IBD #04 - Mode 7 Games

04/12/17 • 59 min

UK-based Mode 7 Games was founded by Paul Kilduff-Taylor and Ian Hardingham and is best known for creating top-down turn-based tactical combat titles, Frozen Synapse and Frozen Synapse 2.

They’ve also applied the turn-based strategic treatment to a futuristic sports title in the form of Frozen Cortex and, before any of that, they created Determinance, a sword-fighting multiplayer title in which you fly around crossing blades and wits using one-to-one mouse movements to drive combat.

In addition to developing its own titles, Mode 7 is making forays into publishing games. Tokyo 42, developed by creative partnership Smac Games, is the first game to be released by Mode 7 acting in a publisher capacity.

Here, Paul Kilduff-Taylor talks about his creative roles as musician, writer, designer and business developer, the useful lessons of perceived failure and how to stand out from the crowd.

He begins by explaining how Mode 7 transitioned from flying sword-fights to turn-based tactics.

Brought to you by the writers and creators of Independent By Design: Art & Stories of Indie Game Creation, the Indie By Design Podcast (IBD) is the show that goes behind the scenes to explore the world of game design and game designers.

Visit us at indiebydesign.net - Twitter: @indiebydesign - Facebook/independentbydesign

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UK-based Mode 7 Games was founded by Paul Kilduff-Taylor and Ian Hardingham and is best known for creating top-down turn-based tactical combat titles, Frozen Synapse and Frozen Synapse 2.

Here, Paul Kilduff-Taylor talks about his creative roles as musician, writer, designer and business developer, the useful lessons of perceived failure and how to stand out from the crowd.

He begins by explaining how Mode 7 transitioned from flying sword-fights to turn-based tactics.

Visit us at indiebydesign.net - Twitter: @indiebydesign - Facebook/independentbydesign

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

IBD #03 - Roll7

UK studio Roll7 is best known for Not A Hero and its OlliOlli series, but the three-man team has been involved in the creation of games for many more years than its number of high-profile releases indicate.

Directed by Simon Bennett, Tom Hegarty and John Ribbins, Roll7 has worked with the UK government on educating young people in game design, worked on advertising projects with large brands and dabbled in the creation of games based around brain-interface technology.

Here we talk to John Ribbins, chief game designer at Roll7, about his earliest memories creating games, his entry into Roll7, the studio's diverse history and 'house style' and more.

Visit us at indiebydesign.net - Twitter: @indiebydesign - Facebook/independentbydesign

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

IBD #05 - Freejam Games

The UK-based Freejam Games has catapulted itself to fame in recent years thanks to the success of Robocraft, a shooter in which you build your own robot and take it online to do battle with and against other creators.

With player numbers in the millions and Freejam expanding from its initial handful of founders to a studio now boasting over 40 employees, the team makes for an excellent case study regarding the continued success of the UK independent games industry.

Here we talk to CEO Mark Simmons and art director Richard Turner, two of Freejam’s founders, about the origins of the company, their approach to growth over the short and long term, the lessons learned from listening to community feedback and much more.

We begin our interview with Mark Simmons explaining the earliest origins of Robocraft. Richard Turner, for reference, is the speaker with the deeper, slightly louder voice.

Visit us at indiebydesign.net - Twitter: @indiebydesign - Facebook/independentbydesign

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.