RocketWerkz' Dean hall talks a bit about the gameplay of ION, his new IP.
For many people, Dean Hall is synonymous with 2012’s free zombie mod, DayZ, which he created for Bohemia Interactive’s ARMA 2 while serving in the armed forces. The startling popularity of that mod led to it being officially acquired by Bohemia and to Hall himself working at the Czech Republic-based development studio on the standalone version of DayZ for two years, before leaving to found his own company in his native New Zealand.
RocketWerkz has since released Out of Ammo, co-developed abandoned title, Ion, and is now working on numerous other projects, including space-station simulation, Stationeers. Known for his outspoken and candid approach to discussing his work, his history and his experiences in the games industry, Dean Hall is also a keen mountaineer who has climbed Mount Cook and Mount Everest.
Here, he talks about drawing on his life experiences to help inform his design philosophy, his undiminished desire to tinker with other people’s games and how forums and bulletin boards can sometimes offer surprisingly profound revelations.
Gamereactor recently had the opportunity to catch up with Dean Hall, who was in London to reveal his studio's new game, Stationeers.
During the interview we discussed his departure from Bohemia Interactive (and, by extension, the DayZ standalone project that he helped get started) and the formation of his new studio Rocketwerkz, as well as discussing his ambitious plans for Stationeers.
Described before and during the interview as "f*cking around in space", we discussed what players can expect from a game which draws inspiration from Space Station 13, Space Engineers, and a Minecraft mod called Feed the Beast.
A blocky Vive strategy title and it’s coming out today.
