XBLA & XBLIG Ratings

PixelFriends released Pixel Boarder on Xbox Live Indie Games last week.  It is a stunt snowboarding game with a pixel diorama. It uses 100% analog physics-based control with retro graphics. PixelFriends took some tine to answer some questions about Pixel Boarder for us. 

Question: How did the idea for Pixel Boarder come about?

The idea started with the idea of a physics-based snowboarding game, inspired by a PC game called "Ski Stunt Extreme", but I wanted to come up with a control scheme that would work well with a gamepad, instead of a mouse.



Question: Could you describe Pixel Boarder for anyone who hasn’t seen it?

Pixel Boarder is a physics-based snowboard stunt game.  Physics-based means that the input from the player is mapped directly onto the joints of the rider, and the ability to do flips, control how fast you spin, and smoothly land jumps all comes from manipulating the rider like a puppet.  The game features a unique visual style that uses modern techniques (such as realtime shadows and lighting), but on extremely blocky, pixelated characters and backgrounds.  The result is what I call a "pixel diorama".

Question: How large was the team that created Pixel Boarder and how long did it take to develop?

The programming, art, and design were just 1 guy, with a little help from friends on the level design.  The memorable music from the game was all generously donated by some extremely talented musicians, most of whom I found on the chiptunes website 8bitcollective.com



Question: Pixel Boarder has a fairly unique control style. How did you decide to use the thumbsticks to control the character?

The idea came very early in the design, using the dual analog sticks to directly control each side of the rider's body was the initial idea, and everything else sort of came out of that.



Question: Looking back on Pixel Boarder what are the things that you are most proud of?

I am most proud of the level of polish on the games graphics and presentation, which took a lot of time and work to complete.  Of course I'm also proud of the gameplay, I feel that for people who get a feel for the control scheme, the game can be very addicting.



Question: Was there anything you were hoping to get into Pixel Boarder that did not make it?

I had hoped to include more levels, but I intend to rectify that in future updates to the game.  I also would have liked to have a simple level editor, and level sharing, but time limitations prevented me from creating an in-game editor, and limitations on the XNA Game Studio framework mean that level sharing cannot be handled in a simple and intuitive manner.



Question: Now that Pixel Boarder has released are you planning another Indie game?

I would like to create another Indie game, possibly utilizing the visual style I've developed for Pixel Boarder, but I don't have a specific project in mind just yet.



Question: Can you give us some tips or hints for Pixel Boarder?

The controls really make use of the "analog" part of the analog sticks on the Xbox 360 controller Question: a soft touch can make a big difference!  To get a flip going, there are 2 basic ways:
(1) hold bock sticks up, to extend the body fully as you approach the jump.  As you are about to leave the jump, drop 1 of the sticks very quickly.  This will start a rotation in the direction of the dropped stick.
(2) hold both sticks down, fully crouching as you approach the jump.  As you near the edge, fling and hold 1 of the sticks up very quickly.  This will also get some good rotation going.
It's often better to start a flip sooner than later as you approach the edge of a jump.  If you're not getting much spin, try starting the spin further from the lip of the jump.
When you're in the air, extend your body quickly to slow your rotation, or contract your body to spin faster.
When landing from a high height, it's best to extend the body before landing, and then contract (or just release the sticks) just as the board touches the ground.  this will soften the blow :)



Question: If you could change or enhance one thing about Xbox Live Indie Games as a platform what would it be?

I would definitely like to see fully supported leaderboards for Indie Games.  Currently the only way to implement leaderboards is through a peer-to-peer approach, where scores are shared between players in the background while they're playing.  This means that scores distribute slowly, and potentially not at all if there aren't enough people actively playing the game.