Cape Cosmic (Phoenotopia: Awakening) AMA Transcript
Last night’s AMA with Cape Cosmic, developers of Phoenotopia: Awakening, was a great time! We appreciate everyone, especially the developers, for taking the time to make this AMA a success. In case you missed it, a transcript of the entire event can be found below. This information can also be found on our Discord.
Note: this is the raw, minute-by-minute log of the AMA. If you are looking for a more condensed version with just the questions and answers, check out this alternative view by Pimez.
Note #2: Users in red denotes our staff, while users in blue denotes Cape Cosmic devs:
Today!
How long will it last?
i would guess about an hr
that is the typical length of the past AMAs we have done
I won’t be around later, but I have questions, so…
*Question:* Did you ever think to make a mini map? Many of the complaints I’ve heard are over the lack of such.
*Question:* Do you consider the Switch release a success or not? What would you do differently? I fear the game got buried under the other Metroidvanias available.
*Question:* When’s the sequel drop, and can I preorder it now? ๐
how will it work?
People show up, ask questions, dev answers, everyone drinks a beer that @TheNerdBasement provides.
Wait what!
I have to get to the store now then! Though @Rich was providing that.
if you can’t attend live, leave questions and will get them asked tonight
after the AMA is over, next week we will post a transcript of the AMA on the website
i don’t know if i’ll be able to wake up at 4 am so i’ll leave this just in case
what was the inspiration behind giving so many characters biblical names? (abi)gail, thomas, seth, (e)lisa(beth), bartholomew, zophiel, adam, ava (some sources list it as an alternative form of eva), ruth (renamed to rutea in phoa but still), the game’s files even refer to zero as “kain”. was it just something like “hey cool names” or is there more reason behind this?
I think I could field that, but…
field?
Answer it.
ah
hm?
I’ll let the dev do it. ๐
Yeah, same. Feel like I know what the answer is, having used so many in my game, too, but I should keep it zipped until the dev gets a chance to put it into his own words.
Hi dev(s) i bought your game because @CRMagic said so. He mentioned metroidvania so i clicked buy
I will promise to play it soon :3
after i get over my cod zombies addiction
I was more successful evangelizing Phoenotopia than Portia. ๐
Though I think all things considered, Phoenotopia was the better game.
I also bought portia fyi
Phoenotopia, Portia, Pine, @CRMagic I’m seeing a P-attern
I wishlisted it on account of CRM, then he bought it for me so that I could play it immediately, whereupon I assisted in knocking on people’s doors and asking if they had a moment to talk about our savior, Gail of Panselo. @Trifragger can vouch.
I’ll leave my question here since I cant make it
What are the chances of a hard copy coming out. Also are you planning on adding it on other consoles.
@NoahIvaldi I’d be lying if I didn’t think you’d be the better salesman, but I also figured you’d enjoy it.
You made the right decision, bro, and I sincerely appreciate it. ๐
My body is ready
3 more hours
I have no idea what to ask.
Anything you’d like
lol
how will it work?
Typically the first question is; is Zelda Breath of the Wild an RPG?
No
It’s a mastapiece
I feel like people will get into an argument for this
thats why people ask this
What happens if i ask such a dumb, obvious question that even the chickens hate me?’
It’s more a running joke on this discord
A wise man once said: There are no bad questions, just bad players
This man was later revealed to be the creator of Bubsy 3D
omg sillythewilly is here
It’s all Dave’s fault
quells is here too! D
๐
indeed
hiiiii
Aaaaaaaaa my idols
hey all
hi
heyy ๐
hello
Hello
Caves of Mul is the best song
Yes
That is true
Hello all and welcome to the AMA for the Phoenotopia awakening. We have @QuellsDev and @sillythewilly here to answer your questions. As always be polite, give them a chance to answer a question and also be patient there could be a lot of questions at once. If you guys would like could each give us a description of your part in the game dev/design as well as maybe a small background of your interest in building games
Hello all and welcome
Thanks for having us!
Thanks for joining
Thank you for joining us!
