What´s next for Magic the Gathering? 

TGG Chen - Since Theros you've been launching lore-themed events on games day. Are you looking to integrate lore into the new player experience?

Wizards of the coast - We’re always looking for ways to intertwine Magic’s rich storyline with gameplay, so you can certainly expect to see more branded play events that reflect this in future. For example, right now we’re inviting players to battle for their chosen Khans of Tarkir clan at Friday Night Magic each week, to raise their clan’s banner!

TGG Chen - Will there be lore-focused cards? Tormenting Voice is one such example of this tendency towards integration. Deicide is another poignant example.

Wizards of the coast - Absolutely. Right now we’re implementing some changes to make Magic’s storyline more accessible than ever before, showcasing it through cards, artwork, branded play experiences, videos, and a dedicated weekly column on our website called Uncharted Realms.

This will be a fantastic resource for players who want to further explore the story behind the cards, especially when we move to our new model of two blocks of two sets each year. You can read more about these improvements here: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/ebooks-and- accessibility-magics-story

TGG Chen - In M15 you introduced "Designed by the Magic Community" Will there be more such events centered around social media? (Twitter, facebook) The earliest I remember is Forgotten Ancient in Inquest, but it had only interest- group participation.

Wizards of the coast - M15 featured 15 cards envisioned by notable outside designers, including “Waste Not” from the Magic community, the result of our 4th “You Make The Card” process. We try to introduce new and fresh things with each new block and set, so don’t expect to see such credits on cards in all future sets. However, we may invite the Magic community to get involved with similar events in the future.

TGG Chen - With regards to alternate art, do you intend on releasing a "collector's edition" for all alternate art pieces per expansion? It seems that wizards is really pressing the alt-art route with even intro packs having
alt-art cards.

Wizards of the coast - We do not have plans for such a product at this time. As of Khans of Tarkir, we have given the Intro Packs an alternate art rare face card, as we wanted to make these even more special and exciting.

TGG Chen - Will there be any Future Sight-block-esque treatment towards Fate Reforged?

Wizards of the coast - It’s too early to give away any details relating to Fate Reforged, and players should not expect Khans of Tarkir block to mirror any previous block, it has its own unique storyline, structure, mechanics and cards. We are certainly excited to tell more of this plane’s storyline when the set is released January 23rd next year, though.

TGG Chen - How is the holographic card protection system doing? Does it complicate future card types?

Wizards of the coast - We’re very happy with the holofoil stamp on rares and mythic rares we introduced as of Magic 2015, and players have warmly welcomed this addition. It both guarantees authenticity, and makes these cards feel a little more special. The holofoil stamp, as with other elements of the updated card frame, has been designed to be fully compatible with all our future plans.

TGG Chen - Will there be anything to spice up the dynamic of event decks? Perhaps a new kind of tournament pack? (From up till Mirrodin?)

Wizards of the coast - Event Decks are a great way for players to start playing the Standard or Modern format (perhaps at their local store’s Friday Night Magic events), and we’re very pleased to offer this easy way to get started in constructed. Of course, we are always looking for ways to improve existing products, and to introduce new ones that meet the needs of our playerbase – an example of this are the new Clash Packs, which we introduced with Magic 2015. We do not have any plans to bring back Tournament Packs at this time.

Mr Alexander Kuvshinov. 

Kenay TGG:
How did you get your start as a game developer?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"I always loved playing video games, and wanted to develop my own games since my early childhood. I've been employed in graphic design for 10 years, but little by little game-design industry had claimed me."

Kenay TGG:
What inspired this game?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"I love games that are unique. Samorost or Botanicula are unique, for example, they have that feeling, you know. I generally love things that have magic about them, a sense of mystery, ones that make you wonder about the unknown.This is what inspires me, and this is what I want to share."

Kenay TGG:
Is the game about self-discovery?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"Absolutely!"

Kenay TGG:
Pip can see the astral world, so will we have a different plane with other objectives through this?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"Astral world is interconnected with the physical one, so they can't be really separated. Naturally, same quests and puzzles exist in both realities, but the perception changes as you approach them from different planes."

