Exclusive Interview with Creators of Ravensword: the Fallen King

When a short post and correspondingly small sampling of screenshots featuring Crescent Moon Games‘ upcoming 3D action RPG, Ravensword: The Fallen King, popped up on the front page of Touch Arcade two weeks ago, the response was none other than giddy pandemonium. And for good reason. Evidenced by the active comments thread, and now 34-page forum discussion, Ravensword struck a chord with iGamers unsatisfied with the current RPG offerings in the App Store. The spiffy 3Gs-optimized graphics certainly didn’t stifle the buzz either.

Wielding a wobbly mouse and my pet netbook, I quested to see what all the hullabaloo was about. To my dismay, the trusty “Google search” spell turned up nary but a few scraps of knowledge. It was time to get my hands dirty.

This weekend I spoke with Crescent Moon Games’ President and Producer, Josh Presseisen as well as Lead Programmer Russ Menapace (A quick aside: the latter name may sound familiar to some – he goes by Amazing Russ on TA.)  I am happy to report that my conversation with the two yielded more than enough content for a blog post such as this. Ravensword fans, get ready to feast on some exciting new details.

Sam Sles: First things first, who is Crescent Moon Games?

Josh Presseisen: Crescent Moon Games is a loose collaboration of people [...] The lead software engineer is from Human Powered games, and I met him through the Unity Engine forums.

S: So how did Ravensword get started, I read on TA that it was originally a PC title?

J: Yes, originally we started it for PC and it was going to be a multiplayer team based FPS. So we had about 2 years of asset development stored before we started the iPhone version.

S: Why the switch?

J: We ran into alot of technical issues with the PC version, and it was put on hold for almost a year. Then after I got an iPhone, I realized what we could create for that platform. I quickly found a lead programmer, who is sharing 50/50 of the project with me. [...] He’s known as Amazing Russ and he truly is AMAZING.

S: Haha. Speaking of design, you mentioned that it’d be somewhat in the vein of Twilight Princess and Oblivion. How accurate is that comparison?

J: Yes – I would say that is extremely accurate. It’s a mini version of the two games combined.

S: So there are statistics to keep track of?

J: We are going to do a lot more with the expansion pack as far as statistics are concerned. In that respect its more like Zelda. We’re trying to cram as much into this first release as possible, but also want to make the expansion pack worth buying.

S: There is a notable scarcity of action rpgs in the app store, do you think the genre translates well to the iPhone?

J: I’m suprised that there aren’t many action rpg’s. Luckily for us there aren’t! I saw a gap in the market and we hit it at the right time.

S: You’ve been soliciting gameplay ideas in the TA forums. Received any good advice?

J: Yes, we’ve gotten some ideas that we have incorporated. [...] There is horse riding in the game, not expansive, but it’s in there, and its really cool. I’d like it to be in more areas of the game, but for this release it’s limited to an area.

S: To sort of follow up on that, I feel that iPhone devs are taking advantage of these active gaming communities to sort of “socially develop” a game (meaning incorporating consumer ideas). Do you feel that this cheapens the process, or is it a great way to preempt potential criticisms, or…

J: I’d say for us its helpful – because those issues will come up later regardless. We have a vision for the game, but it’s the players that will playing it, and we want THEM to be happy in the end.

S: To switch gears a little bit…can you disclose any of the story? A few lines of teaser, perhaps?

Russ Menapace: “It’s almost as if they’re possesed of a malevolelent intelligence incomprehensible to such as we.”

J: Russ and I cowrote the story of the game. A lot of Russ’s humor comes through in the story.

R: It will make sense someday.

S: As for this expansion pack…will this be the online version?

J: No, the expansion pack is literally an extra set of missions and possibly new characters, more weapons, [areas], etc.

R: We have to make some cash to support that push, first.

J: We want to do a Ravensword Online – and have some great ideas for it, but the expansion pack would be first.

S: So the online version is pending on your success?

J: Success to us is being able to keep doing this, making enough to keep going.

R: Yeah. If I can keep the lights on, I’ll keep going. I’d like to build up a community we can take care of.

S: So it’s probably too soon to speak on the online component?

R: Yeah. I can say we’d start with co-op, though. PVP is hard to get right.

S: What do you anticipate the initial game length to be?

