An interview with a talented lone developer, Thomas Maeton:

Sapper Corps is an upcoming PC game from Thomas Maeton, who has dedicated all his capabilities into building this unique title.

After noticing his amazing work on Twitter, I approached him for interview and he obliged me by approval. The interview session is conducted with Thomas Maeton.

Hi Thomas & a warm welcome to Games Cover!


Q1. Please tell us a little about yourself & your games?

I first want to thank you for this opportunity. It is great being able to speak to players and others in the game development community. I am always excited to talk to players, answer questions, get feedback, share ideas and just talk with others that are also excited about video games.

I am excited to be working on Sapper Corps as my first published game. I have been playing video games since I was young, starting out with the Super Nintendo and continue today.

For the past decade I have worked on numerous game development hobby projects and mods for other published games, but have never taken on a long term commercial project with plans to publish a completed game.

 

Q2. Are you a lone developer or working in a team?

I have worked on game development project teams in the past, but am currently the solo developer of Sapper Corps and work on all aspects of the game. However, I do utilize commercial products and exchange advice and feedback in the game development community on best practices and optimization.

 

Q3. What are your activities outside of video games?

Outside of working on or playing games, I spend most of my time with my family. As a husband and father, I spend my most of my time with my wife and kids when I am not at work.


Sapper Corps
Sapper Corps


Q4. Your game Sapper Corps looks beyond awesome. Update us about its story & gameplay.

Thank you! I am excited to be working on it.

Sapper Corps is an upcoming PC game that takes the concepts and components of an RTS, but limits the player’s control to only a single unit in a first person (or over the shoulder) perspective, changing the gameplay mechanics from a battle commander’s grand strategy to an action/adventure strategy game that adds unique challenges for the player to secure and control key locations on battle maps and conquer enemy forces in a story driven campaign.

The game’s story revolves around the Headland kingdom and is broken into chapters and missions. The player takes on the role of a member of the Sapper Corps (a worker unit within the military that is responsible for base building, prioritizing battlefield positions and selecting troop equipment and deployment locations) and joins the Headland army as they march against the neighboring nations and defend the homeland. Each chapter focuses on one major conflict in the world and each mission within that chapter is a battle within that war.


 

Q5. Which challenges did you face while developing Sapper Corps?

The biggest challenge is always figuring out the best way to optimize performance. Whether I am working on AI, spawning hundreds of soldiers onto a battlefield, designing siege mechanics, programming the sound manager or making graphical direction choices, I always ask myself how each decision will impact performance and how I can best approach the implementation.

 

Q6. How did you handle its art?

I would describe the art for Sapper Corps as a cross between a toon and a cell shaded style. The game presents a stylized approach that focuses on readability, modularity, performance and whimsy. The game is able to combine low poly graphics with more stylized art for a unique yet performant product.


 

Q7. What type of games do you like to create?

For me, the most important question for any game development decision is: “Is it fun?” This is the main focus of Sapper Corps and any project that I have worked on in the past. I enjoy creating games that I want to play.

 

Q8. How has corona virus affected your studio?

I have been able to spend less time commuting to and preparing for work this past year, giving me more time to spend with family and work on Sapper Corps.

 

Q9. What's your future goals?

I would like to continue to publish games after Sapper Corps is released. I plan to continue the Sapper Corps series and make more games in the same universe with different genres and unique stories.

I have considered making an action adventure or RPG game in the world of Sapper Corps next, but my only focus at the moment is getting Sapper Corps to a final polished state.

 

Q10. What advise do you have for new developers / publishers who want to be successful like you?

I think that the most important things when creating a game is to come up with a clear defined scope, stay within that scope and write out what needs to be done. I find that my best and most numerous ideas about Sapper Corps come to me when I am trying to fall asleep, so I always keep my phone close to my bed and ready to make a few notes.

Once you have a clear plan, you just have to do it. I find that if you are creating a game that you want to play, developing it is fun!


Thomas, it is an honor to interview you & I appreciate the time you give me. I believe Sapper Corps will be a big hit & we will receive more stunning games from you in future too.

Fans! Sapper Corps is currently in development & you can help this great developer by buying a copy of the game when it is available. You can have a look at its concept art & details by following the official Twitter account.

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