Following on from the success of what was originally just a side-project for the CEO of Australian developer Firemint, Flight Control has now made the transition from an iPhone phenomenon to the humble Nintendo DSi download service, DSiWare (Cubed3’s hands-on with the game can be read here).
With the game launching in Europe today (19th February) and the US on Monday, 22nd February, Cubed3 caught up with Alexandra Peters, Community Manager at Firemint to see what changes have been made to this new edition of Flight Control and why it is indeed an essential purchase even for those that have played it before.
Adam Riley, Senior Editor at Cubed3: How long has it taken to convert Flight Control from its original format to the DSiWare?
Alexandra Peters, Community Manager at Firemint: It took a few months, we also had some gaps where we were waiting for feedback to come back from QA and so on. We’ve worked on games for Nintendo handhelds in the past, so from a technical point of view it was quite straight forward.
AR: Did you find there were things you wanted to include in this update that couldnt be achieved for any particular reason? Also, did the file size constraints cause (m)any restrictions?
AP: The file size wasn’t a problem and we implemented a really fun two-player mode using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The only thing we dont have in there is online leaderboards.
AR: What feedback have you received from user-testing so far (such as at the Nintendo event in London last year)? Have you also been taking ideas on-board from fans on forums?
AP: We’ve had overwhelmingly positive feedback, everyone who has played Flight Control has loved it which is fantastic, and we’re really happy with its reception at previews and during play testing. Our intention was to bring a true “Flight Control” experience to Nintendo DSi, so while we love the suggestions fans give us we are still saving some of those up for possible future use.
AR: What additions are there compared to the iPhone game?
AP: Flight Control DSiWare has a brand new map that will be exclusive at launch. It’s called “Windy” and it’s quite topical given the blizzards that have been closing airports in the Northern hemisphere winter, because it’s set in a snowy airport where runways are shut down and reopen depending on the direction of the prevailing wind. So the next time your flight is delayed because of snow and you’re sitting at the airport wondering what to do with your spare time, you can whip out your DSi and take control (sort of)!
AR: Whilst the main control set-up is touch-only, have you included an option for using the DS face buttons for those that prefer that method of control?
AP: We think the stylus is a brilliant way to select and direct planes, and it’s also a feature of the Nintendo DSi that its owners love, so that’s the control method we’ve included in Flight Control. One of the most appealing things about Flight Control is its simplicity, so we’ve kept this aspect simple as well.
AR: How do the different types of aircraft differ, and what sort of differences are there in terms of airfields?
AP: The aircraft travel at different speeds – helicopters are slowest, and large jets are the fastest. Each type of aircraft has to land on a specific runway or landing pad and they often have to cross each others paths to reach their target. Each map has aircraft with a range of speeds, and the Carrier map has military aircraft that are faster than normal. The five maps also have different features, so for example the Carrier slowly rotates, and the Outback map has an air ambulance that occasionally comes in for a priority landing that you can’t control, and you have to scramble all the other flights out of its way.
AR: Flight Control is coming at a very reasonable price of 500 Nintendo Points, but was there ever the temptation to add even more content in and bump that to 800 Points instead, or even go the other way and scale it back to a 200 Points experience with multiple releases over the year?
AP: We think Flight Control fits very well at the 500 Nintendo Point level, it is certainly a lot of value compared to other games at that price. We would like the player to come away feeling that they got a steal, and for the amount of hours they will spend playing this we think we have achieved that. We also want as many people as possible to experience this game, and we felt that it would be easier for people to find 500 Nintendo Points than 800. For example they may have been given a 1000 point gift card so if they have already spent 500 on something, they could still buy Flight Control.
AR: Leading on from that, with both Capcom (Ace Attorney on WiiWare) and Telltale Games (Strong Bad and Monkey Island, again on WiiWare) seeing great success from episodic gaming, what is Firemints stance of taking a similar route in the future?
AP: We always put the game and its players first, so if we felt that we had a title that could benefit from episodic content and that players would enjoy that, we’d absolutely consider it. We’re certainly interested in looking at what sort of games are well received in this format.
AR: Flight Control works perfectly with touch-screen controls, but also appears as if the IR pointer control of the Wii Remote would work equally as well. Is it safe to assume that if the DSiWare release is successful, the next logical step will be an expanded WiiWare version?
AP: Anything is possible!
AR: Looking at Flight Control, it looks like the idea could be greatly developed further down the line. Are you actually working on ideas for Flight Control 2? Things like natural disasters could occur to give solo players more of a challenge, weapons/items could be introduced in multiplayer to gain the upper hand, or both screens of the DS could be used to increase the playing field.
AP: All we can say at this point is that Flight Control has been a massive success, so it would be a bit silly for us not to do anything more with it *winks*
AR: Whilst Firemint is now self-publishing content, is the team still working with other publishing outfits on other licensed projects?
AP: We’ve been doing work for hire for big publishers for many years, but we are doing much less of it now that we are successfully self-publishing our own original titles. We’re not actively chasing new work but publishers still contact us with projects, and if something comes along that’s a great fit and an interesting game then we’re always happy to consider it.
AR: Does the team specialise in portable content, or is the world of home consoles something Firemint is set to delve into in the new future?
AP: We don’t really think about making games from a hardware or platforms perspective. We want to create games that are insanely fun, appealing to a wide range of people and easy to get into. We are interested in all the successful digital distribution platforms, but we do want to make sure that our game suits the audience for each platform. There is no reason that we would not publish on home console in the future, if the game is suitable and the distribution method is available to us.
AR: The UK development community used to be a very tight-knit one in its heyday, and is starting to once more head in that direction as somewhat of a renaissance it underway. What is the Australian development world like right now? Do you stay in touch with other Australian-based developers and ever consider working together on new projects and ideas?
AP: The Australian game development community is incredibly tight-knit, besides all the usual industry cross-links our CEO also stays in touch with a number of other studio heads. As everywhere around the world, it’s been a very challenging time lately, particularly for console and work-for-hire development. Australia has seen some studio closures and downsizing, but the upside of that is that we now have a bustling indie scene with loads of micro studios popping up, and the Melbourne branch of the IGDA is doing some great work in encouraging people to get together and make games. This will help nurture a new wave of designers to fuel growth here. The studios that have survived the GFC will also come through all of this a lot stronger. We’ve already worked on one project with a local studio (although I can’t go into the details at the moment) and we’d absolutely consider doing that again in the future if the fit is right.
