Your donations keep RPGWatch running!

Bedlam Interview

by Kevin "Couchpotato" Loveless, 2014-10-22

Well hello my fellow watchers, and lurkers. For my next interview in the last two weeks I had the chance to ask Skyshine Games about their game called Bedlam.

    

A post-apocalyptic roguelike RPG featuring our unique blitz battle system - Inspired by great games like The Banner Saga, FTL and XCOM.

So with that out of the way the game still has three days left to get more funding. So after reading my interview, and any of you are interested please think about pleading.


Couchpotato: Let’s start the interview with a simple question where I ask can you give a brief description of yourself, and about your game studio Skyshine Games?

Skyshine Games: We’re a three-person team with a massive dream, to make our own video game, to leave our collective mark on the industry. All three of us worked at a small startup called Outlaw Studios where we were making Xbox games and a slew of demos that all never saw the light of day. John and Sam continued working together with most of the Outlaw Art Team on other games like Tabula Rasa and the Darksiders games. Other members of the team went on to work on games such as Dead Rising 2, Bioshock and Bioshock 2, while our animator went on to pioneer motion capture animation in Hollywood. Jeff was involved in the 80’s and 90’s industry explosion, working at Bally and Midway on Pinball machines and Arcade classics like NFL Blitz, but after the implosion of Outlaw, he soon left the industry altogether.

John:
We are a band of brothers at this point, we’ve been through more wars than I care to remember. Outlaw came about when I had left Epic Games to strike out on my own, we were a scrappy team, but all those people were extraordinary in their own right and they’ve gone on to prove it professionally. We have been through a number of difficult circumstances, but we stuck together. I think we all knew this reunion would happen at some point we just weren’t sure how… thank you, Kickstarter.

Couchpotato: What are your favorite RPG games you played over the years?

Sam: I’m a huge fan of the Gameboy Advance because that’s where I got my start in the industry and all of the original Final Fantasy games were ported over to the system. It introduced me to great turn-based strategy games like Advance Wars, Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics. Skyrim was a favorite of mine with well over a couple hundred hours in my save game and I still feel like I barely scratched the surface! Diablo 3 has been awesome with the three of us playing co-op on our PS4s, it reminds me of playing Diablo 2 together ten years ago!

John:
Recently it would be FTL and Diablo 3. Beyond RPG games, old-school it would be Quake...that pretty much started my career when I was doing skins for Ritual, then later on I was able to work with Id Software doing all the promotional art for Quake 3.

Jeff:
Do GTA V and Starcraft 2 count??(No they don't Jeff but thanks for trying)


Couchpotato: What do you think about recent gaming trends like KS campaigns, F2P, forced online components, and the streamlining of most games in the last few years?


Sam:
I like the crowdfunding trend with options like Kickstarter because it gives creative people an opportunity to sell their ideas directly to their customers, making a product that everyone wants. There’s something wonderful about the creative ways indie developers have streamlined their video games, from pixel art to classic arcade mechanics like high-scores to randomly generated worlds and other roguelike elements encouraging multiple playthroughs. There’s a lot of creative approaches to keeping indie teams lean and mean.

Jeff:
I love the indie vibe. It’s awesome to see fans support games from concept to reality in this new medium that was unheard of just a few years ago!

John: Support independent developers! It’s the future!


Couchpotato: The kickstarter launched almost three weeks ago so just in-case some of our readers have no clue what the game is can you describe what Bedlam is about?

Skyshine Games: Our game could be described as a post-apocalyptic Oregon Trail with a randomly generated world, New Game Plus and a combat system that combines chess with gunfire, “magic cards” and nuclear weapons.


Couchpotato: From a previous update you mentioned a Magazine (I used to read) called Heavy Metal helped inspire the game. Can you share more details on that topic?


Sam: I saw the movie Heavy Metal before I was aware of the magazine, but as soon as I saw all those incredible artists and weird stories, I was HOOKED.

John: Heavy Metal is the bible for artists and creative types of my generation. ‘Weird’ stuff like that was hard to come by in the 80’s so kids who grew up with it like me have an almost religious-like reverence for the magazine. It’s still running strong, supporting TONS of amazing artists who would otherwise never get exposure. Kevin Eastman of Ninja Turtles fame owns it now and he’s kept it true to it’s roots. Heavy Metal is the reason I started drawing mutants and cyborgs!


Couchpotato: I seet that your game is using the same Engine from The Banner Saga. I'm really interested in this question as I enjoyed playing the game. Can you share how you acquired the engine?


John: I had called up Arnie, Stoic’s Art Director, with this idea for BEDLAM. The world of BEDLAM is much older, it goes back to my childhood RPG days, but after playing The Banner Saga I saw the game so clearly that their engine was really the perfect vehicle. They had just finished The Banner Saga and were on vacation. I took that period and made as much art as I could getting it into the engine, and when they got back Sam had entered the picture at that point and we showed them what we had done and pitched them the game...they liked it. Their engine had everything we needed, and I love the artistic presentation tools they have as well as the narrative tools. The best part is it was built to be efficient for a very small team, which suits us. Things progressed and when we started to do the project for real it just made sense to use their engine.


Couchpotato: Will the games combat be similar to how it was in The Banner Saga with a turn-based grid? Or will you guys add your own spin to it?


Jeff: Our combat, while still on an isometric grid, differs from The Banner Saga in many ways. The biggest differences are: Open crew member turn-order, crew member death is permanent, action-point based movement and attacks, over-the-top animations and visual effects, battlefield equalizers and factions have unique fighting behaviours - just to name a few.

