Pixelsocks: Can you describe your game for me?

Justin Whitney

Justin: Dreamside Maroon is a 3D exploration game where the player takes the role of Aster. He is inspired by his first sight of the moon, and wants to get there. To do so, he finds a vine and is able to control its growth. He finds himself exploring this world and enriching it by lighting beacons, collecting fireflies, and ultimately getting to the moon in his very own way.

Pixelsocks: Something that’s noticeable about this game is that motivation is almost entirely player-driven. Why did you set it up that way?

Justin: We experimented a lot with how to do that. We experimented with limitations on vine growth. For example, you could grow to a violet island, and from there you could only grow a certain distance. However, when we had people playtest the game, they enjoyed growing the vine in all sorts of different patterns. There wasn’t really a way to drive them to particular goals without saying “your vine sucks, grow a new one,” and we didn’t want to do that.

Pixelsocks: At the end of the game, the player gets stats on several optional exploration goals. Given the free exploration, why did you feel it was important to provide the player with that feedback?

Justin: It comes at the very end, after all the credits, so we figured that anyone so dedicated would want to know how long their vine was and what exactly was in the game. There are auras and poetry, so if someone wanted to collect the entire poem by collecting all the beacons, the stats could give them that sense of accomplishment. So we do have those incentives, but we feel that the percentage of players who get to that point is fairly low, and most of those will want to know.

Pixelsocks: There’s a mechanic in the game where you jump off your vine and explore by foot, but it seems like anywere you can reach that way can also be reached by vine. Why include the extra features?

Justin: That’s a good question. Our levels were designed to enhance the unique exploration using the vine. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to integrate enough areas that were good on the vine and on foot. It’s something we want to add in the future. Also Matt, who was the artistic director and graphics programmer, was pretty adamant that he wanted the ability to walk on the vine., and I supported that.

Pixelsocks: I assume that you’re close to graduation because your game is done. Do you know the futures for the members of your team?

Justin: Currently Hamza is working at LucasArts, and Matt, Ian, and I are graduating and going our separate ways. We’ve had talks, and I’d never say never, but we don’t have any concrete plans to create Dreamside again. It certainly won’t happen without Hamza; he was an essential part of our team.

Pixelsocks: Has all the GDC exposure taught you anything about your game you didn’t previously know?

Justin: Bugs always pop up, and there are still a few, but I’m sure you’re looking for something more interesting. On the first day, I noticed that the way the colored fireflies get more diverse as you explore the world and collect the beacons adds a lot more than I originally thought. It was a later addition to the game, and adding that expansion to the palette makes Dreamside a bit of a 3D painting game.

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Tags:   Dreamside Maroon · GDC · gdc 2010 · IGF · IGF 2010 · Justin Whitney · Student ShowcaseNo Comments

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