Symphony of Warfare: The Nephilim Saga is a retro-inspired technique RPG obtained a shock launch on June 10, 2022, for PC on Steam. We interview one of many builders of the sport, Phil Hamilton, of Dancing Dragon Video games in regards to the sport’s inspirations, gameplay mechanics, and future. This interview is a transcription of a reside recording, with some edits for conciseness; the total audio is obtainable on the backside of this text.
Johnathan Stringer (RPGamer): Good day, that is Johnathan Stringer from RPGamer.com and I’m interviewing Dancing Dragon Video games developer Phil Hamilton, who has only recently launched Symphony of Warfare: The Nephilim Saga. How are you doing right now, Phil?
Phil Hamilton (Co-Founder, Dancing Dragon Video games): Good, how are you?
JS: I’m doing nice. I’ve been taking part in his new sport after seeing suggestions on social media. It seemed prefer it’s proper up my alley, so I jumped in, and have actually been having fun with it to date. I haven’t fairly crushed it but, however I’m in all probability midway or somewhat over midway via. I wish to toss it over to you to offer us an outline and outline of the sport out of your perspective.
PH: My associate and I’ve been making video games for twelve years on the facet. That is the primary sport the place we’ve absolutely devoted our lives. I really resigned from my job and simply fully threw myself into this one. We began making an engine for a method RPG sport principally in RPG Maker, and folks’s jaws hit the ground once they hear RPG Maker, however it’s achieved after six years.
It took some time, and there’s little or no RPG Maker left within the sport. You may barely discover that it was made within the engine as a result of it’s all simply been lined up by this tradition engine that we’ve bought now. It’s impressed by the greats; if I may title a couple of, we’ve bought Ogre Battle as a extremely, actually huge one. Individuals are instantly clinging to as “oh, the devs in all probability like this sport.” And sure, responsible as charged. We’ve bought Soul Nomad and Vestaria Saga. We’ve bought Advance Wars in there. We’ve bought Heroes of Would possibly and Magic in there and, , a really, very talked-about SRPG collection that begins with F that everyone knows what that’s.
So, it ended up changing into sort of its personal factor. I title all these video games, however I believe lots of people have really realized that this isn’t an Ogre Battle clone, it’s simply Symphony of Warfare. It’s only a new factor, and the reception has been insane. it’s been actually, actually cool, so we positively know now we are able to proceed on and make extra, and make it a complete collection so… that’d be nice, yeah?
JS: I’ve been taking part in it, and I positively see the Ogre Battle connections there, clearly with the battles and the way in which that’s achieved. However, to me, such as you mentioned a collection that begins with “F”; it actually feels most much like a Hearth Emblem sport in most features, at the least from my perspective.
PH: Yeah, relying on the individual you ask, you get that, you get Ogre Battle, typically you get Soul Nomad.
JS: Apart from your self, are you able to give us an outline of the event staff and who did what to make this sport?
PH: Yeah, the idea was largely my imaginative and prescient, put to life by my associate Mithran. I actually name it not mine or his, however we got here up with it. It couldn’t occur with out him. However I did the story. I did the music. I did the extent design, principally a number of design choices and all that stuff. And my programmer did the programming, the engine stage stuff, just like the underneath the hood stuff, proper?
I suppose largely after the story was written, the cutscenes had been made, the degrees had been made, the music was written, and all of the artwork was made, I principally then functioned as a mission supervisor. I used to be interfacing with contractors, largely artwork contractors, as a result of I can edit stuff fairly good and particularly as a result of I’ve to resize issues and edit issues to have them match into the sport as sport property. However unique artwork is a talent that neither of us actually have by way of a extremely refined skilled talent. So, we employed out for that.
I handle these relationships, I handle the enterprise, and the connection with our writer Freedom Video games and all that stuff.
JS: So it’s largely a two-man present then?
PH: Yeah, apart from hiring out for sprites, portraits, and somewhat little bit of voice appearing, it’s virtually completely simply myself and him.
JS: Wow, so I suppose that’s why it took six years. That’s a ton of labor because it looks as if a really giant wealthy sport with a number of textual content.
PH: Yeah, we’re really engaged on translating it now, probably, however there’s a number of textual content in it so, that that turns into a monumental problem.
JS: What languages are you planning to translate it to?
PH: Effectively, I can’t make guarantees but, however the plan is French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese language. These plus English when all is claimed and achieved. I hope we are able to succeed on this this effort, however we don’t know but.
JS: So, you wrote the story, and in addition to the inspirations we talked about already in Ogre Battle, Hearth Emblem, and Soul Nomad, are there every other inspirations or concepts for the story, setting, and the plot?