Much like Chess, the battle strategy is centered around protecting areas of the battlefield, tactical positioning of your team and knowing when to attack vs. defend! A significant strategic element during combat is the inclusion of battlefield Equalizers! These items and objects are randomly inserted onto battlefields and can take many forms: atomic waste barrels, dead creatures, scrap containers, vendetta contraptions, or even packages of coveted resources! Some Equalizers can be used as temporary cover, but you’ll need to be cautious as they can also be destroyed by incoming weapon fire, resulting in the loss of any valuables they might hold! In order to gather the riches that may result from various Equalizers, you will need to maneuver a crew member to that position -- which means weighing the risk of those rewards against coming under attack from foes. The caveat is that you must collect these bonus items BEFORE each battle ends!


Couchpotato: My next question would be how long will the campaign be in your estimates as it still needs to be completed first, and will it allow multiple playthroughs to see different endings?

Sam: We’re shooting for an average play time of around 4 hours to make it to Aztec City, but at that point we give you the option to “cash in” your run or you can Double-Down and try to take your existing crew without any passengers back to Bysantine where you started. This is an all-or-nothing risk, but if you survive a Double-Down, all of your equipped Weapons, Upgrades and active crew members will be available to you for future trips! This is our approach to a New Game Plus system in BEDLAM. I should stop before I spoil the surprises we have in store. We think it’s going to be a lot of fun!


Couchpotato: How many companions will be joining you in your journey, and how will interaction between party members be handled? Will it be possible to be betrayed based on your choices you make?

John:
We think there will be over a hundred potential crew options with the game when it launches, almost all of them inspired from our backers. Most crew members will fit into class archetypes, but many will have something unique about them. In Bedlam you will have lots of opportunities to add crew to your Dozer, it’s a harsh world and your crew doesn’t always make it. The one thing you can count on in Bedlam is that people want a better life, so it’s not hard to convince people to join you on your journey.


Couchpotato: Lets talk about skills and abilities. So how many are in the game, and can you briefly describe how they will work? Also will certain skills affect how you play the game?


Jeff: These are what we call Dozer Upgrades and Dozer Weapons. At a RPG level, the Dozer Upgrades are team buffs while the Dozer Weapon is a last-resort smartbomb. There will be a lot of options available for the Upgrades and these will really allow the player to customize their game to fit their own personal play style. During the combat sequences you can activate each of your three Dozer Upgrades (crew abilities) once per battle, while the Dozer Weapon might have a cooldown period that lasts for several encounters. Players will have to be very strategic in how and when they use their special Dozer Armaments.


Couchpotato: I see the goal of the kickstarter is $130,000 is that enough for the base game, and can you breakdown how the funding will be spent?

Skyshine Games
: $130,000 is enough to keep the lights on and the bills paid. This is going to be a labor of love!(You heard them guys the money will keep the Lights on so help fund the game)


Couchpotato: Funding is slowing down with two weeks left to get funded are you guys worried, and do you have a backup plan just in-case the game isn't funded?


Sam:
Time flies! It’s now the third week in and we had a tremendous surge in support!

Jeff: Backup plan?!? That just doesn’t compute. Failure isn’t an option.

John:
We’re going to Bedlam...aren’t you?

Update: The game is now funded. So congratulation guys.



Couchpotato:  Can you share what you have learned from using kickstarter, and share a few tips for future developers who may decide to use it one day for themselves?

Sam: Are you ready to work 24 hours a day? Updates, Updates, Updates!

Jeff: I have learned that Kickstarter is a ton of work. Work I love; but a lot nonetheless. It has been a full-time job to create updates, answer backer questions and socialize to try to create any sort of buzz about our game. Fun, Frustrating and rewarding all at the same time! I also learned that Kickstarter is a great medium to meet your future players and get instant feedback! Invaluable feedback!

John; My advice would be to engage the community that shows up around your game as much as possible. Listen to them, incorporate their feedback, treat them like your clients. We have come to really appreciate a lot of our backers and we are genuinely excited to work with them.


 Couchpotato: A few more easy questions before we finish do you plan to release a demo? And what about DRM? From what I read the game is Steam only. I know  quite a few backers who prefer DRM-Free releases so what would you say to them?

Skyshine Games: Steam just makes it easier for us in so many ways. I think the most exciting thing is the controlled Early Access builds and releases that Steam allows us to do. We’re completely focused on the PC and Mac release for Steam, but we’d love to explore all of our distribution options when the time comes!


Couchpotato: Alright here is the last question and it's simply why should people back your game? Also this is the the time to add anything else you may want to say. Make it as brief or as long as you want, and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions.

Sam: It’s gonna be AWESOME.

Jeff: BEDLAM will be a game of  “did you see that??” and “whoa, did that really just happen?!?” moments, amazing visuals, ear pleasing sounds and barfing monsters… who doesn’t love all those things!!

John:
This game is a labor of love, you should back it for the same reason you back a small band you love, or buy a beer that isn’t Budweiser. Skyshine is a team of 3 developers who are hand-crafting the game of their lives for your enjoyment! Our game will be fun to create and to play! We want to work directly with our backers to make it! You can also tell the story years from now that you were one of our first backers for this soon-to-be classic. We are a small team so you know where the money goes, it’s either feeding us while we make the game, or we’re using it to pay for our music, or sound. I have about a hundred other reasons, but those the first few that came off the top of my head.


As I said above congraulation guys, and thanks for answering my questions. Now with the interview now finished here is the teams new video to celebrate getting funded.

         

Box Art

Information about

Skyshine's BEDLAM

Developer: Skyshine Games

SP/MP: Single + MP
Setting: Post-Apoc
Genre: Roguelike
Combat: Turn-based
Play-time: 20-40 hours
Voice-acting: Partially voiced

Regions & platforms
Internet
· Homepage
· Platform: PC
· Released: 2015-09-16
· Publisher: Skyshine Games

More information