@OneAngryGamer they interview Spy DNAs Alex and Jason about the game which is currently on kickstarter seeking $150K.
More information.
It's not often in games that we get to play as bona fide spies. It's even rarer that we get sandbox games that rely on stealth mechanics and espionage. In fact, the sub-genre is defined mostly by two series, Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid. Well, if things go well for the Kickstarter from Alex Maier and Jason Sams from Shy Snake Games, we could be adding another game to the list of turn-based, stealth-oriented espionage titles.
The name of the game is Spy DNA and it's currently seeking funds on Kickstarter. The game sees players being put in charge of a squad of super spies, with the leader of the squad being the player's own created character.
Spy DNA takes place in the not too distant future, and the game will feature more than 20 hours of gameplay with a variety of missions and locations to visit. I had an opportunity to pick the brains of Alex and Jason about their upcoming project, asking about the what makes this turn-based, sandbox, RPG different from other games out there as well as what you can expect from the actual gameplay. You can check out the Q&A below or learn more by checking out the game's Kickstarter page.
One Angry Gamer: First up, I think the one thing that stands out the most about the Spy DNA project is the fact that you are a husband and wife team working on the game. Is this your first project together or have you been working on games together previous to Spy DNA?
Alex: This is our first game project together, but not the first time we've built something as a team. We work very well together. After seeing the film "Oblivion" our inside joke is that we're an effective team.
OAG: What exactly drew you to the spy genre with turn-based combat as the centerpiece of the gameplay?
Jason: This is actually a long story. I have been running pen and paper (PnP) RPGs off and on for over 20 years. A long time ago we were playing a hyper-realistic pen-and-paper game which was fun, but the players couldn't understand it, and it was difficult to run. At some point I wrote a computer program to replace the book rules and be my GMs tool. It evolved over the years to the point that it now serves character sheets as HTML, and the players can use their phone or tablet to see their character status in real time.
One of the players asked if it could be turned into a computer game. That got us thinking, and Alex started to run with some story ideas and Spy DNA was born.
I built a computer simulation engine for the combat based on that past experience. You can do a much better simulation when it can be physics-based and not limited by the tables and dice rolls of PnP.
We describe Spy DNA as being turn based because of the pacing of gameplay. We felt the most important thing about the gameplay was keeping that feeling of control and awareness that comes from turn based games. We both enjoy games of thought and wanted to build one.
So It feels like a turn based game to the player. However, the underlying simulation engine operates in real time. It slices the time up and presents it to the player in turns of varying length. This gives the player time to think and strategize. We did this to get around the normal realism limits of turn based games.
We were attracted to the spy genre for a couple reasons. It allows for a much deeper stealth and dialog system and is a much better fit for a story line than a straight combat oriented game.