Age of Gladiators II: Credit Where Credit Is Due

I've spent the last several months working as lead developer on Age of Gladiators II, releasing on Steam in August (and made with Unity). The creator offered me the chance to write about my experience in helping bring this game to life. What follows is what came out this morning over coffee. I've decided to share this on a public forum since it is a unique perspective on non-technical aspects of what went into its design.

It has been 24 months - nearly to the day - since making my first dollar as a freelance game developer. During the course of that time I have worked well beyond full-time hours, assisted in the completion of several games and was even the sole developer of a children’s book app, but to this date have not received a credit. That's been a non-issue for me; credit is not what I got into this line of work for. That is not to say that I wouldn't have enjoyed seeing my name alongside the artist's names on said book, or that I wouldn't have harbored a sense of pride for being credited for designing the multiplayer framework for two currently released titles. I suppose that, in part, this familiarity with working without credit stems from working as a freelance web designer for almost a decade before making the switch to games; web design is a line of work in which credit is rarely sought or received and perhaps I had just become accustomed to this.

Fast forward to today and I will admittedly confess that, now that I am receiving my first credit for a project I played a fairly large role in bringing to life, I can say that I am grateful that up to this point the reward for my hard work has only existed in the form of gratitude expressed via e-mails and the pay I received for said work. This experience in working on Age of Gladiators II has been unlike any of my previous experiences in some pretty profound ways. Most important to me is that Damon and I have, at least as much as two people who have never met in person can, grown rather close during the course of development. We have discussed family, fatherhood (at least as it exists on my end), childhood, the loss of those most important to us, the role baseball has played in our lives, and whether it was ever or always done with intent or not, I think it is a safe to say that we have helped picked one another off the ground on a few occasions when life, or the pressure of this project, seemed daunting.

Within the next week or two I will write a post in which I focus more on the technical aspects of my experience as lead developer on this project, but when I woke this morning and considered doing so, the notion of 'credit' was resonating in my head much like a song might become an earworm. Because the overwhelming majority of my contribution to this project is just that: technical. The core design is all Damon, and the complexities and intricacies therein will likely be lost on most of its players at first, just as it was with me. The number of complex systems that he has taken and meshed together into a single, balanced experience with depth leaves me in awe. Nothing feels extraneous, out of place, or purely for the sake of 'filler'. Play through even a month of one season of this game and you will only begin to see how every decision you make, or even those you do not make, will affect gameplay for every single day to come.

During a play-through last weekend I found myself at a crossroads - something that happens quite often in this game. My best gladiator [by far] was injured and the AI boss with whom I had personally developed a vendetta was scheduled to do battle with me in two days time. My gladiator required over a weeks worth of time in the medical ward to ensure that he would not end up in the morgue. This wasn't like when I would feel a pang of sadness when my favorite soldier would suddenly be swarmed by aliens in XCom and die because, unlike in the XCom scenario, I could see the weight of my decision beforehand. The realization, and admittedly the touch of guilt I felt, for considering risking the well-being of the gladiator who could easily have been likened to my 'The Beast of Carthage' [for those of you who are Spartacus fans] was not at all lost on me. This type of scenario, and the regularity in which it occurs throughout even a single season, is why I will be playing this game for a long time; for both the heavy weighted decisions that arise from seeing what could result from my actions - or lack thereof - to those that blindside me as a result of not paying enough attention to the things that were going on before clicking the button to end my turn.

That is what makes this a great game: not the UI I helped program, not even the incredible work the 3D artist did on the models, but its core design, the credit of which rests solely with Damon. It is the same thing that makes chess a great game that will never go out of style: those moments in which you stare across the game board at your opponent, your hand holding the rook or bishop you so meticulously placed, afraid to let go and provide your opponent with an opportunity to react. For every season I have played there have been at least a handful of moments in which I went from leaning towards the screen with anticipation to thrusting myself against the back of my office chair disgusted with my decision to take such a big risk; for all the times I held a grudge against one the AI bosses in much the same way I have held a life-long one against the Yankees; for all the times I went to view my lost gladiators and regretted the move I had made; and for all the times I ashamedly reverted to my previous save point to avoid the repercussions of such foolish mistakes.

This is what makes a great game; not whether you had your app open more often than your friends so you could click your way to the top of a leaderboard; not whether you were quicker to pull the trigger or had a bit less latency than the guy on the other side of the country in an FPS; but games like this in which you are your own worst enemy, and actions - even inaction - matter. It combines the thrill of watching my beloved Bo Sox make their way through another season of baseball with the forethought and decision-making that makes me a lover of chess, and does so in a way in which, as you play through each season, you inadvertently become better and better at it without even being completely aware of the learning curve you are on. You will undoubtedly learn through failure, and that failure will undoubtedly make you want to play again and not make the same mistake, and that is the key to great replay value. This game isn't about 'can I click this button and dodge this attack' better than I did the previous 10 times. It is a learning experience that is doled out without hesitation. It is a game in which I have often found myself running through a mental list of to-do's, not in the sense of bugs that need to be fixed, but in the sense of 'have I done everything I need to do to ensure that in clicking to end my turn I will not regret having done so?'.

