Developers Alex Ritchie and Joel Mason discuss their game development journeys and the early prototypes of their indie hit, Dredge. They talk about balancing difficulty and consequence in the game, as well as how they created an aura of spookiness. They also discuss their early gaming experiences, the challenges they faced in their projects, and the importance of pacing and design.
Dredge stood out among other game concepts due to its clear vision and potential for expansion.
The team embraced lucky accidents and outside influence to shape the game's unique and mysterious art style.
The developers allocated significant time and resources to polishing and bug fixing, resulting in minimal bugs and positive player feedback.
Deep dives
Dredge: From Prototype to Vertical Slice
The team at Black Salt Games started by prototyping three game concepts, including Dredge, which stood out due to its clear vision and potential for expansion. After receiving feedback and conducting market research, they set a deadline to create a vertical slice of the game, focusing on finalizing the art style, fishing mechanics, and introducing a story element. They attracted interest from scouts and publishers based on the game's concept and visuals, and eventually signed with Team 17. The team feels grateful for the lucky moments and outside influence that helped shape the game, including the timely release and positive reception from players.
The Joy of Discovery and Art Direction in Dredge
As the artist, Alex sought to create a simple and cartoony art style for Dredge, with harsh edges and abstract elements to provide a unique and mysterious experience. The prototype initially had a more cutesy feel, but player feedback and the team's vision prompted them to make the visuals harsher to match the spooky tone. The initial art for the fishmonger character and the Skybox helped solidify the game's visual direction. The team embraced lucky accidents and outside influence to shape the game's aesthetics.
Navigating Release Timing and Finding a Publisher
While the team initially worried about competition from notable games like Breath of the Wild and Silksong, they ultimately felt relieved to miss those releases. They focused on creating a vertical slice of the game for publisher purposes and signed with Team 17. The team acknowledges the role of luck and outside influence in the game's success, including the choice of the name Dredge and the timing of the release.
The pride in technical art and water shader
One of the things the developer, Alex, is most proud of in the game is the technical art, specifically the water shader. It was Alex's first time working on technical art, and they spent a lot of time experimenting and tweaking the water shader to get it right. They had to consider factors like visibility, color control, and integration with other objects in the game. They also added reflections, which had to be balanced with performance. Overall, Alex found working on the water shader to be a rewarding and challenging experience.
The joy of crafting fish descriptions
Joel, one of the developers, is most proud of his fish descriptions in the game. He enjoyed writing them and found it fun to come up with creative and unusual adjectives to describe the fish. He viewed the fish descriptions as a way to add depth and build the game's world, and he buried hidden meanings within them. Despite being his first foray into writing, Joel found crafting the fish descriptions to be a highlight of working on the game.
The dedication to polish and bug fixing
The developers allocated approximately six months to polishing and bug fixing, which accounted for around 25% of their total development time. They wanted to ensure the game was as bug-free as possible, and they dedicated significant resources to testing and refining the game. This focus on polish allowed them to ship the game with minimal bugs, which received positive feedback from players. They also released updates and patches to improve and enhance the game experience based on player feedback.
Trent Kusters chats with Alex Ritchie and Joel Mason of Black Salt Games, developers of the indie hit, Dredge. Together they discuss their game development journeys; the original ideas around Dredge and what the early prototypes looked like in terms of art and design; balancing difficulty and consequence in the various zones; and how they introduced an aura of spookiness throughout the game.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review.
The Game Maker's Notebook is sponsored by Xsolla. To learn more, go to xsolla.pro/AOIAAS.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
