Machine Studios' space colony sim Maia has tread a path many indies tread these day. First appearing on Kickstarter (funded back in November 2012) and then taking to Steam Early Access (launching in December 2013). There's still some ways to go until the full release (the most recent update in November was 0.46) and we caught up with the developer to learn more about the state of the game and what's ahead.
"Maia is a hard science fiction space colony simulator," says Simon Roth. "It uses deep computer models to create a living word and challenging emergent gameplay, and has a fully custom engine to handle it. It's a deeply personal project and a game I've been wanting to make for years. We were funded by a successful Indiegogo and Kickstarter campaign right at the end of 2012 and have been plugging away at the game since."
"We released the early access on Steam a year ago now and have been pushing forward with updates at a steady rate. It's been really amazing working with a community of 50 thousand or so players. It can be hard at times, but with a game so complex the feedback we get is infinitely valuable."
As you'd expect for a game that takes to Early Access in an early state reactions have been mixed, with some players not content with the perceived lack of progress. But in a way it's also an honest and open process, and in the case of Maia - Early Access isn't just a few months of beta testing - it's a game that is playable while its core is being built.
"My personal highlight of 2013 was showing at Rezzed in Birmingham," says Roth. "We had some people sitting down mesmerised for hours and crowds standing around watching them play. I hadn't ever seen so many people wanting to play a game I had made and it was completely mind-blowing for me."
(We met with Simon Roth at Rezzed in Birmingham)
When we talked with Roth back then one of the things that stuck with us was the level of detail that the simulation offers.
"You're colonising an alien planet, and the world that you're inhabiting is incredibly hostile. It's hard sci-fi so we're using real science, a real planet that's actually been discovered based on the science that we to calculate where it would be. And we're basically making what is an incredibly intense simulator. Every little bit of grass on the ground is growing based on the sunlight that hits it and the rain. Every colonist in your colony is a fully simulated human being down to their heart-rate and what's going on in their mind. We're kind of simulating emotions and things like this. The complexity of the game is insane, but at the same time I'm trying to keep it as accessible as possible."
But it's not just the game that is growing and being fleshed out. Machine Studios has gone from a bedroom-based operation to a more formalised nature.
"In December this year we moved into swanky new central Oxford offices and have started hiring permanent full time staff," reveals Roth. "It feels very odd to have come all this way from something that I coded from my bedroom!"
With new offices and full-time staff the plan for 2015 is clear - getting Maia's core polished and the content fleshed out.
"What we as a team are most looking forward to in the new year is polishing off the core game-play features and the release of the story mode of the game," says Roth. "The campaign will blend the simulation and narrative to create a deeply engaging experience for the player."
For a look back at our very early impressions of Maia, head this way!