PH: Yeah, I’m going to level to Hearth Emblem: Family tree of the Holy Warfare. In case you’ve performed Symphony of Warfare, you positively see that is as Family tree of the Holy Warfare. You see somewhat bit from different entries, however you know the way in Family tree you may have the holy blood, holy crusaders, and you’ve got totally different generations and this sort of historical lore that’s tied on to these holy crusaders? That’s sort of the linchpin for the entire story, as it’s simply dangerous guys messing round with these bloodlines principally. And it isn’t like bloodlines as a lot as it’s only a sort of a divine metaphysical facet of the characters.
The plot could be very comparable. It’s a political wrestle largely enhanced and within the backdrop of that sort of divine wrestle between a god-like evil and a god-like good. For a lot of the sport, although, it’s largely only a conflict sport. You’re preventing a riot, then you definitely’re preventing in a civil conflict, then you’re a riot for somewhat bit, then you definitely turn out to be an enormous military and also you turn out to be the large boy across the block.
JS: The story is fairly participating to date, and I’m liking it. I don’t wish to spoil something although, for individuals who’ve but to test it out. You mentioned six years of improvement time, what had been a number of the greatest challenges you confronted and overcame?
PH: I believe the problem was simply how lengthy it took for the engine to really get achieved. , to jot down the script, and to make the cutscenes, and to jot down the music… principally all the things I needed to do, it in all probability solely took about two years. However the remainder of the engine was a bigger endeavor, to say the least. So, what occurred in these additional time in between was revision, after revision, after revision. So, this sport fortunately benefited from much more time.
I believe it normally is sweet for issues just like the writing, and the character improvement, and stage design. The extent design bought numerous revisions in that point. And, , writing, simply let me simply put it on the market, that I’m engaged on that talent. I’ve turn out to be lots higher on this sport, and so I believe within the subsequent sport you’ll see a giant enchancment there. That hasn’t been my focus earlier than this sport actually. I largely make a plot simply to be an excuse for the sport to occur, after which the gameplay is the meat the place the rubber hits the highway.
Now maintaining that in thoughts, the extent design has positively been a spotlight, and so I used to be capable of actually put tons and tons of my finest inventive vitality into the extent design half. So hopefully that comes throughout within the gameplay finish.
JS: I see that, and I believe it has come throughout. It appears to be like like a number of care has been given to it and I’d say the writing has been stable to date. Particularly when in comparison with a number of this sport’s inspirations and 90s Japanese RPG tales. I believe this story has depth to it. I’d say there are occasions it’s possibly hit and miss, and such as you mentioned, it’s you studying methods to be a author. However general, I really feel it’s very stable.
Most likely the one factor that, for those who don’t thoughts a critique as a part of this interview, could be the connection tales. Whereas a few of them are good, they appear somewhat disjointed typically from the principle story. Perhaps it’s simply the character of these issues that it’s exhausting to tie them in, however apart from that, I believe it’s an excellent job to date.
PH: Proper, and I don’t disagree with that in any respect. I believe one of many challenges of getting this actually open-ended relationship system with a linear story is I needed to sort of… so that you see, right here you may have an outdated dialog function, after which there’s some occasions within the story which really stop the bond from taking place due to story occasions. So that may be a problem to juggle that, however I believe what we wished to do is sacrifice somewhat little bit of story, immersion, and suspension of disbelief to offer the participant the final word flexibility in who they pair off with. However yeah, I’d agree with that.
JS: I suppose spoiler alert, there are potential romances within the sport. Although I’m probably not positive how a number of the bonds occurred. As a result of I used to be simply taking part in alongside, I learn the convos, after every battle once they come up, after which instantly I had a romance and I’m with this individual, and I didn’t even know the way it occurred.
PH: So Hearth Emblem has, I believe, educated a number of SRPG gamers that you just sort of must grind, like affinity, and there’s nothing like that on this sport. We actually give attention to eradicating issues that aren’t enjoyable, and I all the time thought that was not very enjoyable. And so, it’s very, quite simple on this sport. It’s simply story progress and progressing via the conversations. That’s actually it.
JS: So how would you choose which individual you romance? Do you must be nearer to them in battle, or simply occur to click on on their tales?
PH: No, it’s actually simply story progress after which undergo the conversations. You get to Chapter 6, after which this dialog opens up, after which the circumstances for the bond is finally get to Chapter 18 or no matter, and then you definitely’ve watched this dialog. That’s actually it. And when you bond off, then these two characters are excluded from anyone else for the remainder of the sport.
JS: I wish to bounce again over to the gameplay. You mentioned a number of consideration has been put there and the fight. To me, what all the time appears one of the difficult issues to do within the sport is AI. So how a lot effort was put into there and the way powerful was it to get the enemy AI excellent?
