Tech Olive

A while back I told you guys about a newly released tech demo, a game called The Unfinished Swan. Well, I’m back once again with an update. I contacted the creator of the game, Ian Dallas, with a few questions and he was nice enough to take some time to answer them for us.

Tech Olive: There is no doubt that you have experience in game development, but is this your first project with you as the lead?
Ian Dallas: Yes, this is the first project I’ve taken any farther than a basic playable prototype.

TO: What was the inspiration behind this project, or is this something that you’ve wanted to do for a while?
ID: The original idea was to explore what it would feel like to navigate an entirely white space. It started out as a simple world that players could explore, but people tended to get frustrated and bored after about 30 seconds of wandering around. So now I’m trying to find ways of providing structure without compromising the sense of infinite possibilities you get with a white world. It’s been an interesting challenge.

TO: I know that the tech demo was released in September 2008, but when did actual planning and development of the game start?
ID: I started working on the game in February of 2008 and finished about two months later. Everything that’s on the website comes from that initial version. Then I took four months off while I tried to figure out how to create a more substantial game using those mechanics. Eventually I found a direction I liked and spent a few months building it out, which is what I submitted to the Independent Games Festival.

TO: From looking at the video, it seemed the game might have a horror, or suspense theme to it. Is The Unfinished Swan planned to have any sort of storyline, or is it more or less just a game play experiment?
ID: The game is a fairytale. My goal is to create moments of awe and wonder. Used sparingly, I think horror can be a great tool for that. There is a simple story but the narrative is just there as a framing device. In other words, the backstory and motivations of the protagonist are less important to me than setting up the environment and ambiance. The moment-to-moment gameplay is focused on exploring the peculiar world around you.

TO: Is the game still on track for a working build, come March ’09?
ID: Yes. If the game is accepted to the Independent Games Festival then I’ll be contractually obligated (and happy) to show the game in its current form at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco.

TO: Are there any plans of entering The Unfinished Swan into any game development competitions upon it’s completion?
ID: At this point, I think I’ve already entered it into every competition I’m aware of — the IGF, IndieCade and the Sense of Wonder Night.

TO: I realize it’s a bit early in the game’s development, but do you have any distribution plans?
ID: I haven’t made any distribution plans yet.

TO: How long until you think your other projects will be shown to the world?
ID: Hard to say. The other project I’m actively working on now is of a much larger scope, so I’m probably at least a year away from announcing anything. And of course if I end up working on a commercial version of The Unfinished Swan, that’ll push everything else back a bit.

TO: Are there any details, or scraps of information you’d like to impart on the readers, to wet their appetites for your games to come?
ID: All I can say is that they’re completely different from The Unfinished Swan, and from each other. My goal is create experiences people have never had before.

Thank you for your time, Ian and good luck with the development of the game. I eagerly await the release of more details, or playable content.