O mighty Tlatoani!
Steam Next Fest ended a short while ago. We released the demo at the beginning of it. The effort paid off, for a huge number of people managed to give Aztecs: The Last Sun a shot. Such events are very important for game studios. They not only allow us to promote and advertise our games but even more importantly, we can gather a lot of feedback regarding how the game works, what’s already good and what needs to be worked on.
The info we gained during the event was priceless for us. A high number of people played the demo and a huge fraction of them left feedback. Game development often boils down to having a particular idea, implementing it and having it confronted with other people’s expectations and experiences. This allows us to see if what we came up with is up to par. The main things we wanted to gain insight into were:
The gameplay - whether players like it.
The balance of the game - how to gauge the challenge.
The setting - do people enjoy a game set in pre-Colombian America? What emotions do they feel when they play it? Is the mood in the title suitable?
The graphics - this means both the performance and the reception of aesthetics.
The sound - to see if the jungle around sounds like it should and if the soundtrack hits the spot.
Bug reports - after all, the users are always going to find bugs that we missed. And this means we can locate and fix them quicker than earlier.
And the UI/UX.
However, instead of a standard summary, we’d like to present you with two interviews. One of them is held with Damian Klabuhn, a member of ATLS’s development team. The other one is an interview with Paweł Brągoszewski, a member of the Company Board. This way, we can give you a unique perspective from two different, but intertwined points of view.
Damian Klabuhn - Lead Game Designer
The dust after the Steam Next Fest has settled. How good was the event from the dev team’s point of view?
Steam Next Fest was an incredible success. A week of constant thrills and adrenaline. We spent hours monitoring charts, looking up the number of viewers on our livestreams and responding to countless messages from the players. We’re proud and overjoyed with what we’ve achieved during the festival.
Many, many people were quite happy with the experience the demo provided. How big of a part of the community, you reckon, had a positive outlook on the game?
We were glad to see the overwhelming majority of the community enjoying the game. It looks like the players are quite interested in the Aztec history and the whole setting. We had our fingers crossed for good opinions and a proactive community - the volume of messages and encouragement we got, though, exceeded our expectations. Such an enthusiastic and proactive approach got us pumped to make the game even better.
Let’s talk about the differences between what the demo and what can be expected from the full release. The first thing is the linearity. The demo is quite rigid in its structure and offers a uniform experience. The full version is set to be way more fluid and will allow for a bigger degree of freedom - is that correct?
We spent a lot of time trying to find the correct balance between freedom and guidance when we were working on the demo. For the full version, we want to focus on freedom while providing a narrative and quests that will be the driving forces. The demo was limited in its scope - there’s so much to show in such a short time. There was also the challenge of making the game and its challenges understandable at first glance.
The demo also wasn’t overly stressful or ominous. The full release, though, will exert more pressure on the players, won’t it?
Totally agree. The demo was, for the most part, relatively carefree and calm. The full game, though, will exert pressure and provide more challenges and obstacles. Let’s look at hunger - it will certainly play a bigger role in the full release. There will also be diseases. A lot of these mechanics will be tied to how the gods perceive the player’s activities. Grace will also influence events like cataclysms. As Aztecs were quite expansionist, exploratory expeditions will also play a huge role when it comes to the survival of Tenochtitlán. I can’t share much more, but let me say this - players haven’t seen even a fraction of what the wrath of the Moon Goddess can bring.
What are the most valuable pieces of feedback you got from the community?
The three most crucial types of info we were able to get revolved around bugs, user experience/interface and terrain mechanics. The first two are pretty self-explanatory - we need to fix what wasn’t working as well as it could. In the case of the interface, the feedback we got is going to show us the direction we need to take with the further design work.
As the Aztec capital was literally a “city on water”, we want to convey it well. The balance between shaping the canals and building the city must be made in such a way that the players have the most fun possible while playing Aztecs: The Last Sun. Each piece of feedback helps us with tuning it just right.
Some of the things that need to be worked on are the camera and the interface. Do you plan to introduce changes to these aspects to make the experience more user-friendly?
