The Indie Dev Game Break Stray Voltage Games

Our guest today is Heidy Motta, Operations Manager from Extremely OK Games, based out of Vancouver, Canada.

With the success of Celeste, Extremely OK Games was formed in 2019, bringing the entire Celeste team under one company and to one location in their new head office in Vancouver, BC.

The same team of course, also made the popular local multiplayer game TowerFall, which many first learnt of from the Ouya. Towerfall has since made its way to all major consoles and Steam with many updates and new content.

EXOK Games are working hard on their next major release after Celeste, Earthblade. A 2D explor-action game in a seamless pixel art world coming in 2024.

Our conversation included:


Moving to Vancouver, Great Blue Herons and Capybaras
Her journey into the indie game industry
Launching Celeste, that experience, and EXOK Games
Luck and accepting opportunities in life
International Relationships and working globally
Operations Management, Social Media and Community Management Tips
Just how hard finishing is!
Great stories and creating connections
Press kits and localisation
And of course, the top 5 games that influenced her

Resource Links:




Twine Game Engine - https://twinery.org/


Press kit link - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/87lycjzncb0o9ns/AACcA3s5Uyzkeicn3-26qLBWa?dl=0



More on Extremely OK Games:


Website: exok.com
Earthblade on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239640/Earthblade
Celeste on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/504230/Celeste
Towerfall on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/251470/TowerFall_Ascension
Celeste on Nintendo: https://www.nintendo.com/en-ca/store/products/celeste-switch
Celeste and Towerfall are on all major platforms
Twitter or Twitch: https://twitter.com/heidy_km
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/xuwy39H
Heidy on Itch.io: https://heidymotta.itch.io
Heidy’s website: heidy.page

Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:


Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games / Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca
Stray Voltage Games on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2221440/Kip_and_Odosan

Our guest today is Martin Hanses from the Studio Team Clam. Currently based out of beautiful British Columbia, Team Clam makes narrative driven role playing games among other interesting genres. Their game Clam Man on Steam, released back in 2019, as well as their free prologue Clam Man 2: Open Mic, both enjoy a Very Positive rating on steam and feature a unique non-combat, narrative driven RPG style of game play. Martin hails from Finland originally, and has a series of narrative driven games on Itch.Io as well to enjoy. He has recently secured funding and is working full time on Clam Man 2: Headliner.

Our conversation included:


Being a chef
Philosophy and kindness in games and writing
Making youtubers cry...in a good way
Writing and creating unique game experiences
Tools and the process in writing a narrative driven RPG
And of course, the top 5 games that influenced him

Resource Links:


Unity - https://unity.com/
Pixel Crushers Dialogue System for Unity - https://www.pixelcrushers.com/dialogue-system/
Adventure Creator for Unity - https://adventurecreator.org/
Construct 2 / 3 Game Engine - https://www.construct.net/

More on Studio Team Clam:


Martin’s games on Itch.io: https://marafrass.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clam_team  (@clam_team)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marafrass (@marafrass)
Clam Man on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1000640/Clam_Man/
Clam Man 2: Open Mic on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278360/Clam_Man_2_Open_Mic/
Clam Man 2: Headliner on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278380/Clam_Man_2_Headliner/

Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:


Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca

Skull Commando Labs (107) - Single Screen Platformers, Pushing Pixels, and Indie World Order

Our guest today is Raul Martinez, known as Skull on Twitter. His ominous sounding Studio, Skull Commando Labs, is based out of beautiful El Salvador. Raul is very active in the indie game community. He is a co-founder of the Indie World Order and runs the SideScrollerMagazine, an online magazine featuring indie games. As well Raul is part of the IWOCon team, a virtual gaming conference hosted by the Indie World Order. Raul himself has published several games in the 1 bit retro pixel art style including Mouse and Cheese, a precision single screen platformer and Dr. Brown an arcade arena shooter. He is currently working on a new single screen precision platformer dubbed Gusanito Joe - which translates roughly to Little Worm Joe, in English!

Our conversation included:


Side Scroller Magazine and Indie World Order
Pixel Art
Improving from game to game
Learning Unity and entering game development
The Indie Community and giving back
Whiteboarding!
And of course, the top 5 games that influenced him.

Resource Links:


Unity - https://unity.com/
Indie World Order - Discord: https://discord.gg/jgmNWtan
Indie World Order Web - https://www.indieworldorder.com/
IWOCon on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2212710/IWOCon_2/
Side Scroller Magazine - check out Twitter - #sidescrollermagazine
How to Make a Video Game All By Yourself: 10 steps, just you and a computer, by Matt Hackett (can find in most bookstores)
Playmaker - Visual Scripting for Unity
Piskel (Pixel Art)
And from the Episode here is the whiteboard of Skull’s prototype game still in progress! Concept art ala whiteboard. Amazing.

