Tomorrow Corporation is primarily known for making offbeat games in classy settings, so you would be forgiven for not knowing that we enjoy manly pursuits, like salmon wrastlin’, oxford knot speed tying, and no-holds-bar, take-no-prisoners interviews.
Well be surprised no longer! In the interview below, our own hardball hitting interviewer, Kyle Gabler, sat down with Sysiac Game’s Peter Hedin to get straight to the facts about their upcoming game, The Captain.
What is the Captain? What are fuel cells made of? And which Kyle is the handsomest?
Let’s have a listen, shall we?
You are two guys making a game that spans the galaxy. How did that happen? What’s your origin story?
Peter: We got to know each other as teenagers and quickly discovered that we both had a desire to make games. At that time the predominant hardware was the all mighty Amiga 500. Benny was a coder lacking in the graphics department and I was a graphics artist severely deficient in coding. We were a perfect match.
What exactly do you do in the Captain? Is it like a point and click adventure game or something? What games/books/media/etc inspired it?
Peter: At its core, The Captain is a point-and-click adventure but we have tried to expand on that theme. We loved games like Monkey Island and Space Quest growing up. They all have one thing in common though, they all have one line of solutions. We wanted to try and give more of an open feeling to the genre. We did this by dividing the game up into multiple adventures much like a 90’s sci-fi series such as Star Trek the Next Generation. Each planet has its own mystery or dilemma. And each with multiple endings. This is all encapsulated by an overarching story and goal to give the player a purpose.
You’re building a game that contains tough choices just like real Star Trek captains would face. Can you describe (without spoilers) some of the tough dilemmas you encounter on your journey?
Peter: We have tried to be as diverse as possible with our mini-adventures. Your personal gains weighed against the overall moral cost. Will you sacrifice an ancient cultural heritage for the possibility of some alien technology? Is it ok to spend the night with another as a married man to better the chance to save the earth?
Tell me, how is your game so amazing? – Dandy Wheeler, Tomorrow Corporation Public Relations Strategist
Peter: We are trying to do something new with the point and click genre. And we hope people will find the mini-adventure mechanic fresh. I personally really like the space battle system we have in the game. But if you don’t ever want to fight, we have designed it for you to reach the end without ever engaging in it.
How did you end up working with Tomorrow Corporation? Which Kyle is the handsomest?
Peter: Early in the development, we realized this would be a project too big for two guys to finalize without any economic and moral support. We found Indie Fund after a desperate internet search for help. They wanted to see what we were working on and that’s when the magnificent creature they call Kyle Gabler emerged through the smoke with his hand reached out. Much later in the process we found that if Tomorrow Corporation wanted to publish our game we would be honored. Concerning which Kyle is the most handsome. It’s easy! Kyle G without a doubt.
Kyle Gray: <flexes his abs>
Kyle Gabler: <does the bend and snap>
What are your top three episodes of Star Trek (and you can’t say Inner Light)?
Peter: A top 3 Star Trek episode list is close to impossible. There are so many. I’ll have to go with ”The Drumhead” (STTNG), ”Elementary, Dear Data” (STTNG), ”Remember me” (STTNG).
If you lived on a galaxy-class starship, what would be your role in the ship’s hierarchy?
Peter: I don’t know about Benny but I would not have climbed the career ladder very far after getting assigned to a galaxy-class starship with a holo-deck installed.
What tools do you guys use to make your game? For art, audio, programming, etc?
Peter: For this game, we have been using Unity game engine. I use Photoshop for the graphics and Audacity for the sound.
What would you be doing with your life if you weren’t making games?
Peter: Dreaming about them!
Who is your favorite character in The Captain?
Peter: I could go with the human meat-eating smuggler rodent located at the space barrier but I think perhaps the adventurer and philanthropic treasure hunter Kim Spiner. Her lifestyle appears fun and full of good stories. Also the very uncooperative and grumpy shuttle.
Shields, Blasters, Missiles, or no-combat?
Peter: All of the above!
How has The Captain changed over the years? Any original art?
Peter: The game was originally conceived as a much smaller game that would be designed around the mechanic of being replayed multiple times. Even though it still is, it has grown and become much more fleshed out. The graphics have changed drastically over the years and I don’t think there is any pixel asset in the game that hasn’t been redrawn several times.
Did you have to cut any of the adventures within the game?
Peter: We have cut many ideas that never left the drawing board. But there was a mini adventure that got pretty far before we decided to leave it. I think it was to be called ”Bureaucracy Boggle”. It was a small episode where the Captain would have to navigate the over-complicated bureaucracy jungle of Lyme to gain access to their system. Sounds fun, doesn’t it!
