You might bear in mind Pathea Video games’ My Time at Sandrock, a life sim sport launched late final November that we weren’t massively enthused with. We awarded it a 5/10 in our assessment, saying that the launch model’s “bland presentation and technical hiccups” affected this sequel to My Time at Portia. The Swap model sits with a Metascore of 62 from 11 critic evaluations on the time of writing, though the PC model stands at 81.
Regardless of our reservations, this cozy sport held numerous potential and within the months since, the event staff at Pathea has been exhausting at work to right flaws and herald new content material to maintain gamers engaged. Arguably its largest replace on Swap — model 1.1.4 — is due out imminently, and to get a greater sense of what it comprises and what’s on the horizon, we just lately sat down for a prolonged dialog with some key employees on the Sandrock staff to debate its previous and, crucially, its future.
Becoming a member of us for this dialogue had been Jingyang Xu (CTO at Pathea), Aaron Deng (Vice President), and Xu Zhi (Director of My Time at Portia and My Time at Sandrock).
Jingyang Xu: Earlier than we get began, I simply need to say a few issues. To begin with, I am the chief producer for My Time at Sandrock. For this, for our dialogue right here, I will in all probability be answering most of your questions. I’ve learn all of your evaluations about us. I do know your issues. I additionally noticed the interplay you had with the commenters in your assessment and every part like that. So, I needed to have this dialog with you for a very long time as nicely. To attempt to clarify a number of the issues that occurred, you understand, why it occurred that means. We’re not on the lookout for excuses, however we simply need to have a superb dialog about that and likewise provide you with somewhat little bit of perception into how we take into consideration issues in our improvement course of and what we’re getting ready for the gamers, most significantly. After which additionally to take heed to your feedback and suggestions on how we are able to make this sport higher and repeatedly enhance going ahead. So, I am actually wanting ahead to this dialog.
Nintendo Life: Primarily based on what you learn within the assessment and feedback and so forth for My Time at Sandrock, what are some issues that you just felt like you could say?
JX: Yeah, I feel, to be sincere, our first emotion was form of… we felt it was a bit unfair to us. That was the primary response. And it wasn’t that it was unfair in your half. The entire scenario simply felt unfair to us. What occurred was we despatched out the assessment model, proper? The assessment model that we despatched out to all of the reviewers was truly a month and a half previous, as a result of now we have to get it lot checked by Nintendo earlier than we are able to ship it out. We had this construct that completely addressed numerous the problems that the reviewers had already talked about. And people points, to a sure extent, prevented the reviewers from seeing the actually, actually good elements of the sport, which was how superb the story was, all of the romance-able characters, and so on., that made this sport actually totally different. So, your assessment mentioned, “Oh, that is nothing new. That is only a run-of-the-mill life sim.” However I feel numerous that got here from points like the way you could not see the descriptions on the objects. It was very irritating to play by means of elements of the sport as a result of there have been bugs within the sport that had been from a construct that was a month and a half previous.
Our unique intention was to take the complete model of the sport and have that prepared earlier than the launch date. And we might ship that to the reviewers and say, “Hey look, we promised we’re gonna repair all these bugs earlier than the launch. And this is the model to show that.” However sadly, we had been nonetheless experiencing a number of the echoing results of COVID—all of those Nintendo video games had been backed up on the time we had been attempting to launch it. Nintendo took a bit longer than common to go and approve our sport, and we ended up having to launch that last model on the launch date. Now, I am not blaming anyone. I imply, it’s what it’s, and we might have ready rather a lot higher. However, what then occurred was, we did not get that last model into your arms to show we had been gonna repair all these items earlier than the launch. Because you did not see the truth that we fastened numerous these items, particularly the game-breaking bugs, then the assessment got here out the way in which it did.
What we need to inform the gamers and inform you as nicely is there’s much more to this sport than meets the attention. In case you have a look at simply the general scores of Metacritic and every part like that, particularly on the PC model, individuals are saying that within the life-sim style, they’ve by no means seen a lot content material. For instance, have a look at what individuals are saying in regards to the story. In case you have a look at the Reddit boards the place individuals are speaking about how they play Stardew Valley, however after they play Sandrock, they get a lot extra out of the drama and all of the twist and turns. We see so many posts about romancing totally different characters. There are such a lot of memes on the market on the web. That is all come out of Sandrock. What I am attempting to say right here is that I feel sadly we gave out a assessment model that was crippled that basically had a results of not permitting the actually good elements of our sport to shine. That is actually what we need to attempt to right, for those who agree with that.
