Lords of Xulima Interview

Lords of Xulima is the RPG many of us have been waiting for. If you have been following the news the developer Numantian Games has run two successful campaigns. The first one on Indiegogo raised $12,021, and the second one on Kickstarter raised $35,657.

I managed to get an interview with Jesús Arribas the Director, and Lead Designer of Lords of Xulima. We talk about what he learned with crowd-funding, and I managed to  ask about the upcoming Beta in March. I also got a status update on the game.

RPGWatch: Can you tell us a little about Lords of Xulima, and your studio's history?

Numantian Games: Numantian Games is a small studio located in Spain. We recently came together to work on our first title, Lords of Xulima. As old-school RPG lovers, we wanted to create the best game possible; a game we'd love to play ourselves. While it is inspired by many classics of the genre, I'd like to say that LoX is not like a remake; it is a brand new game with interesting concepts, which we hope will bring that wonderful feeling of challenge and progression many old-school games are famous for. Also, we wish to deliver this experience through a player-friendly interface and modern graphics.

RPGWatch: It has been a few months since the end of both your Indiegogo, and Kickstarter campaign. Were you surprised at the amount of interest in your game?

NG: I must say it is very difficult to foresee the interest a new game might generate, especially when it is a "niche" one like Lords of Xulima. Despite being inspired by well-known games, it is a rather uncommon type of RPG.

We ran campaigns which I feel were honest and transparent. People were willing to trust us because we showed a project that was almost 70% done, being mainly financed by the developers. We made it clear that our intention was to improve and polish the game, taking in account the feedback of our backers. We also explained all the different goals we wanted to achieve from the very start, and I think people felt that their contributions were meaningful.

RPGWatch: Can you go into detail about what you learned during both campaigns?I  always like to get an inside look from the developers point of view.

NG: Well, I'd like to say that organising a crowdfunding campaign can be very demanding! It takes about a month of preparation, then you have to actually run it, which means being available 24 hours a day to supervise everything.  Whenever I could afford a small break from managing the campaign, it was usually time to provide our backers with what they would like to see, such as a particular Update or piece of art.

About our choice of platform, we started on IndieGoGo because, for a studio based in Spain, it was much easier to set things up over there. Near the end of our first campaign, we found out a great way to launch on Kickstarter, so we decided to make the jump and continue from the point where IndieGogo ended.

Looking back, I must admit we made several mistakes in both campaigns. The worst of them was to not realise that the final days would land right around Thanksgiving and Black Friday.  Fortunately we still succeeded, and we are very happy with the results and the response of our backers.

RPGWatch: How is development going has there been any problems that may cause a delay? I see other kickstarters delaying their games by a few months.

NG: As a software engineer, I have a lot of experience managing projects which require pinpoint planning and scheduling. Still, I have to admit that a video-game is the most unpredictable type of software when it comes to meeting deadlines.

To answer your question, yes, Lords of Xulima is unfortunately delayed, as we recently posted on our website. It was planned to launch around the end of February 2014, but with the new goals reached in both campaigns, we have to delay it for another three months or so (end of May). I really wish we could share the game sooner, but I feel standards of quality come first;  the game has to be polished and free of errors which could ruin immersion. The launching process is also important, as we want to reach out to as many RPG gamers as possible. Lastly,  we have a reputation to make;  our first project will form the first impressions players will have about Numantian Games.

In this case, delays were unavoidable. Fortunately, many of our backers have been very kind and understanding.


RPGWatch: According to your latest update, you mention the beta will be released next month. Can you give some details on what will be included?

NG: Of course! This will be the first beta version. It will have 100% of the game's content, and will be properly localised to English (and Spanish). During the beta period, we're going to gather feedback from all our tester in order to improve the game as much as possible. Lords of Xulima's game engine is so flexible, there are always features to implement and details to improve. Game balance is also important for us; gaining experience, exploring the world and fighting battles has to feel satisfying. Also, we've got voiceovers in the making, which will probably come in a later Beta version.

All the people who pledged for the "beta player" editions of LoX during the crowdfunding campaign will be able to play it, and collaborate with us in improving the game.


RPGWatch: That's all for now. Do you have anything you would like to add before we finish?

NG: Thank you for the interview. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to answer some questions for RPGWatch; its been one of my favorite news portal for a long time. I am sure that many RPGWatchers will be pleased by LoX.

For those who might be interested, feel free to visit our website and drop us a word! Very soon, we will publish cool new updates and more information about the game's development. Thanks again!

Well thats all my fellow Watchers you can still help the game by visiting the games website, and use PayPal to purchase the game. They even offer a few add-ons.