Jessica Saunders, Game Director and Founder of Salix Games.
Hello, each week leading up to the release of Dance of Death: Du Lac and Fey we have been hosting AMA (ask me anything) style discussions on the Salix Games Discord. We’ll be releasing them weekly for you to enjoy. If you would like to ask any question leave in the comments below or join our Discord and participate in the friendly discussion with the development team.
Yes or no to Marmite?
Jessica Saunders (JS): No! (Join the Salix Games Discord to learn about the Marmite meme)
I'm actually curious about the process of sketching out the scope of a game.
JS: That's a harder one to answer! Having worked on much larger projects for many years, we knew how long certain things do take. For example, we know it takes about a month for a character to be modelled and textured.
We took our knowledge of existing bits and compiled what we thought it might be. Then we made a prototype and saw how far we got within that time scale. We spent a lot of time estimating and reworking!
We ended up doing the usual and being way overscoped! That, however, is very common; we just have so much content.
To work out the final scope we had to wait for the final script. Once that was decided, we were able to cost each interaction, each location, each character in the game individually, and then add it all up.
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey Coming to PC (Steam) on April 5th.
Do you have a favourite 'happy accident' moment that happened during development? Or at least, one that you can talk about! Something that came out of nowhere but has become part of the game?
JS: Yes! My favourite one is Eve’s outfit. We were going to go with a completely different design but crossed wires meant Vince, our modeller, made the dress from some old concept art. I was worried it was too much like a funeral dress. But once combined with the colour scheme from the dress that never was, it became my favourite of the game!
Discover Eve’s story in Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey
Who originally thought to mix Arthurian legend with Victorian murder? Was it an individual or a team thing?
JS: That was me and our lead writer Philip Huxley. We knew we wanted our canine partner to be more than just your average game dog; we wanted her or him to be smart. I suggested Morgana because I love legends and he threw out the idea of Lancelot. Everything then tumbled into place. Suddenly it became this story and world that just kept pouring out. Then Ed Reid (ER) our technical director, got a phone call.
What’s your favourite narrative moment on a game you didn't work on?
JS: Oh! That’s a doozy of a question. One of those that has stuck with me was a little indie game called 'The Path' where you had to lead one of seven sisters to Grandma’s house. You had to go into the woods and confront each girl’s wolf, but they were things like her vanity, her loneliness, and the like. It was beautifully done in an abstract way.
What is your favourite video game cat?
JS: My favourite video game cat is every cat in Neko Atsume.
There are hundreds of different dog breeds in the world. My Weimaraner would like to know why you picked a Saluki?
JS: Did you know that the Saluki is one the oldest dog breeds known to man? With Fey being cursed so long ago we had to make sure she would fit. They are also very, very speedy, and perfect for if you were trying to run away.
Playable Character Morgana Le Fey
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Why did you want to make this kind of game?
JS: I’ve always loved storytelling. Its’ one of the first thing we do as kids: we make up stories, play games, create universes. I think I never grew out of that! But also for me, I want to show that there’s so much more to this sort of game. Gamers and video games have a bad rep. I've lost count of the number of events I’ve been to where, when I say that I work in games, people’s eyes glaze over. Or they dismiss it as the easy option to film and television. We all know that’s not the case at all; we have an incredible, vastly intelligent audience ready for adult content beyond gore. Something more cerebral.
What was the biggest change for you in going from being part of a more specialised functional role to the director?
JS: Honestly, 90% of this transition. This has hands down been the biggest challenge of my life. I’ve learnt more in the last three years than I have in the last 10, I think. One of the hardest parts was learning the business aspects–shares, equity, loans, investment–just how to run a company of this size day-to-day.
The most important thing I’ve learned is that your team comes first. Without them you have nothing. Look after your people, hire people who know better than you, always pay fairly, and have trust.
I’ve done beta testing voluntarily (unpaid) for various indie devs on iOS and PC. What tips do you have for me to get a paid QA tester job?
