Creativity and sharing are two qualities that fuel ROBLOX, and it’s in that spirit that we created Crossfire, a series where we chat with ROBLOX game developers about their game design choices. For this outing, we interviewed users crazyblox and erikwesley96, creators of Flood Escape and Death Run, respectively. Each game places a focus on dynamically changing obstacles and maps, and each of the two games have been widely popular, with over 7 million combined plays.ROBLOX: First off, thanks for doing this. You guys both have really unique and interesting takes on your basic obstacle course. The first thing you notice right away is that both of you have multiple levels in your game. Do you think having more levels makes more people want to play?
crazyblox: Having multiple levels is a really interesting element because events then begin happening in different rooms, in the same game. But I think it helps to create random gameplay experiences. I also split all the levels into an “easy,” “medium,” and “hard” because the skill level of people on ROBLOX varies quite a bit, from what I’ve seen. By the time you get to “hard” levels, it’s more than just muscle reflex–it’s more of a mind game.
Flood Escape is madness.
erikwesley96: When you have just one level, a game can get repetitive pretty quickly. People get bored easily on ROBLOX. With Death Run 2, we have a lot of ideas for different types of levels we want to implement. It’s important to have variety, too. Different levels should have different designs and different traps. One level might be long, while another might be really short, but impossibly hard.
ROBLOX: What was the hardest part about building your games?
It’s rare, but when you get to spawn as the Killers, it’s really a lot of fun. You watch everyone scramble through the level and control traps with buttons that line the perimeter.
erikwesley96: One of the hardest things for me was to build every level to be totally balanced. Not too easy and not too hard. Testing is always good for that. Make a level, and have your friends test it. It may seem fine to you, but you can’t know for sure until other people agree. Also, friends can see problems you might have overlooked.
crazyblox: The hardest part was when I decided to change the game into essentially three instances of games running at the same time. I had to convert my elevator system to support it. That experience bent my mind. [Laughs] I’m glad I had friends to ask about that. In terms of level design, it’s always a challenge deciding which level belongs in the correct difficulty. I’m always worried that a “medium” game should actually be a “hard” game, or vice versa.
ROBLOX: This is probably the first time we’ve ever asked about this in a Crossfire article–both of your games feature background music and weird sounds. Is this an important element?
crazyblox: Background music is a key element and it adds to the atmosphere of the game you’re playing. It makes a person feel more involved in the situation, by summing up what it’s like to be there. Does that make sense? [Laughs] It’s a big deal. I just can’t find the words to explain it.
erikwesley96: Music adds to the experience. I originally wanted to use different styles of music on different styles of maps, but that didn’t work out. I dabbled with MIDI files for awhile, but making those is difficult. So I’m just using default music, and some people really like it. [Laughs] Others think it’s annoying because they want to listen to their own music.
crazyblox: I went with MIDI after I read about GameHero’s MIDI script on the blog. I think the music really complements the place.
ROBLOX: We noticed that both of you have been playing ROBLOX since 2008. That makes you experts in a lot of ways. Tell us, what can we do to make your games better? Is there a particular area we could improve to help you help yourselves?
erikwesley96: Upload music. That would be really cool, but I understand it would also be a problem to moderate. Or maybe it’s just not possible, technically. I don’t know. But if we could, that would be really awesome. It would also be really helpful if we could upload real high-resolution textures.
crazyblox: I’d like to see some changes to the script editor. I’m trying to think of how to say it; I’ve seen it before. It’s like, when you type something in and you’re given a field of options.
ROBLOX: Auto completes?
crazyblox: Yes. I saw it being used in other script editors. I know it’s a small feature, but it would really help. I also like Wesley’s idea of uploading music. Maybe you could put a price tag on uploading songs and it would be just like videos and thumbnails?
ROBLOX: This news should excite you guys. We did a survey with some of our top builders two months ago, and the number one most requested feature was to make it easier to add music and sounds to your game. We’re working on that right now.
crazyblox: Sounds good.
erikwesley96: Awesome.
ROBLOX: Both of your games have over 3 million hits. That’s a lot. How do you think your games became so popular?
crazyblox: I think the reason my place has so many visits is because the idea of the game is simple enough. I’ve developed it to a comfortable point where players think of it as a really nice experience. If you’re going to make a game, make sure the idea is simple and try not to overload players with too much information. Too much info can discourage potential players. I tried that in another game I made, and it didn’t do so well. Make your game easy to start getting along with.
erikwesley96: The popularity came out of no where, for me! I have no idea how it became so popular at first, but when it did, I made it a point to read every single message players were sending me about the game. I listened to everyone, and tried to incorporate their feedback into the game. Remember: listen to players of your game, they’re the people that will make it famous.
ROBLOX: We saw on your page that you’re developing Death Run 2?
erikwesley96: My team and I are actually working together on it this Saturday, and it should be done in about one or two weeks. We didn’t just update Death Run, we built this up from scratch, and everything is extremely polished. Expect new features, new levels, new music, we’re really proud.
ROBLOX: Crazyblox, you working on anything?
crazyblox: There’s this highly anticipated game mode I’ve been working on called Adventure Mode–I’ve been working on it for awhile. So no, it’s not cancelled, for those wondering. It’s going to turn Flood Escape into a much different experience, so if you’re an avid player, keep an eye out for that.
ROBLOX: Pretend you’re the CEO of ROBLOX–you’re running the show. What’s the first change you would make?
erikwesley96: That’s a hard question. [Laugh] I would just say that I think a lot of people would appreciate a more direct way to send and receive feedback from ROBLOX developers. Every feedback article you guys publish on the blog, I can’t get enough of. I’ve read every single one, and would love to read more!
ROBLOX: We’ve been thinking about having like a “Dev-Only” forum that would be invitation-only. We could get top builders invitations and create discussions between them. Would something like that be useful?
erikwesley96: Totally, you would just have to be very selective about who would get invited.
ROBLOX: What would you do as CEO crazyblox?
crazyblox: I’ve been trying to think of an idea, and I can’t come up with one off the top of my head right now. [Laughs] There’s just so many aspects to think about, and it’s only one thing. I’ll have to get back to you.
ROBLOX: We ask this every time we do a Crossfire. What’s your favorite part of the other persons’ game?
crazyblox: Death Run is a great game, and I got the chance to play Death Run 2, and it’s really shaping up to an awesome game. The way he has implemented all these ideas. I love getting payback and becoming the killers who control everything.
erikwesley96: Flood Escape is great to play with friends. You get a real rush, I’ve shouted at the screen numerous times playing. I also like that you can never know what to expect, no matter what difficulty level you select. The levels are different every time you play the game, so you’re constantly on edge.
ROBLOX: Guys, this has been a lot of fun. Thank you so much for doing this.