Kenay TGG:
Will this game be a series, or a standalone?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"We’re planning to continue the series of Karma games, if "Incarnation 1" proves to be a success. It will be "Incarnation 2", "3" etc. and will tell of next incarnations of the same character in different worlds."

Kenay TGG:
How long will the campaign be, and will we have added on content to extend its life?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"Until 3 August, and yes, we do regular updates with additional materials."

Kenay TGG:
It looks as if you used tribal instruments to make the music, what sound were you looking for?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"We wanted to make the world sound archaic, to give it a sense of mystery. There is no rush in this world, yet it is wild and dangerous.  The sound music really adds to the depth and feel of the world, giving a true sense of atmosphere and forboding.  On every corner you can meet strange creatures and weird contraptions that can touch your spirit in unknown ways."

Kenay TGG:
The world looks dark, and seedy, does this go with the theme?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"Most anything will go with the theme, it’s pretty universal. I choose this particular language to tell the story, because this is how I feel about it. Karma rules all the worlds though - every creature who has a soul is its subject, no matter what the world looks like."

Kenay TGG:
What other titles are you working on?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"Currently, this is the only game we have in production."

Kenay TGG:
When can we look forward to its release?

***Alexander Kuvshinov***: 
"Late 2014 - early 2015, we can’t give a more precise date, as it depends on how well the crowdfunding campaign goes, and whether or not we get to develop additional storylines, as this would add to development time."

I have always been the kind of person that likes to create (or build) instead of destroying stuff (mainly because of Civilization and Sim City). But i´m also a huge fan of RPG and adventure games.

I also just happen to like Minecraft. And all these elements that i just mentioned. They all exist in Cubical Drift´s 3D open-world voxel-based RPG game “Planets3”. And guess what?

We just happen to have been given the opportunity to interview the Planets3 team! So, let´s get down to business shall we =)

Robin TGG:
Would you kindly (a Bioshock joke) tell our readers a bit about Planets3, and how the Cubical Drift studio came about?

Cubical Drift:
Planets³ is a RPG with all that it is involved. There will be a storyline with a lot of quests, characters that will accompany you in your adventure; some of them will help you to progress.

And we want to bring the construction aspect in the quest: some of them will ask you to build specific structures. We created the Cubical Drift Company because we needed a legal structure to provide framework to the team.

Robin TGG:
What would you respond to those whom think/say that Planets3 are “just” another Minecraft clone?

Cubical Drift:
Whom who think/say that have not make the effort to read our entire concept. Read the entire Kickstarter page or our website, and come back to us saying it’s just another Minecraft Clone.

Robin Ek TGG:
Will it actually be possible for the players to create pretty much anything in Planets3? I mean, literally “anything”.

Cubical Drift:
We hope so!

But you will constrained by the game limits (shape of blocks, planets size) and obviously by your computer performance!

Robin Ek TGG:
Is it really true that each of the planets in Planets3 are composed of nearly 30 trillion blocks? Because that sure is a whole lot of blocks.

Cubical Drift:
It’s true! Blocks are 25cm square, planets are 8 km square. I let you use your calculator, but yes it’s about 32 768 billions of blocks. One “slice” of planet is about 1 billion of blocks.

Robin TGG:
A little bird told me that there will be side quests and secrets to be unlocked in Planets3. Are there some truth to that statement?

Cubical Drift:
It’s true. The will be a main storyline, but the planets are vast and obviously there will be much more than the specific storyline places. The side quests can be linked to a dungeon, where you could find a specific new item for example.

Robin TGG:
What´s the main goal of Planets3? And will there be an actual ending in the game? I also have to ask if there will be any PvP action parts in the game?

Cubical Drift:
The actual ending of our story will be in the second opus of the game, named “Space Enemies”. But it’s our story, what we want to do with Planets³ is to give the opportunity to the players to write their own stories. It will be a hard work to do that, but we want to open the tools we will use to create our “version” to all the players so they can do the same.

