Winner’s Circle

This week’s Flash Game Friday winner is Vector Stunt by DigYourOwnGrave!

Vector Stunt is a really unique & entertaining game. You are flying a cool, neon, vector-style hover craft down a track that has ramps for jumps. As you jump and do tricks, you collect points and coins. Your score is ultimately determined by your tricks, coins, and whether you hit the sides or not.

As well-done as all of that is, it’s not even the coolest part of the game. What makes this game unique is that you can upload and play to your own music track! There is a cool default track as well, but you can actually customize your gaming experience by using a song of your choice. Don’t have the song you want to use? No problem! You can also purchase songs to use via Amazon. Genius!

Vector Stunt is a really unique, fun game with a customizable game experience. The gameplay is solid, and the graphics are nicely done as well. Congratulations DigYourOwnGrave!

Get To Know DigYourOwnGrave

Tell me about yourself- how many people are on your team? Where are you based?

I’m based out of San Francisco, and it’s just little old me.

How long have you been making games? What did you do before?

I’ve been making Flash games since late 2007, my first project being the Pulitzer Prize winning “Oh, the Huge Manatee!”. Before that I served some time at EA working on console stuff and at a casual games company here in SF. I’ve also worked as a 3D engineer in the CAD industry.

What was your inspiration for “Vector Stunt”?

Vector Stunt started out as the sequel to Vector Runner. What I wanted to do was add a stunt element that sort of felt like Dolphin Olympics. The music aspect actually got added as an afterthought so that I could enter the game into Kongregate’s Project Eden music contest.

What gave you the idea of selling music within the game via Amazon? How has that worked out so far?

I had originally thought about adding a link in the game that would go to a forum dedicated to discussing what songs people were using, but that naturally evolved into the real time songs widget. In a Pirate Party ruled alternate universe I’d be able to let people play other people’s songs, but of course there’s no legal way to do that in our dimension. Amazon seemed like a good alternative because they have a massive library that lets you play samples and buy DRM-free mp3s which you can then use in the game. It’s worked out really well, much better than I expected. And especially the song recommendation feature, which has actually led me to discover a couple of new bands I like.

What types of games do you like to create the most? What types of games do you like to play the most?

I’m really into 3D and realtime stuff, so my games usually revolve around those elements. These days I only play Flash games and maybe the occasional mobile game.

How long is your game creation cycle? What is your process?

Usually I spend a few months messing around with a bunch of prototypes until something starts to take hold and feel like it could be fun. When I finally decide on one I’ll focus on finishing up the idea over another 2-3 months. I typically don’t work on a game fulltime until the last month when I’m really pushing to wrap it up.

Are there any game developers that you admire or consider “rock stars”?

Anyone who is making games and doing every aspect of the development themselves (art, code, design), is pretty much a rock star in my book – as long as it doesn’t involve zombies.

What is it about making a new game that you enjoy most?

I think I enjoy the early stages the most, when a game is just ideas and potential. I enjoy the process less and less as it gets closer to completion, peaking with the release cycle which is nothing but stress and bug fixing.

Do you have any hot projects you’re working on right now?

My next game is probably going to be a spin-off of Vector Conflict: The Siege. I have a prototype for a more tactical RTS interpretation of the game which is starting to show some promise.

Thanks DigYourOwnGrave, can’t wait to play your next game!