Date: 2007-08-14
Title: Alexandre Szybiak, developer of Alex Adventure
Within a Deep Cave Adventure in Cube Sector
Alexandre Szybiak. That name might not ring a bell for too many people. He developed this game called Alex Adventure. Sounds like some crappy Alex Kidd fan game right? Wrong. In the last few years a handful artfully made platformers have been developed. Alex Adventure is the most recent addition. It takes influence from the best indie platformers and throws its own unique atmosphere into the mix. This release alone made me curious about Alexandre. And when you get curious you ask questions. And that’s what I did.
Introduce yourself..
My name is Alexandre Szybiak. I'm 22 and I live in France (Toulouse) where I'm currently an art student.
When did you become interested in game development and MMF?
Game development has been the holy grail for me since a time I can not remember - I think the first time I played a videogame, I wanted to create my own (when I got my first console, a NES - so when I was about 6 or 7..) Even before this I was designing levels on paper when I was in third grade (I'm not sure about this though, since the French system is different). When I was five maybe...
About MMF - I heard about KNP when I was ten. I bought TGF in 2000 or so and MMF later. I don't remember when..
Did you develop anything before you developed Alex Adventure?
I've released 2 games with TGF in the French community in 2001 – 2002. You can still find Dragon War (which can also be downloaded from my website). After that I stopped and focused more on drawing, painting and digital arts. In 2005 I started a lot of projects, trying to get better at coding. I've got a lot of demos from this period. After this I focused on finishing a game, Alex's Labyrinth. The soundtrack is on download from my website.
Where did your ideas, inspiration and influences come from for Alex Adventure?
Tough question. First I'm going to list the few games I played the year before making Alex Adventure. I think I've been influenced by those games at some point. System shock 2, Earthbound, Super Metroid, Dragon Quest 6 and Within a Deep Forest. Dragon Quest and WADF are games that make you think:
it's so simple to make a good game but of course, it's not. Those games brought me the strength you need to develop a game.
My influence in terms of gameplay and level design are simply the Nintendo games - trying to make a world fully interactive, surprising, with complex mechanics, yet simple to explore and enjoy. I heard that Nintendo usually spend 2 years of development on level design. These are my influences for Alex Adventure.
On a more general level, I love guys like Will Wright or Warren Spector but as an indie developer working alone, you can't really compete.
How long did Alex Adventure take to develop from concept to completion and what was the development schedule like?
One year. At first I had absolutely no plan - it was just another experiment, my first platform engine. Then I started to add more elements until I said to myself: I'm going to finish this and I'm going to release it. I spent an incredible amount of time on graphics - some tiles have been modified maybe five times. I hope someone notices that, though simple, the graphics and especially the colors are not just random choices. I spent an incredible amount of time on level design also, sometimes changing everything just because it didn't feel good enough (and sometimes because the game started running slow as hell). A lot of time was spent on testing and coding of course (or much more like trying to figure things out ). All of this (was done) in no particular order.
Oh and I forgot to mention music. A few tracks were done at the beginning of the development, some quickly done at the end. I'm not a musician. Some people said the music was Earthbound-esque and I'm really happy with that.
Did you spend some time developing Alex Adventure every day? If so, how much time each day?
It depends. At the beginning I was working a lot on it every day - maybe three hours per day at best and then sometimes I could leave the game for a week or even a month and then suddenly spend 2 days almost non-stop on rare occasions. I could spend 10 hours. Especially when facing a big coding problem, I usually couldn't stop until the problem is solved. The game has mostly been done that way,
with very big sessions every 2 weeks or so.
Do you feel that you learnt a lot from developing Alex Adventure?
Yes. I learned you need a plan, coffee and cigarettes (don't try to stop smoking while making a game btw).
Were there any points in development where you lost interest or motivation to keep going and just wanted to give up? Even without a plan was development still an enjoyable experience for you?
Very enjoyable, especially at the beginning when everything is new and at the end when you know you're going to finish it soon. I lost motivation many times but after a while, I would add a new gameplay element or add a few tiles or enemies and suddenly the motivation was back.
How much quicker do you think the development time would have been with a plan?
I can't say. If I make a plan for next time, my game might be better, not faster to develop.
Are you satisfied with the end result of Alex Adventure?
No I'm not. I've spent hours on things I finally couldn't fully implement to keep the game fast and glitchless.
Alex Adventure has quickly become an indie community favourite, being compared to such classics as Cave Story, Lyle In Cube Sector and Knytt - were you surprised by the overwhelming positive response to the game?
