Gameplay Designer Joseph Cho talks with GameZone Online about developing the awesome strategy/sim, Moon Tycoon
by Louis Bedigian

Moon Tycoon is like Gundam without any mobile suits: your goal is to build and manage a large colony in space. The reason you need to build the space colony is because of a severe global energy crisis on Earth. It wasn't so much the love people had for technology as it was the obsession -- before long, their power-draining devices, utilities, computers and technologically-correct houses ate away most of the global oil reserves.

Alternative power sources are available, but none of them are strong enough to do anything more than give us a little extra time to find a better solution. If the Nuclear power plants are used too much, we'll be hurting the planet more than anything else by polluting it and running the risk of causing a radioactive meltdown. There is one way to help our power-starved planet though: Nuclear Fusion. This is where the moon comes in. Helium 3, one of the key fuel components for Nuclear Fusion, is very rare on Earth, but can be found almost everywhere on the moon.

The world's top scientists, engineers, politicians and military personnel gather to form the Space Agency. Their mission is to colonize the moon, mine the fuel components necessary to make Nuclear Fusion and transport them back to Earth. While on the moon, you will also be required to start up an industry, such as tourism, and encourage people to come visit the moon. Building hotels, space apartments and other housing complexes is also important. Managing your expenses is a whole other aspect. I could go on forever about Moon Tycoon, but I think it would be easier for you to read my review:

http://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r16647.htm

Recently, GameZone Online's Louis Bedigian was lucky enough to speak with one of the brilliant minds behind Moon Tycoon. Joseph Cho talks about his inspirations for the game, the multitude of platforms to develop for, what his next project is and more.

Question: Before we begin, please describe your roll/responsibilities with Moon Tycoon.

Joseph Cho: I was in charge of lots of stuff, from design and writing to balancing gameplay. Hard to remember everything since working till 5am for weeks at a time has killed most of my brain. Most of the damage was caused by reading thousands of player comments received through our "Open Game Development" which is a process where we allow game players from everywhere to join in the game's early stages of development.

Joseph lost quite a few brain cells developing Moon Tycoon, but in return, we got an incredible game. Fair trade, no?

Q: What was it like working on Moon Tycoon?

Joseph Cho: Its been a really great experience. Like I mentioned, having the Open Game Development forum really allowed us to hear the ideas and opinions of players from all ages, both novice and hardcore. The game players are the ones who buy and play our games, so we believe it is absolutely necessary that they should participate in the development. Our main goal is to give players the kind of gaming experience they really want. So it was really gratifying to see many players out there spending their time to download different betas. There were many players who came back for each new version, and really got to see the game evolve from its early stages. On top of the normal comment form that many players filled out, many hardcore testers sent us detailed analysis, sometimes more than 20 pages long!

We also did our homework, gathering lots of great research and reference for the game. We actually visited the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and looked at real Fusion Reactors up close and personal! We also contacted many scientists, authors and engineers involved in actual projects to colonize the moon.

Q: Aside from Moon Tycoon, what games have you worked on? Have you ever developed for a game console? If not, would you like to at some point in the future?

Joseph Cho: 1999 marked the first collaboration between our company Anarchy Enterprises with Unique Entertainment, developing a space strategy game called "Subspace: The Captain's Chair." Since then, our two companies have found a great synergy with Moon Tycoon and now working on future projects. Moon Tycoon takes players to outer space to explore the galaxy, whereas our new game will take players to inner space to explore the world underwater.

Developing for consoles has different issues that have to be considered. We're constantly looking for new possibilities. These are certainly exciting times, with games being so popular on so many playing fields. PCs, the Web and three major consoles being available by Christmas just to name a few platforms! Each has a different set of pros and cons going for them and we're always considering options. We'll see what happens this fall in the console war_

Q: Moon Tycoon is a great concept that was executed remarkably well. Who came up with the idea for the game and when did the development process begin? When was the game completed?

Joseph Cho: Anarchy and Unique are both filled with space and sci-fi enthusiasts, so we've had a really great match from the start. We were both really excited when we started hearing rumors of Maxis' Sim City game on Mars, which never happened - at least not yet! So after a while we got tired of waiting for a good sim game in space, so we just decided to make one ourselves! All the space adventuring we did in "Subspace," and a few good sci-fi films helped inspire us to develop Moon Tycoon.

Also, as game technologies are advancing and 3D is becoming the standard, it seemed a little out of date to make another 2D sim. We wanted to create a really realistic 3D environment with complete camera freedom. We were always frustrated with the limitations of the 2D sim environment, so in Moon Tycoon we made sure that you can look from any camera placement or angle. Many other games have viewing limitations, but in Moon Tycoon you can explore the environment anyway you want.

Development began mid-2000 and went through 5 public beta versions over the course of a full year, each giving a chance for players to send us detailed feedback on what they liked and didn't like. With each beta, we added in improvements, suggestions and changes to best suit the demand of the players. A little more than a year later the game was completed, which brings us to the present - the game is now in stores and we're really satisfied with the end result.

Treiz (of Gundam Wing) denies having any involvement with the destruction of this colony.

Q: What are your thoughts on the online gaming movement? Do you feel that all games should be playable online in one way or another? Or should there still be some games developed that can only be played offline by one person? Also, what do you think of consoles going online? Too soon? Too late? Or should things just stay the way they are?

Joseph Cho: Well, every type of game has its own arena. Not ALL games need to be online when they're designed around single player scenarios. Online capabilities however, certainly add in a level of interaction, complexity, realism and competition that no single player game can match. For something like Moon Tycoon, AI isn't really an issue, since there are no "enemies" to outsmart. Rather, it's a challenge for each individual to play at their own pace, without having to worry about being run-over in a half second by super-charged online gaming wizards.

Q: May I ask what your next project is?

Joseph Cho: Online multi-player RPG Pong! Hmmm, that would be interesting. Actually, our next game takes our previous concepts from Moon Tycoon, and shoots them to the next level and beyond. We've learned so much from MT's development so our next game will feature much deeper gameplay, personalization, and graphics that are literally about 10 times better. No joke. Last time we asked players to strap on a space suit to go beyond the atmosphere - this time it's a wetsuit to go beneath the sea. We're taking you underwater in a way you've never seen before. Actually, I spent all last night playing with the new engine. It's still in early development but already it's definitely the coolest thing I've ever seen- it's just unbelievable. The programming team is second to none!

Q: I know that Moon Tycoon was just released a few weeks ago, but I've got to know: are there any plans for a sequel? Officially or unofficially? Maybe you have some interesting ideas floating around in your head that couldn't make it into the first game but are just waiting to be unleashed in a sequel?

Joseph Cho: Officially? No comment. Unofficially? Of course! There's always a ton of ideas that never make it into your game because of time or budget constraints. We love sci-fi and most players do too, so a sequel has been on our mind. Nothing definite yet, but ideas and designs are being played with. Plus we'd love to follow through on a sequel that expands a lot of the story elements we set up in Moon Tycoon!

It’s not official yet, but at least we know that Moon Tycoon 2 is on the way!

Q: Lastly, what games are you looking forward to playing this fall?

Joseph Cho: Whatever time I can squeeze away from our latest project will go towards some of the exciting titles coming out this fall. Max Payne's cinematic storytelling is very cool, and I'm also looking forward to some Age of Mythologies, and kicking some demon-behind in Devil May Cry. And of course I'll be playing plenty more Moon Tycoon! It seems like these days there are so many games to play, and so little time...