Robin TGG:
Could you tell us a little bit more about the voxel-based graphics and the “Long Distance Display Engine”. Because I find the graphics to be very beautiful in Planets3. So I would love to hear more about it.

Cubical Drift:
A lot of what you see now is concept art. You can have an idea of the current state of our development in a small part in the trailer and in the prototype video.

One of the gameplay constraints was to be able to see all the planets wherever you are in the solar system. So it was our principal technical challenge, because computer cannot handle to display billions of blocks.

It was also a constraint for the company creation. I didn’t to create the company if this challenge was not addressed. But we surpass it in summer last year! So we created the company.

A lot of work remains to be done to optimize the engine, but the hardest part is done. The more blocks we will be able to display, the more beautiful the game will be.

Robin TGG:
Will Planets3 be a game that everyone could pick up and play? Or will it just be a game for the hardcore players?

Cubical Drift:
It’s the hardest part of design, to satisfy “casual” and “hardcore” gamers. But we think we handle it. Everyone could play to Planets³ as its concept is simple. Hardcore Gamers will find then a more deep and complex craft and construction system.

And something we didn’t reveal at this time: we have in mind to create a “hardcore” mode. Not a mode that when you die it is finished. But a mode when the life will be harder, you will need to think about things you do not have to handle in the normal story version. It could be for example to handle wheel or engine wear for vehicle. To not be able to put tones of materials in your bag and so on …

Robin TGG:
Planets has now collected $50,000 out of $250,000 on Kickstarter. Do you think that you guys will be able to reach the 250K goal line, before the Kickstarter klock runs out of time?

Cubical Drift:
We think that nobody can predict what will happen. We are making a lot of effort to get more visibility, which seems to be our main problem for now. And we are listening to “backers’” comments that ask us to add a little more fun rewards.

Robin TGG:
I am also somewhat curious about the ecosystem in Planets3. I mean, what kind of enemies and hazards awaits the players?

Cubical Drift:
As the game will brings the player to visit different planets, you will find lot of diversity of wildlife and inhabitants. Some of the planets will be as our own earth, but we cannot do that for every planet, so you will have “alien” planets with a lot of unrealistic creatures.

Robin TGG:
And now for the last question. i´m a huge fan of Star Wars, Star Trek and space in general. And from what I have heard, one should be able to both build and fly starships in Planets3? And even travel between different planets?

If so, does that mean that there will be some epic space battles involved in the game?

Cubical Drift:
This is what we want to achieve in the second opus, Space Enemies.
I do not know how epic these battles will be (depends of so many constrains, our algorithms and hardware performance), but there will be space battles!

This will not be the storyline focus (the storyline will mainly happens on planets), but this will surely be players multiplayer games focus!

Due the fact that Bica Studios will soon release their action/adventure game Smash IT! Witch Adventures for iOS and Android (the game will be released in New Zealand for a starter). I just thought that it could be a good idea to interview the minds behind Smash IT!

And guess what? Bica Studios wanted to do an interview with us! So let´s get down to business.

Robin TGG:
Would you be so kind and give our readers a little introduction of Smash IT? What it is all about and so on.

Bica Studios:
The name says it all! On Smash IT! Adventures players will need to smash the voracious Blarghinis that will appear by tapping on the screen. The reason for this is because the player was summoned by Agnes, a little funky witch that have the ability to call creatures from other realities, being this case, ours. With her, we can be part of the game that will certain be the king of the Smasher genre!

Robin TGG:
If I’m not wrong now, Bica Studios is an indie studio from Portugal, right? How does the indie and Gaming scene looks like in Portugal?

Bica Studios:
It’s starting to have a new life! In the last year lots of new game companies appeared, all of them with teams between 2 and 6 members and with a great desire to make cool games. The big concern here is that there is no investment funds or any systems that support the needs and challenges of starting a new company. We had the lucky to enter on an incubator, but still, it’s not that easy. But step by step, we are making the difference and I’m pretty sure that after a success, things will change.

