Josh On Design

Today we are talking with Rusty Moyher, another member for the Retro Game Crunch team. You can read the previous interview with Shaun Inman here. There's still a few days left to help push the Retro Game Crunch to the finish line. Pledge now!

Josh Before we talk about the Crunch, could you tell me a little bit about yourself? Where did you go to school? What did you do before you started making games?

Rusty Sure! I got started making games pretty early. In 1993 my family received a hand-me-down computer, an old black and white Macintosh Plus. I discovered, with a program called Hypercard, I could make rudimentary games. They were far from amazing, but I had a blast making them.

Gradually I became more interested in film and started making my own movies. At Sacramento State I earned a B.A. in English because I thought it would help me write better screenplays. But it turns out you get better at writing by simply writing more.

Josh What did you do at Apple?

Rusty Fixed computers. Produced a couple internal videos too.

Josh The Kickstarter site says you are also a filmmaker. What films have you made?

Rusty Most recently, For America. It's a grindhouse flick about a man being evicted from his home by the evil banks. Naturally, it turns into a punch out.

Josh Do you think there is a lot of overlap between film and game creation? Do your skills in one cross over to the other?

Rusty I’ve spent the better part of 10 years writing, producing and directing independent films. I’ve always had a passion for creating and sharing experiences with people. My background as a writer, director and editor colors everything I do. Games are not movies (and they shouldn’t be), but both are designed as an experience.

Josh How did you come up with the idea of doing one game every 30 days for six months rather than a more traditional schedule? What are the advantages to doing it so quickly?

Rusty I've found a healthy amount of focus and pressure help me make better decisions. 30 days should give us just enough time to focus on the gameplay and then polish it for release. The idea came from making Super Clew Land. We felt 30 days was just about the right.

Josh Tell me about Bloop. What is it and where did the idea come from?

Rusty Bloop is like a Twister / Hungry Hungry Hippos love child. Two to four players tap tiles on iPad as quickly as possible. The tiles shrink and hence begin to collide. It's a hilarious party game.

The original idea for Bloop came from frustration. I was working on a more complicated iPad game. It was just too much for players to set up easily. I want a simple experience people could just play without needing to learn or set up anything.

Josh I saw it was nominated for Indiecade 2012. There's a lot of interesting stuff nominated this year. Did you expect to get recognition for Bloop?

Rusty No way! I was blown away and honored to have Bloop among so many other amazing games.

Josh Have you collaborated with others on previous games?

Rusty I’m only just discovering the Voltronian power from combining the strength of a couple like-minded Indies. Last month I made the original version of Super Clew Land with Shaun Inman and Matt Grimm. It’s been such a blast, we haven't stopped collaborating.

Josh What ideas do you have for game styles in the Retro Crunch? Can we expect platformers or other styles, or something completely new?

Rusty No way of knowing yet! Everyone who backs our Kickstarter gets to submit and vote on themes. When all the votes come in, a winning theme is declared. Then we design a game based on the theme. Only then will we discover the style of the game.

Josh What is the one existing game you wish you had created?

Rusty I would love to have worked with the team behind Super Metroid or Final Fantasy VI.

Josh What's the one question I should have asked you and didn't?

RustyDo you have even more amazing games planned for the future? You bet. :)

Thanks Rusty