Review Fix chats with “Fractal Evolution†developer Brandon Holt, who discusses the origin of the game and what the development process has been like thus far.
About Fractal Evolution:
Fractal Evolution is a universe simulation game where you breed geometric fractals to build a civilization. Study the creatures’ evolution patterns over time to learn how to genetically engineer their appearance and behavior. In the game there are two simple mathematical laws: one controls physics, and the other biology. The goal of the game is to evolve a colony that displays emergent patterns of behavior that resemble a living organism.
Review Fix: How did you get from hockey to here?
Brandon Holt: Fractal Evolution is a far jump from Canvas Hockey (link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1351400/Canvas_Hockey/), but it was actually inspired by a book I read recently, The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin. In the book, there is this video game that simulates a world living in a solar system with three suns, which creates extreme cold and hot seasons, killing off civilization. Players joining the game were tasked with the collective goal of solving this three body problem to help save the civilization. I was really inspired by the idea of crowd-sourcing “player power†to solve a problem, and that’s what I tried to capture in Fractal Evolution.
Review Fix: What has development been like?
Holt: Development has been extremely quick so far. I just mocked up a prototype a couple weeks ago, and I already have a product in beta. This is mostly thanks to the fact that almost no assets are needed for the game, as its all 2D polygons. All of my efforts have been spent on building a self-consistent physics and biology system for the game, and making sure it runs well on all types of devices. Since these creatures behavior is very similar to that of viruses and bacteria, there population numbers can get big fast, which puts a big burden on the CPU. I had to make sure the game can keep these numbers in check when the CPU burden becomes too high, giving every player an enjoyable experience.
Review Fix: What makes this game special?
Holt: The idea that every player is running a simulation when they play the game. I think that’s so cool. If the game runs with enough people, it’s almost like we are running a giant scientific experiment, where we are asking the question: Can these two simple laws create interesting or useful emergent behavior that is striking to a human?
Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?
Holt: On a personal level, some core elements were inspired by Fish Tycoon and Pocket God. Both phone games from pre-2010, which I played a lot in middle school. Fish Tycoon because of the idea that you are caring for a bunch of creatures in the game and breeding them to make rare forms. Pocket God for the idea that you are manipulating a little world, sort of like a God.
Review Fix: What were the major lessons learned?
Holt: The biggest lesson was the power of quick prototyping and early beta access. I’ve already learned a lot in little time because of this.
Review Fix: How have your previous experiences in the industry helped this game?
Holt: I would say technical skills would be the main area here. Without my previous experience, I don’t think I could get the simulation running at the scale it does without all the little optimization tricks I’ve learned so far.
Review Fix: How do you want this game to ultimately be remembered?
Holt: I’d like this game to be remembered as a big experiment. Hopefully we can get an interesting or unique result, but if not, I’d still like it to be a fun game to play every now and again.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Holt: We are currently in beta testing now, so I’m just working on listening the player feedback. The game will definitely release on iOS and Android, and depending on the player opinions, also on Steam. If it doesn’t come out on Steam, I’ll definitely put up a browser-version on my website.
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