Space Station Tycoon Interview (n-philes)

The truth is out there! And Wii owners will get a chance to find out what it truly is! Coming to an Earth-based retail store near you this summer is Space Station Tycoon, a—you guessed it—space station management game from developer Wahoo Studios. Today, N-Philes makes contact and probes some juicy bits of information from Project Manager Brent Fox.

N-Philes: Thank you for setting aside some of your time to answers our questions. First, please tell us a little bit about yourself, how you got into the gaming industry, your role behind Space Station Tycoon and some other titles that you’ve worked on.

Brent: I got into the gaming industry back in 1996. I was fresh out of college and I wanted to find a job working with 3D. I stumbled across a local game developer, got a job as an artist and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’m currently the art director at Wahoo Studios and the project manager for Space Station Tycoon. It’s a demanding job but I love it!

I’ve worked on a lot of games on many different platforms. These platforms include Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PlayStation2, GameCube, Xbox 360, PC and now on the Wii. Some of the more notable games I have worked on include the Star Craft: Brood War expansion set, CyberTiger (a Tiger Woods golf game for the N64) and more recently Outpost Kaloki X and Band of Bugs for the Xbox 360.

Oh, and I have six toes on my left foot.

N-Philes: How is Space Station Tycoon different compared to other tycoon games? What exactly the player has to do to build up their space-faring financial empire?

Brent: There are a lot of tycoon games out there. They come in a wide range of quality and features so it’s pretty hard to compare this game to the entire genre. However, we certainly have put some unique features in Space Station Tycoon. We have wrapped the entire game in a story filled with wacky characters. We have even gone so far as to create just under a half hour worth of funny cut scenes in addition to a ton of entertaining in-game dialog. Space Station Tycoon is level based but the levels don’t have to be played in an exact order. Each level has a set of goals and so the game becomes more of a strategic puzzle. You must figure out how to best accomplish the goals in each of these levels. We also have many other features that aren’t typically found in a tycoon game, such as boss fights, multiplayer co-op and other interesting stuff.

N-Philes: How much of the game is customizable? How many ways will players get to earn their keep?

Brent: This is a hard question to answer. Customization crosses over a bit with strategic choices. Each level begins with at least one central hub to your space station. We call these islands. In most levels you can link additional islands to your space station and choose to expand in a lot of different directions. You can choose from many different islands with different functions and looks.

In addition to island linking, you must add expansions to these islands. You can choose which expansions to build and where to place them. The positioning of these expansions is not only for aesthetic reasons but placement affects your efficiency and strategy.

While playing through the game many different items can be discovered. Once unlocked, a wide variety of doodads can be placed on top of each of the islands. You can become a decorator and make some very unique islands by using different combinations of these wacky items. However, I’m not suggesting that it is 100% about building a cool looking station. There is still strategy involved.

N-Philes: Aside from the exciting and lucrative life of space station management, what other kinds of other action and gameplay can players expect?

Brent: Space station management obviously has exciting rewards of it own but the action doesn’t stop there. You will have access to a gravity well that can be used to pull things around and blow things up. Watch out for mines while flinging your visitors around. Well, unless you want to get rid of them. Use space debris to protect important areas of your space station from attackers. You may find rewards when you blow up asteroids. While you are trying to manage all of this chaos you also might want to watch out for natural disasters. That solar flare can really wreak havoc on a space station.

N-Philes: Looking at some of the screenshots available, there appears to be some similarities between Space Station Tycoon and Outpost Kaloki X available for the PC and on Xbox Live Arcade. Is this an incorrect assessment? How do the games differ?

Brent: Space Station Tycoon certainly has some obvious similarities but it has evolved a lot. We have concentrated on making a game for the Wii and because of this, we have made a lot of changes to the basic gameplay. If you just look down the basic feature list you can get an idea of how different it really is. In addition to the feature list, Space Station Tycoon has a different pace and feels a little more action packed.

N-Philes: Space Station Tycoon is the first Wii game for Wahoo Studios correct? How does the development team feel about the Wii in terms of hardware and capabilities? Was this different than when the console was first revealed?

Brent: We love the Wii and we plan on making a lot more great games for this platform. One of the best things about the Wii is that everyone is looking for more creative and inventive games. These are the kind of games we want to make.

N-Philes: How are the Wii controls used? Are they used strictly to interact with the interface or are there other ways in which the controls are used?

Brent: You can flip switches, turn dials and spin spinners but there is so much more. Toss ships around, drag space junk, control mines and blast open meteors. All of this fun stuff is made possible with the magic of the Wii controls. I can sit for hours sending out blasts that blow up incoming visitors.

N-Philes: How long has the game been in development? Has the game’s concept or direction changed over time? Was it originally conceived as a Wii title?

