TheRealFluent
H.O.O. Inquisitor
- Joined
- September 5, 2018
- Messages
- 1,603
So this game came up on my radar out of the blue lately I was instantly interested with its promises of a semi-open world, faction play like Gothic and lots of interactivity to the world. I grabbed it and have been having a blast. To start the thread here's an interview I did with the developer, Brian Lancaster, aka Laughing Coyote.
#1. Hey Brian, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. First of all, how long did it take you to make Brigand: Oaxaca? What was development like for you taking on a one man project?
It's been about 12 years since I first started making the FPS engine on DarkBASIC Pro. I mostly just worked on the weekends until I started selling it on Steam in 2017, then I was constantly fixing bugs, almost every day.
#2. I notice quite a few interesting inspirations for the game. What games inspired you while making Brigand? What was your vision for the game from the start?
The main inspirations were Deus Ex 1, Gothic 2, and Neal Stephenson novels. The nuke hooked up with the antagonist body functions is from Snow Crash, but also a few other places, like the terrible movie Machete 2. I needed some way for the player to talk to antagonists throughout the game without being able to just shoot them in the face prematurely. The nuke is one very good mechanic for that.
#3. The stat system and skill systems are especially interesting for character development. How did you go about making the intricate character development systems for Brigand?
I just wanted to make all stats cost 1 point to upgrade to keep it simple, instead of going up by some arbitrary amount of points for each skill level like Deus Ex 1. Originally, I thought even Fallout 1+2 had stat systems that were overly-complicated with stats, then skills, then perks. Also, accuracy, etc. were affected by a combination of stats and skills. The Brigand system is a little simpler, but it got more complicated than originally planned.
#4. I heard you studied Mexican or Aztecan mythology for the voodoo system in the game. What was that process like and what did you want to accomplish by adding voodoo to the game?
I didn't include much Aztec/Mayan mythology in the voodoo. That was all from the Caribbean (mostly Haiti). I did try to put some Mexican history into the game, but it's mostly in the texts or really subtle in the dialogue.
#5. What are you currently working on and what are the plans for the future? Do you plan on making more DLC for the game or expanding on the Brigand universe?
I'm going to take a break from Brigand and start on a new engine, but eventually I will have either another DLC or at least an enhanced/gold edition with extra features.
#6. There is a lot of interactivity in the game, from using computers and medial devices to crafting and having interesting items to play with. What was your thought process on making the inventory and item interactivity in the game?
I wanted limited inventory space, obviously, because I got tired of collected every turnip in Gothic and Elder Scrolls. I would get to a new town in Gothic and feel disappointed because I knew I would have to go around collecting everything. And Skyrim it didn't make sense to stop combat and eat 50 potatoes instantly.
#7. The game is notoriously difficult. At times it feels almost like a roguelike but with saved games you can reload if you die. Do you feel you struck a good balance on the difficulty of the game? It seems to be in a perfect sweet spot.
Thank you. It used to be a lot harder. I think the difficulty is perfect right now, so I don't want to mess any more with the original game. Panama could still use some tweaking. And of course, not all skill combinations are equal.
#8. What games are you currently playing or keeping your eye on? Anything obscure that we should also be watching?
I have almost no time for games, so when I'm not developing Brigand or marketing online, I prefer watching cartoons or talk shows. The last two games I got into were Brutal Legend and Farcry 2. Now since I'm pretty much done with development, I just started getting into Dark Messiah, and I'm waiting to get a better computer for ELEX.
#9. Besides being inspired by certain games, what games specifically did you study to create elements of Brigand?
Deus Ex with the aiming and inventory systems, Gothic with the dialogue and factions. I wanted the characters to have daily schedules like in Gothic (work in the day, bar in the evening, bed at night), but it proved too difficult. I also wanted to emulated the party dialogue from Baldur's Gate 2, but of course the dialogue will never compare to that masterpiece.
#10. What was the idea behind mixing reality with fantasy in the game? There are demons, voodoo and other otherworldly creatures. Why did you decide to add the fantasy element?
Monsters are fun, but they don't necessarily have to be magic. But I definitely wanted Lovecraft-style insanity, and Voodoo seemed like a good way to cause insanity in the player. Also, Voodoo adds to the widespread religion and lore of the game.
#11. The world is quite open but not too huge that you'll easily get lost. Why did you choose to go open world for your game?
The semi-open world was inspired by Zelda 64. Games with worlds that are too open can get boring for me. I missed the feeling of opening a huge section of the world with a new item like in Zelda, a little jingle to make you feel like a badass.
#12. The various tribes in the game are an interesting addition. Was it hard to script the ability to have relationships and standings within the tribes?
It's nowhere nearly as complicated as in Gothic. The faction respect was pretty simple to include, really. The individual respect was a little harder, but it's just tons of variables.
#13. The game and DLC are very cheap. What thought process did you have when deciding the price of your game? There is certainly a ton of bang for your buck with the current price point.
When Brigand was first released in the summer of 2017, it was filled with bugs. I would never want to charge $10 for a game like that. Now, I would say it is worth more than $10, but I'm not going to raise the price. I needed playtesters.
#14. Any secret news you want to share with us? Now's your chance to leak some new
information
. Anything you'd like to say to fans of the game?
Sure, in Oaxaca, there is a golden fish that grants you wishes, and Fluffy can talk. Also, I'm going to start on a new engine in January.