PH: Yeah, the AI was sort of the frosting on the cake. It was the one of many final options that we had going pre-launch. And it’s nonetheless on our highway map to refine the AI. They nonetheless do a few bizarre issues, like select odd assault sorts and all that. However I really suppose that AI went swimmingly nicely. We created a tough draft, after which we went into early beta testing, and gamers preferred the tough draft lots. So, we sort of went with the tough draft and continued to iterate on it. We did make a number of enhancements to it earlier than the tip of the closed beta. So these did make it into the total launch, however yeah, an vital level that the highway map is constant AI refinement, in order that it will get smarter and the sport will get somewhat more durable.
JS: Effectively you may have the risk mechanic which is meant to assist resolve, if the AI have a number of targets, which of your troops the enemy will assault, right?
PH: So that’s really one thing you’ll be able to predict, virtually with absolute certainty, primarily based on the risk score of a squad. If the enemy can go for the bottom risk, it would. It’s principally a measure of how scary the squad is to different folks. Am I going to go assault this 20,000 risk score versus this 5,000? Yeah, in fact I’m going to go to the one with 5,000. So that’s an absolute predictor presently.
JS: Does your risk decrease if one of many items in your social gathering dies?
PH: Yeah, it adjusts. And there’s an merchandise referred to as the Noisy Cricket, which adjusts down the risk score artificially in a sort of hidden manner so {that a} actually excessive risk squad has the potential to draw extra assaults than it usually would have.
JS: I may inform if certainly one of my items begins to get beat up somewhat bit they simply swarm them, the enemy swarms them and kills them off.
PH: Oh yeah! They’re already fairly merciless, and on more durable difficulties we plan to make them far more merciless. They’re going to really make sacrifices simply to go after a squad with extra healers, for instance. They’re going to be actually imply and actually intelligent.
JS: One factor I wish to speak about with the Ogre Battle references. I’m an enormous Ogre Battle fan, Ways Ogre and Ogre Battle 64…
PH: Proper on!
JS: The fight, for these of you could not know, as a substitute of simply having one character be a squad, you principally have the character as a frontrunner and then you definitely fill in that group with as much as eight different items. The squad can broaden greater if that chief has the next management score, and in case your items have the next loyalty, then their management prices can be much less. So I actually like which you can you’ll be able to develop your staff with rising management. I believe that’s a extremely cool mechanic and is one thing new, a brand new wrinkle added.
However the factor I wished to ask is in regards to the positioning within the three rows. Why are there no totally different assaults for lessons within the totally different rows?
PH: Effectively, after we designed this technique, one of many foundational pillars of the design, was that we all know that we have now squads, and so we additionally know that there’s going to be a number of micromanagement. So, what we did was we made each character class — and there’s a complete lot of character lessons — do one factor, and on very uncommon events they do two issues. Like you may have a valkyrie or a paladin who can heal if any individual is under 50% HP, in any other case they’ll assault. You have got a samurai who has a bow, so for those who’re from vary he makes use of the bow and for those who’re up shut he makes use of his spear. However the overwhelming majority of the lessons simply do one factor, and so we strictly stored to that design precept of it doesn’t matter what you do with this class, regardless of the place they’re, they may simply try this one factor.
After which the opposite a part of why we did that… As a result of, , Ogre Battle has these positional adjustments, however a piece in progress is we have now aggressive, cautious, goal chief, and pressure give up techniques that you should use. Presently, apart from forcing a give up as it really works simply superb, the opposite ones are simply stats adjustments. We wish to change that completely in order that they’re not stat adjustments in any respect. Effectively, in all probability we’ll hold some, however they may change what sort of assault everybody does. So, a healer won’t heal, and may really try to inflict a standing debuff for those who’re doing a really aggressive maneuver. Cautious may make it in order that your heavy infantry solely assault as soon as, however then they’ve a giant injury mitigation in that alternate for instance. So that may be a main function plan for the long run, due to this fact, we didn’t wish to add one more layer of positional primarily based assaults onto that. We thought that will be too complicated, too micromanagey, understanding that the techniques finally will change these.
JS: One facet of it’s I can defend a unit if I transfer them again, however then they lose an assault. It’s sort of a threat/reward factor to maneuver them round in your group. However for essentially the most half, proper now, positioning is simply extra of who’s shielded from melee assaults, proper?
PH: Proper, and there’s a pair different issues there, like if you’re going up in opposition to a number of fireplace mages, you’ll be able to assemble your self in a skinny line. As a result of they sideswipe assault there, and in case you have your guys organized in a pleasant, neat row for them to burn down, proper? So, you’ll be able to take a look at the map beforehand and see, oh, there’s a bunch of fireplace mages right here, so as a substitute of being a large three columns, I’ll be two columns. In order that manner these fireplace abilities solely hit two at a time or separately, proper?
JS: Proper. So, most items get 2 rounds of assaults, proper? I believe the gunners initially solely get one, until you spec him out to get one other. Is there any consideration with a few of these improve lessons to, à la Ogre Battle, get three assaults as a substitute of two, or get one group broad assault upgrades like that?
