In my last post, I unveiled Spritemage Games, a video game development company I started. Since then I’ve been working to get the company’s first title into the hands of customers, and I’m now happy to announce the Steam Early Access (beta) launch of Goblin Hotdogs!
Goblin Hotdogs is a cute and casual 3D Platformer where the player explores, solves the mysteries of the universe (fun puzzles), and collects the ultimate treasure (hotdogs).
The Steam page link at the top of this post is the best place to learn more about the game, and to see gameplay footage and screenshots. The plan is to update that page as the game itself is updated, so for the latest news on the game, go there! The rest of this post covers some of my experience with building the game and doing the Early Access launch on Steam.
Index
Inspiration
There are a few ways to talk about the inspiration for this game, but at the root of them all is the desire to build a game that I would want to play myself. As a gamer, I enjoy most things I play, but generally gravitate towards games that prioritize fun rather than challenge or realism (if I want challenge and realism, real life is hard to beat). This shines through in my game, both with the relatively easy level of difficulty, and with the unrealistic sounds and physics.
I’m also not much for the hardcore competition in PVP shooters these days, but I do like shooting and archery mechanics in games. One recent game that captured the best of such mechanics for me was Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which inspired the use of archery to solve puzzles in Goblin Hotdogs.
In terms of making the protagonist a goblin - traditionally a gross/evil/enemy race, - there are a few sources of vague inspiration I’ve heard over the years, but the one that comes most easily to mind is Shrek. Odd that an ogre being rethought into a gruff but lovable protagonist somehow became a core memory and generational staple.
The barely-hidden crass wit of early Disney movies is also inspiring. Being chronically online, I am at an advanced stage of internet brain rot, and hope to create a game that appeals to those with similar dumb humor. So, while the gameplay and story are family friendly, the title and some of the implied humor interspersed through the levels are meant to lend a “Disney-esque” humor for those that are unfortunate enough to get the jokes. It’s better if I don’t get any more specific than that in this post.
Design Decisions
Mostly quick design decisions, sometimes bad, with iteration in mind.
The main decision that didn’t come quickly was the choice of game engine on which to build Goblin Hotdogs. Thankfully my exploration of game engines started years ago, and by the time I got serious about the company and this project, I mostly had the decision narrowed down to either Godot or Unreal Engine. Of those, Unreal Engine seemed the better option for 3D games, and had more interesting uses at the intersections of video games and other industries. It’s licensing also meant I didn’t have to worry about paying for the game engine until I had surpassed $1M in sales. As someone starting out a business, that seems like a very enticing deal. I’m happy to reassess after (if) I’ve made my first million!
Beyond that, I had a design document that I created to catalogue some of my early choices. Looking back on it now, the scope creep is a bit embarassing, but I’m also quite happy with the game so far, and I’m also happy with how I’m managing the iterative rollout of the game. That iterative rollout takes away most of the sting of scope creep, and I get to make a game that I find much more interesting and appealing to gamers.
Steam Early Access
For those unfamiliar with Steam or Steam’s Early Access releases, think about it as a way to do a beta launch of video games. Many of the benefits of doing a product beta launch apply to Steam’s Early Access, including
- Get early and fast feedback.
- Getting your name out there early
- Low-risk iteration
One major benefit Steam’s Early Access provides to both developers and consumers is a market where there are already a set of expectations around what “Early Access” means. Other products achieve something similar by visually showing customers banners or flags that say “Beta” or something similar. This has allowed me to easily set gamers’ expectations, with some being happy to start playing early and watch the game grow, with others choosing to “Wishlist” the game, allowing them to stay updated as game becomes more developed, and jump in when the game matures.
Iteration
Probably the most important lesson from my prior roles in software is the value of iteration. There have been so many benefits to “letting myself off the hook” of needing decisions to be perfect the first time, and being able to get fast feedback from early iterations to inform how the game and mechanics should grow. It applies to everything! For example, the game’s logo is probably a 6/10, and there are some glaring possibilities for improvement. They’ll likely get made at some point, and I’m looking forward to iterating on it when and if time and prioritization permits. For the next while I’ll mostly be focused on the gameplay experience itself, which matters far more to players, and therefore to me.
Excitement
There are many things about this project that excite me, but I want to share one thing in particuar that I wasn’t anticipating. After I launched into Early Access, I realized that Steam’s metrics allow me to see from where in the world my game is being purchased. I was expecting mostly the United States and Canada. However, it was extra exciting when I got my first customers in Brazil, Russia, and Japan. Even if it’s only through a short cute video game, I am beginning to have global impact on the world! It’s incredibly exciting to be able to bring a bit of fun to everyone.