J: We still don’t know yet, officially. I gave a rough estimate – originally to TA.I think it was 3-6 hours. The main story line is in that range. The expansion pack will be all about more missions that happen after Ravensword ends.

S: Finally…any idea on the initial price point?

J: I’m pretty sure that it will not exceed $7.

R: Yeah, will be dependent on how it comes out. I don’t want people feeling ripped off.

S: thanks for speaking with me guys.

J: Thanks Sam.

R: Yeah, nice chatting with you. I’m going back to code land.

Ravensword is tentatively slated for a mid-september app store submission. Crescent Moon Games is currently in talks with a publisher to partner with, but they could not provide any specifics at the time of interview.

Josh and Russ were also keen to point out that Ravensword will run smoothly on ALL iDevice generations, making use of an adaptive detail system and optimization controls in the settings menu. Of course, the title will be considerably more appealing on a 3Gs, but it’s nice to know that early adopters can hitch a ride on the Ravensword horse wagon.

Though Crescent Moon Games should be applauded for pioneering the 3d action RPG genre in the App Store, Gameloft’s recently-announced Dungeon Hunter, looks to steal some of their thunder. Still, it pays to support indie developers, especially those as courteous and willing to incorporate fan ideas as CSM. As most of us iGamers know, Gameloft’s updates are few and far between.

To learn more about Ravensword and Crescent Moon Games, visit their website at www.crescentmoongames.com. Assuming I haven’t been banned by now, you can join others in a full-blown Ravensword discussion on Touch Arcade.

Special Thanks to Josh Presseisen and Russ Menapace for their time. Please note that the interview has been edited for brevity and organization.

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Plushed Gameplay Footage is Tantalizing

I deemed Blacksmithgames‘ neat-looking platformer Plushed worthy of salivation a few weeks ago, and I still stand confidently behind my words. They’ve just released some gameplay footage (see below) and for the most part it looks fantastic. The character animations are among the most detailed and unique to hit the device, and the haunting score is no less other-worldly.

My one apprehension, which seems to be shared by others on Touch Arcade, is the slowish-looking player movement. Hopefully this can be remedied before the developer’s planned October release. And just to remind folks, follow Blacksmithgame’s twitter account to lower the launch price. Sweet beans.

Gameplay Footage:

Gameloft Drops Yet Another iPhone Adaptation

Mobile gaming titan Gameloft has just announced two new iPhone releases, a full-featured football title, NFL 2010 and an impressive-looking FPS called Modern Combat: Sandstorm. Both releases draw immediate comparison to existing console titles: Electronic Art’s Madden series and Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare franchise respectively. This should come as no surprise to followers of the production outfit, however. The majority of Gameloft’s titles seem to be modeled after established heavyweights. Have you, for instance, taken a gander at Gangstar: West Coast Hustle? Everything from the character models to the player interface smacks egregiously of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The question remains though, whether Gameloft’s unabashed biting is a actually a bad thing. A certain faction of iGamers contend that Gameloft is filling a void that these console heavyweights have glossed over.  From Touch Arcade’s Modern Combat comment thread:

August 4, 2009 at 1:31 pm arn says:  “it’s their business model. I don’t see a problem with it. If these major franchises want to port over to the iPhone, then I’m sure people will be happy to buy them. In the meanwhile, Gameloft does a pretty good job.”

Arn makes a valid point, though I’m sure some of the developer’s whose ideas are serving as inspiration for Gameloft’s titles aren’t so forgiving – if they’re even aware of the practice, that is.

On the other hand are those sided against Gameloft, posing the question, if they truly are the eminent iDevice game developer, why can’t they come up with ideas of their own? Also from TA:

August 4, 2009 at 1:01 pm MrCompleteyl says:  “They should change their name from Gameloft to Knockoffloft, all they do is take popular games and make generic versions of them. Modern Combat? Seriously? Trying to bank that consumers will confuse it with Modern Warfare?…”

Alright, so this post has a bit more depth than your average quick fix entry, but I’m inclined to agree with the hater camp. Believe me, I understand Gameloft’s business model – it’s certainly less financially risky to put out re-hashed classics with built-in fanbases. But this platform should warrant innovation, both in story and gameplay mechanics. Rolando, I’m winking in your direction.

Still, I can’t deny the appeal of their games. And I applaud Castle of Magic as an original, albeit trademark title. Also the  trailer for Modern Combat makes me smile. Go figure.