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PREVIEW Q & A
High Voltage Talks Evasive Space

The infamous Tim Rogers wrote, “A game concept should ideally fit on a bar napkin.” I sincerely wish that I had said so first. I also like to imagine that in response to that wish he’d put on an air of Oscar Wilde and assure me, “Don’t worry, you will.” And he’d be absolutely right, because the idea has percolated, and I can’t deny the simple truth of it. The most addictive gaming experiences have always flowed from titles that possess a clear-cut objective empowered by razor focused game-play. This doesn’t mean that every game must be seen as simple, but that the embellishments and developments of design should always be built upon a foundation that is.

For me, the shmup represents this idea more than any other genre. My youth was nursed by the simplicity of a core concept that involved dodge-shoot-dodge. And while new titles offer more powerful weapons and retina melting visuals, that foundation of game-play is what keeps me coming back for more.

Evasive Space first caught my attention with visual flare. The game’s vibrant backgrounds are immediately striking, the remembrance of colour returning like a long forgotten dream. Add a layered design aesthetic that whispers nostalgic memories of the genre the game emerges from, and you had me at “hello.” But Evasive Space also eliminates half of the equation as a game focused on the concept of avoidance – ripping the bar napkin in two.

We had several questions about the decisions that led to Evasive Space’s game-play, as well as the potential difficulties of developing such a title for the Wii’s control scheme. Fortunately for us, Keith Hladik, Associate Producer at High Voltage Software, was more than willing to offer some answers.

JL: In reviewing current and upcoming WiiWare titles, its been refreshing to find that the service hasn’t been plagued by the term “shovel-ware,” often used to describe the massive amount of software released to Nintendo’s DS and Wii. In talking to Gamasutra during E3, High Voltage’s Creative Director Matt Corso emphasized that:

“The Wii is a really cool game system. It’s worth better games than it’s getting right now. There are some great games out there for the system, but it just seems like there’s such an opportunity to do so much more with it. Considering it’s such a popular system right now, it just doesn’t make sense to not focus on making really quality games.”

With this in mind, could you walk [our] readers through how High Voltage works to meet the responsibility of this statement and, if possible, how Nintendo approaches or provides criteria that enforces this goal with regards to WiiWare?

Keith Hladik: High Voltage Software is dedicated to developing quality titles for all the current consoles on the market, especially the Wii. We feel that the Wii provides an opportunity to create unique and exciting games. We’ve seen a gap in the Wii’s library in what people may call ‘hardcore’ games and we want to try to fill that gap. With the development of our Quantum 3 engine, we’ve challenged ourselves to push the Wii’s graphics to the limit and beyond. We’re all gamers here and we want people who buy our games to enjoy playing them. We work to meet the responsibility of the statement above and respect the Wii audience by working hard on releasing titles that we feel are great looking, fun to play, innovative and haven’t been seen on the Wii.

For your second question, while I cannot answer for Nintendo, I know they are very encouraging to developers who want to get a WiiWare title out on the market. I know from experience that they have been very supportive to us on all of our WiiWare titles. We were able to get our V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack WiiWare title out for WiiWare launch thanks to their help.

JL: In recent discussions with other WiiWare developers, the Wii-Mote always becomes a major focus. I often find myself working to find the perfect balance for my own arm when holding one. How did High Voltage approach the problematic situation of marrying the precision nature of the genre Evasive Space emerges from with the “loose” nature of the Wii-Mote’s responsiveness? What difficulties did this involve and what solutions did it require?

KH: With the Wii Remote, Nintendo has changed the way people play games. So finding a good place to steady your arm is part of the process!

In hindsight, getting the controls figured out for Evasive Space was the easy part. We started with two concepts:

1.The ship follows the players’ exact cursor location, based off the IR pointer (i.e. like a laser pointer).
2.The ship follows a cursor using the IR pointer, and players can throttle the thrusters to accelerate towards it.

We made a prototype with these two control schemes and YUKE’S Company of America really felt that the second control type captured what they were looking for. We agreed and our designer tweaked some numbers to get the smooth controls we have now. While there are some aspects of the Wii Remote that are less responsive, the pointer is actually extremely accurate. I think we gave the player a control scheme that works in the context of this game and provides the precision they need to navigate some of the tighter spots in our environments.

JL: In a recent interview, Treasure CEO Masato Maegawa commented that;

“The thing about shooters is that if you make one that can find an audience, then you will never find a player base more devoted to a single title with any other genre out there.”

Was the competitive and small nature of the shooter genre an inspiration to strike out in a dramatically different direction with Evasive Space?

KH: We were given gameplay inspirations from YUKE’S Company of America such as Irritating Stick and other avoidance type games, as well as the desire to give it a deep space theme. Our designer took these game concepts and crafted a Sci-Fi Adventure with the conscious decision to make Konki a passive character. I don’t think the competitive aspect of the shooter genre really effected the decision of shying away from making Evasive Space specifically non-shooter.

JL: Realizing that Evasive Space separates itself from the shooter genre, but still emerges from it, can you tell us a bit about the process of developing this idea and whether this is a genre High Voltage Software plans to pursue through further releases?

KH: The process evolved from the above premise, an avoidance game set in space. Then it was up to us to determine: what are we avoiding? Walls were the obvious answer initially, and then we brainstormed and came up with the various hazards and projectiles that players were to avoid. We also formed mission objectives around the story of Konki trying to save the galaxy by collecting Constellation Stones. So we give players an end goal, while trying to make it through our levels without hitting walls and hazards – all within a time limit to increase the urgency of your current mission.

I want to take this opportunity to mention YUKE’S Company of America has been extremely supportive and especially great to work with. We are currently working on finishing up Evasive Space for both the North American and Japanese audiences, so it is much too early to say if we plan on future releases in this genre. I can say that if enough people buy and enjoy Evasive Space, then chances for another game of this type increases.

JL: Beyond the innovation of play-style, information regarding Evasive Space has also emphasized narrative. I’ve always found it interesting how narrative presents itself within a genre where the characters within a ship and the universe being explored rarely, if ever, appear. Shooters primarily feed off and flow forward with the direct action of game-play. What are your thoughts on why narrative background proves important to these types of experiences?

KH: I think videogames have naturally evolved from arcades to the living room as a new form of entertainment — like books and movies — that give someone escapism and a break from everyday life. A narrative background is important to engage the player in both the gameplay as well as the story we are telling. A good game and a good narrative will compel a player to keep playing; to find out where the story takes the character they’ve invested their time into. Narrative is essential because if players get behind the motivation of the character they are playing as, the gameplay experience becomes even richer.

Posted in Interviews, Previews, Wii, WiiWare |