bapenguin
06-23-2006, 04:40 AM
Q&A with Don Wurster from Gastronaut Studios ( http://www.gastronautstudios.com) covering their upcoming Xbox Live Arcade Title, Small Arms. (http://www.smallarmsgame.com)
Editor: Nicholas “bapenguin” Puleo
Nick Puleo: Who are you and what is your position with Gastronaut Studios? What is your previous development experience?
Don Wurster: My name is Don Wurster and I am a co-owner/developer at Gastronaut. Both Jacob (Gastronaut founder) and I come from an Enterprise software background. I came on board full-time immediately following the release of Jacob’s first game ‘Fuzzee Fever’ for the original Xbox LIVE Arcade.
NP: So tell us about Small Arms. From what I've seen it looks sort of like a Smash Brothers Clone… but with multi directional shooting.
DW: Small Arms is equal parts platformer, run-and-gun shooter, and fighting game. The characters use interchangeable ‘gun arms’ and can switch weapons throughout the match. There have been a lot of comparisons to “Smash Bros.” thrown around, but the game actually plays quite differently since the combat consists almost entirely of ranged attacks.
NP: With such a unique sounding title, what is the overall goal of the game? How do things play out?
DW:The single player game flows like a fighting game, there are a progression of battles against computer opponents. The matches start as 1v1 but will progress to fighting multiple enemies later in the game. There are also a handful of little surprises along the way that mix things up a bit.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/smallarms/thumb.ss1.jpg (http://www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/image.php?image=www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/smallarms/ss1.jpg)
NP: Since characters are the central focus, how many characters are there? Will players be able to customize their character?
DW: We are planning to ship with 10-12 characters available in the full game. Additional characters will be available on Marketplace, though no specific customization is available other than the colors of your character’s outfit.
NP: Will there be multiple levels/backdrops?
DW: We are currently planning for 8-10 unique levels in the game, which are available for multiplayer matches after you have reached them in the single player game.
NP: Will there be any unlockables?
DW: There will be a number of unlockable levels and characters. We are also planning to have characters and levels available for download on Marketplace.
NP: What are the max players online?
DW: The game supports up to 4 players in a match. The online experience is very much like playing with friends on the couch. We will be supporting all the niceties of other LIVE enabled titles, such as voice chat, ranked/player matches, and leaderboards.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/smallarms/thumb.ss2.jpg (http://www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/image.php?image=www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/smallarms/ss2.jpg)
NP: What would you say is the game’s most unique feature?
DW:The core gameplay mechanics in ‘Small Arms’ should be very familiar to game players. Shooters, platform games, and fighters have been around for quite a while, but we are mixing them in a new and fun way.
I think the most unique feature is the smooth transition between offline and online play. We have made it very easy to set up both online and offline matches, and the same interface is used for both. You can easily set up a local match with friends on the couch, then switch one of the slots to ‘Online/Public’ and the game automagically transitions to an Online game over Xbox LIVE.
NP: Thank you for your time Don, I’m really looking forward to Small Arms!
Editor: Nicholas “bapenguin” Puleo
Nick Puleo: Who are you and what is your position with Gastronaut Studios? What is your previous development experience?
Don Wurster: My name is Don Wurster and I am a co-owner/developer at Gastronaut. Both Jacob (Gastronaut founder) and I come from an Enterprise software background. I came on board full-time immediately following the release of Jacob’s first game ‘Fuzzee Fever’ for the original Xbox LIVE Arcade.
NP: So tell us about Small Arms. From what I've seen it looks sort of like a Smash Brothers Clone… but with multi directional shooting.
DW: Small Arms is equal parts platformer, run-and-gun shooter, and fighting game. The characters use interchangeable ‘gun arms’ and can switch weapons throughout the match. There have been a lot of comparisons to “Smash Bros.” thrown around, but the game actually plays quite differently since the combat consists almost entirely of ranged attacks.
NP: With such a unique sounding title, what is the overall goal of the game? How do things play out?
DW:The single player game flows like a fighting game, there are a progression of battles against computer opponents. The matches start as 1v1 but will progress to fighting multiple enemies later in the game. There are also a handful of little surprises along the way that mix things up a bit.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/smallarms/thumb.ss1.jpg (http://www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/image.php?image=www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/smallarms/ss1.jpg)
NP: Since characters are the central focus, how many characters are there? Will players be able to customize their character?
DW: We are planning to ship with 10-12 characters available in the full game. Additional characters will be available on Marketplace, though no specific customization is available other than the colors of your character’s outfit.
NP: Will there be multiple levels/backdrops?
DW: We are currently planning for 8-10 unique levels in the game, which are available for multiplayer matches after you have reached them in the single player game.
NP: Will there be any unlockables?
DW: There will be a number of unlockable levels and characters. We are also planning to have characters and levels available for download on Marketplace.
NP: What are the max players online?
DW: The game supports up to 4 players in a match. The online experience is very much like playing with friends on the couch. We will be supporting all the niceties of other LIVE enabled titles, such as voice chat, ranked/player matches, and leaderboards.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/smallarms/thumb.ss2.jpg (http://www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/image.php?image=www.evilavatar.com/images/previews/smallarms/ss2.jpg)
NP: What would you say is the game’s most unique feature?
DW:The core gameplay mechanics in ‘Small Arms’ should be very familiar to game players. Shooters, platform games, and fighters have been around for quite a while, but we are mixing them in a new and fun way.
I think the most unique feature is the smooth transition between offline and online play. We have made it very easy to set up both online and offline matches, and the same interface is used for both. You can easily set up a local match with friends on the couch, then switch one of the slots to ‘Online/Public’ and the game automagically transitions to an Online game over Xbox LIVE.
NP: Thank you for your time Don, I’m really looking forward to Small Arms!