Skullforge: The Hunt Q&A

Skullforge: The Hunt is a new kickstarter from OMC Games. The game is asking for $20,000, but funding has been slow. Here is a brief description for readers who missed the posted news-bits in the last two weeks.

Skullforge: The Hunt is a single player action RPG set in a medieval fantasy world.  The combat will be fast, interesting, and most of all fun.  Players will take the role of Desinarious "Desi" Cornerstone as she tracks down one of her enslavers.  This game is made for those who like action RPGs with a good mix of fun storytelling, action, exploration, and the ability to make interesting choices along the way.

This game is what you get when you take the action of great games like Secret of Evermore, Secret of Mana, Soul Blazer and even modern RPGs like Kingdoms of Amalur and Darksiders with the survival aspects of the cult classic Alternate Reality.  These games were our inspiration when laying down what Skullforge is and we know everyone who likes RPGs will be happy with the result.

In an effort to spread the word about the game I reached out to OMC Games James Garvin. Hopefully the following Q&A helps the game get more pledges.

RPGWatch: Can you give our readers a history lesson on your game company OMC Games, and your kickstarter Skullforge: The Hunt?

OMC Games: OMC Games started in 1990.  We published a magazine named HieroGraphix Game Journal.  It was fairly successful considering the size at the time.  From there, I wanted to get into games, so I contacted Atari to work on the Atari Jaguar.  Not too long after that they went out of business.  Been working on HieroGraphix as a side project mainly.  Skullforge: The Hunt will be our first game.

I got the idea for Skullforge after the Mass Effect 3 ending situation. Not sure why, but I got the bug to make a game again. It took many months of planning, researching engines, calculating whether or not I could even do it, and then working on the story.  It’s really amazing how much work goes into making a game.

RPGWatch: Our readers always want me to ask the following question so here it goes. What are your top five RPGs?

1. Alternate Reality: The Dungeon (The City was good, but I thought The Dungeon had more meat on it.)
2. Phantasy Star 3
3. The Eternal Dagger
4. Dragon Quest 3
5. The World Ends with You

Honorable Mention:  World of Warcraft, Phantasie I & II (soooo many hours lost playing these) I think I have strange tastes when it comes to RPGs. I feel old.

RPGWatch:So moving on let me ask you why people should back your game? This is the part where you give us a sale pitch so make it count.

OMC Games: Why? Because a game like Skullforge should exist.  Perhaps it’s not the prettiest game out there, but if you’ve been playing RPGs long enough then you know that they’re more about story and gameplay. Interactive experiences that draw you in and allow you to be immersed.  These days I find that the action RPG genre is made up of primarily First Person games like Elder Scrolls, top down loot games like Diablo or Torchlight, or third person behind the back games like The Witcher.  None of these games are bad, but the genre could use more variety.  I am confident that at the end of the day action RPG players will walk away from the game with the feeling it was worth their time.  All I ask for is a chance to prove it.

RPGWatch: What games have influenced your game. or to put it simpler what games have influenced you to develop yor game?

OMC Games: The main influences have been classic SNES games like Secret of Mana and Secret of Evermore or Genesis RPGs like Landstalker where you’re looking at the game from the top down position.  Most games that are 3D these days are usually first person or third person (behind the back).  I wanted to do something that had that old-school vibe.  However, I felt there needed to be more going on and games like Baldur’s Gate allow for a lot of interactivity with conversations.  Much like Ultima 4 did back in the day. And finally the idea of having to take care of yourself along the way came from Alternate Reality.  I loved that game and I’d like to pay homage to Philip Price by incorporating those elements into my game as it will add a lot of personality to it.  Things new and old put together to craft something unique.  Once all of the pieces started coming together, I became more and more confident it would be a good experience for those who enjoy action RPGs.

RPGWatch: How long will it take to complete the games campaign, and will your game allow for multiple playthroughs?

OMC Games: At the moment, I’m thinking the game will be around 20-25 hours if a person plays through without doing any of the side things.  Not sure about a “New Game+” option, but the game could be played through again since there are choices to make that can affect how things turn out.