We love giving the opportunity for players and devs to communicate
I’m the programmer and director. As for my interest in building games, it was always there from when I was a kid
probably grew to its apex around the time of Legend of Zelda:OOT
short intro: I made the music for the game, .. and that’s about it! No programming on my end, though I went through an RPGmaker2000 phase as a kid
Some questions from some users who couldn’t be here live, Question: Did you ever think to make a mini map? Many of the complaints I’ve heard are over the lack of such.
Question: Do you consider the Switch release a success or not? What would you do differently? I fear the game got buried under the other Metroidvanias available.
Question: When’s the sequel drop, and can I preorder it now?
Lore question: Why did Lisa pay off Garnet’s debt?
A kind of basic question: What was the inspiration for the game’s story?
Question:What was your most tedious task while designing the game?
Silly Question:Did you ever go out to eat some exotic food to see how it tasted in order to design descriptions for the game?
this isnt related to the game but… do you watch any anime?
Regarding mini-map: it honestly never occurred to me during the game’s development. Seems like a basic feature to have missed, so I’ll definitely have it present in our future games. Unfortunately, the game can’t be mapped in any cohesive, understandable way due to the way the world was designed
I actually have an example map I drew up a while back, since the question gets raised a lot
that’s just the first house. To have a map, it really has to go hand in hand from the game’s earliest creation stages
*excited bouncing intensifies*
How did you come up with the names of the towns and locations?
Regarding switch release being a success – it’s kinda not ๐ฆ If we could do it differently, we’d have probably held back and spent more time fishing for a publisher. They’re really worth it. Flyhigh joined us at too late a stage to exert their best influences
Why did you choose Phoenotopia as a name for the game? Why the subtitle of Awakening?
Also, was the Steam release more successful then
they have expressed interest in our next title already, despite it only existing in brainstorming right now, so we’re on a better start
Oh, damn. Follow-up question: You *did* get just enough support to go ahead with the sequel that we absolutely 100% require in order to live, right?
Oh, that’s a yes. Yes. Oh, thank God for you.
Regarding “Lore question: Why did Lisa pay off Garnet’s debt?” — Lisa having come from the orphanage took on some caring/compassionate qualities. She can’t help helping people
What happened to the Anuri species?
Regarding “What was the inspiration for the game’s story?” — It’s a bit of everything probably. A lot of things influenced me, big and small, in ways that I don’t know sometimes. I’d say the big ones are Zelda, Cave Story, and fairy tales (like the books)
When were the Cosette windmills constructed?
Regarding “Question:What was your most tedious task while designing the game?” — Hmmm… probably item descriptions
@sillythewilly Who are your influences?
oh yea
what is amberite?
Regarding: Silly Question:Did you ever go out to eat some exotic food to see how it tasted in order to design descriptions for the game? — Hah, no
Have you ever played tabletop RPG’s, And if yes, Did they have an influence in the game?
Regarding “do you watch any anime?” — yes. Big watcher
@Pimez TOLD YA
It is truly dissapointing that you didnt go to the far off land of boiling soup to make descriptions
I never denied that
boo
Also for sillythewilly, what were the B-Side songs meant to be used for? Why were they cut?
Where did the song stones come from and how do they work as they do?
Regarding “How did you come up with the names of the towns and locations?” — “Atai” means proof in Japanese, and I saw Atai was the first “proving ground” in Gail’s adventure. Most names are like that, where I’ll take a word that means something in another language, then kinda mix and match
Have you thought on making a sequel using the same assets giving the gameplay a twist like Majora’s Mask or Triforce Heroes?
Lore and Music question: are the Song Stone symbols universal? How do these notes on the flute work in the universe? Is it just the new way music is written?
Early on, it was the greats from games I really enjoyed like Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger), Motoi Sakuraba (Tales of Phantasia)
how long was the game in development and how was the process of porting the game to switch?
For “Why did you choose Phoenotopia as a name for the game? Why the subtitle of Awakening?” — Phoenotopia was a combination of the words “Phoenix” and “Utopia”. As for why those two words, I’m hoping I can show that in a future sequel. As for why “Awakening”, that’s because it needed to be differentiated from the flash game. I’m hoping to go for a naming convention that goes “A, B, C”. So a sequel would be like “Phoenotopia: Bond” or something. “Awakening” also happens to describe the events of the game rather well
It might be better to take advantage of the momentum of Awakening release
The game was in development for 6 years at least
As long as we’re asking questions way faster than you can possibly answer, are there any non-disclosed relations in the game? Like, Mr. Soandso is actually the son of Suchandsuch?
