Things Will Go Bump In The Night” – ‘The Dead Linger’ Developer Interview

“Things Will Go Bump In The Night” – ‘The Dead Linger’ Developer Interview
Hordes of people love survival games, plain and simple.

Hordes of people love survival games, plain and simple. Myself included. The ability to stand back and admire your handiwork is rewarding, and the rush of escaping your foes is heart-stopping at times. Is anyone else just fed up of running though?

It’s time to make a stand with a few tins of beans and a bloody bat. If that’s always been a longing of yours too, then I know just the game. Brand new zombie horror-survival hybrid The Dead Linger is a throwback to the classic, gore-stained roots of zombie culture video games.

I chatted with Geoff Keene, CEO and Design Director of Sandswept Studios , to find out where they’re planning on taking The Dead Linger .

IGM: The Dead Linger is a zombie ‘horror-survival’ experience. How does this hybrid of genres set TDL apart from other zombie survival games?

Geoff: The key thing people are going to notice about The Dead Linger is that we’re sticking to the roots of the zombie genre. Barricading and surviving in any way the player can imagine is the core of what the zombie fantasy has always been about. Since the first Dawn of The Dead, the slow, shambling hordes of zombies has been the core essence of the terror, and if you change that basic formula, you’re not really making a zombie survival. Many games that pass themselves off as “zombie survival” are nothing more than run-and-gun action games. We’re taking multiple steps back from that direction and building The Dead Linger from the roots of the zombie genre.

IGM: I noticed on the road map for TDL, there’s a planned paranormal element. What’s that about? Ghosts slinging ectoplasm and bumps in the night?

Geoff: There’s a crucial human element in the apocalypse – or in any horror situation – and that is the player’s mind. Your eyes can lie, from time to time, and we’d like to include those lies as part of the terror you experience in the game. Things will certainly go bump in the night.

IGM: Just looking at the road map it’s plain to see that there are a lot of planned features for TDL that are kept under wraps right now. Are we likely to see a sudden explosion of these in near-future updates, or a slower release over time?

Geoff: The next update (The Big Engine Change) is going to vastly improve the quality of the game and the speed of development. There will definitely be an explosion of content soon, as we’ve really just finished laying out all the groundwork that’s required for something as massive as The Dead Linger.

IGM: You’ve mentioned that you’re working hard on a “big engine change”, how will this impact the future of TDL in terms of gameplay and aesthetics?

Geoff: Better framerate, better visuals, better performance, and on the inside, faster development. We are making this change so that we can develop with the tools we need, and haven’t had for far too long.

IGM: TDL smashed it’s Kickstarter goal of $60,000 by over double. Congrats! How important a milestone was this for the Sandswept Studios team?

Geoff: This was basically what ensured we could make The Dead Linger. We transitioned to full time work for our core team members, and it propelled us into the state we’re in now. We couldn’t be where we are without Kickstarter. We probably wouldn’t be having this interview, for starters!

IGM: For those who don’t want to run their own server, will there be dedicated servers for survivors to join?

Geoff: Yes, but not hosted by us at this time. We might do some official servers in the future, but survivors can host whatever type of server they please, and there are plenty of people in the community hosting those right now.

IGM: Any sneak-peek information on when vehicles might be implemented?

Geoff: I can only say right now that vehicles will probably come around Beta. They’re a large, multifaceted and highly cooperative feature and we’re trying to ensure we do them correctly on the first update they’re released. They’re also going to provide some challenges with how we generate the world, as vehicles move through it a lot faster than the survivor ever does on foot. It’s a technical and gameplay hurdle we’re going to focus on very heavily when the time comes, to ensure our vehicles are super fun in every way possible.

IGM: Would you mind explaining for anyone who doesn’t know, what a procedurally generated game environment means for players of TDL?

Geoff: Procedural generation basically means we write rules that tell the game how to generate the world content. This means roads, houses, towns, cities, forests, mountains – they’re all generated through a set of rules that we create. This means every time you create a new world, you’ll get something entirely different and unique. Even we don’t know what will happen!

IGM: I’m intrigued by the planned crafting system. Will it be Minecraft -style or are you steering towards an alternative system?

Geoff: We’re looking at quite a few ideas for crafting. Initially we’re going to start out with a simple recipe system, where you combine various items to create a new one. Later on, we’d like to expand that into something more free-form.

IGM: Can you give us an estimate of when the next build will be available, and any hints as to what it may include?

Geoff: I’d say it will start coming to a head sometime in July, but I can’t give a specific date, and I would predict towards the end of July at the very earliest. It’s going to include a massive engine overhaul (Build 010) which is essentially the same game, but improved performance and graphics in every way. Shortly after that is out and stable, we’re planning Build 011 to be a content update with some new stuff in it, such as hunting, campfires, and some new zombie horde behavior.

So there we have it folks, keep your eyes peeled for the next build of The Dead Linger , which is currently in the Alpha phase of development.

If you’re curious, take a peek at the official websiteto grab yourself a copy at an early access discount price and join the already thriving community. Also vote it up on Steam Greenlight.

Thanks to Geoff Keene for taking the time to talk to The Indie Game Magazine.