JS: Perseverance. Also try signing with gaming recruitment companies, and be prepared to move for work. Keep an eye on larger companies and their dev cycles; they tend to ramp up the QA department closer to release. Do also check out the big QA houses local to you and talk to them
ER: People say that making covering letters customised to the company you're applying to and making them stand out is a great way to get a job. How about attaching a bug report to your covering letter that reads like your CV.
For example:
Bug: Require job as a QA Tester
Reproduction Steps:
1) Develop a passion for games
2) Display attention to detail
3) Apply for jobs as a QA tester
Expected Outcome: Paid job as a QA tester
Changelist #1: Gained X qualification
Changelist #2: Performed QA on X game
JS: I'd definitely read that CV.
What has been the most useful method for keeping the audio process smooth and efficient for your team?
JS: VO–our VO is a beast–and has the largest and most complex system. Our writers worked on the final draft, then Ed wrote systems that turned our script into rec sheets with file names. We tackled dialogue by its designation: Main Path, NPC (Non-Playable Characters), Emotes and incidentals. Each has its own Excel file per game 'chapter'.
Our game is handcrafted, so all audio is hand rolled, each wav in Wwise then corresponds to its place within our dialogue and lipsync system. We use INKLE for this dialogue system and Wwise for all audio.
We had 90% of our dialogue recorded and edited at Pinewood. This meant we had had to import it into Wwise and structure it within there. The script was one of the first things we finalised on the game.
Alexandra Roach, Gareth David-Lloyd, Perdita Weeks Recording at Pinewood Studios
Jacob then makes sure the ink system files are correctly labelled, calling the right wavs as they are called in the game. We also have systems that pull out any missing files or typos. That’s our VO in a nutshell!
For music, we wait until we have a playable version of each chapter. I go through and note SMPTE style where loops and cutscenes are, what the mood should be, and where stings and oneshots should play. We have two composers on project. Depending on the characters you play, you will have either Jools Scott or Jeff Rona scoring. They take the play through and my notes to create demos for my sign off. After that, I take their time mixes, which they supply with loop points BMP and time sigs, and set up in Wwise. We use a four-state music system in Wwise which means we only ever call one music event and use states to transition our music.
For SFX there’s no planning whatsoever: I am a sound designer, so I just know what needs to be done! Most planning was a case of we need cutscenes done, we need UI done, and then either I just got on with it, or Ian Macbeth–our contract sound designer–did. I worked with Ian before and trust him completely, so I just throw things at him and know he knows exactly what to and not to add. During the bug fix I’ll fill in any missing gaps if there are any. As a sound designer it’s my pet peeve to be given a list of SFX. Just show me the game and I’ll work out it!
If you got catapulted back into our game-time, say 1888 London, and you had 24 hours on the clock, what would you do?
JS: Drink gin. See a show, Wear something incredibly fancy, Dine at the Criterion
Original Criterion Building with Restaurant and Theatre as built in 1873.
(Source)
Do you think that starting a games company has been harder for you because you come from a sound design background rather than the usual art or design?
JS: Oh no, easier! People tend to forget that audio is one of the departments that deal with all other departments. Daily, we will talk to code, UI, cinematics, QA, design, environment, the works. It gave me a really solid idea of not only what each group does, but what is required from each team and the development cycle as a whole: who is dependant on whom, what comes in where, how long each part takes.
If I hadn’t been audio, it would have been a lot harder. By the time I started Salix I had worked for Codemasters, Lionhead, Rare, Splash Damage and Rocksteady. I had been given the best of the best when it came to seeing game development.
Sir Lancelot Du Lac & Lady Morgana Le Fey (Playable Characters)
If Du Lac and Fey were Britney Spears’ songs, which ones would they be and why?
JS: Du Lac would be ‘Everytime’. I can see Du Lac listening to it while staring out the window when it rains.
Fey would have to be ‘Toxic’ because it’s a banger and I could totally see her rocking out to it. Or maybe ‘oops I did it again’.
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Listen to Du Lac & Fey: The AMA’s playlist on Spotify and add Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey to your wishlist.
If you have any questions please post on the Steam Community Hub or on our Discord.
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We look forward to welcoming you to our community. Stay tuned for future news and updates.