Slow down…let them catch up
Phoenotopia makes so much sense! Because a utopia rises from the ashes of the old civilization!
I get it now
for the followup question: the Steam release is tracking better than Switch release so far. It’s too early to say right now though
Aha, I knew it! Bonus points for the coincidental similarity to “phoenotype.”
good to know it’s likely to do better : )
The first half of the B-sides were songs that ended up not in the game, mainly because they didn’t fit the mood or didn’t have a place in the game. And the second half are songs that couldn’t fit in the 60-track limit of the main soundtrack
for sillythewilly: what’s your favorite song that you made for the game/favorite song in general
Regarding “What happened to the Anuri species?” — We use something… call it “acceptable ambiguous lore”, when planning out the game world. Think of it like asking Tolkien, “What exactly is the population of Orcs in Lord of the Rings?” I think even Tolkien would have trouble answering that one. The answer is just “many”. As many Orcs as are needed for the story to take place.
So I try to use that device as well so it’s not necessary for me to imagine every minute detail of the world. I like to keep some lore open until/unless it becomes necessary for the story to solidify the details. So regarding the Anuri’s history, it’s intentionally ambiguous, but my personal take is that a madness overtook them and they fought each other – hence why there’re various weapons strewn about.
oof that’s like asking who’s my favorite child j/k – it depends on my mood but I really like how Beacon Towers turned out. All because I was trying out some synth presets and came upon one that sounded really neat that ended up being the melody line
Another question from a user, What are the chances of a hard copy coming out. Also are you planning on adding it on other consoles.
We have a lot of physical collectors in the community
hold on… Will is telling me there’s a reply feature. lol
pffft
If you’re on pc, you can right click on a question to reply to it
yea it was added around a year ago i think
yup!
That’s awesome. I love the Beacon Towers melody.
How do the giant toads work in relation to the Anuri? Are they just giant toads that are used as horses, or are they a subspecies?
Lore question: How do trolls and harpies reproduce?
They were constructed some time in the ambiguous past in stages (this falls under the “acceptable ambiguous lore”). They didn’t always look like windmills from the outside.
:O
Was this ambiguous past before or after the razing?
Ive never played Phoenotopia. Can you describe it for me?
Amberite is “A chunk of coarse amberite crystal. Amberite has applications ranging from medicine to weapons and has even recently become popular in jewelry. Sell this at the nearest Recycler!”
The windmills?
What is your opinion on game jams?
windmills? huh?
more amberite lore – we mostly needed a valuable mineral you could get – basically an excuse to give the player money
nono i was, like
real life amberite is some sort of gunpowder from what ive read
and im trying to see if it has any connection
By the way, don’t forget that you can use double | to spoilerify stuff.
I have no experience with table top RPG’s. Think the closest I played was “Munchkins”
Good idea, some people haven’t played the game
Oh nvm didn’t realise that was a question
For Sillythewilly: how did you learn music? did you take any courses/studies, read any books?
This is the saddest fact since realizing you cannot pet frogs
Regarding the questions on the song stones — they were first added in as a necessary “gating” mechanic, since Gail has a lot more freedom to roam the world map. Before there were song stones, I actually considered just using “keys” or “lockpicks”. But I choose song stones in the end because I liked the musical angle and the puzzle opportunities they allowed. After that, we worked backwards to kinda (hopefully) make them a believable part of the universe.
What song was Birdy trying to play in her boss intro?
I know that one.
Was there or will there ever be a full version of Birdy’s intro?
Also why does Phalanx play during Birdy’s intro?
I was super fortunate to have a mom who forced me to take classical piano/violin lessons as a kid. I didn’t enjoy it but luckily I kept it up and started really appreciating it around high school times.
Also, college, there was an intro to jazz class that was super fun playing together in combos
Is it because PHALANX is a “birdy”?
