Revolutionizing the Sandbox Genre: An Exclusive Interview with the Mastermind behind Farworld Pioneers

Farworld Pioneers is a new addition to the base building genre that aims to push the boundaries of traditional gameplay. In contrast to other games that focus solely on constructing large structures or managing a colony, this game offers a blend of both. Moreover, it incorporates modern game development methodologies with the classic design of MS-DOS. Rho Watson, the head of the game's development studio and a seasoned developer from Starbound, is leading the development of Farworld Pioneers. In an interview with Game Rant, he discussed the inspiration behind the game and its unique approach that draws inspiration from the limitations of other games in the genre. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

My name is Rho Watson and I am both the founder and owner of igloosoft, as well as the creative director for Farworld Pioneers.

The inspiration for Farworld Pioneers stemmed from a collection of ideas that had been brewing for years. The initial spark came in 2010 when Minecraft introduced its online feature. As the player built their own base, the creator of Farworld Pioneers found himself constantly engrossed in constructing an expansive facility complete with underground tunnels, mine shafts, and a colossal pyramid. However, upon completing the structure, he was left with a sense of emptiness and a lack of purpose. Despite inviting friends to visit, they simply admired the creation before returning to their own pursuits, leaving him to ponder the question of what to do next.

After spending days building dorms, facilities, and various structures in Minecraft, I realized that no one else was using them besides me. It was a lonely feeling and made me question the purpose of it all. Eventually, I stopped playing the game because I felt like I had accomplished everything I set out to do. Despite this, the thought of my creations being unused lingered in the back of my mind for years.

When I was invited to work on Starbound in 2011, I saw it as an opportunity to create a game where players could interact with the things they made. Unfortunately, my creative input wasn't utilized, so I focused solely on creating art assets before leaving the project in 2014. However, my ideas never left my mind. Fast forward to 2018, I finally began pre-production on my own game, Farworld Pioneers. I realized that if I didn't act on my concept now, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I started making mock-ups of assets and gathered a team who shared my vision.

The main distinguishing factor between Farworld Pioneers and Starbound is the emphasis on colony gameplay. While Starbound lacks much in the way of colony mechanics, aside from NPCs that function more like inanimate objects, Farworld Pioneers places a strong focus on building and managing your own colony.

In Farworld Pioneers, the NPCs have a unique purpose and can be utilized to assist players in various tasks. This game provides a hybrid experience between Terraria and a real-time strategy game. Unlike other games such as Starbound, where NPCs are nothing more than decorations, NPCs in Farworld Pioneers bring real value to your colony. In Starbound, once the base is built, the NPCs don't have any purpose. However, in Farworld Pioneers, they can be ordered around to perform specific actions. This game also takes inspiration from DOS games, which is evident in its gameplay and mechanics.

From the start, I made it a priority to limit the game's resolution to 640 by 360 pixels in order to maintain a true pixel art aesthetic. Unlike many modern games that mimic retro graphics, but render them at a larger resolution, we magnified our assets up to retain that authentic blocky look. In addition to this, we also included numerous tributes to classic games. For example, as soon as you load up the game, you'll be greeted with an imitation DOS startup sequence reminiscent of older DOS games. We also paid homage to the old Westwood Studios intro sequence with their iconic logo. Throughout the game's menu, we added small touches like "Exit to DOS" instead of "Exit Game" for players to discover and enjoy.

Q: Are your planets procedurally generated, handcrafted, or a mix of the two?

A: Our game features a unique blend of randomly generated terrains, features, and set pieces, ensuring that no two planets will ever be identical. However, the types of planets, biomes, and planets within star systems are predetermined. This allows us to control the game's progression and design, ensuring a more tightly controlled experience for players. Despite the predetermined planets, each playthrough will feature different terrain, adding an element of unpredictability to the game.

A: It's always intriguing to see the personal projects that players come up with. They build everything from simple outposts to elaborate structures. I recall one player who constructed a colossal glass pyramid base, which was something I never would have imagined when designing the game and creating assets.

Players constantly surprise me with their creativity during every testing session. I'm often amazed by the mining facilities, space courts, and pyramids they build using our tools. Witnessing their ingenuity is both humbling and fascinating. As for Farworld Pioneers, we're definitely considering the inclusion of user-developed mods, just as Starbound and Minecraft have done.

We haven't had the opportunity to implement it yet, but modding is definitely on our roadmap. We are aware that players are drawn to games like Starbound and Minecraft because of the potential for modding. As someone with experience in Starbound, I know firsthand how much mods can enhance the gameplay experience. We plan on fully embracing this aspect of game development.

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When it comes to shipbuilding, there are certain essential components that need to be incorporated for a vessel to function as a ship. However, players have a lot of freedom to choose from an array of ship designs in the game. Currently, only one design is available, which serves as a shuttle for planetary transportation. But as the game expands, there will be a diverse selection of ships with various designs, classes, and features, each of which can be customized and upgraded to cater to different needs and purposes.

You have the option to select a ship design that best fits your style of gameplay. Some ships will serve as transportation vessels between planets similar to taxis, while others will come equipped with onboard crafting facilities. Additionally, certain ships will provide unique methods of transportation. Our team is working to ensure that each ship design offers expansive customization options that can be manually defined.

Our game emphasizes on the community aspect where the player can jump in and play as any of the NPCs, controlling them manually to assist, craft, and contribute to the growth and expansion of the colony. The founding principle of the game is to allow players to be a part of the machine that runs the community and to rely on others to progress faster. Going solo is an option, but the dependence on NPCs is what drives the game forward.

The multiplayer aspect of the game is designed to allow players to act as colonists alongside their friends. This means that players can bring their friends along to enhance the overall experience, as everyone can take on the role of a colonist.

Q: There's also PvP from what I understand?

A: While the game is primarily a cooperative experience, there is also the option for players to branch off and establish their own colonies, competing against one another if they so choose. Our publisher had always envisioned the inclusion of a competitive aspect, allowing friends or even strangers to join a server and play against each other. As such, this feature was carefully integrated into the game's design. As for a big narrative frame, the game is more focused on the players' individual stories and experiences within the game world.

A: Our approach is not to impose a specific storyline on the player. Instead, we strive to create an immersive environment that encourages players to use their imaginations to define their own narrative. We want to provide a setting that sparks curiosity and allows players to explore and create their own reasons for being there and carrying out various actions.

Farworld Pioneers is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.