Review Fix chats with Dave Sullivan, the sole developer and creator of Starship Assassin who breaks down the game’s development and goals for the future.
For More On The Game, Click Here.
Review Fix: How was the game born?
Dave Sullivan: I started off knowing I wanted to make a multiplayer game with a sci-fi setting and low poly graphics; kind of a 90s throwback on modern hardware. It started off as a much more complex game focused on trading and crewing ships. Alpha testers hated it though. So by the end of development it had turned into a competitive arena shooter, sort of a low poly Overwatch.
Review Fix: What was development like?
Sullivan: Very cyclical. I started with a basic idea and thought, “How can I build this quickly and show it to people?†So I’d build something basic to demo the features, then I’d show the game to people and they’d say, “Oh, I like this but I hate this.†So I go back to the drawing board, strip out some stuff, add in some new stuff, fix some bugs, then show it to some new testers. Rinse and repeat every few weeks until people like your game.
Review Fix: What games did you play as a kid? How did they inspire this one?
Sullivan: Some standouts: Duke Nukem 3D, Marathon, Quake, Civ II, MOOII, everything Lucas Arts made, Unreal Tournament, Counterstrike, and others. The basic concepts and graphics are inspired by my nostalgia for the days of dial up and Y2K, but a lot of the game mechanics are inspired by modern games like Overwatch or Dark Souls.
Review Fix: The game has a cool art style. How did you decide on going in that direction?
Sullivan: Thanks! Low poly art is something I’d come across before, and I really liked the aesthetic; it’s almost like abstract art. So I knew I wanted to play with that. The rest of the look is color grading (high contrast, slight blue tint) and post processing (distance blur, film grain). Kind of a marriage of modeling techniques from the 90s and modern rendering capabilities.
Review Fix: With so much competition on Steam, how hard was it for you guys to make something that stood out?
Sullivan: Actually, I found something interesting. For a game to be good, it has to be a bit familiar and a bit different. Players have to feel like this is unique, but there needs to be some frame of reference for them to be like, “Oh, it’s this type of game.†So I started with something that stood out even more – but then I walked it back until it felt more conventional, until game testers would say, “Ah, I get itâ€. So to stand out, take existing game mechanics (in this case, MOBA-likes) and take a new approach (low poly, sci-fi, somewhat different rules).
Review Fix: What are your goals for this game?
Sullivan: I’d like to prove that big studios aren’t the only ones that can make great online games.
Review Fix: Why should someone play it?
Sullivan: It’s fun! It’s strategic without being complicated and easy to jump into without being mindless.
Review Fix: How do you want the game to be remembered?
Sullivan: Graphics you’ll love or hate; super fun and strangely addictive.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Sullivan: Things are really just getting started. The beta will go for a month and will be a good chance to try the game. After the beta, it will become a paid early access title. The paid version will include more characters, more maps, and more items. From there I’ll keep adding to the game and trying to find new ways to make it better. It may take a while for the game to be “finishedâ€, so I’m kind of preparing for that.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Sullivan: If anyone wants to talk to me directly and hear the latest developments about the game, come hang out in our Discord channel.
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