SCP game, which will be released – Event Classified, interviews with developers

Hi all. With you Trill Team team. Every few years we have been releasing reviews of the released games. Moreover, on Android devices and only SCP: Containment Breach. But today we will violate our tradition, and immediately by all points: this time the game will be on a PC, not Containment Breach … and not even released yet. Today we will talk about something-about the game Event Classified. It would seem that she is interesting? There are many games of other not released games, why exactly she? We will try to find out today ..

Event Classified -This is the multiplayer game of the genre Horror-Shuther with several classes of characters, namely: a soldier, a prisoner, a monster and a scientist. It sounds familiar, isn’t it?

However, there are many differences between Event Classified and this kind of games. So, for example, rounds last from 30 to 60 minutes, during which we will have many opportunities to reborn and continue to die heroically … or win – it already depends on the skill. The classes themselves have their own tasks that change each round from “find and destroy documents” to “save everyone” … or even kill. SCP will also have their own goals, but which developers hide. By the way, local objects are not standard sculptures, grandfathers and other battered women. Here you will find 363, and hating flesh, and much more. Of course, everyone has their own mechanics, so the game for them will represent a very exciting sight. In addition to all this, there are many other interesting details. Card generation, random events, tank. If we talk about everyone, then our video will definitely pass in a couple of hours, so we will move on to … the very juice of our program.

Interview

– Let’s imagine then, my name is Angelica Aksyonova, I will conduct an interview with you today. Please introduce yourself.

– My name is Kirill Vovkrub, I live in Kyiv, I am a c# developer on the Event Classified project

-My name is Yegor Aksyonenko, I live in Belarus, in the beautiful and delightful (no) city of Minsk and, in fact, I am to some extent the art director of the Event Classified project.

– Interesting. Now tell us, guys, how, in principle, you have an idea about your game? You sat, drank with friends and the insight has descended, and maybe you dreamed for a long time and planned to develop?

– Well, perhaps, I’ll take the rose of the championship – Egor begins, – I will now try to describe to some extent at all how it all happened. The path of this game began in early October 2017, if my memory serves me. At that time, other people were engaged in the development of the game, I and Cyril were absent on the project, we rolled later with time. I connected to the creation in 2018, Cyril in late 2020 – early 2021. The very idea of ​​the game is the idea to create something like Breach (mode in the game Garry’s Mod – approx. editors), But in a separate game, and Containment Breach (PC game in the SCP universe – approx. editors). What was the concept: if you make a game on a separate engine, you can obviously realize a lot of what does not allow such a platform as Garry’s Mod. At the moment when we started to do it, there was no SCP Secret Laboratory yet. SCP: SL appeared during the development of our game, which, in fact, caused not illusory depression in people who worked on the game.

– Okay, but you yourself are SCP fans?

“Hmm, I am in principle,” Yegor continues, “I am interested in this universe, although recently I am not interested in the setting itself, I am more interesting to the descriptive part specifically – articles and similar things. Grains [fandom], if rude. I stopped being very interested in the SCP setting itself, if it deepen into one environment for a very long time, it gets tired very quickly.

“In general, I really like the SCR universe,” answers Cyril, “that there is a nightmare and horror setting around this universe, I really reminds me of the Warhammer universe (fantasy and science fiction setting-approx. editors), which I just adore. Such a feeling of widespread depression: people fall into the environment with which they are more likely not to get out, and they have to live in this world, the spirit of post -apocalypse, which fascinates me. So yes, I’m a fan of the SCP universe.

– And the fact that you are fans of SCP have become an impetus when choosing this particular universe to create a game, there may have been other options?

– I would say no, rather SCP came to hand more. The idea was based on creating an interesting game with the elements of Horror, and SCP approached this best: this universe has a big community (approx. editor – community), which loves games of this type, the very concept of the game, this is the Breach mode, it has already been run by other games and mods in the same Garry’s Mod, there is a demand for this. The problem was that the past game Containment Breach is already physically outdated in terms of graphics, in terms of mechanics, everything is still okay, and the visual background is already in need of remake. Therefore, there was an idea to make a game with certain Containment Breach elements, but at a new graphic level. And of course, this is the basis, further the game will develop itself.

– How your project will differ from the rest of the SCP theme games? A lot of content and products were created in this universe: there was an attempt to create Containment Breach on Unity. Tried to make a multiplayer, but it turned out an ordinary merry. The first hype is always present, then it slowly begins to subside. How can you hook players with your project so that the hype holds?

– I think that this game will be more like a platform: there will be no game “here is one game, one mode and end”, rather, it is a game that will be at the start of the mode as Containment Breach, and later the modes will be added there and ideally it should develop into a platform for SCP games. Of course, these are further plans, and we need to do it.

– You think that it will be possible to keep the player in this game so that he does not think that this is another SCP game, play and abandon? There is an opportunity?

– I think that if the player gets bored with one mode, he can go and play another. This will be the main feature.

– How did you come up with the mechanics of the game? Only honestly!