Robin TGG:
How did you guys came up with a game such as Smash IT? Because it seems to be a mix of “PuyoPuyo” (puzzle) and Plants Vs Zombies (the action parts).

Bica Studios:
Cool examples! To be honest it all started with a mix between a twist of the Whack-a-mole and Sonic’s vibrant worlds. The reason to explore the smasher genre is because it has a huge potential on mobile and we believe that this was not fully explored yet.

The different game genres like puzzles, builders and infinite runners have their “kings” but that does not apply to smashers, until now.

Robin TGG:
Could you tell us a bit more about the main character “Agnes”. Because I’m quite curious to know her better. Because I’m a big fan of magic you see (I have just started to read the Discworld books again).

Bica Studios:
I love magic too! And I am lucky to have a grandma that it is in this sort of thing, but this is another story... As I said before, Agnes is a witch that can summon creatures like us, humans and mystic ones too like Dragons, Unicorns, Phoenix and much more. Each creature is going to help her as well as the player by smashing the Blarghinis, the enemies in the game.


Fight of the monsters with the help of magic.

Robin TGG:
From what I’ve have heard it seems like Smash IT! Adventures will be released on iOS and Android very soon. But New Zealand will get access to the game first, is that correct?

Bica Studios:
Yes! It´s a strategy that we would recommend to everyone in the sense that it is better to test the game in one or two countries to have feedback and with this, do the necessary improvements. The main goal here is to make a great game and with this process it’s becomes easier to filter the suggestions and catch some nasty bug that could occur.

Robin TGG:
I could be wrong but is the main goal of the game to rescue the cat Agnes? Whom has been kidnapped by the voracious Blarghinis? (The monsters in the game).

Bica Studios:
Yeah! Mr. Bica the Cat! He is the one that starts this adventure. Agnes is super powerful as we can notice but she doesn’t give too much attention to what happened to the world until the moment that her beloved cat has been eaten! After this moment, no more play around, it’s time to Smash IT! and save the world at the same time.

Robin TGG:
Will there be many spells, attacks, combos and such in Smash IT!?

Bica Studios:
For now, we have 8 different spells/summons and more are coming in future updates. With them the player will make some super neat combos that can wipe out all the Blarghinis on the screen or even win a great amount of score. It’s up to the player to discover the best ones.

Robin TGG:
What´s the story behind the strange creatures called “Blarghinis”?

Bica Studios:
They just appear out of nowhere! Maybe from space or from the ocean like Pacific Rim. It’s a mystery that the players will need to solve on future updates, with each one revealing a little more about the story. One thing is for sure, they are slimy, they have a bad behavior and a big taste for fluffy animals!

The locals looks pretty unfriendly if you ask me.

Robin TGG:
I have been told that players will be able to compete against each other in Smash IT! Is that statement correct or wrong?

Bica Studios:
It’s true. There’s a mode that will show who is the most skilful players around the world of Smash IT!. Basically you will play against an infinite wave of Blarghinis that will increase speed and resistance along with some new behaviors as time goes by. This mode is perfect to accomplish some of the Achievements and complete the Missions that allows to multiply the scores.

Robin TGG:
How about adventure and exploration. Will there be different worlds or stages that the players can explore?

Bica Studios:
At this moment we have 3 worlds/continents divided in 30 levels. Each one gives a different challenge to the player. The continents are like an Island based, a Desert Grand Canyon style and a Forest type.

Robin TGG:
I bet that this is a question that most people would like to ask you guys, because everyone likes big stage bosses. So, will there be any bosses in Smash IT?

Bica Studios:
Great question! Not on the release, but we are cooking something!

Robin TGG:
Now for the final question. If everything works out great for Smash IT!, what plans do you guys have for the future?

Bica Studios:
We are now working on the next updates for Smash IT! to bring some surprises and more content. At the same time, our second game is already in development. I can’t provide more details for now but it’s going to be an Adventure Puzzle Game. But until then, there is still much to smash!