It sounds to me such as you’re very dialed in to what gamers like and don’t love in regards to the sport and in regards to the issues that you just’re together with in future content material updates. So, what are the options which can be coming on this replace that is popping out? What are all the massive modifications and additions?
We learn [feedback] each day and we could not reply to all of it, however we return and we take into consideration find out how to make these sport design selections or put the content material within the sport that makes our gamers glad.
JX: Yeah, there are literally numerous issues which can be new and improved. The bug record and the characteristic record is lots of of things lengthy, however I simply need to spotlight a few key issues. The main factor is, after all, once we launched the PC model and the console model, the entire principal storylines [had] 80-100 hours of simply story content material that was already there. However, within the console model, there have been a few aspect quests, marriages, and additional issues you might do inside the sport that had been nonetheless lacking. So, a very powerful half about this replace is we introduced the content material within the console model updated to the place the PC model is. We’re at all times placing out updates on each variations, so what we’re attempting to do going ahead as we’re getting higher at that is to ensure that the console variations are solely, at most, a month behind the PC model. For Xbox, for PlayStation, it is gonna be somewhat bit faster, perhaps per week or two weeks behind, however due to all of the processes with the Swap, we’re gonna attempt actually exhausting to maintain the Swap content material at most a month behind. So, every time PC updates, then console updates. Growth, growth, growth.
We need to sustain this stream of updates—main updates seasonally, after which now we have upkeep patches each single month. As individuals are feeding again to us, they’re discovering bugs, we’re fixing all of these bugs in upkeep patches. Our staff is on this, this sport shouldn’t be going away, and we’re simply giving the gamers the tip of the iceberg right here. And there is much more content material, there’s much more gameplay, there’s much more issues to do with one another inside the sport and likewise with your mates sooner or later which can be coming.
How would you say group suggestions has affected the plans you will have for updates and fixes and so forth?
JX: The actually easy reply is that that is it is the vitality that powers us. It is a supply of why we need to maintain doing this till ‘perpetually’. After we see all these posts on the group, on Reddit, saying how a lot they love this sport, when gamers say, “Hey, I am going by means of a horrible breakup, and Sandrock is the sport that helped me by means of that.” We learn that each day, we learn all these tales and we return and make the sport higher. But additionally, all of the gamers that inform us, “I am caught right here on this a part of the sport” or “I want I might date this character.” We learn that each day and we could not reply to all of it, however we return and we take into consideration find out how to make these sport design selections or put the content material within the sport that makes our gamers glad.
This will get me considering, what’s been your impression of the group suggestions since this sport had its official launch? Would you say it was principally constructive, adverse, blended? Any recurring themes you discover? What do you see?
JX: Yeah, that is an excellent query. We’re on Steam, we’re about 88% constructive there. On Metacritic, we’re at, I feel total throughout all of the totally different consoles, I feel we’re at 82. [Note. At the time of publication, the PC version has a Metascore of 81 and the PS5 80. The Xbox version lacks the requisite critic reviews to display a score, although the three available reviews average to 80. As noted in the introduction, the Switch version stands at 62.] After which, by way of the precise gamers, their suggestions. We’re seeing all this content material, folks memeing and speaking about their dream characters, speaking about how good the story is. So I might say that the positives are undoubtedly there, they usually’re overwhelmingly there.
Now, I do need to discuss somewhat bit in regards to the negatives. We did see numerous complaints or issues from the group saying, “Hey, I’ve heard that the console content material shouldn’t be the identical because the PCs. So, ought to I maintain off shopping for this sport till that content material is full?” And we additionally see different gamers locally saying “Hey, there’s already 100 hours in there and it isn’t gonna have an effect on your principal gameplay expertise. You need to go purchase it.” However then there’s nonetheless issues from folks, proper? That is why we labored actually exhausting to take away that concern as shortly as potential. And that is what you are seeing with this subsequent model.