For example, in one quest you’re supposed to find the bandit who robbed a local merchant.  When you find him, he tells you that he was framed and didn’t do it, even though you found the goods in his place. In your first play through, you turned him in.  Maybe in your next play through you dig into his story to see if he’s telling the truth.  That could be an incentive to try the game again.

RPGWatch: What made you decide to use Kickstarter, and did you ever think of finding a private investor to fund your game instead?

OMC Games: I decided to try Kickstarter for two reasons.  1. To be able to self publish.  I really wanted to avoid private money as I really want to keep control of how the whole thing turns out.  2. Taking the idea to the public is a good way to gauge demand.  If people are excited, then that makes it easy to continue.  In any case, it was worth a shot, because trying and failing is better than not trying at all.

RPGWatch: $20,000 seems a small goal for a game as ambitious as you describe. Will it be enough to completely fund your games development?

OMC Games: Good question.  Programming will be done by me (I’m cheap labor) and using Unity means that as other folks develop certain systems then I can incorporate them into my own work.  Saves a lot of time and money as I don’t have to farm out programming tasks.  We started working on the game seriously last September or October and based on what we’ve spent and what some things we want are going to cost (mostly art), we figured around $20,000 would be appropriate and get us to the finish line.  Other programmers do help, such as the man behind the conversation system who is a great guy and has helped a lot without much extra cost.  Some day I’ll have repay the favor.

I won’t be able to quit my day job, but that shouldn’t matter when it comes to getting the game done.  Long story short, should be no problem.

RPGWatch: If your game is funded do you foresee any problems, and can you guarantee the money wont be wasted?

OMC Games: I always follow a budget.  I believe in being fiscally responsible and getting the most out of money spent, which is how we’ve been able to even get this far. I can guarantee that we won’t be buying things we don’t need and if we can’t get it for a reasonable price we won’t buy it.  Therefore no trips to Hawaii just to study life on an island….  You guys trust us enough to give us money, and we won’t let you down.  You can count on that.

As for problems, I can’t foresee anything, but life is a crazy thing.  Who knows what will happen.  The only real worry for me is getting a look for the game that people can rally behind.

RPGWatch: Can you share some details about your stretch goals, and game add-ons?

OMC Games: Right now, there aren’t any add ons.  We plan on giving you guys the whole game.  We may make modding available, but that depends on time.  It’s something I’d like to do, though.  Modding helps keep the community coming back to a game even after they’ve beaten it

As for stretch goals, we’ve talked about it a little bit, but we weren’t going to worry about it until we got closer to our goal.  But to answer your question, one thing I’d like to add is voice acting.  It’d be incredibly expensive, but I think it would feel more immersive.

RPGWatch: On the topic of kickstarter and crowd-funding in general what is your opinion? Do you see it becoming more dominate in the future?

OMC Games: I think Kickstarter is a great service.  A nice way for guys like me to have a shot at making our own game.  Is it perfect, no.  There are always problems, but it opens lots of doors that were closed before.  I’d like to think that crowd-funding would become more dominant.  I worry that it’ll end up being a place where only popular projects can get funded or only certain types of games have a chance.

RPGWatch: Do you have any advice for independent developers who want to develop their own game, and decide they may want to use crowd-funding?

OMC Games:My advice would be to simply get feedback, because that can help you in the beginning.  I’ll admit that I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have. It’s a learning process. And no matter what happens, don’t get discouraged.  It’s so easy to let the bad stuff drag us down.  I don’t know if crowd-funding is right for every project, but I say have a backup plan in case it doesn’t work.

RPGWatch: Thank you for the interview, and I hope your game is funded. Do you have anything you would like to add before we finish?

OMC Games: I’d like to thank everyone who has helped us along the way.  Asset creators, friends, and everyone who is interested in what we’re doing.  Maybe things won’t work out the way we want them to, but I appreciate the chance to show off what we’ve done.  It’s been a fun ride and we’ll work to make Skullforge as awesome as we can.

Well everyone that's all , and as I said above hopefully you are interested enough to pledge a few dollars. The game has twenty days left, and needs our help.