PH: Yeah, in order that’s one other function of the Ogre Battle collection that we’re conscious of, that we actually didn’t wish to embrace as a result of we have now the morale function. Which as you’ve in all probability skilled already, when it’s somewhat bit excessive, or very excessive, you may have an elevated likelihood of additional assaults. We didn’t wish to then trivialize that function by simply giving a complete bunch of additional assaults to a category.
JS: Do you get the additional assaults in case your morale is simply excessive, or do you get them in case your morale is greater than the enemy?
PH: You get them if it’s excessive. It doesn’t contemplate the distinction and the enemy additionally has an opportunity for prime morale additional assaults.
JS: Fascinating. One other factor I seen is in the way in which you may have fight not achieved by an initiative or a velocity score. It’s extra Hearth Emblem; your facet will get to go, their facet will get to go, in that regard.
PH: Proper.
JS: But additionally, even in battle, the attacker all the time assaults first, so it’s sort of an attacker’s benefit I’ve seen. In Ogre Battle, it appears like until you simply have a superpower squad, squads should battle one another a number of occasions earlier than you actually begin killing one another. In Symphony of Warfare, it feels extra like Hearth Emblem the place you assault them, you do a number of injury, and you may simply wipe their squad/unit out in a single assault or two assaults, possibly three at most. Fill us in on that design choice and a number of the ideas you had behind it.
PH: We’re in all probability going to proceed to do steadiness patches that deal with the supposed quantity of exchanges that we wish gamers to do. That mentioned, with the Steam evaluation score the way in which it’s, we’re very cautious to mess with it. I imply, we actually don’t wish to… … the folks have spoken. The key sauce is in, proper? So, if we alter it. They could go, this sport was good, now it’s not, so thumbs down, proper? However I believe there may be positively an ongoing precedent for us having a look at what number of volleys it takes for that fight to resolve, understanding that there’s such a heavy benefit to whoever section it’s. You will discover that for those who don’t correctly put together for the enemy section, and on greater problem ranges with permadeath on, I’ve gotten myself into conditions the place like oh, by no means thoughts, I simply misplaced half my guys.
JS: Oh, it’s positively simple to lose your guys in that regard, that’s true. Particularly while you’re preventing cannons and gunners.
PH: Yeah, yeah, particularly firearms troops which have the initiative, simply don’t be on the flawed facet of these ever and also you’re superb.
JS: I suppose I didn’t imply that to sound as a criticism in any respect, however extra of what was the thought course of within the design choice?
PH: I believe the thought course of was, and no I didn’t take it as a criticism, that’s sort of one of many elementary core loops of Hearth Emblem that we didn’t intentionally take away. And in Ogre Battle, you may have the agility stat which does combine up who will get to go first. On this sport, we didn’t have that.
We now have what’s principally a volley-based system. So you may have your archers and mages go first, after which your melee goes. Yeah, it’s simply sort of the way in which it turned out, and I believe sooner or later gamers ought to attempt to anticipate we’ll probably rein in a few of these, actually highly effective offensive techniques that the participant can do in the event that they mass a certain quantity of items. Which, proper now, appears to be like to be dragons and mages that simply get dangerous in case you have two to a few in a squad. They’re exhausting to get. They’re costly late sport items with uncommon sources which are required, however when you do get three of them in a single squad, they simply steamroll stuff actually exhausting. And the enemy additionally has some squads which have three mages and three dragons in them too, and they’re actually powerful to take down. I believe sooner or later it’s in all probability that we are going to rein in a few of these tremendous overpowered mass techniques, and/or improve the max HP of enemies on greater difficulties. Simply in order that it’s somewhat bit tougher to alpha strike your technique to victory each single time.
JS: Yeah, I’ve some mages in my events and while you improve them, they’re very satisfying to make use of. So, my ice mage simply goes and blasts folks, and the animations that come up are fairly cool. I bought a kick out of the primary time that occurred and simply that one mage decimates teams typically by itself.
PH: I believe a few of my favourite animations are the mages, particularly the hearth mage and the way he does that swipe after which the wall of fireplace goes throughout. I get to brag somewhat bit about that as a result of I didn’t do it. That was a particularly gifted sprite artist that made that.
JS: I noticed some discuss within the Discord right now in your dev-blog that there’s been criticism of the portraits. And if we’re speaking about artwork and such, I do just like the sprite work, it’s actually good. One of many issues I actually love, and it sort of jogs my memory of Ways Ogre and Remaining Fantasy Ways, are a number of the background artwork. I believe there’s one in like an inn possibly or round a bar. I like a few of these background still-art items, and the sprite work, however are you able to touch upon a number of the artwork course adjustments you had been speaking about within the dev-blog?
