Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

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Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby MrLysander » Wed Jan 20, 2016 9:02 pm

You know, I am an old gamer and aways played MMO's (Crystal Saga, Ragnarok, Grand Chase ;-;) and one of them had a mob. A poring, wich is really like a Pink Slime, so Nick, what about it, it was your inspiration?
Boom slimes,Tabby slimes, Puddle slimes! Pink slimes, Honey slimes, Rock slimes, and it keep goin' like that, then it comes to the other slimes! Rad slimes, Gold slimes, and then! The fearsome TARR!!
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby FarmerYuuma » Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:55 am

I want to know what was the first spark behind this game too!!!
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Nick » Thu Jan 21, 2016 2:24 pm

I don't recall how it came together, but usually game ideas come into my brain fairly whole, as in they're not built upon over time (though the design from there definitely is, still in my head though). So it's quite likely that much of what the game is now was more or less a single thought at some point.

When I was gearing up to leave Sega and start my own thing I started coming up with a bunch of games that I'd want to make. As unromantic as it sounds, I created a spreadsheet where each one was listed and their various complexities, then ranked them by overall difficulty vs some other positive qualities. Slime Rancher was the clear winner for how I would soon find myself (working solo). I then built a very simple prototype to prove it was fun.

But there's other, less clinical factors too: I've always liked slimes ever since DQ, the idea seemed original to me, it was a game genre I've never made before and I liked the challenge, etc.
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby MLeonhardt » Thu Jan 21, 2016 2:34 pm

And what led to your decision to give everyone diabetes by making the Slimes the cutest goddamned things on the planet?
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Nick » Thu Jan 21, 2016 2:40 pm

First-person games are almost never happy.
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Kaite20 » Thu Jan 21, 2016 2:43 pm

Nick wrote:I've always liked slimes ever since playing DQ


*stands out of seat* I KNEW IT!

Ok, joking aside, I'm glad this idea won! It's certainly an adorable and unique game, and I'd love to see it finished someday!
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby SpiralRancher » Thu Jan 21, 2016 3:16 pm

As a Spiral Knights player, it took me little time to figure out that there's similarities between that game's Jelly Farm levels and Slime Rancher. Is there anything you'd like to share about this?
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Nick » Thu Jan 21, 2016 3:28 pm

SpiralRancher wrote:As a Spiral Knights player, it took me little time to figure out that there's similarities between that game's Jelly Farm levels and Slime Rancher. Is there anything you'd like to share about this?


There's no connection there. Jelly Farm was a super early SK level and I just chose the name form the enemy types and the layout I gave to the shrubs. I didn't have a lot to work with at the time.
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby SpiralRancher » Thu Jan 21, 2016 3:38 pm

I expected there would be more to that, but it's still interesting to know. Jelly Farm is actually one of my favorite levels in the game, along with others from Spiral Knights' younger days.

Too bad about locking the Green Jelly Cubes and Jelly Green Giant away, though.
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This thread is becoming Nick's Q&A thread.

Postby CrazeePi » Thu Jan 21, 2016 3:39 pm

Did you take anything from SK when you were making Slime Rancher? (Not like take files out, more of ideas.)
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Re: Indeed, it has. But let's not jinx it.

Postby SpiralRancher » Thu Jan 21, 2016 3:41 pm

CrazeePi wrote:Did you take anything from SK when you were making Slime Rancher? (Not like take files out, more of ideas.)

Cuberries were my first reminiscence to anything related to SK in general, but that's just me.
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Nick » Thu Jan 21, 2016 4:02 pm

No, everything from SK was pretty much thrown out because I don't want to repeat designs. But the one thing I always do is make a tight little gameplay loop and build out from there. I always build prototypes to feel like a complete game, because I think one of the flaws of prototypes is that if you have all these other features that will 'eventually be added' you can't really judge the prototype's merits.
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby SpiralRancher » Thu Jan 21, 2016 4:08 pm

Nick wrote:No, everything from SK was pretty much thrown out because I don't want to repeat designs. But the one thing I always do is make a tight little gameplay loop and build out from there. I always build prototypes to feel like a complete game, because I think one of the flaws of prototypes is that if you have all these other features that will 'eventually be added' you can't really judge the prototype's merits.