Moreover, individuals are saying that the pop-in is absolutely affecting their immersion, as a result of they’re actually noticing that, growth, one thing seems after which it disappears. And we do not need that immersion-breaking expertise, particularly in a sport like this, the place gamers are placing themselves as the primary character into this world that they need to think about they’re residing in. That is the place we’re additionally fixing our subsequent model—issues are gonna easily fade in and fade out. You in all probability observed in the comparison video (see above) issues are easily fading in and fading out as an alternative of growth, growth, growth. We needed to work by means of some technical hurdles within the sport as large as ours to deal with these points, however we made certain to repair that on this model.
We’re listening to from gamers, particularly Swap gamers, who say, “Hey, we all know the Swap shouldn’t be a current-gen console. We all know we’re not gonna get PC-level graphics, the body charge’s gonna be decrease, however when the sport stutters, that is gonna trigger a foul expertise.” And we had numerous stuttering within the model that we launched. So, we additionally work to actually — I feel we diminished one thing like 70% to 80% of all of the stuttering within the model we’re about to launch.
What’s it been like porting this to the Swap? What had been a number of the challenges that you just confronted attempting to squeeze it onto this seven-year-old {hardware} now?
JX: I am actually glad you requested that query! We want we had simply been engaged on the Swap model 5 years in the past once we began engaged on this sport. It could have been rather a lot smoother, however we did begin engaged on Swap about three years into the sport. And I feel the primary one was… nicely, initially, this sport is 4 instances as large as Portia. When it comes to the map, by way of the tales, by way of the graphics, by way of simply basic measurement, it is 4 instances as large as Portia. I am not kidding, you may play simply the primary storyline for 100 hours. In case you went by means of all of the aspect quests, that is simply a 200-hour sport.
And once we began porting to the Swap, this sport was utilizing eight gigabytes of RAM of reminiscence on the PCs. And the Swap has 1 / 4 that a lot. So, we had all of these things in reminiscence, and we had to determine, “How can we take all of these things, nonetheless maintain all of it, however match it right into a reminiscence footprint that’s 1 / 4 as a lot?” And that, to a sure extent, was in all probability the largest problem that we confronted. It was all about making trade-offs within the artwork. We made very minimal trade-offs within the gameplay. But it surely was about how we each scale back that reminiscence footprint, but in addition maintain that full expertise that the gamers needed. And I am not saying that we received all that proper, however it was a enjoyable journey attempting to get there. And we’re nonetheless attempting to get there as nicely.
So, that is in all probability it. After which the opposite participant suggestions — what we’re listening to is that gamers can settle for a sure stage of graphics degradation on the Swap, however they do not need to break immersion. They do not need issues which can be jarring to them within the expertise. And we’re nonetheless attempting to maintain [at] that. Day by day, we’re attempting to take heed to the suggestions and attempting to maintain [going] and get that proper.
In case you construct a sport on the primary day for the Swap, it is rather a lot simpler, particularly if you do not have to think about all these different platforms. However then if we did that, on the similar time, I feel gamers would not be saying that is the best-looking reside sim, proper? So, then we perhaps lose on the opposite aspect. Or perhaps we win. However our subsequent sport continues to be going to return out for the Swap, and we’ll construct it for the Swap from day one, proper? So hopefully we’ll take every part we have discovered from Sandrock and we’ll make that even higher as nicely.
Serious about the way forward for Sandrock, what are another modifications or additions that you just’d prefer to make in some content material updates and patches and so forth within the close to future?
we might prefer to take that PC model…and convey as a lot of that to the ‘Swap 2’ when it turns into out there
JX: We’ll maintain making this sport higher. There are gamers which have put in 600-1000 hours into this sport. As a result of we have made this open world, as a result of there’s a lot exercise to do, we need to deliver that to a much bigger and larger viewers. And what meaning for us is, one, seasonal content material updates. After which secondly, we really feel like on the console, having a multiplayer life simulation, that is truly not one thing that is actually been explored. A couple of third of our each day lively customers on Steam are in multiplayer right now. We all know that multiplayer expertise is definitely a fairly compelling expertise. And so we predict that once we launch multiplayer assist, and it’ll be cross-platform multiplayer assist in June, we’re going to be bringing a type of never-before-seen expertise to our present Sandrock gamers.
So, you’ve got received a Swap model already. You have received somebody within the household who’s on a PC, or perhaps one other Swap, or perhaps a model on a number of the different consoles. You possibly can sit down and jam a session of Sandrock multiplayer throughout all these gadgets in your lounge. If not in your lounge, that may very well be throughout a number of areas. We expect that our subsequent main replace this yr, goes to deliver that form of expertise to life for present and new Sandrock followers.
