It's year 2284. War between Earth and Mendel, a planet colonized by humans at the beginning of 23rd century, goes on. UTS Atlas, a powerful battlecruiser deployed in the previously uncolonized Epsilon Eridani star system has been seized by a deadly bioweapon. Your team arrives to rescue the ship and - if possible - survivors.
Taken from official manual which describes things best:
You can find Derelict here. The game developers site is here."Derelict is a hybrid first person shooter and tactical action game. You will need to guide your team of battle hardened marines through the Atlas while protecting them from danger. You can do this in two ways: controlling the marines directly in first person view or by giving the marines orders via the map view. You will need to use both control schemes throughout the game to be successful. Each marine in your team has his own unique skills and abilities, some of which may be vital to get through certain areas."
Interview with a Space cowboy.
We contacted Erik Hogan on mail after several of our gamehunters started playing Derelict with much enthusiasm. We decided that he was a developer we wanted to know more about. That sort of twisted game can only come from a twisted - and thus interesting- mind. We got to him on mail and asked him the following.
Chroelle:
Tell us more about yourself - how old are you, where do you live, what do you do for a living? (one of these basic interview questions)
Erik:
Well, I'm 25 years old, currently based in Auckland, New Zealand. By day, I'm a mild mannered IT Engineer, and my night I'm an aspiring and ambitious indie game developer.
Chroelle:
Derelict is a freaky-scary space shooter in the spirit of other commercial games we saw recently like "Dead Space". Did you get inspired by any of these titles or did your inspiration come from elsewhere?
Erik:
Derelict 1.0 came out around June last year, Deadspace came out in October - EA ripped ME off.
No seriously, the gameplay inspiration came from the classic EA game Space Hulk, which in turn draws inspiration from the film Aliens. Also
the game takes some inspiration from other Science Fiction games such as System Shock 2 and Doom 3. I think it's likely that any
similarities between my game and Deadspace are because we draw inspiration from the same sources.
Since there didn't seem to be a modern Space Hulk-type game out there, I thought I'd have a shot at making my own. But instead of remaking
Space Hulk directly (I have no interest in dealing with EA's or Games Workshop's lawyers!) I decided to make an entirely original game
designed around the basic gameplay concept.
Chroelle:
The whole team setting has been seen before in other games, and is widely popular. Did you play any specific titles that made you do this the way you did?
Erik:
Excluding Space Hulk, nothing in particular - though perhaps it could have helped. My plan was originally to try and emulate the Space Hulk interface directly, but I ended up just doing my own thing based on feedback and how I was comfortable controlling the squad.
I've never really been that big on tactical games, but Space Hulk really appeals to me for some reason.
Chroelle:
Also the men are somewhat generic, and don't really ooze personality - was this a choice made by you, or was it simply where it ended up?
Erik:
Voice acting in the game was somewhat of an afterthought, we only prepared a script and went looking for voice actors a week out from the 1.0 release. As a result we ended up with mixed quality audio samples of cheesy lines spoken by people who had no prior experience in acting.
Still, I'm very appreciative to the voice actors for their work. It was great to get their faces in the game. Also I got a real kick out of some of their recordings, such as Sam's convincing American accent (He's English, I thought the voice he sent me actually was from an American mate!), Steve's rendition of "Boom bayyybeee" and Jonathan's brilliantly Adlibed "I'll buy you a Pint if I get out alive" (the line he was given used the word Beer instead). I originally didn't plan to get voice actors from around the world but I'm really happy it turned out that way, as it nicely reflects the 'United Terran Alliance' in the storyline is representative of the entire planet. As the director of Derelict the blame for any quality issues ultimately lies with me. (ED: You should feel no blame for this great game!)
Chroelle:
Will we see Derelict 2 ever?
(Pretty please)
Erik:
I am definitely keen to expand the universe of Derelict in sequels and prequels, but I don't think I'll do a similar squad-based tactical action game. I'm thinking along the lines of either a survival horror FPS or a space shooter like Wing Commander. More updates of Derelict will be on the way in the future, but nothing planned this year.
Actually, now that the level editor for Derelict is out, there's nothing stopping the general public from making Derelict 2
Chroelle:
What is it with spacestations that just makes for perfect horrortitles? And if you were to build a similar setting elsewhere where would it be?
Erik:
I guess it's just the incredible remoteness of Space Stations, as well as the claustrophobic corridors and the pitch black surroundings. There's literally no where to run or hide.
A similar setting for me would have to be as far from civilisation as possible, perhaps on a ship, at the bottom of a bunker or deep in the wilderness.
Chroelle:
Do you believe we will ever get to a situation like this in the future real world?
Erik:
I certainly bloody hope not!
I actually find the scenario of the game (Marines being attacked by bio-engineered monsters) far more plausible then the setting of the game (A war between planets that are light years apart). Making mutant creatures is certainly possible, but there's no definitive proof faster-then-light travel will ever be.
