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the cat rides the astrobus was selected by our panel of judges as one of five Finalist games in the Macworld 2010 GameSalad Challenge. In the fifth in a series of interviews with the Finalists and Featured International Exhibitors, the game’s creator Drew Daycross (shaihalud) talks at length about turning his long-standing passion for video games into a game of his own.

Haven’t experienced the cat rides the astrobus yet? That is easily remedied.

How did you get into video games, Drew?

I’m from Seattle, WA, home of various videogame headquarters. I’ve done many jobs over the years, from carpenter to teacher, but I like to think of myself as a starving artist most. I started making games only a month ago – all because of GameSalad!

As for why I started making games, I think it is because I’ve loved games all my life, even though I got a late start. My parents tried to keep me from the lure of games for a long time, so they didn’t allow any videogame system in the house until we got one as a christmas present from a family friend. It was a NES, but this was about a year after the SNES had already been out! Until then, I only got to play videogames at friends’ houses, so it was kinda a rare treat- so when I finally had my own console, I ended up playing it as much as possible, and since then, it hasn’t really stopped.

I also became a collector of the older games and systems along with my friend Jamie, who did the music for this game. He actually owns more systems and games than I do right now, though they are all retro! As for myself, I’ve got 3 NESes (one toploader), 2 Famicoms (Japanese NES), one each SNES and Super Famicom, 2 PS2s, PSX, XBOX, XBOX 360, Gameboy (original grey brick), DS, PSP, 2 Atari 2600s (one a Junior), TI-44a, Commodore 64, a few Game & Watches, iPod Touch (which I broke by dropping an amp on it), Gamecube, Wii…I think that is it. Oh, and of course, I’ve been a Mac user ever since I was born, even though we didn’t officially get our first computer until I was 8 or so- a late-model SE.

You mentioned that you just recently started making games. What drew you to GameSalad, and what’s your experience been like so far?

I’ve only been using GameSalad for about a month, with really no prior programming experience. I talked to one of my programmer friends about a good way to break into making games, and aside from actual programming languages, he said to give GameSalad a whirl, as it provides easy programming and quick results.

I really like that with GameSalad, you only have to input in a little bit of information, choose some options, and them BAM! You’ve got a working prototype in a few seconds, and within hours everything else falls into place. And if something is wrong, you don’t have to scroll through massive files looking for the problem, you can identify the problem easily just by disabling and enabling functions quickly and cleanly. It’s great!

How did you come up with the idea for the cat rides the astrobus?

I’ve always liked platformers. I like the idea that they are that simple – move, jump. I also wanted the user to be able to manipulate the field, but there isn’t really much you can manipulate and still keep simple.

Many years ago I wrote “the cat rides the astrobus” down on a piece of paper, and I have no idea why or what I was originally thinking of, but when I came to looking for something to center the platformer around, it sounded like a good fit. So keeping with the idea of outer space, I was thinking in terms of “matter” and “energy,” or as manifest in the game, black and white.

Tell us about your development process for this game.

Once I got the initial idea, it took about 6 hours to get most of the physics/design worked out, and then another 10 or so hours making it prettier and adding in art and style. Looking at some of the GameSalad tutorials I understood pretty well how the programming was going to be worked out, so I really just sat down one day and wrote some simple random level generators.

There was a lot of trial and error only because I’d first do something, see that it didn’t work, tear my hair out for 30 minutes trying to find the problem and then just realize I forgot to click a single, easily visible checkbox. Kinda like your parents asking you where their reading glasses are when they are already wearing them- something that is right in front of you but you just can’t see it. I’ve gotten better though! Now where is that return key…

Anyway, the first versions worked very well, but I wanted more in the game, so I decided to add in levels- which were undoubtedly the hardest part of the entire process. Then I was just a sucker for “feature creep,” where you add and add and add to the game, making it larger and more cumbersome. The “astromode” was an afterthought and was actually supposed to be a unlockable, which for the time being I’ve made available to everyone.