Well I wasn't really aware of that so yes I'm surprised. I think my game is pretty good but I didn't think it was original enough to get such attention. It's a basic game with strange graphics and music. What I really want is the opposite.
I've heard that you are not planning to develop anymore games - what brought you to this decision? Do you think you'll ever get the urge to develop a game again (I'm sure there would be high anticipation for your next project)?
I'm planning a lot. I'm making a little sequel to Alex Adventure, experimenting with stuff but it's on hold right now - I'm moving, I'm on a shitty computer and starting again in mid-August at best. I have lots of undeveloped concepts. I want to make something really weird and confusing for the player.
What are your thoughts on the indie game community - do you think it is in a healthy state?
I think it's great that there are so many indie games. The creativity is (I think) in a pretty healthy state. We just want money now, OK?
What are your favourite MMF, indie, retro and modern videogames?
MMF: Les Adventures de Lunorg and Within a Deep Forest.
Indie: Any physics games and Samorost 1 & 2...
Retro: Lots of platform games and Super Mario Bros 3 on top.
Modern: Metroid Prime, Deus Ex, System Shock 2, Mario 64 (played it recently - I had missed something huge), Majora's Mask, Final Fantasy 8 (for the French / European inspired universe, stupid game system, dumb story, spaceships, time traveling - god I love this game). I wish I was a fan of train simulation too. Dance Dance Revolution (because I like to sweat in front of my TV), Dragon
Quest 5. I'll stop here. I love so many games but lists are useless.
Are there any details you can share about the sequel to Alex Adventure? Are there any major differences planned?
Right now it's taking the shape of a collection of experiments - experiments in ambiance, graphics, experimenting with everything that my engine can take. I've also changed the physics of the player, to make it more Mario-esque. And the graphics are more detailed (but not that much - I don't want to waste time on such a trivial thing).
Do you have any advice for aspiring developers who are thinking of taking on their first game but feeling a little overwhelmed?
Well, I think when you really want to make videogame, you'll find your own way, which might take a lot of time... I think the first thing you need is something exciting, a little experiment that really gives you motivation, an engine or an animation. I couldn't have started by making a plan because at first you want concrete things, you want results and you want to see what your game will look like. So, for a first project, go wild, do random stuff. Then for a more serious development schedule, I'll tell you when I try.
Title: Alexandre Szybiak, developer of Alex Adventure
Within a Deep Cave Adventure in Cube Sector
Alexandre Szybiak. That name might not ring a bell for too many people. He developed this game called Alex Adventure. Sounds like some crappy Alex Kidd fan game right? Wrong. In the last few years a handful artfully made platformers have been developed. Alex Adventure is the most recent addition. It takes influence from the best indie platformers and throws its own unique atmosphere into the mix. This release alone made me curious about Alexandre. And when you get curious you ask questions. And that’s what I did.
Introduce yourself..
My name is Alexandre Szybiak. I'm 22 and I live in France (Toulouse) where I'm currently an art student.
When did you become interested in game development and MMF?
Game development has been the holy grail for me since a time I can not remember - I think the first time I played a videogame, I wanted to create my own (when I got my first console, a NES - so when I was about 6 or 7..) Even before this I was designing levels on paper when I was in third grade (I'm not sure about this though, since the French system is different). When I was five maybe...
About MMF - I heard about KNP when I was ten. I bought TGF in 2000 or so and MMF later. I don't remember when..
Did you develop anything before you developed Alex Adventure?
I've released 2 games with TGF in the French community in 2001 – 2002. You can still find Dragon War (which can also be downloaded from my website). After that I stopped and focused more on drawing, painting and digital arts. In 2005 I started a lot of projects, trying to get better at coding. I've got a lot of demos from this period. After this I focused on finishing a game, Alex's Labyrinth. The soundtrack is on download from my website.
Where did your ideas, inspiration and influences come from for Alex Adventure?
Tough question. First I'm going to list the few games I played the year before making Alex Adventure. I think I've been influenced by those games at some point. System shock 2, Earthbound, Super Metroid, Dragon Quest 6 and Within a Deep Forest. Dragon Quest and WADF are games that make you think:
it's so simple to make a good game but of course, it's not. Those games brought me the strength you need to develop a game.
My influence in terms of gameplay and level design are simply the Nintendo games - trying to make a world fully interactive, surprising, with complex mechanics, yet simple to explore and enjoy. I heard that Nintendo usually spend 2 years of development on level design. These are my influences for Alex Adventure.
On a more general level, I love guys like Will Wright or Warren Spector but as an indie developer working alone, you can't really compete.