Brent: Space Station Tycoon has been in development for a long time and things have certainly changed as the game was developed. We have stayed true to the core game-play but many of the details have evolved. We didn’t settle in on the Wii as the final platform right away, but once this decision was made, we got really excited and made sure that the game would be a perfect fit for the platform.

N-Philes: What have you done with the game’s visuals to make it stand out in terms of technical capabilities and artistic style?

Brent: It’s all about style. Space Station Tycoon has a very unique look and feel. It’s perfect for such a wacky game. Not only is the game filled with crazy characters but you will also encounter unexpected locations, strange space station expansions and a host of interesting items for decorating your station. Somehow we’ve managed to make a soda machine on a tropical island fit in with a seahorse that flies a space ship that looks like a hippie van. It all fits together perfectly.

N-Philes: According to science, in space nobody can hear you scream. Obviously that could make things pretty boring, so how did you go about designing sound and music into the game and what role do they play?

Brent: We actually did a lot of screaming and yelling but it was in a sound booth. We never actually tested the theory in space.

We have some really unique music in the game. It has a tropical theme that is mixed with pirates, hippies, science and other themes in the game. It may sound a little crazy but that is the kind of direction we gave the composer and he pulled it off. We already have people around the office who want to use the music as a ring tone or get it on their MP3 players.

N-Philes: Will there be any kind of multiplayer features? How would playing the game with others work?

Brent: It’s really pretty simple. Whenever you are playing a game and a second controller is turned on, the second player has the option to begin helping. Drop out whenever you need to take a break.

Space Station Tycoon really is cooperative. It works much better if both players are using the same strategy because, if you don’t, you will end up spending the same amount of money on two different approaches and that isn’t very effective.

N-Philes: What about Wi-Fi or WiiConnect24 support? Will players’ Miis be among those visiting outer space? If not, did the team look into making these features possible?

Brent: These are both great features. We can’t put everything into our first Wii title and we chose to focus on other features. However, on future titles you’ll certainly see more of these features in our games.

N-Philes: Would you say that Space Station Tycoon has been designed to target a specific demographic or will a wide range of people be able to enjoy this game?

Brent: I know it is pretty ambitious but we designed the game for anyone who owns a Wii. This is a pretty broad audience but we hope that a wide range of people find it entertaining. We’ve added a little something for everyone.

If you don’t own a Wii then this version of Space Station Tycoon probably isn’t for you. Mostly because it won’t be playable on any other systems.

N-Philes: Space is a pretty big place. Just how much of it is explored in the game? Will be able to visit or orbit any famous places? Mars? Tatooine? Ceti Alpha V?

Brent: Space is pretty big but we cover it all in Space Station Tycoon. Don’t worry. You will be able to use the galactic map to navigate the universe and beyond. The places we’ll take you are far better than Mars. I would even go so far as to say that, compared to where we’re going to take you, the places you mentioned sound quite boring. Who has ever heard of a heavy metal rock concert or extreme cage fighting on Mars? Our locations are filled with stuff like this. In fact, if you’re not careful you may find yourself in the belly of a whale.

N-Philes: The protagonist in the game is a guy named Shawn. But of all the possible animal sidekicks, why did you decide to make Tam a talking monkey?

Brent: What other kind of sidekick would be better for a space station tycoon? A talking monkey is a perfectly natural fit. You might not want to have Tam hear you call him the sidekick, as far as he’s concerned he is in charge. When I stop and think about it, I actually don’t quite understand why these two hang out together but it sure is funny to watch.

N-Philes: It certainly looks as if there are some wacky and creative character designs in this game. I mean, voodoo chickens? Where do these ideas come from? Did members of the development team have any first-hand experiences with the kind of beings that are really out there?

Brent: Many of the team members had a lot of input on character development but I have to give the majority of the credit to one particularly disturbed individual: our main concept artist. Shawn did a lot of work on these characters. He tells us which of the characters he likes and who is annoying. I often wonder if he realizes they aren’t real.

N-Philes: Characters aside, what other influences inspired Space Station Tycoon?

Brent: You know there are probably too many influences to list them all. I can’t speak for all of the game design influences. However, I can tell you about the art. We set out to create something original. I like making games that have a unique look. The final result is a result of a lot of experimentation and trying to push the wackiness envelope.

N-Philes: It looks as if there will be space pirates in the game. But will there also be space ninjas? Will this game solve the epic battle of pirates vs. ninjas—in space?

Brent: This game is amazing and all but, come on, do you really think that we will be able to resolve such a great conflict. Besides we all know who’s going to win in the end.

N-Philes: Do you have any other comments you would like to make?

Brent: It’s all true. Well, except for the six toes thing.

N-Philes would like to thank Brent Fox again for his time and for giving us an insightful look into Space Station Tycoon. The game is scheduled to make planet-fall towards the end of this upcoming August so keep your telescopes aimed towards the sky!