PH: Effectively, so the portraits… have you ever’ve heard of Legends of Runeterra? And I’m positive you’ve heard of League of Legends. So, the man who did the portraits really does splash screens for these video games, however he did them six years in the past earlier than he began engaged on these video games. And so, there may be, I believe, a talent hole between then and now. That’s why he finally simply stopped working for me as a contractor, as a result of he bought these jobs. However, I believe there may be sort of an inconsistency. I believe the feminine heroine sprite is an instance of 1 that appears nice. I like how that one appears to be like, after which you may have some others that aren’t fairly as high quality as her. So, that’s my private greatest gripe with how our portraits at the moment are, it’s simply the inconsistency.
Some people are saying that it’s a stylistic conflict. I’ll admit that may get a tad… nicely, it’s a portrait suite, what number of video games fully exchange their portraits, proper? It’s fairly an costly and time-consuming endeavor. Largely time consuming at this level, as a result of it might take three to 6 months at the least, to get that type of job achieved. So, it’s largely consideration for the long run, and looking out on the several types of artwork types. Like these portraits are painterly. They’re not line-art, they’re not cel-shaded, they’re simply… you’re taking a extremely, actually, high-resolution painterly base, which is 5,000 pixels tall, and then you definitely interpolate it all the way down to squeeze it into the sport. I believe a number of the unique high quality sort of will get misplaced. Whereas, for those who go along with a line-art fashion, or a cel-shaded fashion, then it appears to be like extra video gamey. I believe that’s the phrase I wish to go along with as a result of folks name it pixelated. Effectively, you don’t actually need it to be pixelated or sharp, nicely typically sharp is just not good. So what we’re searching for is video gamey!
An instance is Hearth Emblem: Path of Radiance. It has very a lot a line-art fashion. It’s not anime, it’s simply the Hearth Emblem fashion. Cartoony, I believe, could be one other good descriptor of that. And that will far more carefully match the fashion of the animated sprites. No one doesn’t like these, everyone seems to be gaga over these.
JS: They’re good, and I’d say from my perspective I don’t suppose the portraits are dangerous on their very own by any means. It’s simply I can see the place it does really feel like somewhat little bit of a conflict typically. Or so at first it extra catches you off guard, however now that I’ve been taking part in the sport, I don’t even actually discover it anymore. So, I believe possibly it’s simply extra of a primary impression.
PH: Lots of people have mentioned the identical factor. They’re used to it. So now I’m like, hey, if we’re going to be trying right here, if we discovered that good artist who can do these line-art portraits and say we really redid those from this sport, I believe at this level it’s too late. I believe folks would really be like “Oh no, we preferred the previous ones.”
JS: One different factor I used to be going to ask that I haven’t seen a lot of but. Do you may have any plans, possibly for this one or the long run, possibly I’m lacking it, however are there any secrets and techniques or unlockable sort issues to search out?
PH: Effectively, so the distinctive mercenaries are sort of a Pokémon “Gotta catch’ em all” scenario. There’s a complete bunch of them in there and you may probably not discover all of them in a single run. So, that’s somewhat little bit of RNG-based “what am I going to get?” There are two totally different endings, with a complete bunch of various outcomes primarily based on the way you paired off your characters. So, there’s somewhat bit extra of these sort of discoverables. By way of like secret lessons? Not likely. I imply, there’s unlockables just like the firearms tree and the dragon rider tree, that are explicitly advised to you within the tech tree. Not within the conventional sense, by way of secrets and techniques, however it’s actually extra only a big quantity of stuff which you can get that you just gained’t essentially get in each play. Some people may name it a crapshoot. I prefer to name it simply extra of a enjoyable playing facet. Such as you’ll get Cloudrender Athelis, which is among the finest distinctive mercenaries, in Mission 6, and he’s a silver dragon rider with loopy excessive stats. So he’ll fully change the sport for you for a lot of, many missions, or typically you’ll by no means see him.
JS: Nope, I by no means noticed him and didn’t get him in my playthrough.
PH: Very uncommon, very uncommon.
JS: So, no Ogre Battle treasure “discover out,” huh?
PH: Identical to those that don’t even present up on the map? No, nothing like that. You may see all of them.
JS: You talked about earlier the reception has been nice. I believe as of right now it has “Overwhelmingly Optimistic” critiques on Steam with 1,300 critiques. How has the reception general been for you? And, clearly no must expose gross sales numbers, however has it met expectations, far exceeded, or possibly you hoped it was higher? What’s your feeling proper now?
