Member Spotlight - MaskedImposter

US based game developer MaskedImposter is the latest member to be put under the Spotlight, read on to find out how they got into the industry and to become a tester of their latest game project… 

 

GDM Username: MaskedImposter

 

Name or Nickname: Ben O’Brien

 

Age: 30

 

Country: USA

 

Developer, Asset Creator or are you a bit of both?:   

 

Mostly Developer. I like putting stuff together and coding to create fun gameplay most of all 🙂

 

Full Time, Part Time or Hobby?: 

 

Full Time

 

How long have you been doing this?: 

 

Full Time about two years. Though I started modding games as early as my preteens almost twenty years ago.

 

 

Fun story, when I was a kid I guessed the password of a modded server in C&C Renegade. The mods were done via editing a simple .txt file and people were able to spawn in all sorts of crazy stuff including single player specific items. I thought this was so cool and I soon started creating mods of my own.

 

Favourite software/tools to use?:  

 

I use Unity and I like how much flexibility it has to create all sorts of different types of games and on all different platforms. I enjoy extension assets that make things easier like Easy Save 3, and others. Its also great getting art and music from websites like Game Dev Market, as this is an area where I struggle. Thanks for making the licensing so easy!

 

What’s one tip you would give to someone starting out?:   

 

Some people aren’t sure whether game dev is something they want to get into, and I think a great starting point is to start modding your favorite game. My experience started with games like C&C Renegade, and Starcraft 2 which are a bit old now, but there’s lots of cool modern games you can try like Minecraft, Terraria and XCOM 2. Starting with a game you already know helps narrow your focus and allows you to use a lot of free assets the game already has. 

 

How do you promote your work (games or assets)?:  

 

I use Twitter (@GameImposter), Discord, Youtube (https://youtube.com/c/MaskedImposter), reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/ImposterGameStudios/), and a few others. Discord is really cool as you can connect with your core fans. My reddit didn’t take off, but its nice to have it should my audience grow to include more members. Youtube is nice, I had an audience already who watched tutorials I created for Starcraft 2 modding and mapping. Twitter is neat. So far most replies come from other Game Devs.  

 

What project are you working on now?:  

Ice Road Escape. This is my first foray into mobile games and is actually inspired by the Starcraft 2 custom map Ice Baneling Escape. It’s cool seeing a lot of popular games now have had versions of themselves in other games. For instance Starcraft 2 had a Mafia game prior to Town of Salem, several Among Us style games, and more. Because I’m writing this in early January, I’ll also throw in a New Year’s resolution as well.

It’s my goal this year to reach out and do some collaborations. Most of my stuff has been solo up til now, and so many people have lots of cool talents to offer. I hope by working together we can create some really cool stuff. Ice Road Escape is currently in the open testing phase on the Google Play Store. I would love more testers, so please try it out at this link: Ice Road Escape – Apps on Google Play.

 

Rencia on Steam is my first commercial project and a ton of fun. Its an arcade strategy game where you build your base in classic real time strategy fashion, set a way point for your army as it autobuilds, then join the foray as a powerful hero unit in top down shooter style. I don’t think there’s quite any other games exactly like it, and its a ton of fun. I’ve struggled with marketing, and would love to get more eyes on this game.

 

And finally, favourite game ever & why?:   

Tough question, that may be easier to answer if you give me some genre’s to pick my favorite games from! However, I’m a long time Nintendo fan. As an explorer type gamer, I love Breath of the Wild. I can just run around that game exploring for hours. On top of that it has fun combat, and its cool that most of your improvement comes internally from the knowledge you gain as you fight foes. Contrast this with a game that uses a vast skill tree where your improvement is basically programmed in, rather than coming from yourself.

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/gameimposter