Here it is! The first entry in our flagship project, and our first video game!
The three of us; a programmer, a producer, and an artist, came together and set out to make it happen. Each of us, with our unique skill sets and different backgrounds, all had one important thing in common: none of us had ever made a game before.
The three of us; a programmer, a producer, and an artist, came together and set out to make it happen. Each of us, with our unique skill sets and different backgrounds, all had one important thing in common: none of us had ever made a game before.
So…how did we do this?
Well it started with an idea. For a number of years, it was little more than a side project between Andy and I. Eventually, we had a demo on our hands. Not a playable game demo, an animated video showcasing what the game might look like. We showed it to a small number of interested parties, but it soon became apparent that if we were interested in funding, this wasn’t going to cut it.
Before we met our programmer, Stephen, we started out with a proof of concept; an animated video designed to get across the look and feel of the gameplay we were going for. Here we see a tutorial in the form of intercut dialogue between Molly, our protagonist, and Marvin, her mentor. Here we get a feel for the characters as well as the light, humorous tone of the game.
It seemed that we had hit a dead end at this point, but then, two things happened. First, Stephen came calling. Stephen is a computer programmer who happens to be a friend of mine before the fact. It hadn’t occurred to me that he had an interest in video games, until he learned about what Andy and I were up to and offered his services. When he told us he could make our fake demo functional, our two man operation became a trio. Second, the pandemic. When the world stopped, we, like many others, seized on extraordinary circumstances, taking it as an opportunity to turn our side project into a legitimate operation. During this time, BatteryCake LLC was born.
The official company logo for BatteryCake LLC
Rather than dive head first into a full game, we had the idea to pivot towards a less ambitious, but more intriguing version of the project. ‘Muffins On Stream’ is what we call a community engagement game, designed to be played on Twitch by live streamers. These types of games are designed as a way for a streamer to interact with their audience. While this wasn’t part of our strategy at the outset, it turned out to be a good way to get eyes on our game. As well as a product in its own right, it represents a solid proof of concept to fuel more ambitious projects down the line.
Screengrab from a Twitch channel streaming 'Muffins On Stream.
Several streamers volunteered for live beta testing!
The game features an intro cinematic that I designed and directed. This was one of a number of recent chances for me to practice creative direction, having reassembled a reliable creative team for this one. Up until this point, we had not had a chance to feature much animation outside of the in-game sprites. This is how we tease the story-driven aspects of the upcoming full game, while also honing in on the desired aesthetic. The game’s cartoonish style is reminiscent of shows that we had enjoyed growing up - bold geometric shapes, bright colors, heavy black lines - and aligns well with the silly yet fantastical tone of the pastry-centric concept driving the in-game narrative. Streamers and their viewers get a glimpse of the town of Flourden, Molly’s muffin shop, and the inciting incident that kicks off the events of the game!
Intro cinematic for 'Muffins On Stream'.
Featuring VO by Fred Stoverink, and music by Gabriel de Leon.
Additional art and animation by Matt Gamez, Adam Wachtel, and Granger Loosley
The game menu presented other storytelling opportunities. The main menu is presented as a leather-bound spell tome, the idea being that this book belongs to Marvin, a mentor character who is meant to play an integral role in the full game. Marvin, Molly, The Bear Claw King, and others are featured in the Characters section, where Twitch streamers may introduce their audience to the cast of MTL. The book also includes a Lore section that elaborates on much of the backstory of our in-game world. Each page features an entry of Flourden’s history as well as an accompanying illustration. These were inspired by medieval illuminated manuscripts or stained glass effigies, in keeping with the spirit of the western medieval-fantasy setting.
The main menu, presented as an open spell tome.
In the context of the story, this is meant to to be 'The Baking Legacy', Marvin's book of spells, recipes, and lore.
Marvin battles Bear Claw King
Marvin holds the Baker's Dust
Evil Rises Again!
Lore illustrations, designed to evoke primitive, medieval art styles seen in illuminated manuscript.
Background or environment art is an important yet often overlooked discipline of entertainment design, and one that I do not consider my strong suit. There has never been a better excuse than this to try to sharpen this skill. Each level in Muffins on Stream represents a tease to a larger level of the full game while also capitalizing on the volumes of world building we had compiled at this point.
Concept art for the town of Flourden, laid waste in the fallout of Bear Claw's return to power, which also serves as background art for one of the levels currently available for Muffins On Stream.