-Well, the process was actually very strange: somewhere, an idea arises among some participant, and he spreads it as a virus to other team members. There are people who do not like this idea and the huge battles for mechanics begins. The problem is for the most part that we are indie developers, experience in the game design if anyone has, then not very many. Functionally, we have skills, of course, but at the same time inventing a mechanic for playing SCP a very multifaceted aspect, as a rule, there can be many problems with how balanced they are, how adequate and proportionate they want to convey in the end. As a rule, the ideas of some mechanic arose very spontaneously.

– Okay, let’s get distracted. We all are very interested in how you collected the team?

– A good, curious question. The Talismaniacasino.co.uk collection of the team took place very disparate and through different means of informing, mostly of course thematic. It was like telegrams of chats where developers are sitting (Developers – approx. editors) diverse and specific places, like specific groups in VKontakte: there was a person who wants to modify, and we are: “Come on to us! ». -We generally had a period when there were few people, there were not enough personnel who could engage in other directions and this is very difficult, we had to look for working hands anywhere, to examine every corner of the Internet to find a person who has at least some skill. There was this problem.

– And what is generally the most difficult to develop games? Including your game?

-Rather, create some first concept and then make it. The most difficult thing is to start some kind of piece and make it playable completely, because unpleasant mistakes will come out again and again, which are not very obvious how to fix it, you need to spend time thinking about how to solve them. But in general, when the game grows, it becomes more and more, new mechanics appear, it becomes more difficult. Of course, much depends on the architecture, if it is initially competently built, there will be much fewer problems, but sometimes there is a big problem in architecture, in a particular place, and in this place to introduce mechanics, it will be very problematic, and it will be closed (scaled in proportionly -. editors) strongly. The largest catch

– Tell me, how can you get to your team at all, people who are watching the content can be interested and want to join

“We have a Discord server,” says Cyril, “any communication inside the team occurs on the server, any person can go into the voice common chat where we are sitting. You can also write in a personal, no problem. If a person wants to do something, we have boards with tasks, we will add it there, he can see what we need now, take the task and begin to do it. If this is the code part, then I will roar it (carry out code quality control -. editors) and watch what is there and how, and if this is some kind of artist (Artistic – approx. editors) part, then this is already to Yegor.

– I can imagine that I have this abstract swamp of Shrek, a person comes to me, and there the field (laughs) – adds Yegor

-That is, you give a test to understand whether a person in a team is suitable for you, something like that?

– I generally not to give test tasks, but more for the fact that you need to set real tasks and in the process it will become clear whether a person will figure it out. I did not even see at my main work that they would give such a test so that they would definitely understand whether a person is suitable for them. I had such many times that the test task has nothing to do with work. And what was required of me in the test task I never came in handy at work. I am very skeptical about this practice.

– Let’s touch the Steam. It’s not so simple to get to Steam, this can not be done. But you could! Was it a difficult way? How did it happen?

– If it speaks very roughly, it is not so difficult to get in Steam, this procedure is not as difficult as it seems to everyone. Another of course – Steam is a very picky platform for games, often it conducts an impudent selection of products, and it is very difficult to get into this selection. For example, Revoy Pages in Steam. It passes a week and according to the slightest bunch of it can be rejected. In addition, registration at Steam Works is a platform for posting games in Steam, and it is very hemorrhoids, especially if you live in the CIS countries, it hurts your address, especially if you are an individual. It is necessary to write correctly so that Steam understands that this is your address, then the statements of documents to confirm that you live there, that is, you have to go to the district administration. You throw documents to them in Russian, and they are: « cool))) ». – In general, we have passed this process, not quickly, but passed. It was difficult, but it would be even more difficult if we were US residents as a legal entity, but we are simple slaves, so it was not so difficult. Some are tested at Steam Works for six months. This is a difficult procedure that rejects you due to the slightest deviations from the forms that they give you. Legal entities, partnership with the United States, the more this is the more difficult.

– Steam he is. How much will the game cost?

– the game will be supported completely on a free basis?

-Well, in fact, we have a monetization paths that we plan to use to make the game to some extent paying off. The first possibility of monetization is the rental of servers through partners. The player can rent a server through our partners who give us a percentage for the power of a machine that was rented monthly. This is a very convenient system that allows the player unobtrusively and without invading the personal space of the player by means of hats or conditionally paid content to receive income that is needed to support the game itself and ensure its functioning. In addition, we would like to count on voluntary support, although this is unlikely due to the fact that people rarely give money “just like that”.

– No, why. For example, if you like the project, then they support the project.

– Of course there is, but we do not count on it. In addition, I do not exclude, paid additions can be released. This is after a long period of time, in the distant future.

– What advice will you give young developers? Advise where to start. Maybe there is a template that allows you not to get lost.

-If from your own experience: it is important to understand that you are as a person-professional in your field, if you plan something, it should be realized by your forces. Or by the forces of your friend to whom you trust and are sure that he will not leave the project. All deadlines must be multiplied by three. People tend to set the terms in which they are incapable of fit, this is a mistake in human thinking and in general in planning. A month should turn into three. It is also necessary to understand in order to make the game little abstract desire and hope that it will be enough. We must still have competencies, and above the average. You should not be a good modeller, but better than a good modeller, because creating a game is a very difficult and multi -stage process that will eat, well, for at least three years, if it is a normal, big game. You need to take into account your strength, and do not start making a project with something super huge, if you have no experience in playing or in conceptual planning, start making a game with, say, analogue GTA 5, where each house has been worked out and you can go, it is obviously impossible to do at this stage. To begin to do something in the gaming industry, you need to understand and make adequate concepts that can be implemented.