PH: Exceeded expectations for positive. The Steam critiques… so my different sport, that did considerably nicely, is named Skyborn. It’s a JRPG from again in manner historical historical past. In 2012 we put it on Steam. It Nonetheless has about 500 critiques at round 88 to 90% constructive. So, a small hit, however not a success like this. I’m completely shocked on the reception that this sport has bought. Realizing now that there’s so many individuals that had been simply ravenous for Ogre Battle-fashion, squad-based auto-battler core loop. I suppose there was only a starved market. If you consider it, there actually hasn’t been an excessive amount of huge improvement studio love given to this style in any respect. And even taking a look at Hearth Emblem, regardless that that is I believe farther from Hearth Emblem than it’s near Ogre Battle, is sort of getting away from what I contemplate peak Hearth Emblem. My favourite Hearth Emblem entries are somewhat bit previously… Awakening, Path of Radiance, Radiant Daybreak, and Family tree. After all, that’s very historical Hearth Emblem, however Three Homes didn’t actually resonate with me.
I suppose simply this entire factor has been not uncared for completely, however definitely not given sufficient love by established studios, and so we sort of slid into that area of interest at simply the fitting time. And we’re tremendous stoked and positively going to embrace that. I would like folks to know that due to the reception, due to your help, we’re going to do much more enhancements to Symphony of Warfare than we had initially deliberate. We’re going to proceed to do what we initially deliberate, however we’re going so as to add some extra campaigns, like DLC campaigns, sooner or later. Recreation modes are coming, like post-game and new sport plus sort stuff. We don’t know precisely how we’re going to try this. That’s going to be simply a part of the free common patch updates, content material updates. However entire new campaigns, like a completely totally different essential story, which is clearly a a lot greater endeavor. I didn’t plan on doing a kind of, however I positively am now. I believe it’s simply very acceptable, so that will be my alternative to thank the group. Clearly, it’s due to you, and due to your help, that we are able to make Symphony of Warfare a sturdy ongoing collection.
JS: I suppose you’re sort of on a developer excessive proper? You created this factor after years and folks prefer it. There’s not far more rewarding than that, huh?
PH: Completely! You don’t go into indie sport improvement considering you’re going to make a complete bunch of cash. Perhaps there’s a sport that you just want any individual else had made they usually simply didn’t get made, ever. And so, you’re like, screw it, I’ll make it, and that’s really one of many causes behind this sport. It doesn’t exist, so let’s simply make it. And yeah, getting folks saying that this scratches an itch they haven’t had, and didn’t even know that they had. Or “I haven’t had an Ogre Battle sort expertise for years, thanks. Lastly, you made this.” That’s so rewarding. That’s big. I may go on ceaselessly about simply that, listening to the impression on folks, however I’ll cease myself.
JS: I’ve seen you very a lot engaged locally Discord with all of the followers which have jumped on. And even since I joined there, day-after-day the overall chat will get spammed with extra new folks coming in. So, it’s actually catching on and spreading. What would you attribute the recognition it’s recieved? I do know indies have a tough time getting seen on Steam. There’s simply so many indie video games. How did how did Symphony of Warfare catch on?
PH: Effectively, I’ve to offer props to our writer associate Freedom Video games, by way of the way it was launched, and when it was launched, throughout that IGN spot. It was a shock launch, which matches in opposition to the intuition of a number of established business requirements. However we simply determined to do it, and sort of not a lot a Hail Mary, as a lot as a calculated threat. So, we embraced that, and we did it. I do additionally suppose that it’s actually simply an underserved market that was on the market. They had been hungry for one thing like this.
Frankly, I bought to confess, after I first bought my palms on the engine, after we lastly had been capable of put it right into a playable factor, I used to be like that is actually enjoyable. I didn’t even anticipate it to be so. I did like simply the truth that you don’t have to regulate the battles, you simply set it up within the house base section, and then you definitely simply watch it play out. And it performs out in a manner the place you’ll be able to really make sense of what’s taking place. Like Advance Wars, you conflict, you’ll be able to inform what’s taking place, however it’s not turn-by-turn this occurred and this occurred. What we’ve achieved is quick paced, however you’ll be able to nonetheless inform, okay, my mages did this, my archers did this, after which my melee troops did this. So, it was virtually a contented accident. Mithran, the associate, was like, “oh, that is enjoyable” and this was possibly a yr earlier than we launched. We had been within the very early section of the particular sport coming collectively. Name it a contented accident if you need, I don’t care, that’s superb, it simply turned out.
JS: That’s superior. A variety of gamer devs dream that they make a sport they love as a ardour mission, however that can also be profitable, proper? It’s nice to listen to and congrats on that.
You began answering a few of my future questions already, which is what’s subsequent for Symphony of Warfare? And lots of people are going to ask for a console launch. Is it simply going to remain on Steam, or do you may have different platforms you may be trying to discover?
PH: So, that’s killing me. We’re presently at a little bit of a useless finish on console launch. It could be on Change, and I believe it might do very nicely, and performance very nicely on Change. I’m presently attempting to determine methods to bridge the hole between these methods, and I very a lot hope for a miracle breakthrough on that one. I’d say folks ought to anticipate no sooner than mid 2023 for a Change launch. Although, don’t watch for Change, simply purchase it on PC. But when we are able to, completely. We are going to pour, a number of blood, sweat, and tears right into a Change launch. I suppose the silver lining there may be it’ll have that rather more time to get bug fixes out and extra quality-of-life options in earlier than it hits the Change.
