Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Flipline Interview! Yes, the same one I have mentioned whenever I talk to FRAGM3NT about how I have been busy and couldn't write articles...


A picture would go here but I lost all my pictures for some reason and I can't find the premium games topic to get one of the pictures there. Settle for this Webding in blue large print: A

Actually, there IS a picture to go here. Not the best quality picture, but meh. Also, the webding stays. WEBDING!


Woohoo!!!! An interview to kick off the 2008 year of COCAK, Kongregate, and Flash gaming! (and of course my articles, which I have been slacking on, you know, family trips, opening a few presents a few days early before the trip and plugging away at Bioshock with the little time I had, my dad taking a few days after the trip to start entering in all the stuff we bought into Quicken and taking the computing where I can make all my screenshots and had this particular interview stored…). So with some slight further ado, I present an interview about Remnants of Skystone, the Kongregate Premium Game made by Flipline studios (This game is better than Papa’s Pizzeria, or your money back! And yes, I made that up on the spot).

People:Milski: Look, if you don’t know who Milski is, seeing as I am Milski, then just stop reading.
Flipline_Matt: Guess. Just guess his first name and his job.
Flipline_Tony: See above.


Milski: Ok, first question: What got you into flash?

Flipline_Matt: Well, we started off with Director about 6 years ago, and when Flash matured a bit we jumped ship since so many more people had the Flash plug-in.

Flipline_Tony: We actually first started in shockwave, but found flash to be better suited for the games we wanted to make.

Flipline_Matt: We used Flash before that for animation work though

Flipline_Tony: But all in all, when we were in college, they made us figure out Flash and Director.

Flipline_Matt: A few years back we had worked on a multiuser avatar chat called FlipChat, where we first started toying around with community and customizable avatars, and for a while we'd wanted to expand on that some more.

Flipline_Tony: We also were toying around for a while with the idea of a game involving 3 different character types.

Flipline_Matt: And having each character have a different set of moves to get through the environment.

Flipline_Tony: We actually pitched a different game to Kong before RoS with similar community features, but they wanted something a bit more epic, so we came up with the world of Skystone.

Milski: Could you give some more details about the game’s storyline?

Flipline_Matt: The world of Skystone gets its name from a large meteor that crashed into the land... and three civilizations came to worship this skystone as a gift from the heavens. But they didn't know about the strange microbial life-forms that hitched a ride on the meteor, and were now infesting and growing beneath the skystone crater. These alien creatures started absorbing DNA from native creatures, and turning into strange cross-breed Mimics ... kind of deformed Wuzzles (does anyone remember Wuzzles?)

Milski: I don't...

Flipline_Matt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuzzles

Milski: And then the three civilizations did what?

Flipline_Matt: Eventually these Mimics burst out of the crater and started spreading across the land, catching the civilizations completely unaware and unprepared

Flipline_Tony: Don’t forget about the noxious haze

Flipline_Matt: Yup, that's an important part! While living in the underground caverns, the Mimics had cultivated this plant life that produced a noxious gas, similar to the atmosphere of their original planet and when the Mimics started spreading, so did the haze –extremely poisonous to native creatures and the people of the land. So the three civilizations retreated to higher ground, creating a refuge high in the sky, as the land was completely overtaken by the Mimics and their poison. So in the game itself, the civilizations have started finding ways to counteract the noxious haze, and your job is to infiltrate the long-abandoned land below and exterminate the Mimics.

Milski: So what are the abilities of the three civilizations?

Flipline_Matt: The Jetpackers are remnants of the Industrialist society (back when they were still living on the ground), so their specialty is steam-powered contraptions, very steampunk. They've got steam tanks on their backs and blaster cuffs on each hand, which they can use to fly jetpack-style, or shoot steamshots at enemies.

Flipline_Tony: You have the tribals, to escape the haze they took refuge in the canopy of giant trees, they have high acrobat skills, can scale walls, and monkey bar across ceilings.

Flipline_Matt: And the Crags are mountain-dwelling people who specialize in climbing, so they can climb on walls and swing/repel with ropes


Flipline_Tony: The tribals used modified beaks on their hands to attack enemies, while the Crags have flails that they can swing to attack. I think that covers it

Milski: Is there a strong multiplayer aspect to the game?

A tribal swinging gently across
a floating rock past the infected,
standing goats (anyone else confused?)
Flipline_Matt: Definitely -- there's a town in the game that is a central hub for all of the civilizations, which is a multiplayer mingling area. Players can also visit each others' "houses" in the game, and there will be a Co-op mode where two players can work together.

Flipline_Matt: So players can pick the race/civilization for their character when they start up, and we're planning to let you make a couple -- so you can try them each out

Milski: What are the customization options for your character?

Flipline_Matt: Lots!

Flipline_Tony: a bunch!

Flipline_Matt: haha!