Did you have a team for this project, or did you work alone?

There really wasn’t a “team” in the conventional sense. I did all the programming, and my good friend from way back, Jamie Potter, made the music. He has always made some great “avant-garde” music, the most recent of his endeavors being “new age” type ambient music under a variety of names: Million Mists, Father Sound, and his current band Brother Raven. He only uses oldschool analog equipment, which I think adds a lot to the sound and texture of his work.

Once I knew that I wanted the game to take place in “space,” I knew his music would be great for it. So I sent him a few mails and a quick video recording of the game and said “I need trippy, spacey music” and bam, a few days later, I had trippy, spacey music for it. I think music plays an important part in games, and I think the music works perfectly.

That music definitely contributes to your game’s style, which was unique among all the entries. Was this an intentional strategy?

I wouldn’t say it was a “strategy,” but it definitely was intentional. Style wise, I’ve always been a “retro” gamer, so I always look on the graphics of the Atari age with great fondness, I decided to make a pixelcat. Do you know how hard it is to draw a cat walking within a 16 x 16 grid? When the legs are only 3 pixels long? It bugs me, but it’s passable. Everything else plays into that idea- simple, pixels. Anything more complex just detracts from the gameplay. There is nothing quite like sitting in a cafe drawing cats on graphpaper…

As for the gameplay, I also tried to make something unique, but that’s kinda hard what with all several billion games out there, so just settled on “familiar with a twist.” I didn’t want any enemies or external conflict though, so that meant relying on level design to create challenge and personality. I initially found that the concept of changing blocks to be interactive or not did not really leave much room for creativity, but playing with the random level generator actually showed some neat tricks that I didn’t really think of.

Probably one of the best things is finding level design in the things around you- I came across some Japanese packaging that had a “QRcode” on it (a QRcode is a serial barcode that web-enabled phone cameras can read and take you to a weblink), and after looking at the design found that some parts of it could become a level! Sure, might not be that original, but by taking in outside influences we sometimes find stuff we wouldn’t think of.

What was the most fun part about making this game? What was the most challenging part?

The most fun part about the game was stamping out bugs, because you get a real sense of accomplishment that you’ve solved a problem and that everything works.

The most challenging part has really only been in the design sector. Level designs are difficult when simple! The number one most challenging part has actually been in a single graphic, trying to make the desirable “star ball” look nice. Eventually it became the “cat ball,” which makes a lot more sense for absolutely no reason.

Where do you see the cat rides the astrobus going in the future?

Well, after making a bit of the game and playing with the cat, the idea of space and whatnot, I though about making other chapters for the cat to take a part in, of which I’ve thought of a few games. The Cat Rides the Astrobus already has a semi-demo of this already in the form of “astromode” where you just fly around collecting orbs, but that game mode is very stripped down – what is coming will have a lot more, but you know, mum’s the word.

What other projects are you working on? What can you share about them?

Aside from the other cat projects, the first GameSalad game I worked on is still being worked on. A top-down RPG adventure game which has you completing dungeons, fightin’ weird creatures and hunting rabbits for meat. But for a first project it proved to be a little too much, so I’ve put it on ice for awhile- it will probably come back as a smaller game right now, most of the core gameplay is set, it’s just a matter of level design and graphics.

What advice would you give to new game creators?

Like most things, start small and work your way up. Also, abuse the GameSalad forums – everyone can help.

Anyone you’d like to thank?

All my cats over the years, especially Panther to whom I think this game is based around (RIP). He’d disappear for several months at a time, off on some adventure, to come back with new stories that nobody would ever know. Oh, and Bast, who is awesome. Shouldercat! Afterwards, just everyone who has offered their support over the years. Too many to count, with the ‘rents highest on the list.

Thanks, Drew!

Play the cat rides the astrobus online.

Like the cat rides the astrobus? Vote for this game to win the Macworld 2010 GameSalad Challenge by tweeting #gamesalad #cat along with why you think it’s awesome!