I have a lot of work ahead for level design – the next goal for Supersolar is creating a complex demo with most gameplay systems ready (like AI, damage model, weapon switching) and showcasing a completely finished level – a sprawling space station with hangar bays and docks.

Challenges

Finding a programmer was hard. I think I had the project on hold multiple times for months while I searched. Since Supersolar is still an indie side project, I’m financing outsourcing from my own savings and salary, so I needed someone that could handle most aspects of game dev in UE4. I also had to hire someone for VFX and for sound effects. The blueprints in this prototype are done by Kristoffer Freiholtz from Silver Machine Studios. Another challenging part was finding the time to actually work – most of it was squeezed in an hour or two in the mornings before work, over the course of many months. It’s also draining to go back and forth over design, scratch work or start over completely – but it’s important in the art direction of the game to have everything fit together.

Vlad Hristev, Senior Environment Artist at AMC Pixel Factory

Interview conducted by Kirill Tokarev