I was really impressed by Redshift's The Quest HD. Surprise, surprise, it turns out that it takes a lot of experience to make a RPG as intricate, polished, and mobile-friendly as The Quest. I reached out to Redshift, and their tight-knit team was kind enough to answer my questions together.
Pocket Tactics: Redshift has been making mobile RPGs since 2001. That’s a long time for a __game studio, especially in the mobile market. What has kept Redshift going where so many others have failed?
Sylon: Perseverance, even in times when developing games wasn't worth it from an earning standpoint. There were "pathfinding" years, when it was unclear where to go after the old markets died (lots of indie developers who started around the same time as us gave up that time, the worst years were around 2007-2008), but we always found our way. The biggest help was the release of the iPhone, if that didn't happen, maybe we wouldn't be having this talk.
Stewe: I left the group exactly for this reason - it didn't seem like a road I could take. Just before iPhone and, later, Android. My timing wasn't optimal I agree, but it was logical when I made that decision.
Pocket Tactics: The technology has changed dramatically since the PDA had it’s day, but the original version of The Quest was released on Palm and Pocket PC before coming to iOS. What changes have had the biggest impact on your games? Are the important ways in which Redshift’s games have stayed the same over the years?
Stewe: The __game had to follow those changes, while had to remain what it was. Seems people like "retro" stuff. We do the same.
Elendil: We take advantage of new hardware. The Quest as it is now wouldn't have been possible on old hardware. The images for the game take up around 1.2 gigabytes before compression, for example. We also try to adapt to every platform when it comes to controlling the game, like touch input on mobile or keyboard and mouse on the PC. But the core gameplay and our vision for the game, that doesn't change.
Pocket Tactics: The HD versions of The Quest and the Islands of Ice and Fire have brought in an audience that never would have discovered the original version, as well as devoted fans and some people, like me, who had been meaning to pick up The Quest for years but never got around to it. When did you decide to do a HD version, and why?
Sylon: We started in the summer of 2015. It was something of a forced decision, it started out as a simple update but ended with a complete graphics redraw and engine polish. We had been thinking about releasing our best RPG to new markets but we didn't have the opportunity. When in June 2015 we got back the publishing rights from Chillingo, we knew it was time - first, because we now had free reign and second because we didn't really have the time to create a new game. It was a good decision, because it improved the circumstances of the company, introduced the game to new players and created a good base to build upon for The Quest 2.
Elendil: I'd add that the "circumstances" we're talking about is that money was getting really tight before the release of the new and improved "The Quest." :)
Pocket Tactics: One of my favorite features in The Quest is the option to play as Rasvim, one one the undead, and that if you do, NPCs react to you with disgust and disdain. It feels a little like being part of a hated minority in real life. Where did the idea to include the Rasvim as a playable race in The Quest come from?
Sylon: We don't really remember, there was a lot of brainstorming when we started developing The Quest, everyone added what they thought about. We agreed that it was a good idea and the race is quite well developed. We regret not having developed the other races quite as much, they feel much less distinct. We will try to improve on this in The Quest 2.
Stewe: I don't remember how the race was born. Maybe we needed one which isn't normal, common or average. Playing Rasvim means a new level of challenge. Just think about what you'd do if you were undead, in real life, now. You would find the solution for each and every problem that pops in, yet it wouldn't be a walk in the park.
Pocket Tactics: There are a lot of grey areas in The Quest, not just simple good vs. evil. What kind of moral or ethical choices do you like to see in games? Is there a choice or conflict in The Quest that you’re particularly proud of?
Sylon: We never did like black and white characters, you can't find them in the real world either, so it seemed perfectly natural to incorporate all shades of morality into the game, making it a bit more 'mature'. We'll keep this direction in the future, too. :)
Stewe: Realism. We're talking about a fantasy world, something like middle ages. Which definitely means no white (and probably no black as well). Everything is between. No miracles, and no right and wrong (or everything is also right and wrong at the same time). Events just happen with or without your intervention.
Pocket Tactics: I enjoyed Gol’crop, the card game in The Quest, and I read an interview that said you were working on a stand-alone game the builds on Gol’crop. Can you tell us a little more about it?
Sylon: It's called Grendelmoore. It's a fantasy board game. Originally it was to be a simple card game, but first it got more and more complicated, then it went through some major changes and got simplified. The game at this point is quite far removed from what's in The Quest, it has it's own rules and backstory. Still, it will take place in the "Redshift Universe" with many connections to our other games.
Elendil: I'd add that when the idea originally came up, there were none of the now ubiquitous and very popular card games available. It was before Hearthstone and the like. But nowadays we can't just release a simple card game and expect any interest. :) That was one of the reasons it got delayed and changed. With The Quest 2 as our main new game, it's development was put on the backburner. We'll release it when we are satisfied with it. However it'll turn out, we don't intend to go head to head with the 'big guns', like the aforementioned Hearthstone. We intend it to be a smaller but fun game you can pick up and play for a few minutes, just like the card game in The Quest, even though it'll have it's own story and progression.
Pocket Tactics: You also have another major RPG in the works, The Quest 2. I understand that it will debut on PC before coming to mobile. That seems to be the pattern these days, even for games designed with mobile in mind. Why launch on PC first?
