Polaris Interview – Maps, Destructibility, Art Style, and More

As a seasoned game developer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I find myself deeply impressed by Variable State’s approach to creating “Polaris“. Their commitment to delivering a complete game on day one is refreshing and reminiscent of an era when games were meant to be enjoyed as self-contained experiences.

There are numerous games that showcase the significant progress indie games have made, surpassing even games with larger budgets in areas like game design or storytelling. One such game is Polaris, an intriguing open-world aerial combat game featuring fully destructible environments. As you might expect, this level of ambition is indeed substantial. GamingBolt recently had the opportunity to converse with Jonathan Burroughs, the CEO and creative director of Variable State, discussing various aspects – from the game’s inspirations, to the technology behind the destructible environments, to the art style, and much more. The following is a summary of our conversation.

Frankly, I can only list a few items in the game that aren’t designed to break for gameplay purposes. I must admit, I’m somewhat let down that we haven’t found a method to make them destructible as well.

In terms of inspiration, Polaris seems to draw from a diverse array of games such as Ace Combat, Red Faction, Syndicate Wars, and Halo. Given the wide variety in these titles, one might wonder how a developer chooses which aspects to incorporate and ensures that they blend harmoniously to create a unified, balanced gaming experience.

Your question is fascinating! The variety of influences suggests that this concept has been developing for quite some time. I was raised on games developed by Bullfrog and Psygnosis, with a special fondness for their science fiction titles like Syndicate and G-Police. I’ve always been drawn to games that combine real-time combat with strategy and tactics, layered with science fiction roleplay and power fantasy elements.

“What was the inspiration behind Polaris’ unique, visually striking art style in the game?” or “How did the design team decide on the distinctive appearance of Polaris in the game?

As a passionate fan, I must admit that the development process for this game has been more challenging than anticipated. Initially, we aimed for a photorealistic style, given our exceptional art talent from studios like Cloud Imperium, Rebellion, and Warhorse Studios. Additionally, we’ve been working on a related project, Polaris, which is high-fidelity photorealistic. However, achieving a harmonious blend of destructible terrain and architecture with characters, vehicles, and lighting that were intentional, cohesive, and communicative took considerable effort. This journey led us to the unique style you see today in our game.

In simpler terms, how thoroughly do the destruction mechanics work within Polaris? To what extent can a player’s actions alter the environment, and how does this affect the immediate gameplay experience?

As a gamer, I’d put it like this: Red Faction: Guerilla sets the bar high. The world is entirely destructible, from the ground up. You can tunnel through the terrain, wreck buildings, flatten forests, carve roads, and leave your mark in every way imaginable. Every structure, every bit of foliage, every road, and decoration can be demolished. Even vehicles, mission-critical assets, and set pieces aren’t safe! Frankly, I wish we could make everything destructible. It feels like a missed opportunity that there are only a handful of objects designed to withstand your rampage. Maybe one day, we’ll figure out how to make even those destructible, then we can truthfully say the game is 100% demolishable from top to bottom.

“The best experiences will be had amongst groups of friends, but we’re making sure not to block solo play, and to provide a range of difficulty modes so solo play is accessible to players of a range of skill levels.”

Polaris is billed as a PvE extraction game, but does the game also feature any PvP or solo modes?

This game is designed primarily for Player vs Environment (PvE) interactions, allowing play either individually or in groups of up to four players. While group play with friends will offer the most immersive experiences, we’re ensuring that solo players are not left out and providing a variety of difficulty levels to cater to various skill sets. We have no plans for Player vs Player (PvP) interactions at this time as it demands a distinct approach in game design, engineering, and infrastructure compared to PvE. Maybe for the next edition, ‘Polaris 2’.

Could you tell us about the variety and design of the game’s maps that players can anticipate experiencing?

So far, we have successfully launched 4 maps, with several more at the prototype stage. Our initial focus was on islands and archipelagos (the Silent Cartographer is always on my mind), but we’ve ventured beyond that to some extent. For instance, we have a level set in desert canyons, another featuring floating mountains reminiscent of Avatar, and with the destruction of architecture being a key aspect of our game, I’m eager for us to delve into towering megacities and sprawling metropolises. Our map creation process is swift and flexible, allowing us to easily adapt and iterate on designs. We have more ideas than time, which is quite exciting! The combination of destruction gameplay, ground-based and vehicle traversal, and the science fiction setting opens up a world of possibilities for innovative level design.

What kind of diversity can the game provide when it comes to the available weapons and vehicles that players can utilize for their tasks?

Initially, we’re concentrating on long-range weapons and aerial vehicles in our game. However, it has the capacity to offer a diverse combat experience similar to games such as Battlefront, Battlefield, Death Stranding, or Halo. In concept, there’s no limitation to us incorporating ground vehicles like tanks and mechs, anti-gravity bikes, multi-person vehicles, and more. Additionally, while we’re currently focusing on long-range projectile weapons, I’d like us to expand our horizons to include melee weapons, beam weapons, spell-like abilities, and other offensive, defensive, and support abilities beyond just guns and launchers. Essentially, everything is open for exploration. We’re simply bound by the size of our team and our available time and resources. I prefer us to create something focused and specific rather than attempting too much and spreading ourselves too thin.

On the first day, the game you purchase will offer a fully-fledged experience with numerous enjoyable hours at your disposal. If this game turns out to be popular, we might decide to continue supporting it in the future. However, any long-term commitments are decisions we’ll make after receiving approval from our audience.

In previous discussions, it’s been mentioned that Polaris isn’t designed as a live service project, which is uncommon for multiplayer shooters these days. Could you elaborate on the reasoning behind this choice for the game and why a games-as-a-service model was rejected?

As a passionate gamer, I’ve got to be honest here, I’m not biased against live service or long-tail game experiences, including early access. Games like Destiny, No Man’s Sky, Risk of Rain, Noita, Caveblazers, Subnautica, V Rising, and many more have provided me with countless hours of enjoyment. I love the idea of a game evolving over time, transforming from what you buy one month into something completely different six months later. However, this approach requires a significant commitment from developers to their audience.

With Polaris, I aim to give players a definite value for their investment. Pay this set price and receive a predetermined collection of items. The game you purchase will be fully-fledged on the first day, offering numerous hours of potential entertainment. If the game proves successful, we’ll certainly think about its long-term support, but that’s a decision for a later stage when our audience has given us the green light. It would be presumptuous to assume that Polaris deserves long-term support before our players have indicated it is so. For now, our primary focus will be on making it an exceptional game at launch – one that people feel proud to buy and keep as a completed product.

Do you have any plans to eventually also bring Polaris to consoles?

I’m quite fond of the idea. The main hurdle is cost. Looking back at Variable State’s past work, we’ve primarily focused on PC and console development. In the past, we’ve released games simultaneously across all platforms. However, since Polaris is our first self-published game, we’re being more cautious in its release. Once we perfect and polish the PC version to perfection, and if we find a suitable partner to help us with business aspects, that would be the ideal moment to expand our player base by releasing it on other platforms.

2024-12-09 20:42

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