Regarding “Have you thought on making a sequel using the same assets giving the gameplay a twist like Majora’s Mask or Triforce Heroes?” — We have not… I think everyone on the team is probably an artist first and foremost, so striking out into the new excites us more. There is some stuff from the engine I’d like to reuse – but since the game took so long to develop, the underlying engine stuff is really outdated – so I probably won’t get to reuse as much as I’d like
I guess that’s canon now ยฏ\\(ใ)/ยฏ
what engine did you use and are you looking to use a different engine in your next game?
Does this mean the sequel will have a completely new artstyle, or be a polish like the flash game to awakening?
~~hehe polish~~
I have no clue what Birdy was thinking, but behind the scenes Quells gave me a link to the Jurassic Park theme song cover done horribly on a recorder (?) and told me to emulate that
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Regarding “how long was the game in development and how was the process of porting the game to switch?” — Game’s been in development for 6+ years now. Porting to Switch was scary (so was releasing on Steam). From my perspective, it’s our first commercial game, and so much of the process is unknown. At one point, I thought it was possible we would just be hard denied on a Switch release at all due to the game’s old Unity engine. Later, I learned that Nintendo’s waiver process to bypass some of their blockers wasn’t too bad. I’m hoping I can approach the next game as a hardened veteran where nothing shakes me anymore, but we’ll see
That’s the greatest. XD
please i need to know more about jurassic park on recorder
why
Regarding “As long as we’re asking questions way faster than you can possibly answer, are there any non-disclosed relations in the game? ” — The musician and I used to be roommates in college and after (early adult working life). He and I will play online games together (mostly rainbow six, since that’s the only game I’ll want to play – sorry Will)
What is the link?
This is very important
Inquiring minds need to know: Got a :link: to that song?
For… science
What was the thought process behind making Gail more expressive than she was in the flash game?
I meant in-game chars, but that’s cool, too!
You’re a bloody legend.
oh my goooooood
Ah yeah! Amberite actually means something in real life. I remember when I thought up the name, I was annoyed it was already taken by a real life thing. In the end, we decided to barrel ahead anyway
lololololol
Are you a fan of the game characters? Which one is your favourite?
~~i kinda like the thought of gunpowder jewelry actually~~
If it’s not a spoiler, who is Thomas’s mentor that he mentions in his logs, WHY DID HE ENCOURAGE THOMAS TO BUILD A WRECKER
perhaps it will get a bigger purpose in the sequel
Why bats? Any particular reason for the weapon choice? Easy to draw and animate, no doubt!
For “What are the chances of a hard copy coming out. Also are you planning on adding it on other consoles.” — We’ve actually been approached twice now by physical distributors (who shall not be named for professional reasons). They both walked after hearing the sales numbers. So no physical for the time being. Flyhigh is working on xbox and playstation ports – though I don’t know when that’ll be finished
what was the inspiration behind giving so many characters biblical names? (abi)gail, thomas, seth, (e)lisa(beth), bartholomew, zophiel, adam, ava (some sources list it as an alternative form of eva), ruth (renamed to rutea in phoa but still), the game’s files even refer to zero as “kain”. was it just something like “hey cool names” or is there more reason behind this?
For “How do the giant toads work in relation to the Anuri? Are they just giant toads that are used as horses, or are they a subspecies?” — You can see the giant toads being ridden in one of the opening cutscene shots. I think of them like loyal steeds that get passed down noble Anuri lines. The big one you fight is maintaining its duty to protect its owners even long after they’ve passed
What if *Zelda II: Link’s Adventure* was given a Star Wars story before the revisions and modernizations, then the mechanics were scaled up to modern standards and the production values were more charming?
How do Heart Rubies and Energy Gems work? Were they created for Phoenixes for the war? Do heart rubies have some sort of romantic connotation to them? Are energy gems and the weird green stone found in mul caves (and elsewhere) related?
Also if it had actual puzzles like a zelda game
Spoiler tags, please.
What is the name origin of the perros? Because that’s the exact word for dogs in spanish
Regarding “How do trolls and harpies reproduce?” — Trolls grow from the Earth via a spore. As for harpies, best not to think about it too much. If you do, you’ll notice the egg shells the little ones wear with them are way too big. Let’s say this falls under the “intentional ambiguous lore” thing
After the razing
For me, itโs apparent Zelda II, was an inspiration, at what age did you beat Zelda II. I played it as a kid, but didnโt beat it till I was much older
What are the current development plans for future projects (after Phoenotopia: Awakening)?
