Interview | Alien After All Talks DodoGo! (Nintendo DSiWare)

Denis Mercier, Creator of DodoGo! and founder of Alien After All: Oh I see, it’s the old “chicken and the egg” dilemma? Actually, the idea for DodoGo! came from Worms. Like many, I got the bug early while at Delphine Software, where we played on PCs over a network during our lunch break. Then, I would continue playing at home on the Playstation.

So what does this have to do with DodoGo!? Well, in early 2006, while testing Worms: Open Warfare on Nintendo DS, I asked myself what a touch-screen interface could offer in terms of interacting directly with the game environment (terraforming, cutting, sawing, etc) and what type of game could benefit from this on the Nintendo DS.

I decided on Lemmings, another special favourite of mine. Unlike Lemmings, however, the idea here was to use less game characters, from one-to-five per level, and play upon their co-operation like in Lost Vikings from the SNES. The rest is a long series of decisions that arose from this basic premise.

AR: How did the deal with Neko happen? Was the company involved with much of the development side?

Denis Mercier: In fact, the adventure began well before searching for a development studio. The complete game concept had to be developed: creative “grey areas” are the worst enemy of any production.

The game concept included market positioning, the graphic design manual (character design and the colour keys for the game environments), the controls and the main building blocks of gameplay. A storyboard walkthrough of about ten levels of the game was also included to give the most accurate picture possible of the game’s unusual gameplay and to provide an idea of what resources would be required for its development. Alien After All was founded thanks to a solid game design document that allowed me to find my future business associates and partial financing for the game.

We then went off in search of a development studio. Neko Entertainment, with their solid reputation for the DS and Wii systems, was first on our list. Their top management team was enthusiastic about the idea of working on this type of game project, which guaranteed us a hand-picked core team. It was ready, set, go! At this stage, the game became a true team effort in which each participant had to master the game world in order play their part in its development while adhering to the vision and objectives expressed in the game’s specifications. Eddy Léjà-Six, Neko’s lead game designer, took the 50-page game concept and developed a 300-page game design document using Rational Game Design methodology. Chadi El Zibaoui, the game’s lead level designer, helped to develop a specific level editor with Thierry Costa, the lead programmer. Patrick Perret du Cray, Neko‘s lead artist, was in charge of taking the game’s graphic style and adapting it as best he could to the console’s performance and features. He was also in charge of the internal graphics team. Over a dozen different artists collaborated on this game. As for music, we had the opportunity to enlist the aid of composer Raphaël Gesqua, who has received multiple awards for his work and is a veritable icon in the Industry.

A year later, the game was ready, in keeping with the production schedule. In the end, like us, Neko was very happy with the quality of the game, enough so that it co-produced the game with us and released it on DSiWare. This offers the best proof that our mutual commitment to the project went much deeper than just the “development side.”

AR: Many have said it is a mixture of Lemmings and Nintendo’s Mario vs Donkey Kong. Do you think this is a suitable comparison?

Denis Mercier: Absolutely! These games are part of the same family. DodoGo! Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Downstream Panic and a few other games are all offspring of Lemmings. When I choose the core gameplay of Lemmings, a game licensed by Sony that had little chance of appearing on Nintendo DS, I had no idea that Mario vs. Donkey Kong would come onto the scene in 2007. I personally love this game and highly recommend it. Games of the action-puzzle genre are lacking for this console even though they are particularly well suited to the Nintendo DS. We were also quite happy that Nintendo used a snippet from DodoGo! in a TV commercial for the Nintendo DSi. I think that being able to use the stylus to play games makes the DS a unique console. Tactile gameplay with a stylus is different from tactile gameplay with a finger.

Following the warm welcome DodoGo! received on Nintendo DSi and due to its similarities to Rolando, it would have been opportunistic at that time to have ported it to the Apple iPhone/iPod Touch. I refused to do this, however, because playing DodoGo! on the iPhone would have needed a specially adapted interface that went beyond a simple port.

AR: What would you say makes your game special and different from anything else on the DSi Shop?

Denis Mercier: The first thing that pleases me is that the game’s graphics appeal to players whether they are in Europe, North America or Oceania. The Kawaï-Cartoon-Flash mix works without giving away where the game was developed, which provides the game with its own identity in each region.

Apart from its appearance, it’s more interesting to note that the game delivers on its gameplay and has won a large following among youngsters and females, as well as core gamers. It is difficult to win over such a diversity of players and that’s another distinctive feature of the game.

Finally, the general character of the Dodo eggs and their individual reactions when faced with certain game situations or player actions provides many especially enjoyable moments. Yet again, this is something special and different from what is typically found on DSi Shop.

AR: Were there many ideas that you were unable to include due to file size issues or a shortage of development time?

Denis Mercier: The DUEL TACTICS multiplayer mode had to be eliminated due to time constraints. We chose to use our time to polish the gameplay in single-player mode rather than spreading ourselves too thin in other areas. Such decisions are always painful at the time, but I don’t regret it at all. Perhaps we'll have the opportunity to explore this path in the future. Fortunately, those who want multiplayer action can find consolation in POP ISLAND, SPIRIT TRACKS or TETRIS!

AR: Are you going to make a sequel? If so, what system would be your preference?

Denis Mercier: I have good news! A sequel called “DodoGo! Challenge” is already in the works and will be released shortly on DSiWare.

AR: Has the first game met your sales expectations and were you happy with the amount of promotion the game received?

Denis Mercier: Our primary objective with DodoGo! was to establish the IP and familiarise the public with its specific type of gameplay. In this regard, the public’s response was beyond our wildest dreams. For us it’s already "Mission Completed."

AR: Were you happy with the positive reaction from the media? Did you receive a lot of useful feedback from the media and players?