Elendil: Nowadays there is a distinction made between 'mobile games' and the rest, where 'mobile games' are expected to be throwaway 'pay-to-win' time wasters, not 'real games'. The Quest 2 will be a normal game, hopefully even better and more compelling than The Quest. We'd like to impress this on any potential buyer. :) I also only play games on the PC so a 'game' for me is something you can buy on Steam. :) And developing for the PC is the easiest by far.
Pocket Tactics: Are there any major systems or mechanics planned for The Quest 2 that weren’t part of the original?
Stewe: Features like religion, banking, treasure maps, more detailed questing information, party member and NPC behaviors/habits, the list is too long and could change any second.
Elendil: The biggest change is that in The Quest 2 you'll control a party (of six, according to current plans). And the game more than likely will be realtime, like Eye of the Beholder (or Legend of Grimrock, to give a newer example). Because we do want it to be comfortably playable on mobile, the exact details of how it'll work are not fully decided yet. We'll have to play with it.
Pocket Tactics: Redshift is a two-man operation: what roles do each of you fill, and what is your collaborative process like?
Sylon: Well, that's not exactly how it is. :) We certainly started as two, Stewe and me. He was the programmer and I did everything else (graphics, story, level building, etc.) We created Dragonfire and Legacy like this for example. When we started The Quest, Elendil got involved as the 3D/graphics programmer. Then Stewe left, and Elendil got to program everything. This was our setup for a few years. Now Stewe has become involved again as the main programmer for The Quest 2. Our working style is simple. Although each of us lives in a different city, it doesn't really hinder us because everyone has their own tasks, with minimal overlap. We talk about things using email.
Stewe: This works because of the rather lucky circumstances. True democracy, it is - 3 votes, 2 yeas always win. There's no one to say "no matter what you're saying, this is going to happen, just because I said so." I know we all love such moments in real-life full-time jobs. And politics. And so on...
Elendil: Before Stewe left, Redshift was really just two guys creating games. After that, however, when Sylon and I remained, we had to put the 'company' onto more solid ground, so we incorporated. Nowadays, apart from programming, I'm the business guy too, I handle all business and financial matters. I'd also add that it's true that most of the time we work on our parts alone, but there are times and issues where we help with tasks we normally don't do. For example, although Sylon is the main 'idea and story guy', but we all chip in from time to time with our own ideas or help him design quests and such, for example.
Pocket Tactics: What games (if any) are each of you playing now or have you really gotten into this year?
Sylon: Nothing. It might sound strange, but I'd rather make games, not play them. I spend enough time on them even this way. :)
Stewe: Nowadays - nothing really. Perhaps just short sessions of Skyrim, SWTOR, definitely role-playing. In the past - the well-known classics like Eye Of the Beholder, Might & Magic, Elder Scrolls, etc. A massive amount of time.
Elendil: At the moment I just play SWTOR with my girlfriend from time to time. When I have the time I play whatever I can get my hands on that is not too new. Because I prefer my gameplay to be smooth as silk and with a big monitor and not the latest hardware (it was state of the art five years ago), I just put newer games on a list to be played later, when I've upgraded my computer. Recently (in this year), I've played Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Doom (the original, the new one is on the list), SWTOR, Titan Quest, Warcraft 3, Mass Effect 1, 2 & 3, and Dragon Age: Inquisition (this is an exception, it doesn't run perfectly on my machine, but I wanted to see it nonetheless), and others I forgot. I'd wish to play a lot more (and newer) games, but I don't have the time and I don't want to spend money on a new computer. :)
Pocket Tactics: Redshift is based in Hungary. What is the game development scene like there?
Sylon: Hard question. I remember a few bigger developers, mainly sponsored by foreign investors, like Black Hole Entertainment or Digital Reality, but most of them have gone bankrupt or completely inactive. All of the smaller, independent developers I knew of have also gave up or merged into larger, foreign companies. I'm sure there are others who still exist, but I don't know about them.
Stewe: Doesn't really matter - if you want to do something - you just do it, regardless the circumstances. Easy to say I know.
Elendil: No idea. We never sought out any 'game development scene' either here or elsewhere. We just like to do our thing. We could be anywhere in the world. We just need a computer and internet connection to work.
The Quest HD is a step in-between the original and The Quest 2.
Pocket Tactics: Are there elements of Hungarian culture, history, or tradition in The Quest?
Sylon: No, nothing. Except perhaps the typical eastern-european not-so-optimistic (or maybe we can say, realistic) worldview, which can be seen in The Quest's aforementioned 'nothing is black or white' style.
Pocket Tactics: What was the hardest part of developing the HD version of The Quest HD?
Sylon: The lack of time. We really 'had to' finish it before Christmas 2015 and we started in late June. Which meant working the whole day, every day. Fortunately, we did it and it has given Redshift new opportunities.
Pocket Tactics: Is there anything else you'd like to tell Pocket Tactics’ readers?
Sylon: If any of you are thinking about developing games, be ready for very hard work, lots of risk and hard decisions which have to be made. And if you are interested in our games, thank you for your support and watch us in the future!
Stewe: Everyone must do whatever he/she likes to do. In the end, you will do exactly that anyway, as there's no point otherwise.
Elendil: Have fun playing games! I know I do. :)
We'd like to thank everyone at Redshift for taking the time to talk to us. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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