Loveshack - Tin Roof, Rusty: The Founding of Loveshack and the Creation of Framed

Video game developers Joshua Boggs, Ollie Browne, and Adrian Moore discuss the creation of Loveshack their independent games studio; funding strategies for the building of their shack, their multi-disciplinary production philosophy and their focus on differentiation as a means to standing out.

Transcript

1. Tin roOF, Rusty The Founding of Loveshack & the Creation of Framed
2. • Adrian Moore: Design & audio how we got here • Ollie Browne: Design & art so many games, so little time • Joshua Boggs: Design & code Loveshack's development philosophy Introduction
3. How we got here
4. The Firemint years • Hugely successful independent studio, first wave of ios • Hits such as real racing & flight control • First game we worked on together 'SPY mouse' - Debuted #1 in 22 countries • EA buys firemint in 1020 for a lot of moolah How we got here
5. How we got here A shack is born • Josh leaves ea - to get the band back together • Convinces ollie over chilli dumplings • Ade jumps onboard • Many Game ideas, framed was the one
6. How we got here Funding and ownership of IP • ownership of IP = creative freedom • hard to achieve in publisher-driven game industry • Main focus: funding via screen Aus • Helped focus our goals, business & creative • Failed first round, but not entirely • Since funded by screen aus & film vic
7. How we got here SACRIFICES! • Scope of vision • Wages • Time of all types • Personal lives • General Financial Security • sanity
8. How we got here design camp: boot camp for nerds • Our entire process: design driven • entire game: design driven • We need to get away from computers • Like Operating a 'rock band' • Creative expression at forefront • And... Business and pleasure DO mix
9. How we got here launching the branD: • heavily leveraged our reputations • Didn't use a PR company • Direct contact with press • Still maintain these links closely • Presented a 'true' story • Began community building
10. So many games...
11. so many games... What is framed? • a Narrative driven, panel-shifting puzzle game • completely new • playable on any interactive device • Extremely simple interface • Anyone can play it • Premium experience - no free to play/MTX
12. so many games... Why we chose this game: Difference • It's Remarkable - a new concept • 'Remarkable' helps gain traction • Need to be at the extremes • Framed is not 'gamey' • The Concept is easily identifiable • FTP now too competitive • premium is on the rise
13. so many games... But that sounds risky... • Premium not 'what's working right now' • brand new concept • REALLY hard to make • not going to be a 'long' game • cheap to make, but not for us • Limited promo opportunities in self-publishing
14. so many games... BUT: • biggest risk is not taking a risk • making a clone is wasting your time • innovation creates more work - but less creative friction • The world always needs more art • If All else fails, we had fun doing it
15. so many games... Kindred spirits • developed by very small teams, limited budgets • interesting core ideas/mechanics/aesthetics • 'premium' games • found a niche and worked it • All have been very successful
16. so many games... Target Audience: BASICALLY, US! • Maturing gaming audience • 'connoisseurs' • average gamer is 32 • gap closing male/female • ALSO: 'Indie gamers' • BUT ALSO: ANYONE, REALLY
17. so many games... Building a community • very transparent with process/progress • Nothing to hide • Game fans are smart, don't patronise • fans just as interested in 'the making of' • only withhold information so game isn't 'spoiled' • Directly interact with fans • Directly interact with media
18. so many games... Competitions & trade shows • game marketing is upside-down • Gotta build hype for a year at least • core gamers are your heralds • build rep with your peers, reciprocal • We Enter every comp, every show we can • showing publicly: incredible for feedback
19. so many games... Things we've learned along the way: • Framed makes people laugh • people are genuinely excited by new experiences • We work all the time - but we knew we would • Our animator is better than us at ping pong • media is responding to our risk
20. our dev philosophy
21. Our dev philosophy Five Core Philosophies • Momentum • Always Be Cheating • Time is the most Important Resource • Less talk, more rock • Players don’t know how you made it - & they don’t care!
22. Our dev philosophy momentum • Momentum is the strongest driving force behind development & It's Also the hardest to build back up, So hit it hard from the beginning • Talk halts progress - Dissecting & doubting & pulling apart your design too early is like dissecting a live animal and then wondering why it’s no longer moving - your examination has killed it • Meetings are toxic - Seriously
23. Our dev philosophy Always be cheating • Fake it till you make it • Once the game has been given life on paper, quickly capture it’s soul and put it inside your computer as fast you can • The cheapest, dirtiest hack to get it on screen and interact with it
24. Our game-making process time: The Precious resource • Time is factored and weighed into all technical decisions as a finite, tangible resource • More time does not equal more quality • We Don't worry about the future; IT's unpredictable
25. Our dev philosophy Less talk, more rock
26. Our dev philosophy Players don't know how you made it • Players don’t know how you made it, and no one cares about your great engineering! • Copy and paste is code re-use • The correct solution is often not the best solution
27. Our game-making process Paper prototyping • entirety of framed has been designed on paper • Video Games do not live inside technology • Paper is far faster than writing code - you can iterate and refine much quicker
28. Our game-making process Framed: relay development process • 4 weeks of intensive level and narrative design • No computers ARE TOUCHED • 6 weeks of animation and rendering • 6 weeks of PR / Biz Dev / Code • 6 weeks of Art • 6 weeks of Audio This 10 week phase creates ~ 15 levels
29. Our game-making process Framed: The Proof is in the pudding
30. Thank you for your time! any questions? The end