Within the meantime, we’re persevering with to work on Symphone of Warfare 1 [the current PC release], and the present mission is the UI/UX redesign. We’re tremendously decreasing the quantity of clicks it’s essential to do, sort of rearranging the menus. We’re going to blow it up so there’s more room for extra info. We’re going so as to add extra center mouse button performance in order that it could work on any window as proper now it’s a web page up web page down perform. We’re going to in all probability add click on and drag performance from the bottom organized menu, so as a substitute of getting to enter squad operations, you’ll be able to simply click on on a man in your reserves and simply drop them off in your squad. That’s the main mission now.
Then, as I mentioned, DLC campaigns. One thing we didn’t plan on doing sooner or later, however we positively can be now. I’m speaking like a completely new story, such as you begin from sq. one. And that will be concurrently with post-game options utilizing your present save, so for those who clear the sport, then you are able to do both some sort of new sport plus function or an additional exhausting closing boss mode sport mode. Or some sort of sandbox mode, like an limitless rogue-like mode, or a protection mode, or one thing like that. We’re taking part in round with a number of concepts on that.
JS: This makes me suppose to ask, again on the Change factor. What’s the limiting factor, or the wrestle there simply getting it ported over? What’s the set again there or the problem?
PH: The engine. There may be an engine layer down on our engine that we’re utilizing that looks as if it’s out of manufacturing in the intervening time, and so we’d both must revive that with the intention to bridge the hole between the Change Dev Equipment, or we must discover, I suppose you’d name it, a port studio to choose up the items of that program and determine what it does and the way it works, which is tough to do. Or rebuild your complete sport in a distinct engine. Clearly, we wish the primary choice to occur, as a result of that’s the one which’s by far the simplest, and presents minimal technical boundaries. I’ve bought to say that’s killing me as a result of this sport could be such a enjoyable sport on Change, and I actually wish to get it on there, and I can’t definitively say if we are able to or not at this level.
JS: I believe it might be a success on there, and to me, could be a extremely good candidate to pair up with a Restricted Run Video games for a bodily launch and that sort of energetic promotion. I believe this sort of sport is made for a partnership with the folks like Restricted Run, at the least for my part.
PH: Sure, completely, yep.
JS: You’ve talked about these updates and adjustments to the primary, however I’ve additionally heard you speaking some about your plans for Symphony of Warfare 2. A pair questions there. The place do you do the reduce off between enhancing, or including, to the primary sport as a substitute of simply pushing that effort into the second sport.
PH: We’ll should make that decision. By way of including to 1, I believe we’re going to reduce it off at principally the sport modes and the quality-of-life adjustments that we wished to place within the 1st place earlier than launch. The UI/UX redesign, the sandbox/new sport modes, that type of factor. Then, I already even have a complete bunch of the script for Symphony of Warfare 2, and a number of the cutscenes already achieved. However there are some unit sorts — and I suppose I’ll tease this, undead, that don’t exist in Symphony of Warfare 1, that we’d prefer to presumably embrace in only a gaiden story, or a completely new marketing campaign in Symphony of Warfare 1. Simply to have the ability to introduce that completely new meta in Symphony of Warfare 1 in order that it could already be educated up within the participant base for Symphony Warfare 2, with out having to particularly give attention to an undead a part of the Symphony of Warfare 2 essential story. Is that making sense?
JS: It does, yeah. Would you say these new tales could be associated to the primary sport in simply gameplay, or sequels, or in the identical world? How do you envision that taking place?
PH: An excellent query. The second sport, what I’ve already made, really takes place about 100 years after the tip of this sport. The characters that exist on this sport have aged out of that timeline. However it’s a direct timeline sequel, so I suppose you might name it a sequel collection slightly than a direct sequel. We’re going to attempt our greatest to not retcon very a lot. Symphony of Warfare 1 is in the identical sport universe of all of our previous video games, however it’s been retconned crazily to adapt to what we wished to do on this sport. We’ll try to hold that to a minimal for the subsequent one.
JS: After which how do you keep away from stealing concepts, or borrowing out of your DLC campaigns, versus the storyline you keep in mind for two and tying these all collectively? What’s your thought course of or technique on that?
PH: Effectively, like I mentioned with the DLC that I wish to do on Symphony of Warfare 1, I haven’t even written it but. I may benefit from the truth that Symphony of Warfare 2 does begin 100 years after Symphony Warfare 1 ends. So, a number of issues can occur in between there that don’t essentially must outline what occurs in the way forward for he sport world.
JS: One in every of my final questions right here. You’ve seen a number of suggestions and Symphony Warfare 1 what are a number of the issues, in addition to what we have now already talked about, that you’re contemplating doing updates on?