How long did Alex Adventure take to develop from concept to completion and what was the development schedule like?
One year. At first I had absolutely no plan - it was just another experiment, my first platform engine. Then I started to add more elements until I said to myself: I'm going to finish this and I'm going to release it. I spent an incredible amount of time on graphics - some tiles have been modified maybe five times. I hope someone notices that, though simple, the graphics and especially the colors are not just random choices. I spent an incredible amount of time on level design also, sometimes changing everything just because it didn't feel good enough (and sometimes because the game started running slow as hell). A lot of time was spent on testing and coding of course (or much more like trying to figure things out ). All of this (was done) in no particular order.
Oh and I forgot to mention music. A few tracks were done at the beginning of the development, some quickly done at the end. I'm not a musician. Some people said the music was Earthbound-esque and I'm really happy with that.
Did you spend some time developing Alex Adventure every day? If so, how much time each day?
It depends. At the beginning I was working a lot on it every day - maybe three hours per day at best and then sometimes I could leave the game for a week or even a month and then suddenly spend 2 days almost non-stop on rare occasions. I could spend 10 hours. Especially when facing a big coding problem, I usually couldn't stop until the problem is solved. The game has mostly been done that way,
with very big sessions every 2 weeks or so.
Do you feel that you learnt a lot from developing Alex Adventure?
Yes. I learned you need a plan, coffee and cigarettes (don't try to stop smoking while making a game btw).
Were there any points in development where you lost interest or motivation to keep going and just wanted to give up? Even without a plan was development still an enjoyable experience for you?
Very enjoyable, especially at the beginning when everything is new and at the end when you know you're going to finish it soon. I lost motivation many times but after a while, I would add a new gameplay element or add a few tiles or enemies and suddenly the motivation was back.
How much quicker do you think the development time would have been with a plan?
I can't say. If I make a plan for next time, my game might be better, not faster to develop.
Are you satisfied with the end result of Alex Adventure?
No I'm not. I've spent hours on things I finally couldn't fully implement to keep the game fast and glitchless.
Alex Adventure has quickly become an indie community favourite, being compared to such classics as Cave Story, Lyle In Cube Sector and Knytt - were you surprised by the overwhelming positive response to the game?
Well I wasn't really aware of that so yes I'm surprised. I think my game is pretty good but I didn't think it was original enough to get such attention. It's a basic game with strange graphics and music. What I really want is the opposite.
I've heard that you are not planning to develop anymore games - what brought you to this decision? Do you think you'll ever get the urge to develop a game again (I'm sure there would be high anticipation for your next project)?
I'm planning a lot. I'm making a little sequel to Alex Adventure, experimenting with stuff but it's on hold right now - I'm moving, I'm on a shitty computer and starting again in mid-August at best. I have lots of undeveloped concepts. I want to make something really weird and confusing for the player.
What are your thoughts on the indie game community - do you think it is in a healthy state?
I think it's great that there are so many indie games. The creativity is (I think) in a pretty healthy state. We just want money now, OK?
What are your favourite MMF, indie, retro and modern videogames?
MMF: Les Adventures de Lunorg and Within a Deep Forest.
Indie: Any physics games and Samorost 1 & 2...
Retro: Lots of platform games and Super Mario Bros 3 on top.
Modern: Metroid Prime, Deus Ex, System Shock 2, Mario 64 (played it recently - I had missed something huge), Majora's Mask, Final Fantasy 8 (for the French / European inspired universe, stupid game system, dumb story, spaceships, time traveling - god I love this game). I wish I was a fan of train simulation too. Dance Dance Revolution (because I like to sweat in front of my TV), Dragon
Quest 5. I'll stop here. I love so many games but lists are useless.
Are there any details you can share about the sequel to Alex Adventure? Are there any major differences planned?
Right now it's taking the shape of a collection of experiments - experiments in ambiance, graphics, experimenting with everything that my engine can take. I've also changed the physics of the player, to make it more Mario-esque. And the graphics are more detailed (but not that much - I don't want to waste time on such a trivial thing).
Do you have any advice for aspiring developers who are thinking of taking on their first game but feeling a little overwhelmed?
Well, I think when you really want to make videogame, you'll find your own way, which might take a lot of time... I think the first thing you need is something exciting, a little experiment that really gives you motivation, an engine or an animation. I couldn't have started by making a plan because at first you want concrete things, you want results and you want to see what your game will look like. So, for a first project, go wild, do random stuff. Then for a more serious development schedule, I'll tell you when I try.