Earlier today, Gareth hosted an AMA on r/NintendoSwitch with the lovely community there who had many interesting questions. While some were Switch specific, others were more general. We thought we'd share a selection of these questions with you ahead of Citizen Sleeper 2's launch on the 31st of January, to give you a bit more of an insight into the game's development!
If you'd like to check out the full AMA, you can find it here.
Q: I'm curious, what has a normal day working on the game looked like for you? What kind of non-gamedev activities you feel helped preserve the balance of life, or enhanced the game whether intentionally or unintentionally?
Everyday looks mostly the same for me--I walk to my studio, turn on the computer and work on the game, haha!
But as a solo developer that means a lot of different things, from engineering systems to making 3D art. The majority of CS 2's dev time was spent on writing, and I also do my best to fill my studio with ideas and inspiration, from pinned up postcards and art, to books and toys and things that give me ideas.
In terms of preserving the balance of my life, having a 9yo daughter does a lot of that for me! When I do have a spare moment, and I am not playing games or reading a novel from my massive pile, I will usually watch Rugby, something that helps me take my mind off my work.
Q: I was wondering what inspirations you have drawn upon for the sequel?
So this time around I'd say some big inspirations were episodic ship and crew classics like Cowboy Bebop, Firefly, FarScape and Deep Space 9. There's also more of Becky Chambers books in this one too. Oh, and I switched over to Gibson's "Bridge Trilogy" especially Virtual Light this time, to bring some inspiration in from there. If you know that book you'll definitely spot some references in CS 2!
Q: How well do you think CS2 lends to hacks and mods? Just to say, there’s a tradition in tabletop of remixing and reworking a system to fit one’s own ideas. I think it would be neat to see games “powered by sleepers”, but what’s your take on that, as a software designer?
As a solo developed game, I wouldn't recommend ANYONE try to mod my game haha! It's pretty crazy in that code! But I am very open to the idea of people taking inspiration from the systems to build TTRPG or game systems. Just as I took inspiration from the design of others, I think it'd be really cool to see people using my design as a leaping off point. I am actually aware of some citizen-sleeper-likes that seem like they might release in the next few years, and I can't wait to play them!
Q: Is Citizen Sleeper 2 of a similar length to Citizen Sleeper, or is it longer/shorter?
It is definitely longer, and the difficulties and classes add more value to replaying too! I'd say the average play through is 12 hours, but it can vary a lot depending on route and how thorough you are.
Q: What is “Dangerous” difficulty? Permadeath? Or just "hard" mode?
Dangerous difficulty is both harder and has permadeath enabled if you break all your dice. I'd say its similar to something like "Honor Mode" in Baldur's Gate 3. If you do die in it you can reload the save and turn the difficulty down, so while its not intended for first playthroughs, people might give it a shot.
Q: Do you ever consider the 'vibe' of your game as you are mid-development on it? In Other Waters is quite chill and relaxing, while Citizen Sleeper is a litany of things - tense, hopeful, stressful, fulfilling. Do you try to hit a specific emotion when it comes to certain moments or gameplay systems?
I definitely have a bit of a vibes-based process, it's kind of where I start with my games. I always want everything to be pushing in the same direction, from the logos and key art, to the systems and story, to the soundtrack and effects. I would say I am always thinking of how to produce a certain vibe while I work, something that is often a bit indescribable but that has been inspired in me by media, experiences or games where I myself have also felt that vibe! For me, this is what's exciting about games--they are able to provoke emotion and feeling in a very evocative way, they are somewhat atmospheric, and I love that quality in art. I also have to credit Amos for his incredible work in this regard, we often have conversations about mood and emotion, and I think he has an amazing ability to inspire emotion naturally in players, without them feeling "forced." Overall I think both of us are interested in the ambient nature of games.
Hope you enjoyed the read! If you haven't already, make sure to wishlist the game before the release on the 31st:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2442460/Citizen_Sleeper_2_Starward_Vector/
Not long to go now, Sleepers!