We got in touch with NinjaBee who agreed to give us an exclusive interview. NinjaBee have worked on the fantastic XBLA games - Outpost Kaloki, Cloning Clyde, Band of Bugs and A Kingdom for Keflings. What with the upcoming Avatar patch for Band of Bugs and awesome looking Tales of Kaloki DLC arriving on the 8th July (see G-P's official take on the DLC soon), there is no better time to talk to the guys over at NinjaBee! Hit Read More to see the interview and please comment below.
All of the following answers are from Steve Taylor - the Team Lead for Band of Bugs, except for #12 which was answered by Jeremy Throckmorton, the Lead Designer.
1) With Band of Bugs already being out for over 2 years now what gave you the idea to return to the game with the Avatar Patch and Kaloki DLC?
It sort of snowballed... We started the Kaloki themed DLC quite a while ago and worked on it off and on when we had time between projects. As we worked on the DLC, we found some things in the core game that we really wanted to fix, so we started talking to Microsoft about doing a title update. And once we'd opened the door to a title update, the idea of doing more to the game started to make sense, including adding a new trial level, adding some new UI to explain character progression, that kind of thing. The idea of adding Avatar support to the game originally came from a friend at Microsoft, and we got on board with that... Before we knew it, it had become a BIG title update. :)
2) After the fantastic support with the DLC for BoB, a huge rarity on the XBLA, do you plan to give A Kingdom for Keflings the same kind of love with DLC packs in the future?
It'll be hard to measure up to the quantity and game-changing nature of Band of Bugs DLC, but we do have DLC in the works for A Kingdom for Keflings!
3) Are you happy with the community and critical response to Band of Bugs and its DLC?
On the whole, sure! There were some individual reviews that were pretty frustrating for us - a few reviewers seemed to dismiss some of the astounding features Band of Bugs brings to the table that even full retail tactics games don't have, like the ability to build your own levels and play them with friends online! Fortunately, people who like Band of Bugs really like it, and that's where the exceptional DLC support pays off - there's a ton of content for the ones who want it.
4) Do you ever plan to re-release a version of BoB which comes bundled with all its DLC and the Avatar Patch?
We haven't planned anything like that. Part of that depends on policies from Microsoft, I suppose. Fortunately, the Avatar update is free and easy to get, so that shouldn't be an issue, and the DLC for the game is, in my opinion, an amazing deal considering how much content is in there (new stories, new characters, new settings, most of which becomes available in the editor, and even new achievements in some cases!) So I think as long as people know where to find BoB DLC in the Marketplace it's still a fantastic way for them to get as little or as much extra stuff as they want!
5) Although sequels is not something NinjaBee usually undertake, do you think we will ever see a Band of Bugs 2?
Possibly! Jeremy (the lead designer) and I have talked about it quite a few times. The biggest problem may simply be the number of *other* games we want to make... :)
6) How has it been dealing with Microsoft for almost all of your titles?
Overall, fantastic. Microsoft is a big company and we deal with a lot of different people, so the experience varies wildly depending on who we're working with. But the core Live Arcade team is exceptionally good to work with and has been quite supportive of this update in particular.
7) How do you feel about the XBLA service as a whole?
Still the best, and only getting better. I'm addicted to Live Arcade myself - I spend a lot more time playing Live Arcade games than retail games - so I'm very happy that NinjaBee has been a big part of Live Arcade so far.
8) Do you think we will possibly ever see NinjaBee making a full retail game in partnership with a larger publisher?
Maybe. If the arrangement is right, we could certainly give it a shot. But for it to be a NinjaBee game, we need creative autonomy, and that's often hard for a publisher to give up when they're putting up all the money.
9) Is there anything you wished you could have put in Band of Bugs/Kingdom for Keflings but didn’t have the time/resources to do so?
Haha, I'm going to need a LOT more space to answer that question fully... :)
OK, how about if I limit it to one thing for each of them?
A Kingdom for Keflings: Local Multiplayer!
Band of Bugs: A customizable character upgrade system
10) What can we expect to see from the future of NinjaBee?
More original work, all of it somewhere off the beaten path. We're going to keep trying new ideas and pushing new technological and design boundaries, but mostly we're just trying to make more games that we're proud of!
11) How does Tales of Kaloki differ in features/size to the other BoB DLC Packs?
Tales of Kaloki is 3-4 times bigger than the previous "campaign" DLC we've released ("Ninja Sticks of Fury" and "Red Kingdom"). Like them, Tales of Kaloki has new stories, characters, scripts, unique mission objectives, and more. Unlike the previous DLC, Tales of Kaloki has a new look and *very* different gameplay elements from the core game, including (for example) the ability to destroy buildings, and the ability for one unit to damage nearby units when it explodes. There's a lot more to it than that, even, but you'll just have to try it to see. :)
12) Are there any new units/abilities which you are able to tell us about?
Man... there are so many new things narrowing it down is a challenge. Everything is new...
One of the skills I really like is the Spot skill. It doubles a targeted ally's chance for a critical. Your little spy ship may not be a huge threat by himself, but when spotting for a larger ship, the duo can cause some damage.
I'm also really fond of the tank's one-shot missile, but the same can be said of anything that 'splodes.
Game-Pad: Thanks alot NinjaBee for taking the time out to answer some of our questions and providing us with what is our best interview yet! On Saturday July 11th at Midnight to 3am UK Time (7.00PM to 10:00PM E.T) you can play with the guys over at NinjaBee on Band of Bugs (see gamertags below). Make sure to give them a wave, and say you're from Game-Pad! Look out for our official take on the Band of Bugs DLC in some form over the next few days, and make sure you check it out yourself - it will seriously be worth it!
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