Interview | Dark Day on Once Bitten, Twice Dead

Cubed3: Please introduce the team at Dark Day Interactive.
 
Dark Day Interactive: We are a small team, with only three members. Mark Hann is the lead designer and builder joined by Matt Venner, our lead coder who works on the UI and game features.  Jakob Dillon is a 2D artist, he designs the 2D art you would see floating around the game, HUD, menus, websites etc.
 
Cubed3: What previous projects had the team worked on before Once Bitten, Twice Dead?
 
Dark Day Interactive: Mark Hann an Matt Venner have worked together on another game which has not been released yet named One Final Breath, a horror FPS inspired by old school movies.
Mark worked for a company named glitch game studios which released a game named Sky Island Adventures, a throwback to 16bit days of old.

 
Cubed3: Once Bitten, Twice Dead instantly stood out as something unique in the growing number of survival horror games - can you talk about the core ideas?
 
Dark Day Interactive: The core ideas on this project are teamwork and exploration; the deeper you adventure into the world the more you laugh. Throughout the game, there are hidden Easter Eggs that reference games that inspired the team - we love the idea of teamwork, but we also keep in mind the solo aspects of things, so if you choose to run solo it's just as fun.
 
Cubed3: The team mechanics are also interesting given the usual lone-wolf approach to most titles in the genre, what made you decide on this route?
 
Dark Day Interactive: This game can be played solo, which gives the game a different feel, but when you run alone, items become more important, as taking on hordes of enemies becomes very risky but also hard to pass up. Who doesn't want to take on an army of the dead alone?

We wanted to make this game fun for friends, even random players that team up, by having two different kinds of experiences. Grouping can have many benefits - for example, one relies on ammo and weapons, taking on enemies from a distance, another focuses on crafting for the group and another would do health runs, gathering supplies for help keep the group going.
 
The deeper you travel the more you find, the more you fight.
 

Cubed3: How does the game differ when playing in the Infected Mode?
 
Dark Day Interactive: If you tire of shooting zombies, want a change of pace or want mess about with friends, then the game can be played as a zombie, seeing the world through their infected eyes. Players can walk alongside the very things they were trying to kill, sneaking up on others, or simply running like a madman onto their prey. A controlled zombie looks different to most, so players are aware that a player is controlling them, however. We plan to expand this mode further in coming months.
 
Cubed3: The MMO aspect to what's normally quite a linear franchise is refreshing - what can players expect within this large world?
 
Dark Day Interactive: Players can expect anything: a random world boss may appear which could make your path tricky, you could stumble upon hidden caves or boats floating in the sea that give you items or weapons. The world is very random, very dangerous, but also very forgiving on newer players; with a gentle learning curve.
 
Cubed3: Is there a story in Once Bitten, Twice Dead?
 
Dark Day Interactive: The story behind Once Bitten, Twice Dead is simple but effective. We tire from the same old zombie story, a man-made virus that goes out of control etc. We took a space approach: the planet was struck by meteor which scattered throughout the world, with the debris containing a germ that controls the person. The virus then spread from physical contact of the rocks, to the germ jumping from host to host, with its goal to survive by any means. The infected humans would act like a common zombie from tales, so the world just referred to the infected as "Undead Zombies."

 
Cubed3: How do the different playable characters vary in the game? Do you have any particular favourites?
 
Dark Day Interactive: Each character has their own skills, for example the Fireman is good with sharp weapons, and dealing with fire, the Nurse is skilled with healing, the Road Worker is great with crafting some items. They all play a small roles depending on how you want to play, if you like to run and gun, then there are characters built on that spec. Mark's favorite character is the Red Neck, he finds it fun to blow a zombie's  head off with old school shotguns and pickup trucks!
 
Cubed3: The cartoon, block art style also caught our attention - what made you opt for this particular look?
 
Dark Day Interactive: A lot of survival games go for a realistic look, which we are big fans of, but we wanted to try a more comedic approach, and having a cartoony feel gets the point across well: this game doesn't take its self too seriously, likes to make fun, and even laughs at itself. We want the player to have fun from time to time.
 

Cubed3: What elements of classic survival horror games and MMOs have helped shape Once Bitten, Twice Dead?
 
Dark Day Interactive: A lot of games inspired Once Bitten, Twice Dead, we love how some games focus on avoiding enemies and just surviving so we wanted to have a nice balance, so you're not tied down to just one option. If you want to run and gun feel free, but if you want to discover and unlock more then take your time and explore. They both have their benefits.
 
Cubed3: It's great to hear that the game is in the works for Wii U! How do you intend on using the Wii U GamePad controller and hardware?
 
Dark Day Interactive: At this time we are still looking for new ways to use the Wii U features for this game, but we can say you can use the GamePad to quickly use items, scroll around the world map, track enemies, and sometimes track rocks from the sky using them to your advantage to see from a high point.
 

Cubed3: What multiplayer features are you considering for the Wii U version? Would cross-platform support be an option?
 
Dark Day Interactive: Wii U has limits and rules for cross platform, unless it's cross platform for their branded consoles. At this time we can join a friend's game, make your own, have your own rules, or join a server. We plan to expand the player limit per game down the road with better funding and if more demand requires it.
 
Cubed3: What hurdles have you had going at it as part of an independent team?
 
Dark Day Interactive: The biggest issue we face is man power for testing, we would love to show off the game at maximum limit, max players, showing off the world with 100s of people running around, helping or hunting, and show off the arena mode as people take the fight on to one another in 34 v 34.
 
Cubed3: If you could both work on any Nintendo franchise, what would it be any why?
 
Dark Day Interactive: It would be great to work with Game Freak; their games have played a big role in our childhood. We all loved Pokémon when growing up in the 1990s.
 

Cubed3: What are your plans for the future - are you planning mods/fan-driven content for Once Bitten, Twice Dead?
 
Dark Day Interactive: The game will have weekly updates, more maps, and we want the world to grow based on community feedback and suggestions. We plan for mod support in the future, to have players make the game their own.
 
Cubed3: Would you consider Nintendo 3DS as a potential platform?
 
Dark Day Interactive: We have considered many platforms as we build to make porting easier, so if Nintendo allow us to release on handheld we won't say no, or any other platform for that matter.
 
Cubed3: Any final words you'd like to give to fans and supporters?
 
Dark Day Interactive: We love the feedback so far, love or hate. It helps grow the game to something better and bigger, we love to make games for the community by the community.