Desktop Dungeons is making big waves worldwide with its quick, tough and fun gameplay that has destroyed productivity more than a looping GIF of Beyonce falling down the stairs.
Now nominated for two IGF Awards, QCF Design and Desktop Dungeons proudly sits nominated for categories previously won by heavy hitters like Braid and Limbo. We caught up with the trio of insane local developers to talk about goats, groupies, sausage rolls, Vin Diesel and… oh yes, a little bit about Desktop Dungeons as well.
Hit the jump for the the insane, yet informative interview.
Q: Desktop Dungeons has been nominated for the IGF Awards this year. How did you all react when you found out?
Rodain: After checking the IGF page every 5 minutes for most of the day, I discovered the good news apon one fateful page refresh and immediately went on a hell bent course to inform the others. My efforts were frustrated by the fact that we were on opposite ends of the country at the time … and that my cellphone had stopped working.
Marc: When Rodain got hold of us, some friends were over, so everyone just exploded into shouts and giggles. Celebrations were had, and we’re still giddy.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most at this year’s Game Developers Conference?
Danny: Meeting all the really interesting people.
Rodain: Oh Hell Yeah … also hookers.
Marc: I can’t wait to meet the guys from Team Meat
Danny: I’m also looking forward to the fight to the death for who gets to go to which talks … since we only have 2 passes.
Q: Can you highlight some of the memorable moments experienced while developing Desktop Dungeons so far?
Rodain: I coded naked once!
Marc: Is that really memorable?
Rodain: Well I did remember it.
Marc: …
Danny: What about that time you went to a party, and people asked you to play this cool game … and it was Desktop Dungeons.
Rodain … yeah that was hilarious.
Danny: Yeah, anytime someone tells us about the game and we’re like “yeah, we made that” and they look at you funny, and you can see them thinking ” … but it’s good” cause there’s this cognitive dissonance about what you can achieve locally.
Q: What are some of the challenges that you face being game developers based in South Africa?
Marc: Convincing investors that things we make will actually do well.
Danny: That can be summarized as “Getting Money”
Danny: I think there’s like a culture thing as well, there aren’t that many game developers in South Africa.
Marc: At the moment everybody knows everybody else.
Q: Your game has won the hearts of so many gamers even before its official release. What makes Desktop Dungeons fun?
Rodain: Goats
Danny: Cocaine
Marc: Groupies
Marc: But seriously, the game is fun because it’s hard. Rodain worked hard to make every choice meaningful… even movement!
Q: When do you plan to release the final version of Desktop Dungeons to the world? What platforms will it support?
Danny: When it’s DONE! I’ve always wanted to say that.
Rodain: oh … uuuuuuum …. when we run out of money.
Marc: Hopefully slightly before that.
Rodain: We’re really hoping for the first half of 2011. Released on PC/Mac first, and after that mobile devices (iPhone /Android).
Marc: After that we’ll start looking at consoles. maybe.
Danny: Don’t look at me, I’m still having an ‘achievement unlocked’ moment.
Q: Will there be a sequel starring Vin Diesel?
Marc: Absolutely
Danny: I dunno about you guys, but I got into the games industry to work with Vin. And by work i mean WORK.
Q: You seem to keep in touch with your community and update your blog very often. How important is the feedback?
Danny: Well the game started life on a forum post, so we’re used to interacting with the audience. That’s just how we’ve made stuff. It’s a little harder now to keep writing things, because you want to keep content coming, but it’s tough making mundane development sound cool. Nobody wants to hear about bugs.
Rodain: Yeah, I try to lift the design stuff that we talk about from day to day
and post about it.
Marc: I think the big difference is that we’re not constantly posting new versions of the game.
Danny: It’s nice watching a new community get hold of the game. Seeing them go from “AAARGH IT’S HARD” to “I know what to do!!” and develop the same tactics that we see emerge everywhere else.
[ At this point the interview actually finished and I feel I should warn you that at this point the QCF folks had completely hijacked the interview ]
Q: Wouldn’t it be awesome if lans were a fan of Desktop Dungeons?
Danny: Oh hell yeah, he’s like a superfan. We wouldn’t need lawyers, he’d just attack things that were negative to DD.
Q: What do you most want to do once Desktop Dungeons is finished?
Rodain: Stop working on Desktop Dungeons!. I’ll probably spend a few months working on freeware games. I like the hobbyist philosophy.
Marc: Just walk around proclaiming “I’m famous on the internet you know” while wearing a leather steampunk top hat.
Q: What are the most annoying words to type in an interview (because of spell check)
Marc: Multiplayer
Rodain: LazyGamer
Danny: Multiplayer is supposed to be hyphenated.
Marc: Except “multi” is also wrong.
Danny: It’s “attack of the red squiggles” whenever you talk about games.
Final Words:
Rodain: I SMELL SAUSAGE ROLLS!!
Danny: Desktop Dungeons will make you it’s bitch.
Marc: Desktop Dungeons will eat your time … fear it.
Q: If we keep going with random crap, will Nick publish it all?
Marc: Yes, he will, he’ll publish *everything*.
Q: Will the lazygamer readership suspect that we started making up questions?
Danny: Find out next time one the surprising adventures of QCF Design.
Q: Anyone you want to shoutout to?
Marc: The blue clan
Rodain: what is the blue clan?
Danny: The Blue clan
Marc: How does ‘shoutout’ not trigger spellchecker?!?
Q: What are you going to name the different ports?
Marc: iPhone: Desktop Birds Angry Dungeons
Rodain: “Goat Massager:first strike” will be a spinoff title of the DD franchise
Danny: The Mac port will be called lolcat dungeons
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We’d like to thank QCF Design for taking the time to stop developing their awesome game and talk some smack with us here at Lazygamer. We wish them all the best on the project and especially with their IGF nominations.
Last Updated: January 19, 2011
Gavin Mannion
January 19, 2011 at 13:12
Awesome interview and glad to see our local celeb, lans, get a mention 🙂
Also it’s Lazygamer not LazyGamer that’s my current pet hate which will be replaced by something equally mundane by the morning
Pack Ling
January 20, 2011 at 04:20
Best interview EVER.