Octodad: Dadliest Catch F.A.Q.
We get asked many of the same questions on a regular basis. Here are some of the most popular and what we have to say about them.
When is the game coming out?
We’re still on track for around end of year 2013 / very early 2014.
What platforms is the game coming out on?
PC/Mac/Linux both through Steam and direct through something like the Humble Store. We are looking into additional platforms, but those would take place after the initial release.
How did you guys come up with Octodad? Were you on drugs?
We weren’t on drugs, at the time. We’ve described this so many times it’s in multiple interviews. Seth Parker, Audio Composition/Design: “We had pitched for three days of basic ideas…one page pitches. So…we split up into teams of three and four and basically sat around for an entire day, banging our heads against the wall, trying to come up with eight-page pitches to bring back to the team… John Murphy, one of the artists and I were in a group together and we were like, ‘okay lets just go crazy.’ Somebody said something that reminded me of Descartes so I was like, ‘what if you were kind of a passenger in your own body?’ And then someone was like, ‘what if you were driving your own body?’ ‘What if you’re a guy inside a robot and you were driving them?’ ‘What if you’re an octopus in your head?’ ‘Well, what if you’re just an octopus?’ And that was how it happened.”
How many people work on Dadliest Catch?
There are 8 people that are part of Young Horses. We also have 2 additional 3D modelers who help us in their free time.
What engine are you using?
We’re using an open-source rendering engine called Irrlicht, physics engine PhysX, and audio engine FMOD. Otherwise the rest of the code including the editor is all developed by us. You can learn more about the tech behind Octodad: Dadliest Catch here.
Will there be controller support? Kinect support?
There will be 3rd party controller support. We’ve been testing with a wired Xbox 360 controller for some time now and should also be able to support standard joysticks. We’re not currently working on Kinect support or Leap Motion, but we’d love to add a myriad of alternate controls if we have time.
How long will the game be?
Our estimate is that it will take a first time average player around 4 hours to complete the story of the game. Additionally, we’ve been working on segments to the game that encourage replayability.
How much will it cost? Will it be free?
The game will be less than $20. We still haven’t settled on a definite price, but we really can’t afford to release Dadliest Catch as free because of the huge time investment we’ve made as a team. We’re pretty much putting our entire selves into this project and we’d love to be able to continue to create games as a team in the future.
Do we have to answer all of these questions?
No, but we will.
You guys are so handsome.
Oh, well thank you.
When are you guys going to launch a Greenlight campaign?
We already did! And it’s already been successful. We are greenlit, which means we’ll be releasing on Steam.
Why do you hate AAA games?
We don’t. AAA games are like our parents. We might not want to follow exactly in their footsteps, but we love and respect them and, whether we like it or not, are to some extent shaped by their influence.
How does Octodad have human children?
If your parents haven’t explained this to you yet, we aren’t going to.
What has changed in Dadliest Catch compared to the first Octodad?
In Dadliest Catch you get to finally leave Octodad’s house. You get to explore other places like a grocery store and an aquarium! The thing about being out in public is that people are much less willing to put up with your shenanigans than your family who’s used to your follies. This means get ready to do your best Dad impressions.
We’ve also taken time to really focus on the storytelling in the game. We want to expose a bit more of Octodad’s universe to help players better understand his world. Don’t worry though, as many things are still shrouded in mystery.
And on the tech side, the game is less buggy, prettier, and has a much wider use of physics than the first!
Do I need to have played the first game?
No! Dadliest Catch isn’t a direct sequel to the first Octodad. Think of it more like an episode of your favorite sitcom in that each episode is consumable by just about anyone. We will however be making some nods to the first game and upping the challenge for those of you who are Octodad experts.
How else can we get news about Octodad: Dadliest Catch?
Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get more up to the minute updates on what’s going on with the game. You can even follow our commits via this handy Twitter account to see what cryptic things we’re doing day to day.
When are you going to show us something new?