Good Morning Gato # 117 – Gato Hugs
Sometimes you need to hug a cat. With the events of this past week, we could all use a Gato hug. And sometimes when you’re very, very lucky, the kitty will tolerate your hugs.
Burning Questions
And now for your burning questions.
Q: Are there any downsides to indie development or is just pretty much everything in your life awesome?
A: Our survival depends far more on the success of our games than if we had “real jobs.” We obviously don’t just get salary or benefits, but we’ve done well enough in the past that we can set ourselves up with that sort of stuff. Of course, we don’t have to worry about getting laid off, but if our company ever goes bankrupt, we’re out on the streets! (not like that’s imminent or anything)
Q: What is the creative process for you guys when working on something new, do you storyboard or just run with an idea and build on it?
A: Michelle likes story boarding and roughing out ideas ahead of time. James just starts making stuff and putting it in the game.
Q: Why did you make Charlie Murder? What do you love about it?
A: James wanted to make something that was half homage to coin-op brawlers like TMNT and Aliens Vs Predator, half a long lost spiritual successor to Zombie Smashers X . We’ve grown rather fond of the raw style that Charlie Murder oozes. We also love the character building.
Q: What kind of guitar does James record with? Effects? Secondly, where did the inspiration for the squirt gun/zapper weapon come from in DWVS? Thirdly: while this weapon is cool, I am woefully terrible with it…have any advice on effectively using it?
A: Fender Strat with a Boss ME-70 effects board or, more lately, just the canned GarageBand effects. The Dekkentozter was created partly to satisfy James’ friend Adam, who had been insisting on James somehow adding a squirt gun to every single game James made. James added in the toaster because science. The Dekkentozter works as a great way to turn some extra breathing space into a huge damage opportunity, but its poor mobility means you’ll want to use it as a secondary weapon and only when you’re almost entirely out of dodge. It’s also great for the Yuki/Creeper boss fight, turns out Yuki hates water.
Q: Did Michelle do the voice for Perfect Nightmare?
A: No, Michelle did not join Ska Studios until most of Vampire Smile was complete. Mary Morgan is the voice of Yuki and Perfect Nightmare.
Q: How many weapons there will be in the game?
A: It depends on what you consider a weapon. There are many objects in the world that can be broken apart and thrown as a weapon. There are close to 65 usable weapons in Charlie Murder, but they span about a dozen classes (e.g. lead pipes and claw hammers have the same attack, but their durability, damage adjusters, and special debuffs vary).
Q: Your favorite characters in the game.
A: James’ favorite: Charlie. Michelle’s: Skelekitten.
Q: Where did the idea for The Creeper come from? I’m guessing the movie Jeepers Creepers. And what’s going to be the most humorous thing in Charlie Murder? Oh and will Fernando make an appearance? I’m talking about the angler fish from ZP2KX.
A: The Creeper was initially just an enemy James drew up in Dead Samurai, but Vampire Smile introduced him as a character with background and a story, slightly reinventing him as more relevant to the Dishwasher universe. Design-wise, he’s a bit of an amalgamation of all things horror, though James has been drawing scruffy trench coat wearing shotgun wielding archetypes for as long as he can remember.
As for Fernando. Maybe? Maybe not. Not everything is set in stone and varnished just yet.
And finally…
Couuuponnnn!
Did you know that April is the anniversary of both The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai and The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile? It’s true. Even though the anniversaries were earlier this month, we’d like to celebrate a little late with a 10% merch discount code! Apply ‘dishwapril’ when you add anything to your cart to get that tasty discount. Check out all the goods over at our merch store!
————————————————————————————————————–
