IMPLODE: The Turbo Lives Again (originally posted 5.23.2002)

[PCEngineFX]

Many years after the last official release for the American Turbo system, comes a new home-brew commercial release from MindRec known as IMPLODE. It is a puzzle game similar to Tetris, but with a twist - the blocks appear from the right and it's up to you to delete groups of 3 or more like-colored blocks.

We had the opportunity to interview the creator of IMPLODE, Bt Garner - telling us all about the game, release details and more...



Pcenginefx: Thank you Bt for taking the time to talk about IMPLODE, I'm sure you are very busy.

Bt: My pleasure -- I do tend to keep myself busy, between my day job, maintaining several web sites, and the normal day to day things, I often wonder myself where I find the time for projects such as Implode.

Pcenginefx: First off, tell me a little about your group MindRec.

Bt: Mindrec is primarily me, with a whole lot of help from certain persons. We do small contract jobs here and there and the funds that we have made from those jobs is the underlying funding for the entire Implode project.

Pcenginefx: Did you always have a SCD release in mind? Why are you going though the entire process of making a commercial game to sell rather than releasing the game like your previous ones?

Bt: No, there have been a fair number of PCE projects that I have started on, and not completed (for whatever reasons). I had no idea where Implode would end up when it got to the end; whether it would be a real commercial release, another abandoned effort, or something in between. It was kind of a fluke, actually, that made it possible for this to become a SCD project. My day job has forced me to spend several weeks a month in Europe for the last 15 months, and on my trip over there in March I started working on Implode. By the time I came home I had much more than a "proof of concept" beta done, so I just kept working on it, adding enhancements, making corrections. By the time I started getting feedback from my early beta testers, I was getting a strong indication that people wanted this as a 'real release,' so I started looking into it.

Pcenginefx: I can imagine that going all-out on this release was and is a very difficult task. What hurdles did you have to overcome in the process of this title?

Bt: Lots...the major unknown for me in this venture was the "CD packaging," so I studied up on everything that I needed to know about printing. Unfortunately, all that studying didn't help any when it came to actually making the artwork, so I ultimately decided that it would be worth it to outsource that. Luckily, I have found a person who has excellent skills and will greatly add to the overall look of the Implode package. We are still in draft stage right now, but I am very much looking forward to seeing the final artwork when the time comes.

Pcenginefx: Will MindRec be the only place selling IMPLODE? What about other retailers (TZD, etc)

Bt: At this time, we have been talking to several other retailers about Implode, and generating a bit of conversation. I know that at least one mail order firm will be selling Implode, but the full details have not been worked out at this time, so I cannot give more details at this time.

Pcenginefx: How much will IMPLODE cost? Will there be a discount for bulk orders?

Bt: No price has been set yet, but it will most likely be in the US $20 to US $25 range. It will be available at a discount to any resellers that wish to carry it.

Pcenginefx: When will the game be released?

Bt: Middle of July, give or take a couple of weeks. Since this effort is small, and there are no corporate CEOs urging me to "Get it out, and get it out now." Instead, I want to make sure that everything is as close to perfect as possible. So the schedule is a little flexible. Once the artwork is done, and the last few additions are made to the program, it will be 3-4 weeks before I have the CDs in hand ready to distribute.

Pcenginefx: What kind of reactions have you received from people about the selling of the IMPLODE SCD?

Bt: Mostly favorable. A few persons have been upset that I am not giving away all this time and effort, but most persons have been quite excited about a new "real" release.

Pcenginefx: If IMPLODE sells well, do you have plans for another Super CD title?

Bt: It's not ruled out...the main concern is to not lose our shirts on this. A fair amount of time and effort has been spent on Implode, and now a fair amount of money is being paid out to get the CDs made. I know that a lot of PCE developers are watching to see what happens, hopefully a moderate success will encourage others to release new games (and if Mindrec survives, we may even be willing to release some of those titles). If, however, the day after Implode is released it winds up on download sites, then you can pretty much be assured that this will be the last real release, since it would be unrealistic to expect anyone else to shell out the amount of money needed to press a CD, only to see it exchanged for 999 worthless CDs that can't be sold due to piracy.

Pcenginefx: You are the creator of the popular Turbo List and pcecp.com catalog project. How does it feel to be one of the most known figures in the Turbo community? What drives you to do what you do?

Bt: I hardly consider myself to be a "most known" figure in the Turbo community. Granted there are quite a few people out there who know me, and have dealt with me, but I feel that it is due to the time that I have been involved in the community. To be involved for as long as I have, has a certain level of responsibility to give something back, and that has been the main drive for the "information" sites that I run. I try to make information available in a way that I would want it available, if I were looking for it, because at one point I was.

Pcenginefx: I'm sure you have some interesting Turbo related stories...can you share a few of them?

Bt: I don't think that I do, actually..I am a fairly private person, so short of recounting the heart thumping night that I beat Gate of Thunder for the first time, or Drac X, there's just not a lot there that wouldn't bore the average reader to tears. I don't have any all night "Bomberman'94 Frag Fest Finished Off with an Orgy" stories, sorry. And considering the average gamer, that's probably a good thing.

Pcenginefx: Are there any other projects that you might be working on that you would like to share?

Bt: There are several things in the planning stage, but nothing will be decided until we see how this release does. That is not to say that if it flops that there will not be a future release, but the success or failure of Implode will decide on the size, scope and release medium of any future projects.

Pcenginefx: Thank you again for your time and for the interview. I wish you the very best of luck in this new release!

Bt: You are most welcome, it was my pleasure.

For further info and in insider view of IMPLODE, check out darkcityproductions.com!