Flipline_Tony: skin tone, hair, hats, accessories, pants shirts, skirts, jackets, etc...
Flipline_Matt: You'll have a bunch you can choose from when you're creating the character, then later in the game you can visit the Clothing Shop (or whatever we end up calling it) for more

Flipline_Tony: yeah, but more for the community side of the game

Flipline_Matt: Not really necessary to the "adventure", it's more about the community play

Flipline_Matt: Also a place to store and show off all your spoils

Milski: Spoils? What kind of spoils? Cash, uber rare drops (please don't make this a FFXI online situation). [A note about the previous comment: FFXI Online’s most notable aspect was the fact that there was a monster that respawned every 24 to 48 hours and had the rarest drop in the game (rarity of drop to number of times killed) and the item was so highly valued that if you got one it was pretty much impossible to run out of money, provided you found a buyer]

Flipline_Matt: We're still hammering everything out, but you'll get trophies, cards, furniture, materials.

Flipline_Matt: some useful stuff (materials for making furni), some that's more collectible (cards, medallions)

Milski: So there are a lot of other aspects besides just "beating" the game, right? Sidequests, minigames and stuff?

Flipline_Matt: You bet -- we'll have tons of side-quests to do in the game, both for single- or co-op play

Flipline_Tony: yes definitely

Milski: So would you say the game is more of a "beat the game" type game, or a game where it is just fun to play to play, not to win?

Flipline_Matt: There will be an initial beginning and end to the single-player "Adventure", but the gameplay can go well beyond that with the persistent world, endless co-op play, side-quests, etc.

Flipline_Matt: And we hope to keep expanding on the game, so we can add new content as we go

Flipline_Matt: We're also working on tuning the single-player experience so there's a reason to re-play portions that you've already worked through

Flipline_Matt: With the community aspects, you'll also be able to visit other players' houses to chat and see their trophies/awards, hang out, check out their furnishings, rate their house in weekly polls, etc.

Milski: Is there any kind of leveling system?
Flipline_Tony: yes, players will level up as they progress through the game

Flipline_Matt: Stat-wise it'll be more similar to one of the newer Castlevania games, rather than the WoW or FF systems

Milski: Ah, so that it is possible to win at level 1 with good skills, but levelling up helps

Flipline_Matt: Hehe possibly, still working out the exact leveling system

Milski: Anything in partiuclar you want to mention about the game, because I am about out of questions...

Flipline_Matt: I think we covered most of the basics

Flipline_Tony: I believe so

Milski: Well anyway guys, thanks for the interview and bye!!!

Flipline_Matt: Very cool, thanks!

Flipline_Tony: Long live COCAK!

11 comments:

Focus said...

1. Great interview. I just need some more exciting images.

2. You'll hate me about what I am going to say. Sorry, it's not my intention. But although the long title is no problem, I don't think if the reader wants to know you went to Bioshock and stuff. If it was a single person blog, meh, that could be the reason you didn't post in days. But we are 13 writers and I think people wants to read stuff, no matter who is the writer. Yeah, everyone gets crazy when Greg writes something but he's an exception :P

3. Steal the images!! Lol http://www.kongregate.com/forums/1/topics/3350

4. Webding :P

Milskidasith said...

Well, the title is big... And I know somebody cares I play bioshock! They care enough to read my articles... Or am I just a pawn for COCAK and FRAGM3NT's evil scheme! No... It can't be... no... no! No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM BEING USED!!!!!!! *cuts self*


Ok, JK, but people do care. And it creates suspense for the interview.

Anonymous said...

sounds pretty sweet! is there a planned release date or are they trying to avoid the Kongai march 07 predicament XD?

Focus said...

It's right! We are being used! Everyone leave!! Nao!!

Cocak gets invaded by HTK

Anonymous said...

You forgot the read more link

Anonymous said...

thanks Fragm3nt. I like your blog too. Oceanix from kongregaterunthrough.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Hey, if anyone could answer these questions, that would be greatly appreciated...
The level system is more like Castlevania (on the DS, right?) than it is like WoW, or FF. That is clear.
But what is the fighting system like? Is it like WoW, or is it like Maplestory, or what? If it too is like the Castlevania games, that would be great! And what is the shooting like for the Jetpackers? Do you point and click (while holding shift or something...), does it home in on the target (like MapleStory) or does it shoot straight ahead with the press of a button? And is there an amount of amo that is numbered? Does it reload? And is it like BountyHunter (for the GameCube) where the flamethrower and jetpack share the same, quick reloading, limit?

If someone has this info, respond here, and if I do not respond, could you please email me at: Zeithion@hotmail.com

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Oh yea, one more thing...

Is it free to download?

Anonymous said...

My comments are all about

Remnants of Skystone

If I was unclear about that!

Milskidasith said...

Man... I thought I actually had new comments, but it was one person asking detail questions...

In case you didn't see the last interview I did, specifics are VERY hard to go into for a developer while the game is 6 months from the finished product. The only question I can answer is about the download, because it is browser based. Meaning there IS no download.

I mean, just play the game if you seem that interested, referencing tons of different games asking the person who did the questioning very detail oriented questions really is more of a hassle than a benefit. I mean, I would have to schedule another interview just for that, and I am kind of lazy ATM...

Anonymous said...

Oh, I didn't see that it was browser based. Cool, well thanks for answering that question anyway, but i guess I will just have to wait to find out the rest of the info that I didn't know.