TFN:
Alright well first off, I just wanted to reiterate how much we are looking forward to Chaos Drift, and can't wait to get our hands on the finished product!
So what can you tell me about the process of making this game so far? I noticed that you seem to be the sole developer for it. Does that mean you're handling everything from gameplay to music to story all on your own? Or have you had any additional help along the way?
Caleb:
Well, I first want to say that there is a tremendous
community around RPG Maker VX Ace. You can buy high quality custom
assets and scripts rather easily and find help to any questions you may
have... I have also bought royalty free music for the project.
Beyond those things, I do everything. I take tilesets, music, and scripts and arrange them into a story.... into a cohesive project that people will love to play. Every rock, every tree, every bird tweet is there because I put it there. Every line of dialogue is created by me solely. And the story as well.
TFN:
Beyond those things, I do everything. I take tilesets, music, and scripts and arrange them into a story.... into a cohesive project that people will love to play. Every rock, every tree, every bird tweet is there because I put it there. Every line of dialogue is created by me solely. And the story as well.
TFN:
It must be pretty cool to see your own world spring to life, and know that other people will get to experience it as well!
What initially drew me towards Chaos Drift was the fact that you call it "A Nostalgic RPG Experience" and mention that it draws inspiration from classic games like Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger, two of my absolute favorites. I also noticed that you have put your own twist on a skill system that can be compared to Materia from Final Fantasy 7. Are there any other games, classic or new, that you feel gave you inspiration for the game?
Caleb:
I don't mean to be overly vague here.... but EVERY game I play gives me inspiration. I am always looking for the art in games... for what separates one experience from another. I get so much inspiration from watching movies and playing games.... I'll hit a certain point in a movie or game and just shut it off because I have to go create. But FF6 and Chrono Trigger are the biggest influences from my childhood... I suppose you could Skyrim and Dark Souls in there as well... I think about how those games make you feel with a big open world and so many optional things to do, and places to go... and I'm going to capture that with Chaos Drift.
TFN:
That's great! I think there's a lot of people who tend to get inspired by things they love, but then don't really do anything about it. However, you seem to be taking it by the reins and it looks to be shaping up wonderfully judging by the videos you've posted. That being said, which part of the development process do you feel has been the most challenging for you so far?
Caleb:
Oh, definitely the Kickstarter process. Most people don't realize what goes into these campaigns. I've made so many mistakes myself, but I'm learning. Once I'm funded and can focus solely on developing my game, I'll be very happy. A load will be lifted off my shoulders.
TFN:
Caleb:
What initially drew me towards Chaos Drift was the fact that you call it "A Nostalgic RPG Experience" and mention that it draws inspiration from classic games like Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger, two of my absolute favorites. I also noticed that you have put your own twist on a skill system that can be compared to Materia from Final Fantasy 7. Are there any other games, classic or new, that you feel gave you inspiration for the game?
Caleb:
I don't mean to be overly vague here.... but EVERY game I play gives me inspiration. I am always looking for the art in games... for what separates one experience from another. I get so much inspiration from watching movies and playing games.... I'll hit a certain point in a movie or game and just shut it off because I have to go create. But FF6 and Chrono Trigger are the biggest influences from my childhood... I suppose you could Skyrim and Dark Souls in there as well... I think about how those games make you feel with a big open world and so many optional things to do, and places to go... and I'm going to capture that with Chaos Drift.
TFN:
That's great! I think there's a lot of people who tend to get inspired by things they love, but then don't really do anything about it. However, you seem to be taking it by the reins and it looks to be shaping up wonderfully judging by the videos you've posted. That being said, which part of the development process do you feel has been the most challenging for you so far?
Caleb:
Oh, definitely the Kickstarter process. Most people don't realize what goes into these campaigns. I've made so many mistakes myself, but I'm learning. Once I'm funded and can focus solely on developing my game, I'll be very happy. A load will be lifted off my shoulders.
TFN:
That makes sense. It looks like you're pretty close to hitting the goal, so hopefully it'll happen soon!
So, about the actual game itself. Any info you can tell us about the story or the characters?
So, about the actual game itself. Any info you can tell us about the story or the characters?
Caleb:
Yeah, definitely!
Chaos Drift centers around an officer in the Travellian Army by the name of Solar Avarius. Solar, who has been looking for his lost lifelong friend and superior officer Dar Whitmore, hears news that Dar has died. Upon inspection of the tombstone, he is attacked by a pair of familiar faces. Through a series of events, Solar is accused of murder and sentenced to be executed. That is when the beautiful and mysterious mage, Evandra appears. She is from the past and reveals truths that explain everything that has happened recently in Solar's life. Solar, Evandra, and the comical Tull set off on a quest for revenge and justice against the Mad King Belteshazzar who has come to their time via a magical pillar. They quickly find themselves flung to the far reaches of time and space in a journey that will define them all and forever change the course of their world. Solar will quickly realize that he may have to choose between changing the past... and the future as he becomes aware of his true enemy. Many characters will join them along the way including a humorless king and a scheming desert assassin.
TFN:
Chaos Drift centers around an officer in the Travellian Army by the name of Solar Avarius. Solar, who has been looking for his lost lifelong friend and superior officer Dar Whitmore, hears news that Dar has died. Upon inspection of the tombstone, he is attacked by a pair of familiar faces. Through a series of events, Solar is accused of murder and sentenced to be executed. That is when the beautiful and mysterious mage, Evandra appears. She is from the past and reveals truths that explain everything that has happened recently in Solar's life. Solar, Evandra, and the comical Tull set off on a quest for revenge and justice against the Mad King Belteshazzar who has come to their time via a magical pillar. They quickly find themselves flung to the far reaches of time and space in a journey that will define them all and forever change the course of their world. Solar will quickly realize that he may have to choose between changing the past... and the future as he becomes aware of his true enemy. Many characters will join them along the way including a humorless king and a scheming desert assassin.