Denis Mercier: For a DSiWare game, the media reaction was unprecedented; the online press expressed their support in their reviews, with scores of up to 90% on sites such as IGN or Cubed3. The worst score received was 60%. It was the same story throughout Europe, with great reviews in Germany, Italy and even on the core-gamer sites in France, which are usually hard nuts to crack. And in the USA, what better accolade than having the "DodoGoNintendo" banner displayed for a week on GoNintendo! The Industry press also praised the game with good reviews, most notably in the Official Nintendo Magazine UK. The game was also covered and reviewed on TV programs.

As for the feedback, the press articles pointed out, without being negative, the first version’s problems and faults; taken as a whole though, this was very instructive since it will allow us to fine-tune the game and improve things when the time comes to start work on a new version.

AR: Now the game has been out for a few months, is there anything you would have changed or done differently with the final game?

Denis Mercier: With hindsight, the only regret I have is not being able to remove enough data from DodoGo! to be able to offer the first episode to the public for 500 Nintendo Points. Unlike to the Apple platform, it’s impossible to change sales prices independently of game size once they have already been set. We’ve learned a lesson from this and hope that Nintendo’s policy will soften somewhat in this regard.

AR: What are your thoughts about the recent nomination for best mobile game at the Milthon Awards?

Denis Mercier: We feel very proud to be nominated, all the more so since this year’s competition is open to European games, and seven countries are represented. For independent studios, this professional recognition will help further their development and growth.

I’m especially anxious knowing that the President of the Jury this year is Martyn Brown, the co-founder of Team 17, who brought us WORMS… The game behind the creation of DodoGo! What a great opportunity to come around full circle… or not!

AR: Are you thinking of bringing it to WiiWare or maybe DS/3DS?

Denis Mercier: We considered coming out with a WiiWare version of DodoGo! at one point. Nintendo even encouraged us to do so. But taking into account the development costs, and without the support of a publisher, we weren’t ready to take on those risks without being sure of how well the IP would do. For the moment, we aren’t planning a version of DodoGo! for home consoles.

AR: The game looks like it would work very well with the Wii pointer controls and motion sensors for tilting. What are your thoughts about a possible Wii/Wiiware version?

Denis Mercier: I agree 100%! See for yourself! It was our choice of interface too, allowing a second player to join a game in Co-Op mode.

This screen is a prototype for a version in full-3D that exploits the Wii’s level of detail. It dates back as far as Spring 2008.

AR: Are you already thinking of 3DS support, and what do you think of the system in general?

Denis Mercier: For the moment, we’re looking at the 3DS specifications. I’m a long-time believer in 3D without glasses. In 1996, I had the opportunity to do some tests and participate in the glasses-free 3D adaption of “Fade to Black” with Pierre Allio, the inventor of Alioscopy, a process that uses a lenticular lens array on a large-screen television and allows several people in a room to experience 3D without glasses. The 3DS format is for single users and is quite well adapted for use on individual consoles.

So, what lessons did we learn at that time? The game environment seemed horribly empty compared to the 2D version since perception in 3D also means a heightened perception of “emptiness.” With 2D vision, only a few objects suffice to break up the landscape and create a feeling of complexity. In 3D vision, however, three to four times the number of elements are needed to fill the space and create the same feeling of complexity. Moreover, a lot of clever display tricks don’t work with 3D.

The other lesson we learned comes from the loss of horizontal resolution. 3D without glasses divides the horizontal resolution (by eight in Alioscopy and by two in 3DS), but despite all of this, 3D reproduction makes an image seem more clearly defined than it does in 2D. Regarding resolution, the inventor of this technology once said, “A 3D image feeds the brain.” I hope that it feeds thinking as well.

AR: Will the DodoGo! eggs appear in any of your future games?

Denis Mercier: I think Easter Eggs demand it! It is likely that DodoGo! eggs will make a few appearances in other third-party games.

AR: Can you talk about your next project(s)?

[b]Denis Mercier: With the recent release of “KING idol” for the iPhone and iPod touch, we’re exploring new avenues regarding the man-machine interface. We are also conducting research with the goal of creating a natural, multi-touch interface accessible to all.

The University of Keio in Japan has released an interesting video about its work in this area for controlling a robot. The 3D contestants in KING idol mirror the players hand movements in real-time in the same way. However, by detecting the orientation of the player’s fingers on the screen, we have taken the concept a little farther: angle your hand to one side, and your character will tilt in the same direction; lift your fingertips off the screen with just your fingernails remaining in contact, and your character will rise up onto the tips of his or her toes.

The next big news is that “DodoGo! Challenge” is being released on DSiWare in the near future!

As for projects currently in the works, unfortunately it’s a bit premature to be talking about them. We do continue to innovate, and although we don’t develop a large number of products, we try to bring something new and original to each one; in fact, we concentrate all of our effort and energy in this direction.

AR: Is there anything else you would like to talk about, please do so below!

Denis Mercier: Let me take this opportunity to announce to players that DodoGo! Challenge will enable them to continue their climb to the top of the World Rankings. Players can use the same profile for DodoGo! and DodoGo! Challenge, and accumulate best times and trophies in both games. Also, I’d like to especially thank all of the players who have entered their codes at http://www.dodogohome.com and who wage epic battles in the World Rankings. Earlier, I talked of DodoGo! as a game that is also directed at core-gamers.

For your information, the current champion, SVEN VIKING, is a New Zealander who completed the game with a PERFECT score, saving all of the eggs on every level without breaking a single one. Not only that, he finished 1 hour and 50 seconds under the Par time! 26 seconds behind in second place is PUNKO141, an Italian player who has risen meteorically through the ranks. Frenchman NYCKOO is 48 seconds behind in third place. Having times separated by only a few seconds after dozens of hours of gameplay is a feat worthy of the Tour de France. Now that deserves respect!