IBD #06 - Dean Hall

04/26/17 • 57 min

For many people, Dean Hall is synonymous with 2012’s free zombie mod, DayZ, which he created for Bohemia Interactive’s ARMA 2 while serving in the armed forces. The startling popularity of that mod led to it being officially acquired by Bohemia and to Hall himself working at the Czech Republic-based development studio on the standalone version of DayZ for two years, before leaving to found his own company in his native New Zealand.

RocketWerkz has since released Out of Ammo, co-developed abandoned title, Ion, and is now working on numerous other projects, including space-station simulation, Stationeers. Known for his outspoken and candid approach to discussing his work, his history and his experiences in the games industry, Dean Hall is also a keen mountaineer who has climbed Mount Cook and Mount Everest.

Here, he talks about drawing on his life experiences to help inform his design philosophy, his undiminished desire to tinker with other people’s games and how forums and bulletin boards can sometimes offer surprisingly profound revelations.

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.

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 #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.

Next Episode

IBD #07 - Ghost Town Games Interview

Ghost Town Games has catapulted to fame following the success of its maiden release, Overcooked - winner of 2 BAFTAS. The game, which tasks players to work together to prepare, cook and serve food, has stolen the hearts of many thanks to its focus on co-ordination, co-operation and its ability to entice those that don’t usually even play games. It does all of this without muting its potential for complexity.

Here we to talk Ghost Town’s co-founders and sole permanent members, Phil Duncan and Oli De-Vine, about move away from Frontier Developments, where they worked prior to starting their studio, the origins of Overcooked’s local multiplayer design philosophy, the art of building games to be played in a communal setting 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.