1.) Tell us a bit about yourself Chowow.
My name is Brielle, but I usually go by Bri. I like listening to music and hanging out with friends as well as playing and making video games, as you can see.
2.) Tell us about your latest game, Four Gates.
You play the role of an orphan at Four Gates Academy. The Four Gates is a school where orphans and castaways from the all over the kingdom are sent to be trained by the kingdom’s heroes. Abandoned by parents and guardians, the students find a family amongst their own and are taught by the best. History, ethics, healing, mathematics, fighting, and navigation are all taught to the students who otherwise may have become outcasts, joined street gangs, or died of starvation or disease. After graduating from the school, the students take many different paths. Some become defenders of the villages surrounding the school. Others become explorers and travel to distant lands. Others become great philosophers, physicians, and tradesmen.
Your adventure begins when you and three of your friends uncover a dark secret concerning the fate of the school, the kingdom, and perhaps the entire world. A dark force called “Degradis” runs rampant throughout existence, clouding reality; mutating, skewing, and poisoning everything it touches. Can the four of you uncover a cure? Or is it already too late?
The majority of the game involves running around and recovering books from four dungeons scattered throughout the land. It is action RPG melee gameplay for the most part like the Legend of Zelda.
There aren’t too many different weapons, but you can buy and sell things and even trade some things in markets. The game includes mining, elemental weapons and enemies, and a morality system that allows NPCs to treat you differently depending on previous actions.
More information here: http://www.engine001.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=19611
3.) Did any other games inspire you to make it?
As far as the feel of it, the Legend of Zelda series and Perfect World International are probably the two biggest influences on this game. Also some of the games found on the 001 website, http://www.engine001.com inspired me in terms of gameplay and just plain fun.
4.) What made you choose Engine 001?
It’s free and it looked easy to use. What can beat that?
5.) Wow, you seem to have good mapping skills. Any tips to people who have trouble mapping?
I put fallen leaves under trees as if the wind has blown them around a bit in forests. Sometimes when I’m making cliffs I think about how the water and tectonics plates would make them that way. Sometimes I just go with gut feelings too though. The only thing I know to do when mapping is make my maps look as close to reality as possible. I’m just an imitator really.
6.) Do you have any interesting stories about making the game? Any problems?
This is the first game I’ve made and put on the internet. All the other ones I made are too embarrassing to put up anywhere because i was learning how to do stuff.
I don’t really talk to many of my friends at school about game-making so it’s sort of like a secret hobby. Some people write poems or paint. I make games. Anyway this guy saw me doodling some maps in class and he was like, “what is that?” I was like, “a map … for a game thing.” Then he started going off about me being obsessed with World of Warcraft or something. It made me laugh really hard. I’ve never played World Of Warcraft before in my life.
There are people in real life that inspire me to make some of the characters, but the characters aren’t “based” off of those people par say. That’s about it as far as “stories” go.
7.) Any other tips for people who want to design games?
Use engine 001 if you don’t want to get “nerdy.” Other than that, take it easy.
8.) Whoa, biased information! *laughs* Any last thoughts?
Never take yourself too seriously as a game maker. You can stress out doing that.
Thanks for interviewing me. I don’t know if you guys will actually use it or not, but it made me feel tip-top, so thanks.
Thanks for your time, Chowow.

IndieGraph 