Hey there detectives!
We hope you and your loved ones are doing good as we keep rolling through 2021. Thank you for your continued support and excitement for Chinatown Detective Agency, our wonderful community is the best part of this job.
We have officially entered the year of Chinatown Detective Agency, and that calls for a Q&A from none other than the Creative Director of General Interactive Co, Mark Fillon about Chinatown Detective Agency, his experiences, Singapore and what it's been like running the project.
Hi Mark! How did you start making games?
I was never a game developer. In fact, my real start as a game designer came with me designing my first game Terroir with Jenny (our lead programmer). Before that, I dabbled in modding, but I never really coded. CDA is the second game I’m designing.
How did you come up with the idea for Chinatown Detective Agency?
Simple - I wanted to make a game that was an homage to the classic Carmen Sandiego games, but one that was for a more mature audience and was set in a cyberpunk future version of my current home city, Singapore. Oh, and with some management mechanics.
Aside from Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, what were your favourite videogames growing up?
I was a management and strategy game fanatic. Those awesome Sierra city building games like Caesar III and Emperor. Age of Empires II was a huge game for me growing up - I learned how to mod and make custom missions with that game, which I did for Age of Mythology as well. Civilization III was another important game for me during my younger years. You can sort of tell that I have a soft spot for games with historical context. Video games for me were an avenue of learning just as much as it was a form of entertainment.
What motivates Amira and what inspired you to create her as the main character in this adventure?
Amira is an intelligent, driven and insightful individual who is fighting against the odds. In a world that is pulling civilisation further down into the abyss, she does what she can to bring a little order and shed a little light amid the chaos. But she’s nobody’s fool - this is also a business, and she needs to balance what she believes is right with her own survival. It’s a character that I would admire, were she real. And I want to make games about people one can admire.
How do you see the future of adventure games?
As long as there are video games, there will be adventure games. They are too powerful a storytelling medium to disappear.
How is it managing an international team located in different countries around the world and different timezones?
Difficult. Tough. Tiring. But it’s great because we’re able to work with the best talent available to us. For Chinatown Detective Agency, I’m definitely planning a reshuffle as I’d like to have at least a few team members in my region so that we can get more done - working with people who are asleep when you’re awake takes adjustment, and it can lead to lesser productivity. Either that, or you sacrifice and stay awake until the morning just so you’re working at the same hours as everyone else -- but that isn’t sustainable, and I’ve been doing that for 4 years now. It’s something that I need to change so that we work better.
What do you want to find when you’re looking for collaborators for your projects? What are the key abilities and mindsets for anyone who wants to work with General Interactive Co.?
Simple: good and nice. They’ve got to be good at what they do, and they’ve got to be a decent human being that isn’t difficult to work with. If they are missing one of those things, they’re not a good fit. They’ve also got to believe in the vision of the game - or at the very least, trust in the team.
You’re leading the project, but what is your favorite part of it? What do you enjoy the most of game development?
World-building. That’s the role that means the most to me as a game designer. Coming up with the world and the characters and the backstories. That’s what I love to do.
Seeing Singapore represented in a video game seems to have resonated with a lot of people, how important was it for you to develop a game with a focus on the country?
I wanted to make a game set in a place I know - and living in Singapore, the closeness allows me to write a game that feels real. Also, Singapore is awesome - the locals are either too humble or cynical to say so, so I’ll say it for them.
How do you pick the various cities for Chinatown Detective Agency?
Sometimes, it’s the importance of the city in the world of the game. Other times, it’s for what seems like an interesting addition. We’re not ruling out adding obscure cities and towns around the world as long as it helps drive the story or helps build the game’s world.
Thanks Mark!
If you have more questions for Mark and the rest of the team, join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/pBfRbGJ
To stay up-to-date on everything Chinatown Detective Agency, please do follow General Interactive on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/genintco
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genintco/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genintco/
Also, remember that you can play a lovely big chunk of Chinatown Detective Agency RIGHT NOW with our free prologue, Chinatown Detective Agency: Day One:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1401920/Chinatown_Detective_Agency_Day_One/
If you've already played the prologue, please do consider leaving us a review right here on Steam!