Is the sequel the next priority?
Poor guys must be resting their fingers. At least they know that they’re appreciated!
@sillythewilly do you have any other silly stories like the recorder one
With a name like that, he’d better.
LMAOOOOOOOO
Heh, sorry for the pauses. I copy/paste all the questions to a separate doc then go through and process them – easier that way since when I “reply” to something, it scroll jumps all the way to the bottom
its okay
Regarding “what engine did you use and are you looking to use a different engine in your next game?” — We use Unity. We’ll probably continue to use Unity for the next game
how much longer will you be answering questions for?
Don’t apologize when I’m teasing you! Just noogie me back!
We’re thinking we’ll exit around 8:10 if that’s alright
what timezone
PST?
I wish it was PST
yes, so in ~15 minutes or so. We can go longer too depending… how long do AMA’s usually go for?
Usually an hr
~~As long as you’re willing to put up with our crap.~~
Regarding “Does this mean the sequel will have a completely new artstyle, or be a polish like the flash game to awakening?” — If a sequel happens, definitely a new art style
But we are happy to continue asking questions as long as you are willing to stay and chat with us
Maybe not, we only have around 50 questions prepared
Each.
Again, while @QuellsDev and @sillythewilly continue to answer questions, I would like to thank them again for taking the time and joining us this evening, we greatly appreciate it!
Yes, thank you
For “What was the thought process behind making Gail more expressive than she was in the flash game?” — that was largely driven by Clement (lead animator). He really wants to push the art medium, and was a bit annoyed that the characters were so low-res. So whenever he drew something, he pushed it as far as he could and made them really expressive. That was a big takeaway for me too. Choose an art style from the beginning that artists could actually be excited drawing for
Yeah, means a lot
especially since games take so long to make
:O
What is Zophiel in the new, post-Great Awakening society? Is she some sort of religious figure? Or something else? Why are there so many statues of her?
Regarding “Are you a fan of the game characters? Which one is your favourite?” — I do like the game’s characters! My favorite is Gail naturally
in fact, regarding the ending that was one of my motivators for changing the “betrayal” scene. I felt guilty for making Billy a last minute traitor at the end of the flash game. I wanted to preserve his good qualities, so I split them up
What were the biggest lessons learned from working on this project?
What will you do differently going forward into the sequel?
For “If it’s not a spoiler, who is Thomas’s mentor that he mentions in his logs…” — Thomas didn’t have a mentor? heh, need to recheck my lore now. He had a handler. And he was building wreckers under orders – all the countries in Phoenotopia were secretly amassing their own weapons – it’s like an open secret
nope that’s it, that was the only good one -__-
… that comes to mind atm. There’s other random tidbits. I vaguely remember the flute at one point being whistling instead, so I had to record myself whistling.
another one: I would’ve been down to re-use the old Among Friends song from the old game, but that happened to be the only project that somehow didn’t get archived properly, which is part of the reason why Merry Fellowship came into being
ohhh
What were the strange purple pods at world’s end in the flash game, and why were they removed for awakening?
For what it’s worth, Merry Fellowship is a delight.
For “Why bats? Any particular reason for the weapon choice? Easy to draw and animate, no doubt!” — It’s kinda like how in One Piece, Luffy can “pummel” someone and send them flying in a cartoony/animated fashion. I felt bats could achieve that sensation better than swords
So you just wanted a bludgeon, and that was an easy, practical one! Cool! Thank you. ๐
oh hes here
hi pimez
Why did you add in the Cosette region (including the windmills and royal archives)? They weren’t in the flash game
It also sounds less morbid to have an orphan girl going out to the world alone to have to kill things with a knife
This is my last question if you want to end soon, but I really want to know this. What does E.D.E.N. stand for? Do SPHERE and PHALANX stand for anything, or are their names just stylized in capitals?
PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT
I liked that area a lot, don’t get me wrong
This should be a different game
*laughs in RPGs*
Phoeno-dystopia
There was an area in the original flash game called “Farmer’s Block” it didn’t add much to the game outside of getting an item called the “Lucky Belt”
Maybe Cosette was made to expand on that?