Then, after all there is a ‘Swap 2’ — now we have excessive hopes about that. If potential, we might prefer to take that PC model, what individuals are saying is the best-looking reside sim expertise, and convey as a lot of that to the ‘Swap 2’ when it turns into out there.
What’s that course of like for coordinating cross-play throughout platforms like that, and with such totally different {hardware} in thoughts? Particularly with the Swap being to this point behind, is that basically difficult?
JX: Really, it’s not as difficult because the reminiscence problem. For the networking {hardware}, there’s not a lot of a distinction between one thing that is six years previous and one thing that is not. Whereas with graphics and the quantity of reminiscence that is out there to us, that is going up yearly and there is a large distinction there.
What would you say are some key classes that you just discovered from my time at Portia that Sandrock benefited from?
JX: I used to be truly not with the corporate once we once we did Portia, proper? However Zhi and Aaron had been, so perhaps I will allow them to chime in somewhat bit right here.
Xu Zhi: We be taught rather a lot from the gamers on what sort of content material, particularly for the romance-able content material, the gamers need. So, in Sandrock, we designed every part for gamers who actually love that form of content material. Earlier Jingyang mentioned it is over a million, one and a half million phrases in Sandrock. However with Portia, it was solely, I consider, 100,000 phrases? We actually pushed the staff to write down numerous tales for the primary story and for the NPCs.
One other necessary factor was that lots of people need the multiplayer, multiple solution to play the sport with their buddies, so we need to make that in Sandrock. That is why Jingyang talked about we’ll have a really large replace hopefully this June. Particularly on console, we actually need it to be good as a result of numerous gamers need it. If we are able to make it occur, we are able to let the gamers really feel snug, really feel happy, after which we are able to promote extra.
As a lot as you guys are keen to share, what had been some concepts that you just had early on improvement that by no means made it into the sport that you just want would have if assets and timelines had been totally different?
JX: A great instance is we needed to make the gamers capable of regulate their peak. Plenty of stuff made it into the sport, initially, that is why now we have 100 hours, simply on the primary story quest for those who wanna undergo all of it. But I continuously should say, “Right here, no, let’s not put that in there. We have to truly launch this model on the market.” However we do see from the participant suggestions that generally they need to have a barely taller character or a barely shorter character. That is a part of the immersion, that is a part of the characterization, proper? However we ended up making a design resolution not permitting the participant to try this.
It is similar to, for instance, the Witcher. You possibly can’t actually change Geralt’s peak. Not as a result of we did not need to enable that stage of customization for the gamers, however as a result of it might have made it much more troublesome to make all of the cinematics and all of the gameplay parts regulate to a height-adjustable participant. As a result of we’d have had to ensure all of the digicam angles had been right and the entire collision had been right. And I suppose on the time, the sport engine simply wasn’t constructed for doing that. For our subsequent model, if that is one thing that’s actually necessary to gamers, we might rework the engine to accommodate numerous these issues. However that’s one factor that we all know numerous gamers [were] asking for, and we weren’t capable of ship on that. The opposite factor numerous gamers had been asking for was extra choices for beards. That was like an enormous, enormous request. So, for those who have a look at the updates, each replace, we add extra beards.
Aaron Deng: One other large factor we did not do is that we did not make the sport open world sufficient. After I say that, I’m speaking about the primary story. Throughout the primary story, you will have numerous selections to [make]. We used to need to have a number of endings, the place your totally different selections will result in a special ending. However as a result of we do not have sufficient cash, and we do not have sufficient human assets, we do not have sufficient writers, we couldn’t make that occur. Even proper now now we have 1.5 million phrases. If we make that, yeah, that might be one other Baldur’s Gate. Sooner or later, if we are able to have extra assets, we wish totally different endings.
That is attention-grabbing listening to about how issues that seem so easy on the face are such multivariate issues, just like the participant character’s peak. It jogs my memory of a put up just a few years in the past from a sport developer about “The Door Problem”. It’s the issue about how simply the presence of a door in a scene introduces dozens of those questions on physics and interplay and so forth that nobody would ever take into consideration, but when you do not have a solution for each single a type of then you may’t put the door in.
