What’s the difference between RoboHero’s Story and Arena modes? How many players will be able to fit into a multiplayer session?
RoboHero’s Story Mode consists of 30 levels of increasing difficulty as you help the little Blue Robo escape from a robot factory threatening Earth. It is part puzzle and part tactical in style. There’s more than one way to beat all the levels, and it’s up to players if they want to sneak around or destroy everything in their paths.
Arena Mode is what we are most excited about, since it pits the player against five other AI Robos across random battlefields in various fun games like Hunt, Free For All, and hopefully more to come. This is where the game will really shine and let players develop strategies and battle each other. Apple’s Game Center only allows four human players at a time, so each multiplayer game will allow up to four human players and also include two AI Robos, for a total of six Robos in every game.
Some readers may remember learning about your project under the name RoboArena a while back – can you go into any more detail on the reasons behind the name change? Did another IP holder actually get in touch with some kind of notice, or did you make the decision after running a copyright & trademark search on your own?
Yeah, we had to change the name of the game pretty late in the development cycle. This was a preemptive move on our part. Partially, this was because of a similarly titled Nintendo game that was already released. The lawyer-type folks we spoke with felt that there could indeed be a trademark issue, and that was a battle we just didn’t want to fight.
However, as the game evolved and the Story Mode became more important, the original title RoboArena didn’t really fit anymore, as it had become more about the Blue Robo as the hero of the story. So RoboHero is the new name, and we feel it is much better for it.
We’ve been seeing a lot of teams turn to Kickstarter for project funds – some wildly successful, some not so much. What, do you feel, are the keys to running an effective Kickstarter campaign?
Kickstarter was a blast. It’s yet another one of those “trial by fire” ordeals that you have to dive into and learn your lessons the hard way. Our own campaign, while successful (on its second attempt) wasn’t nearly as successful as many other campaigns out there. We were still happy though, because it allowed us to get a core group of fans, refine our marketing and message, and make some really great connections. Oh, and we made a little money to assist with developing the game too.
There are so many keys to running a successful campaign. That really is an entire topic all on its own. Do a ton of research, look at what successful campaigns did, and look at what unsuccessful campaigns did not do, and tailor yours accordingly. The more research and time you put into refining your video, your pitch, and your rewards, the better off you will be. Once it is live, then the real work begins because it’s up to you to promote it.
Oh, and also it helps if you already have built up a community of fans that are willing to support your efforts. They are the ones who will help you gain momentum and get the word out when your campaign goes live.
iFanzine’s thanks goes to Stephen and the entire Bravado Waffle team for taking the time out of their development schedule to answer our questions. Be sure to check out the Bravado Waffle Studios website for further details on RoboHero, and keep an eye on the team’s Twitter feed for the latest news.
As some cool bonuses, Bravado Waffle provided us with a flyer for their upcoming RoboHero board game and a cubee to pass around! While you’re cutting that out and folding it together, check out this preview video for RoboHero: