When was Tasman Studios started?
1999.
What are you working on at the moment?
We recently completed the majority of development on Cybots. Since it's on online game there's an ongoing project to add new areas/gear, but the work involved is a lot less than the core development.
The two other main projects currently underway are Realm and an as yet untitled J2ME (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition - Ed) FPS.
What can you tell us about this/these game(s)?
Cybots is a persistent multiplayer web game, which makes it a pretty different type of development (for us anyway). The core of the game engine and tools have recently been completed, so the game is about to go out of beta. Up till now it's been surprisingly successful - the beta has a player base of around 25000. We would expect this figure to triple after the games release. As a game Cybots is pretty compelling; you'd be surprised how many players express shock at devoting hundreds of hours to playing a web game! The game's success however really comes down to us applying large scale design and development resources at a web game; something that hasn't really been done before.
One of the attractive things about Cybots is the "anywhere, anytime" nature of the game. We made sure when designing the game that you could [quit/stop/alt-tab/reboot/get up from cafe stool] at any time without it having a impact on game play. Since Cybots requires no download and runs on just about any browser you can see how gamers can play it from locations normally unsuitable for gaming (work, school etc). I think this is probably the key to Cybots' success; it's the game you can play when you're not playing a game. (Nobody would get my Claytons joke here.)
Current development is concentrating on two main projects: Realm and a J2ME FPS.
Realm is a more traditional PC game but still with an online focus. It's a persistent state RTS played over an extended period. The game is designed to support around 5,000 kingdoms (players) per world, with a typical game being played over a one month period. The interface is a just like any other top-down 3D RTS. At this stage we're keeping a little quiet on the details. We'd prefer to get the game mostly done before talking too much about it.
On the J2ME front we recently completed work on Hyper-Gate, a four-way scrolling shooter for MIDP 1 class phones (Mobile Information Device Profile - Ed.) and we're now working on a raycasting based FPS. It doesn't have a name yet (our first choice was found to be in use). It is scheduled for release in about 8 weeks.
What sets Tasman Studios' games apart from the rest of the games already available on the market?
After working in game development for so long I really subscribe to the "just make a good game" philosophy. Cybots is something pretty out there from a design/platform point of view - there's no way it would ever have been picked up by a traditional publisher. That's not too say I'm against the current game development industry system, just that Tasman is willing to go out on a limb to try developing something new. As long as we keep developing games that are cool and fun I think we'll continue to be successful. Mobile/J2ME and massively-multiplayer persistent strategy are also new areas that excite us a great deal.
What do you think makes a good game?
There's a lot of things involved: experience, persistence, creativity, technical skill... but these are only the foundation. You have to get them right, but in the end they're just the building blocks. If there was a secret ingredient to a great game I think it's the 80/20 rule. 80% of the value in your game, comes in the last 20% of development. Those hundreds of hours of game balancing, graphics tweaking and community development are what turns a bunch of code and media into a fun experience. Our policy at Tasman is to allocate a very large proportion of time to development (usually 50% or more of total budget) to after the game has been completed. This time is not set during development; we wait until the game is pretty much done and then start on the "polish" project. We also don't like to stick to rigid deadlines. I think the "when it's done" attitude is extremely important if you want to create a commercially successful game. Don't be afraid to add a year to your timeframe - any producer reading this would be having a minor fit at reading that.
You currently work on web games and mobile games - do you have any intentions to expand into console or handheld development?
This really comes down to publisher demand. At this stage our development queue is very full on the J2ME front, so there are no immediate plans to develop for the bantam weights. I would imagine though that as we start to develop MIDP 2 games, which are much larger, then porting over to other handhelds will be more viable. Console development is not on the current agenda - though a Realm port may be possible down the track.
What is the biggest problem facing Australian game developers?
The game development community (if you can call it that) is pretty small in Australia. Whilst the AGDC (Australian Game Developer's Conference) is great, it doesn't compare to the likes of E3 and GDC. If you want to develop games you have to handle the added expense (including time) to visit the trade shows, developers and publishers in both the US and Europe. It can be hard to form and maintain relationships with key people at such a distance. The internet makes this easier, but you still have to make a real effort.
On home soil, I really want to applaud the effort and expense the AIE has gone to in running the AGDC. I think it will continue to serve as a rallying point for our industry. Hopefully more developer dedicated resources (like http://www.sumea.com.au) will also appear. I'd also like to see city-based groups start-up. Wouldn't it be great to have a monthly meet up in each capital city to see how we can all help each other out?
What are your feelings on the press coverage that Australian developers receive from the local gaming media?
Actually, it's not too bad. We get some excellent support and all the media are keen to help grow the industry.
What does the future hold for Tasman Studios?
Hopefully we'll keep having just as much fun as we've had in the past.
We'd like to thank Marty and Tasman Studios for taking the time to answer our questions. To see some of Tasman Studios' projects, check out their website at http://www.tasman-studios.com
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