TFN:
That sounds incredible!
How about the gameplay itself? While reading your updates, I noticed that you've decided to do away with the "traditional" leveling system to cut down the need to grind experience. Can you elaborate a little on what this means?
Caleb:
This means a lot of things... one, I think players of Chaos Drift will enjoy the battles a lot more without it feeling excessive. Two, it means players CANNOT powerlevel themselves early on in the game... it lets me as a developer control how high of a level a player can obtain at any given point in the game. That makes it much easier to balance content as well for the players since I KNOW within a few levels how strong a person can possibly be. Three, it means that players are not punished for exploration. There are many levels available through completely sidequests, so players will want to explore as much as possible in order to become stronger. It puts more emphasis on actually DOING things in the game rather than grinding battle after battle.
TFN:
You mention that it makes it easier for you, as the developer, to balance the content. So then with that in mind, what kind of a difficulty curve does Chaos Drift have?
Caleb:
Well, I am still working on the difficulty curve. There are a lot of limitations with the engine I'm using in regards to the battles. One complaint levied against old school RPGs like FF6 is that it is too easy. I am endeavoring to fix that. But I don't want to go for Dark Souls hard... I don't want to make the game inaccessible. I will have very hard content though that is completely optional. For example: the bonus dungeon included in the Special Edition requires you to have completed every sidequest and most of the main story to be able to be strong enough to even attempt it. It is completely optional, but the best gear in the game can be found in this dungeon, and the dungeon can be repeated multiple times. It is for the hardcore only. :)
TFN:
How about the gameplay itself? While reading your updates, I noticed that you've decided to do away with the "traditional" leveling system to cut down the need to grind experience. Can you elaborate a little on what this means?
Caleb:
This means a lot of things... one, I think players of Chaos Drift will enjoy the battles a lot more without it feeling excessive. Two, it means players CANNOT powerlevel themselves early on in the game... it lets me as a developer control how high of a level a player can obtain at any given point in the game. That makes it much easier to balance content as well for the players since I KNOW within a few levels how strong a person can possibly be. Three, it means that players are not punished for exploration. There are many levels available through completely sidequests, so players will want to explore as much as possible in order to become stronger. It puts more emphasis on actually DOING things in the game rather than grinding battle after battle.
TFN:
You mention that it makes it easier for you, as the developer, to balance the content. So then with that in mind, what kind of a difficulty curve does Chaos Drift have?
Caleb:
Well, I am still working on the difficulty curve. There are a lot of limitations with the engine I'm using in regards to the battles. One complaint levied against old school RPGs like FF6 is that it is too easy. I am endeavoring to fix that. But I don't want to go for Dark Souls hard... I don't want to make the game inaccessible. I will have very hard content though that is completely optional. For example: the bonus dungeon included in the Special Edition requires you to have completed every sidequest and most of the main story to be able to be strong enough to even attempt it. It is completely optional, but the best gear in the game can be found in this dungeon, and the dungeon can be repeated multiple times. It is for the hardcore only. :)
TFN:
Sounds like there's definitely going to be something for everyone!
Anything else that you'd like to mention? About the game or any other projects you're working on?
Caleb:
I grew up in a poor family. I'll never forget the Christmas my parents scrounged up enough money to buy us kids a SNES and I fired up Super Mario World for the first time. A few years later, I played a little game called Final Fantasy III (what we now know as FF6) It changed my life forever, I've been daydreaming since then of creating my own game... my own world. Chaos Drift is the fruition of that dream. I want people to know that I understand what makes a game like FF6 special, and Chaos Drift will definitely be special. After Chaos Drift, I've got a few other RPG projects I might move onto... we'll see. :)
TFN:
You can check out Caleb's game, "Chaos Drift - A Nostalgic RPG Experience" via his Kickstarter page located here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/999449823/chaos-drift-a-nostalgic-rpg-experience
Anything else that you'd like to mention? About the game or any other projects you're working on?
Caleb:
I grew up in a poor family. I'll never forget the Christmas my parents scrounged up enough money to buy us kids a SNES and I fired up Super Mario World for the first time. A few years later, I played a little game called Final Fantasy III (what we now know as FF6) It changed my life forever, I've been daydreaming since then of creating my own game... my own world. Chaos Drift is the fruition of that dream. I want people to know that I understand what makes a game like FF6 special, and Chaos Drift will definitely be special. After Chaos Drift, I've got a few other RPG projects I might move onto... we'll see. :)
TFN:
I know exactly how you feel! Final Fantasy 6 has been my #1
game for a long time, and I don't know that I'll ever feel the same way
towards a storyline or group of characters, simply because the game
wasn't just a fun game to play, it was an experience that still to this
day, makes me smile to think about. Knowing that Chaos Drift is coming
from a place with that kind of nostalgia in mind makes me more excited
than ever to finally try it!
Caleb, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, we certainly look forward to what the finished product of Chaos Drift, along with any other projects you have in mind for somewhere down the road, ends up being. Keep up the great work and keep us posted!
Caleb, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, we certainly look forward to what the finished product of Chaos Drift, along with any other projects you have in mind for somewhere down the road, ends up being. Keep up the great work and keep us posted!
You can check out Caleb's game, "Chaos Drift - A Nostalgic RPG Experience" via his Kickstarter page located here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/999449823/chaos-drift-a-nostalgic-rpg-experience
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