It amazes me how the Axe Bandits are not outright slicing Gail in halves
Phoenix powers?
Use these.
She has axe resistance
Double | on both sides, @kl.
Thank you
For “what was the inspiration behind giving so many characters biblical names? …” — Thomas, Seth, and Lisa being biblical names are news to me! One of my thought processes when naming the characters was to just take really English sounding names (kinda like how Resident Evil has Chris, Rebecca, Claire, etc). Gives the game a kinda quaint quality. As for “Adam”, and the others, we definitely amped it up from the previous flash game. I didn’t know what to do with Adam actually at first. That’s why he appears as an amorphous alien in the flash game
I was aware that “Adam” is used in Neon Genesis Evangelion, and in Bioshock
pfffft
And you know, in the bible, as in “Adam and Eve”?
so when we came back to the drawing board for the remake, I finally decided what Adam was, and then went all in on it. Hence why calling the last area “EDEN” and so forth
That was my second guess. Damn. Wonder what @CRMagic’s was. We should’ve made a bet.
yea, seth was the 3rd brother of kain and abel
was born after kain killed abel off and was shooed off the village
thomas was an apostle
and elisabeth… idk actually
Like, whoever loses has to buy @TheNerdBasement P:A because, **clearly**, he needs to play this *immediately*.
Regarding “How do Heart Rubies and Energy Gems work?” — It’s a game thing. Kinda like how in Zelda, you can get a “heart piece” from an NPC for completing a sidequest. Did the NPC take a chunk off his health meter and give it to you? Was it jewelery for the NPC? If you drill down into the game world too much, it will fall apart as all games do. Phoenotopia is a game too, so I recommend you don’t drill down too much. Because the game world will absolutely fall apart
pfft
We take a little effort to make it exist as a game thing and as just canonical jewelery – probably better to leave it there
I’ll get it, eventually
I would say the game has done a good job not falling apart – Keys actually behave like how they would IRL
Alright last question from me:
Katash and Phalanx are unlike any other bosses in Awakening and the flash game. What inspired them and why did you add them?
Elisabeth was John the Baptist’s mom. She was old when she concieved.
AH
she was called elลผbieta here
i havent made the connection lmao
For “What is the name origin of the perros? Because that’s the exact word for dogs in spanish” — Regarding names in general, I have a book of baby names that I keep at my desk. I’ll flip through when I need names. Sometimes I go for a loose connection based on the character’s hook. For instance, “Adar” means “Fire” which I thought was appropriate for a bombmaker. For Perro, I’m positive I picked up the name Perros to mean “bird” in some language before. But haven’t been able to refind it…
maybe I imagined it…
pfft
alright everyone, I think Will and I are going to close up
thank you so much for your time!
o/
we’ll take a closing question or two from Rich perhaps?
Thank you for doing this! And typing out responses for over an hour
Yeah, thanks! This was really insightful
Okay, wait, wait, last question:
Do you know that you are loved and appreciated? :1up:
Thank you very much!
Sorry I couldn’t get to everyone. I’m glad the interest in the game seems high
thank you and happy new year!
Wait, I haven’t asked ~~when the Rhodus DLC is coming out~~
Thank you very much for your time this evening !
*not the rhodus dlc*
hah, no Rhodus DLC probably…
*oh no*
“probably” means there’s still a chance!
***probably***
you guys are terrible cmon
I want to thank @QuellsDev and @sillythewilly for taking the time out of their day/night. Also want to thank everyone who joined the Discord.
You’re all welcome to stick around
thanks for having us! It’s been fun seeing all the questions and interest
๐
I’ll probably poke my head in here and there
:O
Please do!
And thanks everyone for showing up and showing these guys a lot of attention and interesting questions for their game
Thank you everyone! It’s a bit late for it, but happy new year too!
o/
LoL
Happy Chinese New Year, actually ( or Lunar New Year, whatever it’s called )
Everyone is welcome to chat in the #phoenotopia channel anytime
Lunar new year, and it’s still new years lmao
The Year of the Metal Buffalo๐๐๐
Woo!
About the Author
Rich
Editor. Resident database wizard. Bringer of news and keeper of peace on Discord.
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