Pixelsocks: Can you describe your game for me?

John Krajewski
Image from IndieGames.com

John: Vessel is a game where you explore a world of liquid characters. The main thing we’re doing in the game is physics: all the fluid is simulated. There are creatures made entirely from that fluid, and it gives them special abilities. They can meld through objects, reform themselves, and all kinds of things.

Pixelsocks: I’m guessing it’s that fluid rendering that landed you the technical nomination. Can you explain why it’s impressive and your plans for it?

John: One cool thing is that it’s original. You see a lot of water in games, but it’s usually just surfaces. We’re simulating the whole body of water. So, as it splashes around, you can see it splashing everywhere. It’s never been done in games, and we think it has a lot of potential.

We’re also making different kinds of fluids. For example, there’s a fluid that glows in the dark. It sticks to walls, so you can use it light a dark cave. Another example we’re considering is two fluids, red and blue, that are harmless alone and explode when combined. So you can do puzzles where you create one red creature and one blue creature that explode when they run into each other. Then you just have to control when they collide.

Pixelsocks: It seems like controlling these creatures would depend on their AI. Are you planning dumb tool-type creatures or smart adversarial ones?

John: I think both. Story-wise, you play Arkwright, who invented the first one of these liquid creatures and called it a Fluro. They’ve been used throughout the world as a source of cheap labor. The story begins as they start to evolve somehow; they start growing eyes and running amok. Your goal is to fix them. So the Fluros were created like machines, but they evolve like organisms. That’s where a lot of the themes come from, and it will have implications for the AI as well.

Pixelsocks: You’ve said elsewhere that Vessel is still early in development. However, can you comment on where the project is and where it’s going?

John: We definitely want it on a console. We’re still working on the art style, and we have some concept art as a target. We also want to increase the fluid we can use. We want it running quickly for epic scenes, like sloshing buckets of acid and that kind of thing.

Pixelsocks: Do you think this game will focus more on action or puzzles?

John: It’ll definitely do both. We want the player to have a lot of ways to manipulate the world. That means six or ten types of fluid and creatures. With combinations, there’s a massive grid of things you can do. So that’s the puzzle aspect: understanding the rules for the fluid and creatures.

Pixelsocks: What’s it like transitioning from AAA to indie?

John: At EA I worked as the AI programmer; it was a tiny narrow band. I really liked it, but now I also do production, design, programming, and tools. Every single thing is my problem, which is much better, actually. You learn so much more and the game is so much more your own.

There’s also the freedom to do something that’s not proven. You can be original and take risks, and I appreciate that. We’re just a studio of two people, so we can switch things around and change our minds. When you have a hundred people and millions of dollars, you really have to know what your plan is. There’s no room for iterating or taking risks.

Pixelsocks: How much of your day would you say this game chews up?

John: I work at least forty hours a week, and usually more than that. So it’s probably more work than I’d do at a regular company. I get home at 10 on a good day, though at least I get to choose my weekends.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tags:   GDC · gdc 2010 · IGF · IGF 2010 · John Krajewski · strange loop games · technical excellence nominee · vesselNo Comments

Trackback to this article.