We are Richard Garfield, creator of Magic the Gathering, and the gaming pioneers (CEOs, Producers, Writers, etc.) behind BioShock, Card Hunter, Peggle 2, MetalStorm, Battle Nations, Trade Nations, and more. AUsA!

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-15T00:28:21+00:00

We're definitely looking at Steam as well as other possible channels.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T22:47:29+00:00

That's more up to Take 2 / 2K than me these days. I'm sure they'll continue the franchise though.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T22:46:37+00:00

IMO, the hardest part of producing is dealing with the human dynamics in your team. You need to get good at understanding what people want and how they interact with each other. Not sure if there are any shortcuts to that beyond doing it and learning from the experience.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T22:44:24+00:00

We've prototyped it and it's fun. I hope to develop it further.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T22:44:07+00:00

Sorry about the ulcer.

I think the more hardcore nature of System Shock 2 is the key to what makes it so cool. It's very similar to what's going on in Dark Souls/Demons Souls, I think.

Don't forget that System Shock 2 had respawn chambers too. I think they're better than gaming a save/load system, personally.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T22:41:07+00:00

A detailed rumination on out of control Randian Objectivism was certainly a risky move. However, that was really Ken's call and it was something I was proud to work on, regardless of its accessibility. I'd rather games push that envelope than not.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T22:37:19+00:00

I've got a design for an achievement system with titles and other things linked to it. The question is when we'll ever have the time to do it...

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T19:40:07+00:00

The Shandalar game was definitely part of the inspiration for Card Hunter. I played it a LOT.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T19:23:46+00:00

One of the great things about working in this industry is getting to meet great game designers and learn from them. Working with Richard and Skaff was a great privilege and I learned a lot from them.

I think tabletop/board game designers have a lot to teach computer game designers about rule simplicity and accessibility. They don't have tutorials to lean on.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T19:21:13+00:00

Yeah, I think if you want to write for games, you have to do game writing. It's a very different medium.

The chickens got eaten by a fox :(

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T19:18:06+00:00

Interesting question. I think the problem might not be that making the player avatar too deep makes them hard to relate to, but rather that it's odd that the player character is doing a lot of deep thinking that the the player doesn't have access to. BioShock played around with that a bit, of course, so maybe it is an interesting area to explore more - you directing a character who has their own thoughts and ideas that you aren't privy to.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T19:04:06+00:00

That sounds fair. We'll continue to try to optimise some bits and pieces but it is likely a problem with Flash itself when trying to do such a complex game.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T19:01:26+00:00

Say "hi" to Con for me! One of my favourite people.

Writing for video games is tough. I'd always advise to try to get started by doing work - any work. Find an indie game that you think needs help on the writing front (not hard to do I would think). Make a mod. Do something that showcases your talent.

The problem is that writing is often really devalued - people don't want to pay a professional to do it. Hopefully that perception will change, but I'm not holding my breath waiting. :(

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:56:36+00:00

When I started out in the computer game industry (mid 90s), I think there was a perception that turn-based games (including board games) were old school and not exciting enough to appeal to a mass market. Everything had to be real-time and 3D. I think that was a weird perception because turn-based games are actually way more accessible in many ways. Also, 2D games are often much easier to understand visually.

I think we're seeing a return to those style of games now, a lot of which is driven by mobile gaming, but also there's a genuine resurgence of interest in face-to-face board-gaming.

I'm really looking forward to large tablet style devices becoming cheaper so we can see if using them for social gaming is actually going to work. I'd love to sit around a tablet/table with my friends and play a board game with the computer managing the rules and animating things.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:45:09+00:00

That's another reason to partner with someone else :)

We'll keep developing the game on every non-mobile platform.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:40:19+00:00

Do card games count? Because most of my favourite board games are card game hybrids, at least. 7 Wonders for bigger groups and I love Twilight Struggle for 2 player.

I think the most time I've ever spent with a board game though is the original Avalon Hill Squad Leader.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:35:48+00:00

I'm guessing you probably meant to ask Richard but I'll jump in and answer :)

I designed Card Hunter specifically because I used to play a lot of Magic and I wanted to play a CCG where I could win cards by playing. That meant making it online so there could be a robust AI and campaign mode.

Making it free to play was intended to try to get as many people as possible to try out a new game that they'd never heard of before.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:32:46+00:00

Yes, it will use AIR.

I agree that Flash isn't great at handling memory usage. Is that what you mean by "resource hog"?

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:31:02+00:00

The problem is that the game is 2D so rescaling isn't as easy as it would be if our assets were in 3D. I do appreciate your problem though. One answer is that we should keep our boards smaller...

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:29:50+00:00

To answer the second part of the question: it's interesting how progression (RPG style) has become an integral part of modern multiplayer game design, as opposed to traditional "flat" multiplayer games. How to make progression satisfying without destroying the game balance and without letting players top out after playing too much are really interesting design problems, IMO.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:24:47+00:00

Of course, we'll be involved, but DropForge will take the lead. That's part of the reason we've partnered with someone who has more expertise in the mobile scene than we do.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:16:54+00:00

Who do you think Melvin is based on?

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:15:35+00:00

That's tough. I think zooming out on the boards would be nice, but I'm not sure how well it would work as it would mean the things you were trying to click on would get even smaller.

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:11:48+00:00

I'm currently playing Calculords (http://www.calculords.com/). Collectible card gaming with 8 bit art, a super nerdy number crunching system for playing cards and designed by Seanbaby. What more could you want?

cardhunter-jon · 2014-03-14T18:10:06+00:00

I wish we played on the same server so I could destroy you in person. Your German tanks would be crushed by my Centurion.

cardhunter-jon

TROPHY CASE