We were lucky enough to sit down and speak to game developer Sunny Tam from Doragon Entertainment, the creator of the Danmaku Unlimited series. Just don’t mention loot boxes to him…
Gamer Credentials
A one man indie game development studio based in Vancouver, Canada, with a passion for old school shooters and Japanese robot animations. Or anything with a combination of jets, rock music, missiles, and explosions, lots of explosions.
What inspired you to get into game development?
Greed! But greed in terms of wanting to live and experience many different lives, like to be a fighter pilot or to be a spy and so on. Game development lets me satisfy that desire by crafting many different interactive worlds and adventures.
What games have you created and which is your favourite?
I’ve created the Danmaku Unlimited series on PC and mobile plus various small mobile games. Is it cheating if I say Danmaku Unlimited 3 is my favourite? I feel like it is a culmination of the skills and experience I’ve gained from previous projects.
What advice would you offer for those just starting out?
Keep a realistic scope and design something around your strength while minimizing your weakness. Being indie often means working with limited resources so it is important to concentrate them to create a focused, high-quality project instead of trying to do too much and ending up with a diluted game.
What do you think is going to be a key trend in the games industry this year?
Loot boxes, loot boxes everywhere…!
What’s your favourite platform to sell games on?
Logistically iOS as it has a limited amount of hardware configuration one needs to keep track of and support.
What are your favourite tools for game development?
I use a custom in-house engine for all of my games but recently I’ve been looking into Unity3D. It is fast becoming my favourite for how quickly you can throw something playable together!
How do you stay motivated to achieve your goals?
I’d say it comes down to making a list of smaller manageable goals each week, that way you don’t get overwhelmed by the enormity of the project and you’ll feel like you are making tangible progress as you check off items as the week goes on.
Which events do you recommend indie developers showcase their game at?
I don’t think I’m a good person to make this recommendation as I have not showcased my games at events before, but more exposure for your game is always good. Even small local events/meetups can be beneficial as getting real life feedback is a good way to gain perspective on where your project is at.
What do you think about VR?
It’s getting there! Price and ease of use is a limiting factor now, but I think once prices come down and developers figure out how to optimally control movements in VR space, it’ll really take off. Why? Because it offers a leap in immersion that we have not seen before.
Games console of choice?
PS4 right now, but once I get my hands on a Switch I think that will become my go-to choice!
Thanks for your time Sunny
Thank you very much, guys!
Danmaku Unlimited 3 launches on iOS and Android on August 10th. It’s also available now on Steam with the Nintendo Switch version arriving later this year. Our full review of Danmaku Unlimited 3 will be posted on the site this week.