Chroelle:
Can you tell me anything I don't know about Derelict or the production of the game. Simple trivia/fun facts.
Erik:
I hope these are interesting enough:
* The programming language used, BlitzBasic 3D, was also written in Auckland.
* The gun models in the game were originally made for my remake of Project Firestart. The shotgun in version 1.2 was originally a pistol, all I did to convert it was elongate the barrel.
* The walking sounds were created by musician Kristie Addison by holding a microphone near her feet when she walked (on tiles in her bathroom, carpet etc).
* Some wall and floor textures in the game come from photographs by co-creator Sam Jeffreys. They were taken in the storage area of the Supermarket he used to work at.
* The song that can be heard on Derelict's title screen (Enemy) eventually became a commercially released single by Transit of Venus.
Chroelle:
Can you tell us about the other games you worked on? Which is your own personal favourite(s) and why?
Erik:
Derelict is still my favourite game of my own, I spent far more time and effort on it then any other title. The Kiwi's Tale is another favourite, which was put together in three months for the Retro Remakes 2008 competition, and got second place in the "Sequel's that weren't" category. I have a couple of short experimental games on my site, "Blow Stuff Up" and "Heart of Ice", which were made in one week and two days respectively.
Derelict's spiritual predecessor is a survival horror game called "Project Firestart", which was an FPS remake of the C64 game of the same name. Unfortunately my remake is of pretty shocking quality so it's unavailable just about anywhere on the Internet (ED: But of course we had a playthrough of it some time ago, and sadly also shot it down... http://curlysworldoffreeware.com/viewtopic.php?t=1406). Also about 90% of the game projects I ever attempted were never finished.
The only commercial title that I have ever worked on was a Mac port of the MDickie title "Federation Wrestling", unfortunately that was cancelled.
Chroelle:
And are you currently involved in other game creation? Freeware or commercial?
Erik:
Not just yet, but I'll be working on a new freeware title soon. I just finished version 1.2 of Derelict, and the first release of the "Earok Editor", which can be used to make Derelict levels.
Just recently I have been thinking that I really want to do a Mecha First Person Shooter. It would be loosely based on the anime "Gundam Wing", but nothing is set in stone yet.
Chroelle:
When did you start playing games? Do you have any fond memories of those times and did you decide to make a game of your own because of some of them? Is Derelict based on some of them?
Erik:
My parents bought a Commodore 64 when I was two years old and it wasn't that much longer after that I started to play. My favourite game of all time is still the C64 port of Commando. I yearn for those days when games could be played with one button, and I find it absurd that every generation of console controller seems to just add more pointless buttons (I tried to keep Derelict's control set as small as possible). I also somewhat resent the analogue thumb stick for making gaming more difficult to get into.
The first time I can distinctly remember having an idea for a game was when I wondered what the C64 game 'Blue Max' would be like if you flew a Helicopter instead of a Biplane, at about age six. I didn't actually start making games until Dad bought me a copy of Klik and Play around '97. I used that to make basic 2D remakes of games I enjoyed at the time, like Wing Commander and Demolition Derby.
As stated before, the primary inspiration for Derelict is Space Hulk.
Chroelle:
Did more people work on the game, and if so was it difficult leading the progress with volunteers/paid workers working for you.
Erik:
A lot of people worked on the game, but most people did something as small as one level, one piece of art, or one song and then we never received anything else from them. Even some of the playtesters only played a level or two before turning in their report, and vanishing. Sam Jeffreys was a great help, he provided some great textures and a few levels (the best ones even) but often he got very busy with work and so sometimes I didn't get anything from him for weeks at a time. Craig Nisbet came on board very late in the development and yet he added some fantastic furniture models to the game in a very short time. The only person I paid for their contribution to Derelict was Kristie Addison, a talented musician who did two of the songs as well as virtually all of the sound effects.
For my future games, I'm planning to keep the team size strictly limited to just a few dedicated people. Preferably no more then four.
Chroelle:
How do people react to the game when they talk to you about it?
Erik:
Not many people talk to me about the game, but the ones that do are normally quite positive. Except for the person who emailed just to say it was the "dumbest game ever". At least until version 1.2 was released, it wasn't too uncommon to get complaints about bugs, but I think I have resolved most of the issues now.
Chroelle:
Do you remember any ideas you had for the game that didn't make it?
One of the weak points in Derelict is the lack of variety in enemies. I had originally planned for a larger range of enemy mutants, such as tougher but slower hulking ones, and ones that would be camouflaged and invisible to Radar. Also I had planned to have to have a boss that would always try and run away from you, so you needed to use your squad together to trap him, but this was cancelled mainly because of the extra effort that would have needed to be sunk into AI.
Also, I had some ideas about Multiplayer, a few levels set on the Ice World, and a simplistic stats system for upgrading the Marines. Those ideas may still make it into a future version or a remake of Derelict.