JX: Yeah, I noticed that precise article. It is truly bizarre, the door drawback could be very actual. You go in Sandrock, have a look at what occurs if you simply open the door, proper? I am not even speaking about whether or not your hand wants to really contact the door and stuff like that. Simply have a look at what occurs if you open it. That comes with its personal set of issues as nicely.
Open query I’ve for anybody right here, extra usually, what are some key improvements that you just want to see within the farm sim style going ahead? Both from one thing you guys work on or from different builders. Farm sims have simply exploded in the previous couple of years in recognition and it’s thrilling seeing all these new takes on it popping out. So, what are some issues that you just guys need to see?
JX: To us, we’re not within the particular farm simulator style. To us, it’s extra about increasing the life simulator parts. It’s a life in a special world that you would be able to immerse your self in and it’s best to have the ability to do belongings you think about that you’d need to do in that world. As soon as you consider it that means, it opens up numerous potentialities. What do you need to do in your life? You need to meet buddies, have a romance, have significant work, have a aim. You need to be a part of one thing that’s larger than your self. These are all of the issues the place it’s perhaps not that easy in actual life, however we need to give our gamers the chance to expertise that in our world.
When you consider it that means, there are such a lot of methods to innovate. There’s so some ways to deliver issues that we really feel like we have skilled in actual life, however put that on the planet of the sport, make it make sense on the planet of the sport, and create a very totally different, however related expertise for the participant. The one space that we attempt to innovate with in Sandrock is recognizing that you just’re residing your life in Sandrock, however what if that life had a much bigger that means? What if that life had, you actually completed one thing that you just had been pleased with? So, that is why the story we constructed into Sandrock, it isn’t your run-of-the-mill story. It is received intrigue, it is received battle, it is received a very plausible motive for why every of the characters had been reacting to you the way in which you had been doing. I feel for gamers who spent the previous couple of years merely simply placing out props or crafting and going by means of that cycle, we’re bringing that means to why they’re doing that. We’re serving to them reside by means of a very significant story. And that is what we predict we’re innovating on this space, and it is one thing that we hope extra video games do, as nicely.
Positive, I feel that is a fantastic take. That is a very salient remark of not contemplating it as a farm sim, however extra broadly as a life sim. You make a superb level there that the style is form of evolving previous simply the farm now. That is a fantastic concept {that a} extra centered and concerned story is among the some ways the place you may evolve past what the style began as.
JX: And generally it is dangerous as nicely, proper? One of many first characters you meet in Sandrock, is the pinnacle of the guild, like your boss. That is the primary particular person the gamers meet within the first 10 minutes. And numerous our gamers hate that character. “I am so irritated at this man!” Normally you go right into a farm simulator and everybody’s good to you and you do not have such a visceral, emotional response to one of many characters. However we constructed them that means simply so we are able to pay it off later within the story. However for those who simply play the primary ten minutes, you are like, “Oh, I do not like this man. I will return this sport.” You are going to miss out on numerous the good things. However we took that threat to say, nicely, if this is not defined nicely to the participant base, perhaps we’re gonna lose a bunch of the gamers. However on the similar time, we predict on the finish of the day, we constructed a very totally different and satisfying expertise for the gamers that do keep on with us. And we’re gonna give them one thing, some reminiscences that can final for a very very long time.
That is a fantastic method to take simply by way of sport design: Construct for the gamers which can be actually invested on this product, not simply to the bottom frequent dominator form of person who’ll choose it up for an hour or two after which wash out and do one thing else. Serious about a few of my favourite ongoing video games, a quite common thread that I see between them is that, [especially] when new updates come out, or simply the way in which the sport is designed, it is clearly made for this particular participant who’s going to maintain coming again and is absolutely engaged. So yeah, I imply, nice job with making that alternative. I can undoubtedly see the chance in that, however I feel that is the suitable option to make.
AD: That can also be a joke when Jingyang talked about that character. He is a foul man within the sport, proper? And after some story occurs, he leaves after which his brother comes. His brother is an effective man. His brother named Wei — there’s a producer in our staff named Yan Wei. It is that man. He is an actual particular person. As a result of, you understand, producers at all times rush folks to do one thing. “Hey, end that on time!” that type of factor. It is a joke.
This interview has been edited for brevity.
Our due to the staff at Pathea for speaking to us, and to Andy at Renaissance for setting this up. Tell us under how you’ve got discovered your time at Sandrock on Swap, and for those who’re wanting ahead to the updates forward.