Elementers

Dev Spotlight: Chapter VI - Elementers

For today's Developer Spotlight we are here with Robert, who is the solo developer behind his intriguing new game, Elementers.

1. Where did you come up with the idea behind Elementers and how did you turn that idea into the game it is now?

It first started 9 months ago and in the beginning it was actually meant to be a semi realistic top down police simulator similar to the Ready Or Not game but with robot cops, each one having special abilities.

I've started working on it, mostly just finding and preparing realistic 3D Models with robots and rigging them. I saw how much work I had to do for one single realistic 3D model and after a few days of working on the same 3D model I knew It would take way too much time just for the Art side which was not my strongest skill. So I've changed the artstyle for something more Low Poly In which I was more comfortable working with.

Gameplay wise I've instead choose to just combine features from some other similar art style games I've loved, that being Magicka , Brawlhalla and some aspects from League of Legends which I didn't play that much but still enjoyed.

2. The artwork in your game mixes beautifully with the isometric view and all the projectiles. Who is in charge of creating the artwork and why did you decide to go in that direction?

As a indie solo dev I couldn't afford assets and making them would take too much time and also I would have not be able to make buildings or characters so instead I've looked for some Free Low Poly Asset packs on the Unity Marketplace and found a Cute Character, and a big cute environment which basically set the art style for the entire game.

I was mostly just adding variation to the existing assets or sometimes making my own 3D assets and Animations. Mostly If I needed a new 3d model I would try to find one for free online that already fits the artstyle or something similar to what I've imagined and edit it to fit the artstyle.

Though I focus a lot more on the programming side than the art side

3. What problems arose when you first started developing Elementers and how did they make you into a better game developer?

Elementers being my 6 attempt at game dev, I've mostly figured out how to make something fun and optimized from my previous failed attempts. I don't have an advanced education, barley highschool so I've been teaching myself by just failing a lot and random tutorials, so everything was hard and it kept getting easier over the years.

With Elementers I've mostly been struggling with multiplayer, I had almost no networking knowledge before starting Elementers and I've learned trough tutorials and just try and error. I still struggle with some multiplayer stuff but overall I've started to figured it out and adding new features is a lot easier now that I finally understood how it works.

4. How would you describe the gameplay of Elementers and is it more PvE or PvP based?

I would describe Elementers as the free game I would like to have played when I was younger. There was of course Magicka but I was too broke to afford it. So Elementers will be free to play for anyone which doesn't afford buying games and just want a game to play with their friends.

In the beginning it will be PvP focused in a casual way but in the long run It will be focused on Co-op PvE with player made levels. Players will have tools to make their own level with their own story and upload it on the Steam Workshop for others to play. You just play, level up, unlock new abilities/elements to try out, customize your loadout and just have fun alone or better with friends.

5. What games that you've played throughout your life helped inspire Elementers?

I've played a LOT of games over the years so probably there were many influences over Elementers, I'm aware of some of them like Magicka, Brawlhalla, League of Legends though I'm sure there are plenty others that might have influences my taste in games and ultimately the games I've been making, maybe Trove too?

6. Are there any features you hope to include in the base game of Elementers before it's released?

It will release soon in the Alpha stage with maybe 35% of the total features added, just enough to be playable and I will continue adding new features, some of them include the leveling which is not yet implemented, though the magic system is already made to include a leveling system, also save game, tutorial, more elements and abilities and of course the big co-op PvE part, mostly the level editor and the simple visual scripting system. The magic and Damage system is already able to be reused by other entities like NPC's or enemies. 

7. What would you like to say to the people reading this article right now? In what ways can they help support you and your vision of the game?

The best thing you can do is just to have fun because that's why I've been making it. Though donations are always welcome, I've been mostly just looking for 100 euros for the steam page but every donation will speed up development.

If you are interested in keeping up with or donating to the development of Elementers, then I encourage you to please check out the official web page.