A Chat with the Makers of Risk of Rain 2 (Hopoo Games)

Описание: A conversation ("interview") with Duncan (Hopoo) & Paul (Paulthegoat) from Hopoo Games regarding, well, TONS of stuff - game development, specifics on Risk of Rain 2's future & lots more.

NOTE: I forgot to turn them up on Discord, so my mic volume is a bit "punchier" than theirs', due to the adjustments made in editing!

TIMESTAMPS:
Intro: 0:00

Q1: What was the inspiration for RoR2? 00:38
Q2: How often do you guys clean out your computer? 3:57
Plans for another Q&A? 4:35
Q3: Was the conception for the game focused around the 3D element primarily? 5:15
Discussion on when the game was first revealed/early gameplay/development. Comparisons to RoR1: 6:36
Q4: What would you say are the biggest inspirations for things like items/visuals/environments? 11:07
Q5: What's everyone's role(s) in the team? 16:32
Q6: Did Paul and Duncan work together/were they friends in the past? College life discussion 21:20
Q7: What was your inspiration for RoR1? 22:31
Q8: What's the general process for making ideas from thoughts to a reality in the game? 25:11
First interaction/history with Gearbox partnership 25:45
Q9: What has been Gearbox's influence/role in RoR2 so far? 27:51
Q10: What was it like going from RoR1's success level to RoR2's? 32:05
Q11: Do the player numbers have any impact on content updates or vice-versa? 33:18
Q12: How important is the lore in the game? Does it come before development or after? 35:55
Q13: What software do you guys use for development on a regular basis? 39:55
Lore discussion about item chests and why they're locked 40:44

Segue into the future of the game

Q14: Are you guys excited to see the team grow and gain new hires? Anxious? Nervous? 43:07
Q15: What is the general thought process at the moment with the longevity of the game? Scrapped game ideas 46:01
Q16: Are there other specific circumstances where due to time constraints some things weren't able to be implemented?
General discussion/thoughts on the content updates 49:52
Q17: Are you happy with where Mithrix's final phase is right now? Any changes/ideas? 59:35
Q18: Are you satisfied with the bleed changes for 1.0? Any changes/ideas? 1:05:32
Q19: Has there been any idea of changing up the ally AI? A max tether distance then teleport? 1:10:17
Q20: What other stuff is in the works for the next content update? 1:13:31
Q21: Do changes in the stage, i.e. a closed off path, influence the Director's spawns? 1:18:45
Q22: Is loot already predetermined when you arrive on a stage? How do random multishops work? 1:20:23
Q23: How do you plan to support modding going forward? How much emphasis on this? 1:23:58
Discussion about PoE/Diablo/RPG elements, influence on Eclipse mode and RoR2 in general 1:27:40
Discussion on player attitude (hardcores vs casuals), feedback from players and how it's taken 1:35:12
Hopoo's philosophy/views on interacting with the playerbase 1:37:38

Segue into the expansions and paid DLC

Q24: What is your goal/reasoning with expansions? 1:39:32
Q25: Thoughts on things like microtransactions, paying for skins? 1:44:03
Q26: What about the Stadia release? When will other platforms see the new stage? 1:50:46
Q27: Will players get some sort of reward for finishing Eclipse 8? 1:53:34
Q28: Will Eclipse be expanded upon in the future? 1:57:18
Q29: Are you concerned with items/characters and their interactions being unbalanced? 2:00:50

Outro: 2:06:54

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