Chroelle:
Were the games ever in danger of not being published? Why? And at what state?
Erik:
I don't think there was ever a point in the development of the game where I felt like throwing in the towel, which is quite surprising considering the large number of game projects I actually did quit on.
I managed to keep myself motivated by forcing myself to do weekly blog posts and screenshots throughout the development, making sure I had something new to 'show and tell' to the Internet every week.
Chroelle:
Which freeware games do you remember playing that made you take on freeware game development?
Erik:
This isn't going to be a very interesting answer, but unfortunately, none! I have wanted to make games long before I was even familiar with the concept of freeware.
Chroelle:
What part of Derelict was the hardest part getting done?
Erik:
I can't say for sure what was the very hardest, but there are some parts that I really struggled with:
* Getting the pathfinding working, A* took me a long time to learn how to implement and optimise.
* Getting the map display working.
* Fixing the infamous 'black screen' bugs that plagued the beta versions of 1.2
* Writing the GUI libraries that display text and images on screen.
* Some of the miscellaneous stuff to do with generating the walls was really difficult to write. It took me ages to be able to implement windows without big holes appearing in the ship.
Chroelle:
What kind of game you would love to make if you had the resources needed and open boundaries?
Erik:
I actually wouldn't mind doing a big budget version of Derelict for next-gen consoles.
But other then that, it's kind of hard to say. When thinking about games I usually think within the boundaries of the abilities of myself and my colleagues. I wouldn't mind doing a WW2 flight simulator sometime.
Chroelle:
What do you think was the coolest feature in the game?
Erik:
I think the variety of weapons is fantastic. Rifles, Grenade launchers, Gatling guns and now a Shotgun! Flamethrowers will have to come in at some stage. But the coolest feature in the game is still yet to come - Multiplayer!
Chroelle:
We know there are some features in the game that you don't always notice - like Pater Alf found somebody staring back at him from the spacestation windows opposite him. Are there any hints you can give us to find more easter eggs?
Erik:
Unfortunately I didn't invest a lot of effort in Easter Eggs. "earok" appears in the map for the second level if you look hard enough. There's also an email reference to a notoriously delayed First Person Shooter as being the greatest game of 2284. Other then that, virtually nothing.
I had been planning to put in a secret hologram, something completely absurd such as Princess Leia saying "Help me Obi-Wan", but I never got around to it.
Chroelle:
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now regarding game making?
Erik:
I'm hoping to have a solid portfolio of games, a strong fanbase, a dedicated team of like minded developers, and be working on game development at least as a part time job.
Chroelle:
Do you have any favourite games from the freeware scene?
Erik:
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Cactus for my blog, I really enjoyed his Shotgun Ninja and Mondo games. I also really like 1213 and the Chzo Mythos games by Yahtzee. Amd Cave Story by Pixel is easily the greatest game ever originally released for free.
Chroelle:
Any other freeware games you think we should know about for our site?
Erik:
My favorite free remakes are Robocop 2D, Afterburner 3D, Klass of 99 and Jet Set Willy online, which is a highly unique multiplayer experience. I try to keep a Jet Set Willy server running all of the time.
There are also some really good former Shareware games that were recently re-released as freeware, such as Traffic Department 2192 and Biomenace. I think those are definitely worth a look.
Chroelle:
Which leads up to the next question.
If you were to mention a favorite free game designer who would that be?
Erik:
I don't really have one favourite free game designer right now. It used to be Yahtzee when he would consistently produce great games, but unfortunately he's only done one game since starting Zero Punctuation.
I have a fantasy where Yahtzee quits doing Zero Punctuation to just
work on games full time.
Chroelle:
What are your views on giving away commercial games as freeware when they have been commercial for some amount (you decide) of years?
Erik:
There's no legal justification for Abandonware. There isn't much ethical justification for it either. Ultimately the copyright holders of an art form are entitled to receive revenue for it until they decide to release it freely; it shouldn't be any different for game creators then it is for musicians, film makers and novelists.
I admit to having indulged in Abandonware and Emulated games - I doubt there's many gamers out there that haven't - but older games are increasingly being made accessible through services such as Gametap, Steam and Virtual Console, so I buy through those as much as possible.
Many game creators are perfectly happy with having their old games played freely, but they should be asked first.
Chroelle:
If you could choose to do a freeware game with any game developer or publisher(freeware or commercial) who would it be?
Erik:
That's a real tough one. I'm willing to work on a game project with just about anyone, provided we have a common vision and can compliment each others weaknesses. If I worked with someone that I admired, such as Yahtzee or Cactus, I might just find myself interfering with their artistic vision.
Chroelle:
Ok. To finish off the interview. The classic question:
Any words for enthusiastic independent game developers?
Erik:
Start small, and be realistic about your projects. Making an MMO as your first project is an absolutely no-no. Other then that, go absolutely wild.