing is the pride of knowing we were chosen. And it's even more gratifying that we are returning in 2001 with Hardwood Spades. Silver Creek must be doing something right -- or that extra gift certificate to the Elvis Macaroni Art center we slipped in with the entry form was a big hit. Hard to say."

In for the Long Haul

"The SEED concept came about four years ago... now, the feedback we have had from various publishers indicated that this mix of a shooter with platform game elements is more suited for consoles. With this in mind we are currently rewriting the engine to support DX8 and an easy Xbox port."

Gabor K. Kadas, head of Human Soft

Credit is often given to those who come out of nowhere and gain immediately success. Often neglected, however, are those who have paid their dues and slowly have earned their rewards. Human Soft, creator of IGF two-time finalist SEED, definitely fits in the latter category.

Its 3d platform shooter, probably most comparable to Eidos' Thief: The Dark Project, has been the focus of the ten-man team for the last four years. Human Soft has also had its hands in other pies.

"Human Soft was involved with ten-plus published game projects on various platforms and one would hope that being a finalist twice would make publishers notice you even more," said head of Human Soft Gabor K. Kadas. His game, however, has yet to get a contract. "We have had several emails asking us for the release date for SEED, but we are unable to give one until we find a publisher."

Kadas said he is surprised that a good publishing contract hasn't come through, especially considering the originality of SEED's gameplay. The shooter uses shadows and lighting to add new levels of game depth.

"We wanted to add an additional element to the gameplay. We felt that in all the games, lighting and shadow effects were only used as eye candy," Kadas said. "Adding the light and shadows in the gameplay would create a 'fourth dimension.'"

The SEED team.

The complex graphics used in SEED actually grew out of necessity, he said. "When we started development work on SEED, the accessibility of 3D cards were limited and we started the engine by experimenting with software renderers. As time went by, we realized that we needed hardware support, so we added Glide and OpenGL abilities to the engine, but still producing the shadows partially from software to create a very unique look for them."

Human Soft has continued to modify and update SEED, and the interactions with various publishers has not been fruitless. The team has listened to the insight given by the larger companies and has, in turn, tightened its product.

In fact, the knowledge from those potential producers may get SEED onto two of the most sought-after next generation machines. "The feedback we had from various publishers indicated that this mix of a shooter with platform game element is more suited for console," Kadas said. "With this in mind we are currently rewriting the engine to support DX8 and an easy Xbox port. We are also trying to keep it as platform independent as possible so we can port it to the PS2 as well with ease."

Human Soft is also working on other games for consoles, PCs and the Internet. When asked about future goals for the company, Kadas replied "To have a title that makes it in the top 10!" It seems that despite setbacks and disappointments Kadas and his team believe they will get their due rewards.

A 2001 Odyssey

"Just do something! Anything! If you don't try, you won't get in."

Jonas Stewart, Silver Creek Entertainment

Now finalists are in for the 2001 IGF <www.indiegames.com> and though the bar is higher for the upcoming games many of the principles (and challenges) will be the same for the IGF finalists, past and present.

"Get started early!" said Jonas Stewart of Silver Creek Entertainment. "It seems like a flash between the end of the IGF and the deadline for next year."

LDA's Jim McNally said that testing is an important part as well. "Work hard. Make sure that the technical aspects are sound, and have fun."

Another thing to keep in mind, said A-Sharp's Dunham, is that your primary focus as an IGF finalist is on presenting the game, not on the GDC itself. "We were extremely pleased when we found out we were a 2000 finalist, because it was a great chance to show off the game. On the other hand, it was a lot of work to actually staff two stations for pretty much the entire conference. I think I managed to get to only one session, unlike past GDCs where I've spent most of my time absorbing information."

McCuskey from Spin Studios sums up the secret to IGF success. "Don't let the competition consume you, 'cause that's not what it's about. Just concentrate on making a killer game and the rest will follow naturally."

Thanks to the IGF finalists and winners, particularly the McNally family, for sharing their wonderful stories.

The third annual Independent Games Festival is planned March 20th - 24th, 2001, in San Jose, CA, as part of the Game Developer's Conference.

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