Of course, that's assuming that one has these features at all. It makes good sense.
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Heather » Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:50 pm

Great idea to post this MrLysander, and very insightful Nick thanks for sharing!
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby MrLysander » Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:01 pm

I wanted to know more about this Heather, ^^, and I bet a lot of people would like too! Now we got more content to the slimerancher.wikia.com !!! If you want to check it out people, it's there, it's not full to the top, but there's already some content!!
Boom slimes,Tabby slimes, Puddle slimes! Pink slimes, Honey slimes, Rock slimes, and it keep goin' like that, then it comes to the other slimes! Rad slimes, Gold slimes, and then! The fearsome TARR!!
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby ThunderTheBright » Sat Jan 23, 2016 4:56 am

Nick wrote:No, everything from SK was pretty much thrown out because I don't want to repeat designs. But the one thing I always do is make a tight little gameplay loop and build out from there. I always build prototypes to feel like a complete game, because I think one of the flaws of prototypes is that if you have all these other features that will 'eventually be added' you can't really judge the prototype's merits.


so, no cube slimes? awwwwwww.
at least we have kitty slimes. still want a slime with a tophat.
and what's with you and making awfully cute games?
THEY'RE SO GODDAM CUTE!
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby graysonater377 » Thu Feb 11, 2016 5:07 pm

I would call this game a game like cookie clicker, Because all you do is, 1.Get slimes 2.keep em in corrals 3. feed them 4. get their plorts 5. get money 6. buy upgrades to get bigger and more valuable slimes and go's all over again.
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby gespenstmkii » Fri Feb 12, 2016 8:28 am

ThunderTheBright wrote:
Nick wrote:No, everything from SK was pretty much thrown out because I don't want to repeat designs. But the one thing I always do is make a tight little gameplay loop and build out from there. I always build prototypes to feel like a complete game, because I think one of the flaws of prototypes is that if you have all these other features that will 'eventually be added' you can't really judge the prototype's merits.


so, no cube slimes? awwwwwww.
at least we have kitty slimes. still want a slime with a tophat.
and what's with you and making awfully cute games?

I'd like to see cube slimes/gelatinous cubes though. Get me some box cat action up in here.
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Jacob72902 » Fri Feb 12, 2016 9:17 am

how many developers or working on it right now?"
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Nick » Fri Feb 12, 2016 11:21 am

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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Heather » Fri Feb 12, 2016 11:23 am

Jacob72902 wrote:how many developers or working on it right now?"

Three, Nick.. Mike and Ian just recently joined the team :)
Also don't forget Harry Mack was contracted to craft the audio :)
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby Heather » Fri Feb 12, 2016 11:26 am

HA! Sorry Nick, posted at the same time :)
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby NekoSlime » Fri Feb 12, 2016 6:44 pm

Nick wrote:First-person games are almost never happy.

I never realized this. You're actually right.

Huh. I never noticed that about first person games. Very interesting
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby graysonater377 » Sat Mar 19, 2016 11:53 am

graysonater377 wrote:I would call this game a game like cookie clicker, Because all you do is, 1.Get slimes 2.keep em in corrals 3. feed them 4. get their plorts 5. get money 6. buy upgrades to get bigger and more valuable slimes and go's all over again.

It's still fun though!
Huge thanks to SpeedXaaa for making my Avatar!
V 0.3.0 IS OUT!!!!! YAAAAAAY!!!! (4/13/2016)
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Re: Nick, what's your inspiration for Slime Rancher?

Postby PrismSlime » Mon Mar 21, 2016 4:21 am

the difference there is the game won't just play itself. you can hardly compare a clicker game to a farming game.
If you want a Gordo as big as possible before starting to tremble, feed it 21 of any food that isn't its favorite!

*I make a note to only post original ideas that I haven't seen others suggest.
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