I am fairly certain that when Damon was kind enough to grant me permission to openly and publicly discuss my experience in working on Age of Gladiators II that this is nothing akin to what he had in mind. In fact, in getting to know him over the course of its development, I think it's safe to say that his modest personality will even be made slightly uncomfortable as a result of it. As I said several paragraphs ago, Damon and I discussed people who have held an important part in our lives during the course of our working together, and for me, that person was my grandfather: a man who instilled in me a lot of the values I hold near and dear, one of which is to always give credit where credit is due. I am proud to be listed as the lead developer of this game, and I am even more proud that this is alongside my daughter, whom Damon was kind enough to credit for all the pre-weapon-and-violence playtesting she did alongside me.

I encourage you to buy a copy of this game, and not because it will make me feel that much more proud to have been a part of it [it will], and not just because Damon is unquestionably deserving of the support from the indie community [he is], but because this is a great game, through and through. I can say with relative certainty that any regret you feel after grabbing a copy will be reserved for those moments in which you, like me, risk your best gladiator for the sake of pride. You may regret boldly moving your melee fighter into the fray or forgetting to use your stim before clicking to end your turn, but I doubt you will regret the initial purchase. It is slated for release on August 3rd and I encourage you to add it to your wishlist as you take advantage of the sale Steam is currently having. And if you don't pick it up on release day, be sure to remember it the next time you are burnt out on your favorite FPS or MMO. It is a unique, engaging and fun experience that I have recently found difficult to explain to friends without having to reference 3 different existing games, each from a separate genre, all of which hold fond memories.


[Steam Store Link]: http://store.steampowered.com/app/639300/Age_of_Gladiators_II/

 

Nice story.
Thanks for sharing.

 

Very nice write up - maybe a little drippy, but to be expected with how close you are to the game.
Congrats on the work put in on such a compelling piece.

Question: Did you or Damon ever receive any feedback regarding the visuals? The reason I ask is because if the core is as engaging as you say it is I wonder if anyone 'credited' with working on the game ever considered improving the graphics to match and properly support the depth of the systems.
To be honest - the 3D models and animations look well made, and the 2D art is very nice looking. However the static-ness of the room views is noticeable enough for me to wonder why there is no movement upon viewing the trailer for the first time. Even subtle idles or little light FX interactions would improve this part a lot. Also the vast emptiness of the environments are glaringly void of anything appealing to look at, and flat. I think this would begin to become very dull after several hours of playing. Last - the minimal character interactions in the hex grid (battle view?) is again glaring - with the melee weapons passing right through the characters - like a ghost sword - with no impact indicator, no FX - does it have impact sound?
I'm interested in checking out the game - and because I enjoy strategic turn based games I can look past issues like this - although I'm concerned about making a purchase of a game with minor things like this that I see as "must haves" to support the core mechanics of a solid design.

With that out of the way - I can relate to your experiences with this game - I also enjoy feeling the joy/dread of making game altering selections in turn based strategy games. One of my earliest memories, playing the original Nobunaga's Ambition and hoping I made all the right choices with turns equaling seasons - and games ending suddenly when the Daimyo with little warning dies of old age at 45!

Are you talking about days in real time - or is this game cycle time?

 

Very nice article but I didn't quite understand this part:

What do you dislike about being given public credit? I was hoping to read more about how it makes you feel and your explanation for it.


Congratulations to you two for making what looks to be like a really complex and thought through game!

 

First off, apologies for the delayed response but things have been pretty busy of late. Also, thank you for the congratulations, I will be sure to extend them to Damon as well.

It's not so much that I dislike receiving public credit, but more that I am happy that this is the first game in which I am. For several reasons, ranging from the experience over the course of its development to the fact that I share credit with my daughter. Her and I have always enjoyed 'breaking' the prototypes and concepts I create in my spare time - when I have spare time - so her being credited as play tester for helping locate bugs in its earlier stages is priceless. It is a first to be listed in the credits section of a game for both of us, and I hope there are many more to come in the future.

 

Thank you, but in all honesty there wasn't much work put into this piece of writing. It could barely be considered a second draft; I probably should have gone back and explained why I am happy that I have not been credited before this title for instance.

You were referring to a lot of placeholder/unfinished work. This game was still in progress when I posted the original write-up, and is still being worked on and likely will be up until release. New animations are being put in place, IK setups, new environments, etc. As with many indie games, the idea was to show progress leading up to release in an effort to give the public an idea of what to expect and to drum up interest in the weeks prior. That is one of my favorite parts of the indie dev community as a whole: seeing the progress, what used to be and is no more, and what was ultimately changed/updated as development progressed. I hope that wasn't too drippy a response, but I enjoy my work and I enjoy being a part of this community. It is a childhood dream come true that I have worked very hard to achieve, so at least in my opinion, any emotion behind said achievement is warranted.

A day in the game. Each turn is one day, which is displayed in the upper-left corner of the screen. When you end your turn, you advance to the next day in the season.

 

Cool - my impression was the visuals were finished pieces - especially since they are used as promotional material on the steam page. Might consider mentioning the visuals are placeholder in the future so any prospective buyers don't make this mistake.

100% agree. As a gamer I've purchased a high number of games based off the detailed progress provided by developers. It's also useful as a motivator, as a developer to see others progressing on there projects.