Thanks again Brian. Long live Laughing Coyote!
- Fluent
I'll talk more about the game in future posts. Has anyone here tried it? I highly recommend it.
#1. Hey Brian, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. First of all, how long did it take you to make Brigand: Oaxaca? What was development like for you taking on a one man project?
It's been about 12 years since I first started making the FPS engine on DarkBASIC Pro. I mostly just worked on the weekends until I started selling it on Steam in 2017, then I was constantly fixing bugs, almost every day.
#2. I notice quite a few interesting inspirations for the game. What games inspired you while making Brigand? What was your vision for the game from the start?
The main inspirations were Deus Ex 1, Gothic 2, and Neal Stephenson novels. The nuke hooked up with the antagonist body functions is from Snow Crash, but also a few other places, like the terrible movie Machete 2. I needed some way for the player to talk to antagonists throughout the game without being able to just shoot them in the face prematurely. The nuke is one very good mechanic for that.
#3. The stat system and skill systems are especially interesting for character development. How did you go about making the intricate character development systems for Brigand?
I just wanted to make all stats cost 1 point to upgrade to keep it simple, instead of going up by some arbitrary amount of points for each skill level like Deus Ex 1. Originally, I thought even Fallout 1+2 had stat systems that were overly-complicated with stats, then skills, then perks. Also, accuracy, etc. were affected by a combination of stats and skills. The Brigand system is a little simpler, but it got more complicated than originally planned.
#4. I heard you studied Mexican or Aztecan mythology for the voodoo system in the game. What was that process like and what did you want to accomplish by adding voodoo to the game?
I didn't include much Aztec/Mayan mythology in the voodoo. That was all from the Caribbean (mostly Haiti). I did try to put some Mexican history into the game, but it's mostly in the texts or really subtle in the dialogue.
#5. What are you currently working on and what are the plans for the future? Do you plan on making more DLC for the game or expanding on the Brigand universe?
I'm going to take a break from Brigand and start on a new engine, but eventually I will have either another DLC or at least an enhanced/gold edition with extra features.
#6. There is a lot of interactivity in the game, from using computers and medial devices to crafting and having interesting items to play with. What was your thought process on making the inventory and item interactivity in the game?
I wanted limited inventory space, obviously, because I got tired of collected every turnip in Gothic and Elder Scrolls. I would get to a new town in Gothic and feel disappointed because I knew I would have to go around collecting everything. And Skyrim it didn't make sense to stop combat and eat 50 potatoes instantly.
#7. The game is notoriously difficult. At times it feels almost like a roguelike but with saved games you can reload if you die. Do you feel you struck a good balance on the difficulty of the game? It seems to be in a perfect sweet spot.
Thank you. It used to be a lot harder. I think the difficulty is perfect right now, so I don't want to mess any more with the original game. Panama could still use some tweaking. And of course, not all skill combinations are equal.
#8. What games are you currently playing or keeping your eye on? Anything obscure that we should also be watching?
I have almost no time for games, so when I'm not developing Brigand or marketing online, I prefer watching cartoons or talk shows. The last two games I got into were Brutal Legend and Farcry 2. Now since I'm pretty much done with development, I just started getting into Dark Messiah, and I'm waiting to get a better computer for ELEX.
#9. Besides being inspired by certain games, what games specifically did you study to create elements of Brigand?
Deus Ex with the aiming and inventory systems, Gothic with the dialogue and factions. I wanted the characters to have daily schedules like in Gothic (work in the day, bar in the evening, bed at night), but it proved too difficult. I also wanted to emulated the party dialogue from Baldur's Gate 2, but of course the dialogue will never compare to that masterpiece.
#10. What was the idea behind mixing reality with fantasy in the game? There are demons, voodoo and other otherworldly creatures. Why did you decide to add the fantasy element?
Monsters are fun, but they don't necessarily have to be magic. But I definitely wanted Lovecraft-style insanity, and Voodoo seemed like a good way to cause insanity in the player. Also, Voodoo adds to the widespread religion and lore of the game.
#11. The world is quite open but not too huge that you'll easily get lost. Why did you choose to go open world for your game?
The semi-open world was inspired by Zelda 64. Games with worlds that are too open can get boring for me. I missed the feeling of opening a huge section of the world with a new item like in Zelda, a little jingle to make you feel like a badass.
#12. The various tribes in the game are an interesting addition. Was it hard to script the ability to have relationships and standings within the tribes?
It's nowhere nearly as complicated as in Gothic. The faction respect was pretty simple to include, really. The individual respect was a little harder, but it's just tons of variables.
#13. The game and DLC are very cheap. What thought process did you have when deciding the price of your game? There is certainly a ton of bang for your buck with the current price point.
When Brigand was first released in the summer of 2017, it was filled with bugs. I would never want to charge $10 for a game like that. Now, I would say it is worth more than $10, but I'm not going to raise the price. I needed playtesters.
#14. Any secret news you want to share with us? Now's your chance to leak some new
information
. Anything you'd like to say to fans of the game?Sure, in Oaxaca, there is a golden fish that grants you wishes, and Fluffy can talk. Also, I'm going to start on a new engine in January.
Thanks again Brian. Long live Laughing Coyote!
- Fluent
I'll talk more about the game in future posts. Has anyone here tried it? I highly recommend it.
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2018
- Messages
- 1,603