More on Skull Commando Labs:


Skull Commando’s Games on Itch.io: https://skull-commando-labs.itch.io/
Twitter: @labsskull ( https://twitter.com/LabsSkull )

Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:


Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca

81monkeys (106) - World of Anterra, Kickstarters, and Mobile

Our guest today is Stephane Cotichini, the CEO and Founder of the game studio 81monkeys. 81 Monkeys is a mobile and now desktop and console game studio located on the West Coast of Canada in Port Moody, British Columbia. Their mobile games include the popular Sudoku Scramble, holding a 4.1 star rating on iOS, and the Chore App which gamify’s chores for the whole family.

In August 2022 Stephane and the team launched a very successful Kickstarter for their upcoming game, the World of Anterra. World of Anterra is an open world, non-linear, retro inspired RPG. With almost 6000 backers they have raised just under $400,000, and are building towards launch on all major platforms! The game was in development for three years prior to the kickstarter campaign and looks impressive in both game play and scope!

Our conversation included:


Their kickstarter campaign and what it is liking working with a larger team after a successful kickstarter.
Mobile games and how mobile gaming has changed.
His journey into video games and his move from retail to gaming.
His studio’s upcoming game World of Anterra.
Procedural vs design and content creation for a large game.
And of course, the top 5 games that influenced him.

Resource Links:


Unity - https://unity.com/
World of Anterra on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/81monkeys/world-of-anterra
CanadaGameDevs on Twitter: @CanadaGameDevs - Covering the videogames made in Canada & the people who create them. (World of Anterra Runner Up for Most Anticipated Game 2022 Award)

More on 81monkeys:


81monkeys - https://www.81monkeys.com/
Twitter: @81monkeysStudio
Web: www.worldofanterra.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/world-of-anterra

Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:


Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca

Myke Wills (@enfenyx) is a solo indie developer with Enfenyx Games and headquartered in the lovely Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia Canada. Enfenyx creates 2d and 3d games for the PC and has several titles under their belt including Devastation: Annihilate the Alien Race and its 3d sequel Devastation 2: Repatriation, both are available on steam. Myke’s current project is Virvius, a first person horror shooter.

Our conversation included:


His journey to writing indie games, being left handed, and building fake laptops.
His toolchain and the technology involved in creating his steam games, including his 3D Assets and Sound Design.
His love of First Person Shooters.
Building games while raising young kids.
Early game building and floppy disks.
His top 5 games that influenced him, including some Id classics.

Resource Links:


Probuilder for Unity - https://unity.com/features/probuilder - allows for building 3 models easily
Masters of Doom book - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/96382/masters-of-doom-by-david-kushner/9780812972153
RPG Maker 2000 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/383730/RPG_Maker_2000/
Landstalker on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/71118/Landstalker_The_Treasures_of_King_Nole/
Adobe After Effects & Photoshop - www.adobe.com
Magix Music Maker - https://www.magix.com
Halcon - Halifax Comic Con (Nova Scotia, Canada) - https://hal-con.com

More on Myke Wills:


https://www.michaelwills.net
Steam Page for Devastation - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1227040/Devastation__Annihilate_the_Alien_Race
Steam Page for Devastation 2 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1464090/Devastation_2__Repatriation

Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:


Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca

Tomas Guinan is a full time indie developer with Spoony Bard Productions headquartered in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Spoony Bard specializes in retro games. They have released an original NES game on physical cartridge and digitally for NES and Steam through their successful kickstarter called Eskimo Bob in 2017. They shipped a sequel in 2019, called Alfonzo's Arctic Adventure, backed by a second successful Kickstarter. This was published as an NES ROM, and was later published on the Switch and XBox One as well. Spoony Bard and Interabang collaborated on the 2020 release, Jay and Silent Bob, Mall brawl for the NES. This game is now ported to most platforms and Tomas is currently working on a new title with Interabang targeting modern consoles and Steam titled Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch with a target release date of late 2023.

Our conversation included:


His journey to writing indie games including his flash animated show.
His toolchain and the technology involved in creating his games.
Q-Basic
The retro NES / game scene.
His kickstarter campaigns.
His top 5 games that influenced him - an NES, Gameboy, and SNES set of favorites!

Resource Links:


CC65 - C compiler for 6502 systems - https://www.cc65.org/
Limited Run Games - https://limitedrungames.com/
Interabang Entertainment - https://www.interabangent.com/
YY-CHR - Sprite utility - https://w.atwiki.jp/yychr/
NEXXT - https://frankengraphics.itch.io/nexxt

More on Spoony Bard Productions:


Spoony Bard Productions - www.spoonybard.ca
Twitter: @SpoonyBardToma
Jay and Silent Bob - Mall Brawl - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1087440/Jay_and_Silent_Bob_Mall_Brawl/
Eskimo Bob Starring Alfonzo - https://store.steampowered.com/app/651360/Eskimo_Bob_Starring_Alfonzo/
Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1170170/Alfonzos_Arctic_Adventure/
Spoony Bard on Itch.Io - https://spoony-bard-productions.itch.io/

Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:


Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca