Shred Nebula Interview - IGN (2024)

Over the past couple of years, a small independent development studio by the name of CrunchTime Games has been slowly pieced together. This in itself wouldn't be such big news, except that this indie developer is being led by industry veteran James Goddard, best known for his work on the Street Fighter series. The company recently announced Shred Nebula, its first project, a top-down shooter for the Xbox Live Arcade. The game is due out early next year and the President/Founder of CrunchTime Games, Director, Lead Designer and Co-Lead ship programmer of Shred Nebula is beginning to pull back the curtain.
IGN: At this point, very little is widely known about Shred Nebula. Can you give our readers a quick overview of the game and how it came to be in development?

James Goddard:

Shred Nebula is a top-down, free-roaming space shoot'em up in the classic flight style of Asteroids (drift, thrust, rotate) only with completely re-envisioned flight physics, controls and unparalleled action that involves interaction with the surroundings while dog-fighting enemies. We are not revealing the full depth of the game modes yet, but there are dedicated single player modes, co-op and multiplayer Live (Ranked/Player) and System Link. The game will take you through an incredible amount of different environments (over 40) that are just stunning looking. The screens do not show that what you are seeing is actually so DEEP (literally spacelike) that it all moves and animates like nothing before it. Plus the game runs at 60FPS with sick special FX, ship animation and a flow that has never before been accomplished in space.

Shred Nebula Interview - IGN (1)
The game came to be from playing 360 XBLA day one -- we loved it! Geometry Wars and Mutant Storm made it clear this type of game could be done on the service and be very cutting edge. I had waited since I was 11 years old and played Asteroids for the 1st time (I just turned 40) to make this sort of game. I hired more team members (all 1st time developers) and we collaborated to do a shooter, it was decided this genre (top-down + free roaming) was wide open for the taking and we started the prototype in March 2006 on my dime. We later would bring on a private investor and pitched Microsoft in January 2007 -- we were approved 1st try! The game is a pure work of passion and made with our corporate attitude from the top-down: Gameplay with Impact.

IGN: You've been around the block, so to speak, in the videogame world, but your staff at Crunchtime Games hasn't. What drove you to surround yourself with a young, inexperienced team?

James Goddard:

For years, I have been fortunate enough to work with brilliant, experienced people. This costs a lot of money though to have a bunch of super senior people working together and to do my company the way I wanted to (self funded initially) that was not a sane option. Plus, to be honest, sometimes development chews you up and spits you out, causing a certain amount of jaded views - for example having your game canceled, or not marketed correctly after spending years of your life (see my blog for classic example. This was the largest factor. I decided to start from scratch, with 1st time developers and the motto "as far as your talent can take you" as the opportunity the company would present in-exchange for hard-work and dedication -- something that once allowed me to rapidly go from game tester to pitch and be co-designer of Turbo Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting coin-op early in my career.

Shred Nebula Interview - IGN (2)
IGN: How much do you find yourself playing the father figure in the studio, shaping the direction of the young guns?

James Goddard:

I have always had a very hands-on management style, but experience and age can get in the way if used incorrectly -- so I skip the "old-man" BS as much as possible and just lead by example. The 1st year on the project was a learning curve, getting the engine ready, pipelines in place, the team bonded and transformed beyond their starting base skills to about 3 years ahead of where they began. The guys all are super talented, so I just provided the opportunity and shaped this project direction and company approach, they did the rest for themselves through hand-on goodness and hard work.

IGN: Were there any moments you can recall where a fresh idea one of the team members had completely threw you for a loop?

James Goddard:

Ok, [that] is a really good question that has lead the studio to a horrible truth -- it turns out I am a terrible and tough boss that is apparently never thrown for a loop! There have been so many times awesome wild ideas have been thrown around that have made it into the game (like dark matter holes), but the trained "Planner" side (a Japanese production concept) of me cuts to the chase and makes sure ideas are instantly worked through to an implementation plan, then put in the game before we can say -- now that is freaking awesome.

IGN: Shred Nebula has been described as having a good variety in the spaceships you can control. How has this shaped the multiplayer game?

James Goddard:

The game is our 1st R.A.K. Engine (roaming arcade killer) game, which is from inception a hardcore fighting based engine -- so these ships are actually programmed as fighting characters only with awesome ship physics and projectiles instead of flying punches and kicks.

We built each ship (whether multiplayer or some scrub enemy) as controllable ships with the idea of playing them to develop strategies and then see what's really fun about them. The best of the best actually make it into multiplayer with special balance and adjustments to make them fragging beasts. This also affects map layouts because of how each ships plays. So every level isn't simply an open area with one or two turns, but a designed "environment" that takes advantage of many characters and/or players styles.

So the overall result is, whether in single player mode or multiplayer, the speed and intensity of the ship actions is totally fresh, with deep connection to your ship you can actually feel and over time evolve with.

Shred Nebula Interview - IGN (3)
IGN: What is being done to ensure that the multiplayer game isn't just another arena style shooter?

James Goddard:

In creating this game, we looked at all the games we like that are 'frag' based and asked the question: Why don't any of these offer unique characters with their own special weapons? Why do all of these primarily share the same ammo/weapon pool? The answer is because it is really freaking hard to make fighting style approach work in frag based games. We have worked through that difficulty and Shred Nebula will provide you with truly unique ships with their own weapons, specials and abilities. There is a liberating feeling taking your character (ship) into a frag map knowing your strategy and knowledge of that character can counter a rivals tactics because he (or they) don't know how to fight against your ship. That said, at it's purest core, the ship selection is very fun and diverse and the action at any level of play is engaging.

IGN: There have been a lot of shooters on the XBLA, many of them playable online. What sets Shred Nebula apart from the pack?

James Goddard:

This is truly a 1st on XBLA, it is the only top-down Asteroid's style 'free roaming' full single + full multiplayer competitive game on the service. Both recently released space 'dog fight' games, took the 1st person control route (except in a 3rd person angle) which for them was their focus. Every other original space shooter has twin stick Robotron style controls (primary fire is right stick omni directional) which is great for the games like Geometry Wars and Mutant Storm but these are mostly score based with some level variety.

The game offers a very deep play system that is more then just wave after wave, you actually fly somewhere and do things, fly through hazards like nebulas that can burn you, deal with enemies that hunt you and are your equal- not fodder. This results in more then standard 'shooter' wave pacing, although we have that covered too and still take you to unbelievably different places with interactions to consider.

Shred Nebula Interview - IGN (4)
Then the multiplayer in Shred Nebula plays like nothing before it. The game seamlessly incorporates critical based combat skills from key online competitive genres such as: A) 1st person players map and choke point know-how gives them a boost, B) Fighting Game players knowledge of countering via character choices and "ranging" gives them a boost, C) SubSpace players with their 10 years of dog-fighting experience and pilot skills give them a boost. But not one style of player has an advantage because everyone will have to learn what ship(s) fit their style and master the full potential of the games' flight physics and tricks. So far in test, no one player keeps an edge for more then a few days because new strategies are emerging and our master of the game is evolving with it. When it hits the service, it will be crazy.

The demo will prove this is more then hype -- then we hope the readers answer the question "what separates it" with a full game purchase!

For more on Shred Nebula, be sure to swing by the official site.

Shred Nebula Interview - IGN (2024)
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