CLASSIC! ( INTERVIEW WITH ANTTI ) | Forums

[rlmergeuser]

DH emailed Antti Ilvessuo, Co-founder and Creative Director of RedLynx to discuss Trials HD Big Thrills DLC for Xbox Live Arcade and the newly announced Motoheroz
Start by telling me a little bit about RedLynx Ltd. and how it got started.

My brother Atte and I have basically been making games all of our lives. Our first computer was a Commodore VIC-20. We didn't have a tape drive, so we had to start all over every time the computer was shut down! We also made some DOS games before the Internet really took off. Our first Internet game was called Alien Phobia, which we followed up with Alien Phobia II & III as freeware.

From there, we went professional, getting clients for our Java games and that grew into mobile games, some for Nokia's N-Gage, there was a Warhammer game for PSP, our PC games, and onto iPhone and Xbox LIVE Arcade. We've been all over the field in the last ten years!
What was RedLynx's first title and do you considerRedLynx's first title was a Java-based browser game named, you guessed it, Trials! It had a huge number of players, it was very popular. We did a number of other games in those days too, maybe someday we'll come back with some of those older gems too
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What's it like to work in a game development studio like RedLynx? Describe an average day in the office.

When I arrive, I run up the stairs then go to check my email -- usually about 50 have arrived over the night. I try to answer them all as fast as possible, so most of my day can be spent working on the games. After that, I have scrum meetings, design choices, testing. I usually don't brainstorm at work, but later, like walking the dog for example.
What do you love most about making video games?

My theory is that playing games is fun so making them fun should be also. I think we have that attitude here. So for that reason, we always start with playable prototypes, so we can make sure the core gameplay mechanics are fun, even before we worry about serious graphics, sounds, story, that kind of thing.
How did you get your start in the industry and what advice do you have for those reading this that may be interested in pursuing a career making video games?

I think a good piece of advice would be don't make a MMORPG as your first game! Start small. When you're practicing, iterate the code, the art, the design, all the time. Check what works and what doesn't. This way, you'll learn much faster. Compare what you've created to bigger titles that are out there. Analyze why they are good and learn, learn, learn. You're always learning.
Trials HD was a pretty big hit (and a blast to play!). You just announced the release of the Big Thrills Pack. Can you tell us a little about this expansion and its forty new tracks?

This is a huge set of new tracks, even more than was available in the first DLC. Plus for the first time ever, we are including user-generated content in our game -- not because we couldn't make the tracks ourselves, but as a way of saying thank you to our fans.

So we're very excited about this release. It should come out in the next few months, probably at around the same points level as the first DLC.

What about this contest to select the 10 user-made tracks; can you elaborate on that? Any chance we can get a sneak peak at some of your favorite submissions? =)

With our partner Microsoft, the Big Thrills track builder challenge is going to include 10 of the best user created levels, with full in-game credit plus great prizes. This is our way of thanking the community for their loyalty and support, and as a great way of showcasing what people can do with the editor.

We can't talk about individual tracks at this point and we're still going through them with our partners, but some of the stuff we have seen so far have been pretty innovative for sure!

Epic Jumps and Dreamscapes are two of my favorite tracks. I love the level design of Dreamscapes, it's just plain neat and Epic Jumps is a blast to ride through. What are some of your favorite tracks and why?

My favorite is 'Classic' (from Big Pack) since it's a combination of the first Trials tracks ever released. So it is the closest to my heart.
Is there more Trials HD content on the way?

We haven't announced anything other than Trials HD - Big Thrills at this point, and we are really working hard, staying focused on that. But obviously we are big fans of the Trials franchise, so we'll have to wait and see what the future holds.

With the Big Thrills Pack nearly released, what is RedLynx planning for its next big project? Will it be digitally distributed? XBLA?

As a matter of a fact, our next big project will be digital distributed.

We have always been a multi-platform developer, with multiple teams working on different game projects, so even though we are best known for Trials HD at this point, all along we've been having great success on the iPhone at the same time, with our Monster Trucks Nitro games and of course DrawRace, which critics have called one of the most innovative and enjoyable racing games available for iPhone.

So we've just announced a brand new game called MotoHeroz, which we're building for Nintendo's WiiWare channel. It's a platform racing game using 3D objects and a physics engine, and a bright, colorful game world that really bring the game to life. There is an extensive single player game with a fun storyline and plans for about single player 100 levels, as well as a four player local multiplayer mode we call Party Rally, which is incredibly addictive!

We also have ghost racing, global and friend-based Leader Boards, and an entirely new kind of online play, where we open and close new tracks and their linked Leader Boards each day, which we think will make for a much more compelling way to link ghost racing and to high score rankings.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?

You might think we're crazy for trying to pack this much gameplay into MotoHeroz, but you have to remember Finland is the home of Santa Claus. We like to give and give.

[rlmergeuser]

2nd Interview :

The forthcoming Big Thrills DLC pack won't be the last gamers see of Trials HD, RedLynx has hinted.

The Finnish studio's creative director Antti Ilvessuo told Eurogamer, "When we release Big Thrills, probably in late November or early December, we'll be delivering about 40 quality new levels, a bunch of new tournaments, and new achievements.

"That should keep our fans busy for some time. As to what's after that, only the squirrels know! But you've probably not heard the last of Trials HD."

Ilvessuo also told us more about RedLynx's next project - colourful WiiWare stunt racer MotoHeroz.

"We've always been a multi-platform publisher and developer, and we see WiiWare as a new opportunity to reach out to a totally new group of gamers who may not know much about RedLynx or the kind of games we make.

"Each game platform is different, and needs the right kind of games to fit both the platform and the audience for that platform. In MotoHeroz we saw from the start an exceptionally great fit for Wii. We have been busy developing that game and happily, MotoHeroz is turning out to be even better than we expected."

Trials HD will be a tough act to follow. CEO Terry Virtala recently told Eurogamer that RedLynx had shifted over a million downloads of its fiendish, brilliant XBLA racer/platformer.

Illvessuo is hoping he'll be able to bring some of those users over to MotoHeroz, despite its cartoony look.

"We focus on creating a great game experience, meaning games that we as developers would love to play," he explained. "MotoHeroz and Trials are different types of games, but we love both of them, so they both will appeal to a really wide audience.

"MotoHeroz will appeal to anyone who likes fast-paced, platform type games. It happens to feature fun race cars and dune buggies, but it plays more like a platformer, so everyone who likes platformer games should enjoy this too. That certainly includes Trials fans, but it describes plenty of other gamers too."

MotoHeroz launches on WiiWare in early 2011. Trials HD's Big Thrills DLC pack hits XBLA later this year.

[rlmergeuser]

Good read. I like to brainstorm with my dog to. Actually.... Blueberry is responsible for several of my obstacles. Shhhh, Don't tell.

[rlmergeuser]

^^^ bberry does the bombs

good interview, thanks for the post red

[rlmergeuser]

Can't wait for the Big Thrills pack...and the sequel!

[rlmergeuser]

Thanks to RedRider and ANTTI for an interesting and informative interview that certainly gives the fans something to think about.