Revival of a mostly departed genre is no easy task, with only a few attempts still recognized in the industry, such as Playmore and its resurgence of the Metal Slug series. But even games like that have stopped fighting and relented to the 3D generation. What's more importantly though, is that we have yet to see that style of gameplay make its mark on the Nintendo GameCube. Nevertheless Alien Hominid plans to change all that, yet despite this it's surprising how few gamers have actually heard of the title. Fortunately the would-be fans are opening their minds and asking the questions, and even better, the developers have listened to your inquiries and answered. A couple weeks ago Nintendophiles asked our readers what you'd like to know about Alien Hominid. The good folks at The Behemoth were kind enough to spend the time to answer your questions in our first (but hopefully not last) public developer interview.
We managed to get the goods from John Baez, the Producer of Alien Hominid and Co-Founder of The Behemoth. Read below for the full interview.
2. How difficult was it to start from scratch with console dev tools instead of having the Flash interface to work with?
3. Did The Behemoth try to make its own tools that would allow the makers to treat the development like Macromedia Flash?
4. Did you consider making an engine that you could license out to other people that have dreamed of turning their flash games into console games?
5. In your opinion, if there were to be any other online flash game that was worthy of a console version, what would it be?
John: I'm going to answer this one as one big lump because the questions are tightly related.
I got addicted to the Alien Hominid prototype on Newgrounds not because of the technology, but because of the game mechanics and more importantly, the game's graphics. I'd never seen a game so clearly express the intent of an artist before on any platform. Dan [Paladin]'s art style is unique, and Alien Hominid just happened to be the vehicle which introduced his art style to me. Dan doesn't just draw buildings or creatures. He draws things that LIVE, and that is a rare achievement for any artist in any medium. Thankfully, Dan's medium just happens to be digital!
One reason this game was possible is because everyone on the team, except for Tom [Fulp] (programmer of the original Alien Hominid), had done numerous console games before. Since we knew we'd have to fund the game to completion before any publisher would sign us, we didn't have time to teach anyone how to program with console dev tools. From the first day we opened the office we all pretty much knew what it would take to make this game and how to solve it technically. What we didn't know was how long it would take. Then it was just a matter of implementing the technology, having Dan draw what he and Tom were envisioning and have Tom design the coolest indie game on the planet. It sounds a lot easier than it was, though.
We get a lot of email from people who ask if we can turn their Flash games into console games. Unfortunately, this isn't possible, since it isn't the developer who decides if a game can end up on a console or not, it is the hardware manufacturer. But the next best thing is to buy a USB to console controller adapter and use it to play your Flash games. I used one to play the prototype of AH on Newgrounds to get the sense of what the finished product would feel like. But if you REALLY have to see one of your own creations up on the TV screen with a controller in your hand, just build yourself some levels with our PDA game editor and challenge your friends!
6. Do you believe Alien Hominid will set a new standard for the industry, starting off as Flash and ending up as a console game?
John: I think AH is very much the exception to the rule, which in a way is unfortunate since there is potentially a lot more interesting IP content being generated on the Web than from bad movie licenses which seems to be the norm in the game industry right now. Alien Hominid would never have come to the consoles if so many factors, like having a team ready to do the project or the financing, hadn't lined up.
7. Were you inspired to bring this to the Cube by the release of Viewtiful Joe, what with it being similar in gameplay mechanics and graphics?
John: No, not at all. The prototype of AH was public on the web about a year before VJ was out and for a while at the beginning of the project we thought we might have a simultaneous release with VJ on the consoles. We even had a playable version at Comic Con 2003 just about the time VJ was beginning its marketing campaign prior to launch. Unfortunately, it took us a lot longer to implement all the cool things we wanted to do.
It is probably not accurate to say that they have similar gameplay mechanics; AH is more of an evolved 2D mechanic than the 2.5D of VJ. VJ just feels different than what we've made, which is a very good thing because there is still a lot of room to experiment on the consoles. We are very happy that VJ broke the mindset that only realistic 3D will sell and if AH does well I hope other studios will be encouraged to add variety to rendering styles out there and to take more risks instead of serving up the same old games.
8. Were there any games the team looked to for inspiration during the development of alien hominid?
John: Here's Tom Fulp's response: I would say most of the inspiration comes from Contra, Gunstar Heroes and Metal Slug. Gunstar Heroes is my favorite among the three, but there a bits of pieces of AH that pay homage to each of those games.
John: Fine, this never seemed to be a problem.
10. What appeals most to you about developing on the GameCube platform?
John: Native four-player support! :)
11. What does the Super Mario Club/Testers think of the game so far, and do you have high hopes for the game when it hits retailers?
John: Mario Club no longer exists! (sniff!)
We've been getting some exceptional preview coverage for both the game and our figurines, skateboard decks, and shirts from places like GameSpot, IGN, G4-TechTV, Wired, Play magazine and many others, so we hope that everyone buys it from our website so we can pay our bills and make more games. If the game does well it might mean more publishers will want to take risks with indie developers.
12. There are a lot of people who don't actually know what Alien Hominid is about. In fact, 50% of N-Philes' site visitors don't know - can you neatly sum up what Alien Hominid is, and why they should buy it?
John: Alien Hominid is evolved 2D gaming made by an indie game studio. The premise is simple...the FBI has taken your spaceship and it is time to take them out and get it back! People should buy our game because it is a blast to play, the music rocks and nearly all of it was hand drawn by one artist, Dan Paladin. In addition, if you buy it from us, as opposed to renting it or buying a used copy, you'll sleep better at night knowing you helped an indie game development studio instead of some gigantic publisher who doesn't care about diversity in the marketplace.
13. Can you tell us about the AI of the game? How will the enemies react to gun fire?
John: They will kill you. Then they will kill you some more. And just when you are getting happy about having a shield, they'll pop it, then pop you. Again. And if you complete the game on hard, you will truly earn the right to call yourself a hardcore gamer. (And unlock some cool hair to boot!)
14. Can you tell us about the multiplayer aspect of the game? What game modes and co-op features will be available?
John: The main game is two-player, with jump in anytime multiplayer, just like in an arcade. Twice the firepower! YAY! Difficulty is set on a per controller basis, so if you are playing with your girlfriend and you're not quite as good as she is, you can always play on "easy" while she kicks you down on "hard". There's also a nice tally scoreboard at the end of each level to help you decide who will be doing the dinner dishes.
The PDA games are 1-4 player, and of course, they really come alive with 3 or 4 people playing. This is because you don't have any weapons. Ever. And the enemies have lots and lots of ways to kill you and your friends. After you've finished the 200 levels we've packed into the PDA games you can use our tools to make your own!
15. Can you tell us a little bit about the game and what you are aiming to achieve with this title?
John: In a certain sense we are trying to bring the fun back into gaming and back into game development. We are a small team who is used to working late nights because we feel we are contributing to the larger gaming community by bringing AH to market. It is important for small teams out there to know that it is still possible to make a console game and that all the avenues to publishers aren't completely closed yet.
We're lucky that we've hit upon a number of firsts with this title... first web game-to-console, for example.
16. What engine is being used for Alien Hominid and what benefits will the technology deliver to the game?
John: Our engine is homegrown and it's main advantage is we are not indentured to any big corporation for our technology. What we deliver to the gaming public is high resolution hand drawn graphics, which we feel will be the next big thing in gaming.
17. Are you planning on introducing a deeper storyline into the game?
John: Yes, and it is very cool!
18. You may not have the financial resources to do this, but if you could port Alien Hominid to the DS, would you make use of the new input devices, and how would they affect the gameplay?
John: Of course we'd make use of the new features! It is always fun to experiment with new technology.
Once again we'd like to thank John Baez and everyone on the staff at The Behemoth for taking the time to answer these questions for Nintendophile's readers. And of course, we'd also give a special thank you to our viewers for providing the great questions to ask in this interview.