Certainly, yes. As for the camera, we’ll need to have it more adaptable to players’ needs and habits. It’d be a shame if we had a great game that couldn’t be experienced properly due to no comfort of use. So, we’ll do our best to accommodate most if not all players and their preferences.
UI in the demo was still in its early stage. We acknowledge there’s a lot to improve in that manner - how responsive, easy to use and intuitive it is among other things. The feedback we got (and will get) will be crucial to developing the interface and fine-tuning it later.
How many languages are expected to be in the final release?
I can’t yet say, but we want to have the game localised to many languages. It’s important to have the players accommodated.
The demo received an update during the festival. Will it get another one somewhere down the development path? Or is working on the demo over?
While I’d love to share our plans, I’m not allowed to do that. All I can say is that we have a number of exciting plans in store for the future.
As the festival was a success for the company, wouldn’t you mind commenting on whether the spirits are high in the dev team?
Short answer - yeah. When it comes to details, the dev team is made of many people who are not only colleagues but friends. This means that we care for each other and we strive to do our best. Seeing how this labour of love was received by the players gave a huge boost to our morale and elevated our spirits to new heights.
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Paweł Brągoszewski - a member of the Company Board
It’s been a short while since Steam Next Fest ended. While you’ve made some pretty clear remarks and shared some thoughts on our work chat, let’s talk about the topic once more. Do you consider Aztecs: The Last Sun’s performance at the festival a success?
I believe the demo was a huge success at the festival. We showed a brand new IP, a game unknown to the public and it was met with great interest. The devs were in awe when they were looking at how the livestream went and later, when players started playing the game and submitting feedback.
How long has the entire team been preparing to deliver the demo?
The game’s been in active development for about a year. We spent a lot of time working on the presentation to make it look outstanding.
The game was the most streamed title during the festival. Obviously, this is a great achievement. Could you tell us why this was the case and were you expecting that?
The pre-Colombian Aztec setting most likely played a huge part in that. It’s rarely seen in the industry. The biggest factor, though, certainly was the lovely graphics featuring the lush foliage and impressive buildings.
What did you like the most in the demo build?
I’m pleased that we were able to show many mechanics in a short span of time. Aztecs: The Last Sun is a complex game and we did our best to showcase various mechanics in a limited amount of time.
The player reception was very good in general. They most appreciated the mechanics, the vibe and the aesthetics of the game. However, we’ve also received negative feedback, mostly about bugs and UI. Are you happy with the amount of information that was obtained during the run of the festival?
All constructive feedback is both valuable and welcome. It shows us what’s already good, what needs improvement and what could be reworked. If you, the reader, have any thoughts about the game - please, share it with us. The demo has a feature that allows you to post it directly to the dev team. You’re also welcome to drop us a message on Discord or our social media.
Was there anything unexpected that you noticed in the feedback?
The feedback regarding the camera work raised our brows. It’s surprisingly easy to overlook some aspects of the product when there’s no external feedback - and we had more or less none before releasing the demo.
Some companies ended their demos and trial runs after the Steam Next Fest. Aztecs: The Last Sun’s demo remained available for download. Will it be updated over time, when it’s closer to the release? Or maybe there will be another demo or some other form of trial down the lane?
The demo will be up for a while, but it will be taken down in the future. The game will be changing during the development and the current version of the demo won’t do it justice. Will there be a next demo? I can’t answer at this point.
Can you sum up the entire festival experience in one sentence?
A great Steam Fest for Aztecs: The Last Sun - we are very happy with the visibility of the game and player feedback.
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That was quite an interesting read, wasn’t it? Some of the main takeaways are:
- Everyone’s happy with how Aztecs: The Last Sun performed during Steam Next Fest.
- We got a lot of valuable feedback that will be put to good use.
- People liked how the game feels and looks.
- There were some hiccups, especially when it comes to random bugs, placing buildings, the camera and the UI, so we’ll have to sort them out.
- The demo will be taken down sometime in the future.
- We have some things in store prepared for you.
It’s an exciting project to work on, so please - keep your fingers crossed, as we’ll be sharing more info about the game in the near future. We also hope to make ATLS as fun as it gets.
So long, then!
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We’re always up for a talk and we appreciate each and every one of you!
