From building mini games to winning big prizes— Creators’ Interview #14: Crevasse Studios

Welcome to our Game Creators interview series, where we feature creators and members of The Sandbox community, giving them a platform to share their stories.

In this edition of Game Creators, we interview game creator and winner of the Glitch in the Metaverse Game Jam: Tepes. In this interview we learn about the creation of his game studio, his submission to our Game Jams and the amazing game experiences he is creating.

Tell us a bit about yourself and Crevasse Studios

I started making games in 2017 using a no-code engine, with no previous experience or any relevant studies. The first few games took long to create, were really just small experiments and getting people to play them was quite hard. But I didn’t lose hope and in time I got better at it, the games started to get featured on the App Store and Google Play, some even hit the top charts and making games became my favorite activity.

How do you go about creating a game for Crevasse Studios from start to finish? Where do you get inspiration from, how much time does it take to create a full game, do you use a script

Whenever I feel inspired and get a game idea, I quickly write it down in my notebook and create a small list of the main features the game should have. I have hundreds of ideas, but as a solo game developer it’s important to try to keep the game small and simple or it will most likely never see the light. I get inspired from nature, other games, movies, scrolling social media or design feeds (like dribbble) and daily life.It usually takes 2–3 months of full time work to create a game from scratch.

What brought you to The Sandbox? How did you make the jump to the blockchain and voxel gaming?

As a big fan of voxels, I’ve made a few games that feature this blocky art, the most notable being My Winter Album.

I’m always seeking new ways to create immersive experiences that can be enjoyed by everyone, and my partner, Carina, recommended Sandbox to me. The moment I started playing around VoxEdit and the Gamer Maker I knew that I had to get myself a land and start making games there.

What was your first creation using the Game Maker ? How did it go? straightforward, hard…

After following a few tutorials I felt ready to start tinkering around. I was amazed by how easy to use and how convenient the software is. Most of the game engines and game makers have a really steep learning curve that makes the idea of creating a game by a single person almost impossible. By combining Game Maker and Voxedit, ways to monetize our games, the only limit is our imagination.

You won a Game Jam with Transylvania Fair, what was the creation process like, what did it take to build such an experience ?

Building in Sandbox is like a dream come true for indie game developers. Everything is super straightforward, the pre-built behaviours and components make the development very fast. After a few hours of starting the Transylvania Fair project I had the base structure ready and a clear vision of how the game is going to look like. Making games inside the Game Maker is almost like playing a game. I felt relaxed and confident all the way, I recommend anyone who wants to make a game, no matter if they have experience or not, to try the Sandbox Game Maker. Can’t wait for the upcoming features, like visual scripting or the reintroduction of presets!

How about creating Professor Stitch and other assets for your game? Did you dabble in VoxEdit beforehand or was that your first experience with it?

I tried VoxEdit before and, while it’s really amazing and easy to use, I only had to create a few assets for my game jam, and that’s all thanks to the large variety and top quality of the assets available on the Marketplace. This way I could focus more on the development process of my game, without having to create a large number of assets in such a short period of time.

Could you share any pro tips as to how one can make a game as successful as yours?

Yes! Firstly, if you’re a solo game developer or work in a tiny team, try keeping your game small and add the extra features gradually if the game is performing well. Test the game at an early stage, ask your friends and family to try your game and watch them closely as they play it. At first I was releasing the games without testing them properly and realised there were bugs that I didn’t know existed, the difficulty was very high (remember as you create the game, you’ll get very good at playing it), or they were not optimised for certain devices. Don’t ignore the small bugs because players will notice them. Always remember what feeling you’d like the users to experience when playing your game.

What’s next for you? Can we expect to see more from you in the near future?

Definitely! I’m currently working on a few projects that include a mobile game “Plant with Care” (follow its development on my Twitter account), expanding Transylvania Fair inside The Sandbox and other cool projects that will be revealed in the near future. Stay tuned!

Here is a trailer to Tepes’ latest creation for the Walking Dead Game Jam: Northern Blight

Anything else you wish to add?

Thanks for the interview opportunity and I hope I could inspire fellow developers or people interested in the Sandbox project.

We thank the Tepes for taking the time to answer our questions. Don’t hesitate to support him and his project on his social medias listed below:

• Website
• Twitter

From building mini games to winning big prizes— Creators’ Interview #14: Crevasse Studios was originally published in The Sandbox on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.