Steemgg Interview: Steem Dominion and @n42k
Hi Everyone, the Voting of Steemgg x Steemmonsters Game Jam has started! Visit our voting page and place your vote on your three favourite games!
During these 7 days of voting, we will be showcasing each of the games that was submitted, so everyone can learn a bit more about the games, and a bit more on the developers themselves.
Our third entry of the Game Jam is Steem Dominion by @n42k. In this game, you get to play Steemmonsters Chess with a real opponent, a fellow Steemian.
Game Review
The most unique aspect of this game is the fact that this is in fact a game that is built on the Steem Blockchain, similar to Steemmonsters. It requires your posting key to login, because each action you do in the game is written and broadcast on the Steem blockchain, from changing your deck to doing an attack on the board. Given the short time frame of the Game Jam, I would say that actually building a game on the Steem blockchain is no easy feat!
Once you logged in, you will be in the game room where you can see other players and chat with them. The game itself is a multi-player game, meaning that you need to have at least two players in the game room to play a match.
In the game room you can also check your deck. A new player is given 5 cards in the deck, and every time a player wins a game, they will obtain a new card. Since only 5 cards are allowed to go on the game board at one time, you can change your deck around, depending on your play style. Hovering on each of your card will reveal more info about that particular card. For more info, you can find it in the Game Manual on the top right hand corner.
Once you found a partner and make a match, you will go into the game board. Your cards will be randomly placed on one side of the board (green colour), while you opponent (red colour) will occupy the other side of the board. There are ores on the board which will obstruct the movement of some of your cards.
To move a piece, simply click on one of the pieces that you own, and it will show you possible movements. You can then click on the square you want your piece to move to. You can move onto an opponent’s monster to attack them, or move onto an ore to mine and remove the ore. Note that you can only move one piece per turn so think carefully. Once you move your piece, you will need to wait until the timer ends before the movement is actually registered and executed. Once that is done, it’s your opponent’s turn.
The game ends when one of the players loses all his/her pieces, or if one of the players fails to make a move when the timer is up. The winner gets an extra card in his/her deck. As the number of cards increase, the game becomes increasingly tactical. A real fine game for those who are looking for a strategic challenge with a fellow Steemian!
You can find more details about the game on @n42k’s own post here
Game Dev’s interview
Now that we know more about his game, let’s get to know @n42k a little bit better! We have interviewed @n42k to talk about the game, game development, and how he feel about Steemgg:
Steemgg: Did you enter as a team or solo? If as a team, is this the same team you always have when you develop your games? Who’s in your team and what does each person do?
@n42k: I’ve entered solo.
Steemgg: How did you come up with the idea for this game?
@n42k: I’ve made a Steemit post about it: https://steemit.com/steemmonsters/@n42k/steem-dominion-release
“When I began thinking about working on a game for the Steem Monsters game jam, I knew I wanted it to be multiplayer, using the blockchain to communicate between players. Thus, the main idea of the game was born. I could have opted for a game where your skills are constantly improving (like most MMORPGs), but I quickly figured out that such an idea wouldn’t work: there is no easy way to differentiate a player from a bot in blockchain games, so botting is inevitable if you reward play time. Thus, I decided to lightly reward play time, so Steem Dominion is very skill based, and even with the greatest deck, you can still lose against a player who has just joined. That was the main idea behind the game, and the rest is history.”
Steemgg: What is the most fun or memorable part for you in this game jam?
@n42k: Having finished all game features, and still having a couple hours left.
Steemgg: Are you a professional game dev or hobbyist? How long have you been doing it?
@n42k: I’ve been developing games as a hobby for around 13 years.
Steemgg: What is the hardest part in being an Independent Game Dev? What is the best part? And what is your most unforgettable experience as a game dev?
@n42k: It’s often hard to balance all parts of a game – mechanics, graphics, audio, and so on, and do a good job at all of them, especially in a game jam! The best part is seeing my games being enjoyed by other people. Finally, my most unforgettable experience was my first published Ludum Dare entry: I had been trying for a couple years to make it to the competition, but failed, as I could not meet the schedule, but that year I managed to accomplish it with tremendous success, and created a game that’s still one of my greatest!
Steemgg: What is your favourite video game, and what would you improve about it if you call the shots?
@n42k: Rather than having a favourite video game, I love a wide variety of games, especially the ones that require lots of reading and thought, such as the X series. I’d love to see more of these games have a multiplayer mode, despite how challenging it might be to accomplish such a feat, as they’re not for everyone, nor are they the most profitable to make, when compared with other kinds of games.
Steemgg: What do you think of Steemgg as a platform and how do you think it can be improved?
@n42k: Steemgg works very well, from a developer’s perspective it’s very easy to publish a game, and you can easily reach the admins if you require assistance. There’s a plethora of games present in the catalog, and it seems like it’s bound to increase. I think it could be interesting to consider requiring games to integrate with Steem, so that Steemgg doesn’t compete with other gaming portals, and instead focuses on the niche of Steem users. Finally, I think it’s very important to get small details right, such as fixing the scrollbar appearing on the right in Google Chrome when games are fullscreen.
Thanks @n42k for sharing your experience with us and also for your valuable opinion on our platform. Glad to see a game dev joined Steemit because of this Game Jam, I hope that you will be able to use Steemit and in particular Steemgg as a platform to further your success as a game developer!
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