PH: It’s largely been UI/UX suggestions that persons are asking for, and that’s our focus proper now. And a few people have requested for like new sport plus. I don’t suppose we’re really going to finish up doing a conventional, straight-up new sport plus, the place you simply replay the very same marketing campaign, however everybody’s ranges are greater. We wish to do one thing that’s really a sandbox mode that’s in the principle marketing campaign. So, let’s say you wished to coach up a few of your B-list squads, or your youthful squads. You would have some skirmish or barracks coaching mode that wouldn’t be essentially a technique to grind, per se. As a result of we don’t like making gamers really feel obligated to grind, as that reveals that possibly there’s a weak spot within the core gameplay. We would like it to be an additional factor that you just wish to simply do. Perhaps it restricts you from bringing distinctive characters into it that usually are going to be very highly effective out of the gate, such as you see together with your Dianas, and your Lysanders, and your Beatrix. Perhaps you might simply be restricted from bringing these. We haven’t actually found out the main points but, however it’s going to be not one thing that it’s essential to wait to beat the sport to do. It’s going to be a part of simply your first play. You go into your house base, I’ve bought my area tokens, possibly I wish to try this, or possibly I wish to do the skirmish mode and practice up a few of my lagging squads, and possibly I’ll simply try this.
JS: Because you’ve already began on the second sport, or some concepts with it, any issues you’ll be able to share so far as main gameplay adjustments or items that you just’re including? Or is it going to be extra of the identical as 1, however with new story and property, or do you’re feeling such as you’re constructing upon the gameplay and lessons and simply altering issues up?
PH: The key addition to any DLC we do with Symphony Warfare 1, could be new lessons and a brand new story. The gameplay loop I don’t actually wish to mess with that an excessive amount of. It’s sort of the key sauce that persons are liking. However the truth that new items are coming in do inherently current a change within the gameplay meta. Like I mentioned, and I’ve been open with this in Discord, undead is what we wish to add. With undead you may have… you’ve performed Heroes of Would possibly & Magic?
JS: Sure, oh sure.
PH: Yeah, each me and the opposite developer are big undead Heroes of Would possibly and Magic nerds, and we wish to draw…
JS: Sandro!
PH: What’s that?
JS: Sandro, he was all the time the undead hero I picked in Heroes of Would possibly & Magic.
PH: Oh yeah, I don’t bear in mind which hero I picked. I believe I modify between those that offer you higher necromancy after which those that simply have higher energetic magic. I’d similar to to combine it up somewhat bit.
For this one, it’ll take a number of cues from that, in that you just’re elevating a military of skeletons from the issues that you just kill. I believe how it might work, it might have a necromancer. And then you definitely would have a skeleton minion of that Necromancer in a distinct tile. After which as you kill stuff, you add extra individuals to that skeleton tile so it turns into two skeletons, three skeletons… Which really presents a really attention-grabbing counter to the give up meta, which exists now, as a result of for those who give up any individual, you’ll be able to’t kill them and take their our bodies and make them into skeletons. I believe that simply the truth that we’d add necromancer and skeleton minions would current a completely new meta of gameplay.
JS: Would you be the dangerous man, or would you continue to be the hero protagonist in a narrative like this?
PH: I believe that you just’d nonetheless be the hero, however you’d be dealing with off in opposition to definitely a number of these undead, after which certainly you’d be given the choice to make your personal undead items.
JS: So, that’s for 1, however for, say, Symphony of Warfare 2 you’d have possibly somewhat extra company to make adjustments for those who felt prefer it, proper? Is that being thought-about in any respect, or do you’re feeling prefer it’s going to be extra of 1 once more with some new stuff enhanced?
PH: I believe we’re in all probability by no means going to mess with that core loop, however we’re simply going to proceed so as to add extra dimensions to it. For Symphony of Warfare 2, I even have naval ships that I wished to get in there. You’ve bought rivers and lakes in a number of the maps in Symphony of Warfare 1. In Symphony of Warfare 2, I’m going so as to add extra maps the place you’ve bought the open sea. You’ll be capable to have naval ships that go in which you can really design and customise, similar to you’ll be able to design and customise your squads. They will carry squads throughout the water, they’ll bombard in fact, they usually can shoot at different ships.
JS: I admire your time Phil. Once more, Phil Hamilton of Dancing Dragon Video games. Symphony of Warfare: The Nephilim Saga is presently on Steam proper now, go and test it out. You’ll hear additional information by following them on their Discord. Comply with their web site for additional information on updates to this sport and any information for a future Symphony of Warfare 2.
PH: Proper on, thanks.
We’d lke to thank Phil for setting apart time to reply our questions on Symphony of Warfare: The Nephilim Saga. You may take a look at this new technique RPG impressed by the classics now on PC by way of Steam.
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