-Okay, but I would like to set some business questions. How much time is the development? As I understand it has passed almost 5 years.

– Well, since 2017, 4 and a half years have passed. We had a restart in early 2018. In fact, the development is underway 4 years. There is still such an amazing moment that for some time we had no code force. It was so absent that the game was made only from the modeling part one and a half to two years, and the coding was absent. Now there is such a curious phenomenon that there are many models, but there are some problems with the code. We quickly solve them, good, we have potential to resolve the problems that are facing us. If you say so.

-You had a specific plan: « We take 5 years and we will release the game »?

– Frankly, no. It is dangerous to plan such long time for mental and moral health because: “Oh, I will work for 5 years, nothing will happen,” this is very pressing on the psyche. Not a good idea to plan something for such a long time, it seems that it is an endless kolyma on which you need to plow and plow. We try not to think about the super distant future.

-The team has any regular expenses in the process of production?

– Yes, I have. These expenses are sponsored from developers pockets. Who can and has a desire, he provides financial assistance in some aspects.

– If not a secret: what the costs are the most?

– First of all, it is worthwhile to understand that these are mainly code tools to facilitate and automate the development of the game. It can be some kind of instrument for prototyping the location. I mean the scattering (elements of the game environment, props – approx. editors) on them, the same purchase of tools, we are by no means pirate, because it leaves such black marks on the project, you can’t do this. We spend on the server, we need to prostrate something, we need to buy a normal server for this. There are a lot of expenses for, basically these are tools to automate manual labor, as a rule.

– In general, to make it easier to do certain tasks, as I understand it.

– Well, yes, that is how. Assetes (tools for developers – approx. editors) for automation that functionally work to ensure a greater spectrum of flexibility, in terms of optimizing the game.

– Tell me, how is your game promotion? Advertising, maybe there are groups that need to be subscribed to?

– We are not particularly engaged in promotion, not because we do not want, but because we cannot, we are absorbed in our personal life and this project, for promotion and in the in this environment, we have no time left at all. We have a group in VKontakte, on which everyone can subscribe and monitor current news. They go out every 13th of us, or 14, depending on how much the post goes. Also Discord. Was reddit, but he is a deceased. There is a site, but we haven’t published something there for a long time. Sometimes we try, there is simply not enough time, we do not have people who can lead this, and if they appear, then we cannot control them, because in general we are very absorbed in the development of the product itself. This is: VKontakte, Discord, are our sources of information on which we focused. You need to get out in Reddit, this is a very good platform that allows you to promote your product among the English -speaking audience, and this is, in principle, wonderful, but again, there is very little time for this time. Creating content for an English -speaking audience is very difficult in time. In principle, the sites on which we live I voiced.

– Ideally, that is, you must have a person who could deal with promotion issues, as I understand it.

– Yes, an individual person who also has a lot of initiative and independence. Everything works in reality for us, all the spheres are independent, but the sphere of PR is not independent: I should sometimes delve into what is being done there as a modeller, although this does not bother me at all in theory. People have specific profiles, and they should delve into this environment, although this does not particularly concern them, it does not affect their work profile.

– In general, at the moment there is a list of those specialists who need a team?

– At the moment, of course, marketing managers are required, a person who will engage in the entire Social Media (work on promotion in social networks – approx. editors). We need coders that are familiar with the library of Mirror (tool for developing multiplayer -. editors) And they know how to write normally, readable. Very high requirements, in fact (laughs), it’s hard to find such people for free. We need high -level modeliers. Organic artists are needed, who modify the character, artists in architectural details involved in gaming architecture, but you will not find these either. Specialists who are so narrow -profile is a rarity, you will not even find them for money, and we also want to (laughs).

-I wanted to ask a question more, tell me if there is some kind of exit date, whether the game will be released in Steam in the near future?

“The release of demo versions at the end of 2022,” says Cyril

– I would say that not a demo version, but early access. – Egor adds, – which implies early access – « Schaub played and worked ».

– So that there is full game access

– Well, almost full -fledged (laughs)

– Anyone can get acquainted?

– Any user will be able to get acquainted with the game at the end of 2022, but there is one small condition: with some chance, we can push this date a little to a later date, because we are not able to adequately evaluate our own forces in this regard. We have assumptions, some spectrum of a mechanic that we rely on and it can be implemented. A lot can change. But we work for free everything, respectively, our future is not subject to us, therefore, with a certain degree of probability, this date can move for six months a year, but of course we will try to meet, because it is our idea and interest and we are interested in this than ever ever.

– I have no more questions. Everything that needed to be set, which was interesting, we asked. Of course I would like to know if there will be a feedback on a demo version, whether there will be any reports. Will it be possible to send you some bugs.