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Tätä artikkelia ei ikävä kyllä ole käännetty suomeksi. Tässä englanninkielinen versio.
 In my previous post we quickly took a glance to Evochron Renegades, a space combat, trading and exploration game in the vein of Elite and such. Evochron (and other Starwraith-series games are made by Shawn Bower, who kindly gave a bit of time to answer few questions through email.
The term "indie"... what does it mean to you? It's seems a bit odd that for people that have grown up with games designed in '80, the current indie-scene seems to be somehow descendand from that old-school attitude, meaning that the games seem to have more soul. Also, the term indie tends, in common speach, mean less quality. How do you see indie-game movement? Is it a counter movement to current game industry which is seems to be descendant from film and record industry, or is it just something compeletely it's own? Or do You see yourself as a part of indie movement at all?
- I think a good description would be self-employed and self-funded. I don't answer to a publisher on design criteria and deadlines, I control when my game is released, what it features, and how it is developed. I pay for all development out of my own pocket and I personally fill the roles that are normally handled by multiple people. I see indie game developers as similar to other independent industries, but different in a few major ways. First, the media we create is fully interactive, it's not a performance or a static recorded presentation, it's a form of entertainment that requires interaction from the person experiencing it. So right there, differences apply in the challenges and methods required to create it. - An independent game developer must manage art, music, sound, 3D modeling, and programming to create their interactive experience. Because of this diverse mix of media, expectations can vary greatly depending on the demographics of various audiences. So I think there's a mixture of similarities and differences between indie gaming and other indie industries, both in how the entertainment is created and in the audiences for it. How it's supported is also different. There are perceptions of quality problems, as well as a lack of content, however, such perceptions will likely change as time goes on and the unique benefits offered by independent games continues to gain popularity along with the increasing capabilities of indie developers.
First impression about the game was, as mentioned before Elite-like, but now few days later I'm a bit wiser. There are ideas and aspects here that probably wouldn't have gotten into mainstream game.It seems that this area of gaming is a black hole in gaming industry. Why did you choose to work on an area that seemingly has no interest to general public? Skills needed to make games for this marginal audience would certainly grant you a position that would grant a fine wellfare in general gaming business.
- One of the benefits of being an independent game developer is being able to make something you want to make, even if it may not be popular or 'mainstream'. Evochron is a game I wanted to make, not because I thought it would be a hit seller or win any popularity contests, but primarily because it's a game I knew I'd really like to play and support.
 How do you see the future of gaming business? Many of the consumers that have been around from the 80's or early 90's seem to share a certain discomfort on what comes to mainstream gaming articles. Is there a possibility that companies that make mainstream games are biting their own leg? People get bored to current games and start looking for new ones, from indie circles perhaps?
- I think the PC platform as a whole is in for some major changes over the next few years. A split player base (DX9 XP and DX9/10 Vista), perceived and actual piracy issues, broadband expansion, shifting player interests, and a decreasing tolerance of gamers in general for short term technology life cycles will all likely play a part in those changes. I anticipate digital delivery will continue to grow immensely, something indie developers have been providing for a long time.
- Online game 'services' will likely expand and grow as will ad supported gaming. These last two elements have proven to have a lukewarm reception from the gaming community, but from a big budget retail developer's perspective, it's a practical direction to go in attempts to reduce piracy and alter their selling model to accommodate new delivery methods/revenue generating systems. For gamers who don't like the idea of ads in the games they play and/or don't want to pay subscription fees, these changes will provide new opportunities for indie developers they may not otherwise have had.
- Indie developers get to choose how they deliver their game and many will likely continue with the one time purchase pricemodel, no ads, and basic or no copy protection, giving gamers a clear alternative to mainstream gaming. So I personally see the future of PC gaming as a bright one for independent developers, especially when you consider the changes big budget developers have been touting as the directions they intend to move in.
Evochron seems to be very stable game. As said before, a trait not often used when talking about "indie" games. Since the testing is quite large part of software development, I'd be curious to know how have you managed to keep such a high quality in the outcome?
-Efficient programming, then lots of testing, then more testing. I have carefully selected my development toolset to be very efficient for one person to manage on their own. For example, rather than work in a programming language that would require tedious management of excessive amounts of code just to do something simple in Direct3D, I use a language that helps make the process much more efficient and by doing so, my code is far less prone to bugs and errors. I also have a lengthy and very detailed pre-release testing process that involves insuring the game runs well across a wide range of system configurations.
Is it worth it? Making games costs at least time, and we know that time equals, when working solo. So is it actually woth it monetarily or otherwise?
- That's a question that can really only have a subjective answer that may not apply for other independent developers. For me, yes, it's worth it. And it is worth it because of the standards and goals I have personally. Other people will have different criteria, so the answers and goals they have could be very different.
 What do you do besides developing of 3d space flight simulators?
I'm licensed in a different industry and in my spare time, I also enjoy just playing PC games.
Almost last, but not least. In Finland we have a growing game-industry scene, which does seem to have certain side effects and actually the finnish indie gaming scene has degenerated a bit in last few years. What would you like to say to a person who has the idea, perhaps also the will, but doubts the possibility to succeed on trying on his own on gaming industry?
- It is a tough road, be prepared for change and the expenses involved. Design your game from the ground up to be easy to change and adapt during the development process. Set realistic goals and meet them. Analyze your market carefully, get involved in communities of gamers who would be your target audience, adapt your game's design to accommodate the priorities and expectations of those gamers.
- Budget for your initial expenses carefully and where applicable, including development costs, any content outsourcing, software licensing, web development, living expenses, then double it. Success is possible, but accept the reality that most fail and the rest typically break even or simply get enough to fund their next project. Careful planning and research can improve your chances for success and not doing so is probably one of the more common mistakes made by ambitious indie developers.
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I'd like to thank Shawn for having time to answer and give his toughts about gamedevelopment. Thank you, very much.
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