Mactabilis Interview

{sidebar id=1}On the road at PAX-E, AbleGamers had the opportunity to meet with Bruno Beaudoin, President of Blazing Bit Games. AbleGamers’ Lead Writer, Rob McCaulley, sat down to talk with Bruno about his indie hit Mactabilis and how very important accessibility is to him.

Rob McCaulley: Since I’m sure you can explain what Mactabilis is far better than I can, would you care to do so?

Bruno Beaudoin: “Mactabilis is mainly a shmup, or shoot ‘em up.  We tried to make it more refreshing and accessible (difficulty-wise) than other shmups.  You can create your own weapons from scratch, there are many game modes, lots of customization and we have the pretty unique ability to switch between background and foreground.  This is just a short list of what’s cool about the game.”

RM: It’s been since the Commodore 64 that I’ve played a shooter like Mactabilis. What was it that made Blazing Bit Games want to put their lead foot forward with a shmup like this?

BB: “We’re a very small independent studio, in fact, I’m the only full time employee.  I needed to start a project that I could finish in a reasonable amount of time with the resources that I had.  I’ve always loved shmups and felt that I could bring something fresh to the table while making the best one I’ve ever played.”

RM: What kind of innovations does Mactabilis bring to the table?

BB: “The most notable feature is the ability to switch between background and foreground.  This makes levels a lot less static and you can actually pick your own path through them.  The other big innovation is the weapon editor.  Not only are there tons of weapons that you can buy, you can actually create your own very unique ones.  There’s a big score/money/combo system that ties everything together in a well balanced way.  The game also has a lot of RPG elements.  The game, at times, feels like Diablo.  You can even continue playing at level 1 when you finish the game, but enemies are tougher and give better rewards.”

RM: At times, Mactabilis gets a bit tough, even on the first play through. Fortunately, 2-player local co-op gameplay is ready and waiting. Are there any plans to take multiplayer gameplay online?

BB: “We’re currently playing around with online multiplayer.  There are a ton of features that we want to add to the game, for free.  Checkout our Facebook page and vote for which one you’d like to see next.”

RM: Switching gears, Mactabilis is a shmup with a story, being a slower reader, I would have liked to have seen dialogue that could be slowed, or even clicked through. Is a feature like this something that could be implemented in an upcoming patch?

BB: “Of course.  We love feedback like that.  Our forums are a great place for suggestions like that.”

RM: I took advantage of an option that allowed the story to effectively be shut off. That’s not something seen in a lot of games. Why include something like that in Mactabilis?

BB: “Some gamers, especially fans of the old-school shmups, aren’t interested in the story.  They only want action, which is fine. Also, after you’ve seen the story a couple of times, skipping it becomes one more step before you can have fun.  We try to make sure that the game gets you to the fun as fast as possible.  It really bothers me when a game takes a minute to load up.”

RM: Keyboard, mouse, and gamepads are all supported controls for Mactabilis. Is control scheme remap-ability supported?

BB: “In Mactabilis, since patch 1.1 (we’re at 1.5 now), you can completely remap keyboard and gamepad controls.  As a hardcore PC gamer, it really annoys me when I can’t remap controls and am forced to play a certain unnatural way.”

RM: More than half of all PC-based gamers with disabilities have mobility impairments. Mouse controls are important to their needs. Remap-ability isn’t there, and neither is a mouse sensitivity option. Might we see these controls added, and if so, when?

BB: “Of course.  As for ‘when‘, that’s a tricky question.  I have a lot of things to work on and must prioritize, but I usually get to simpler things faster.”

RM: Camera speed is also important where mobility impaired gamers are concerned. Reflexes just aren’t there in some cases. With Mactabilis’ ability to slow down time, would the addition of a patch that allowed for the constant slowing of time take away from gameplay?

BB: “That’s a very interesting idea.  I think that the game would still work if it was slower.  It would certainly become more strategy-oriented, but it would also be a lot easier for the reflexes of most gamers.  The game does have an ‘easy’ mode which is a lot more forgiving for people with slower reflexes.”

RM: It’s been discussed in the ablegamers.com forums before that some disabled gamers can’t play for long periods of time, and saving on-the-fly is seen as a benefit to some. What kind of save options does Mactabilis allow for?

BB: Mactabilis auto-saves between levels (you can also save manually).  Levels typically last no more than 5 minutes.  The game is balanced around this system and it would make it a bit too easy if you could save in the middle of levels.”

RM: In closing, do you have any further thoughts on videogame accessibility, and how large a part it will play in future titles from Blazing Bit Games?

BB: “A lot of the concerns of disabled gamers are already concerns for me as a PC gamer.  I also learned a lot more about what it’s like for disabled gamers from your site and also from disabled gamers that we met at PAX East.  In fact, we added color options in patch 1.5 because of feedback from colorblind gamers.  We still have work to do to touch as many gamers as possible, but it’s an important part of making games at Blazing Bit Games.”

RM: A developer who listens to the needs of the disabled gaming community… Bonus question: May I ask what else you might have learned from those disabled gamers you met at PAX East?

BB: “Well, apart from the complaints they might have about features like control remapping and color changing, I think that most of them just want to enjoy all types of games.  It can be frustrating not being able to play the latest game like all your friends when developers don’t take time to add a simple feature that might have made the difference.”

RM: Solid answer. Thank you for your time, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing what’s next from a developer who “get’s it”.