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= Survivalcraft Developer Interview (2011) =

'''Source:''' WP-Games.pl interview with Kaalus (Survivalcraft developer)<br>
'''Date:''' November 26, 2011<br>
'''Language:''' Polish/English (bilingual)<br>
'''Archive:''' [https://web.archive.org/web/20111203174757/http://wp-games.pl/2011/11/26/wywiad-rzeka-z-tworca-gry-survivalcraft/ Wayback Machine]<br>
'''Interviewers:''' Paweł, with translation by Łukasz & Paweł

== Overview ==

This extensive interview with Kaalus, the developer of Survivalcraft, was conducted shortly after the game's initial release on Windows Phone 7 in November 2011. The interview provides insights into the development process, platform choice, and future plans for what would become one of the early successful Minecraft-inspired games on mobile platforms.

== Key Development Insights ==

=== Origins and Inspiration ===
The developer purchased [[w:Minecraft|Minecraft]] Beta 1.7.3 in July 2011 and became immediately engaged with the concept. As a professional programmer and indie game developer, Kaalus read through [[w:Notch|Notch]]'s entire development blog from May 2009 onwards, describing it as fascinating technical documentation that "reads like a book".

=== Platform Choice ===
Survivalcraft was specifically developed for [[w:Windows Phone 7|Windows Phone 7]] because no Minecraft clone existed for that platform at the time. The developer chose this niche despite significant technical challenges, including slow CPU/GPU performance and lack of shader support.

=== Technical Challenges ===
The Windows Phone 7 platform presented substantial optimization hurdles:
* Initial performance was approximately 4.5 frames per second
* Extensive code optimization was required to achieve playable framerates
* The Adreno 200 GPU was described as particularly limiting
* Absence of shader support forced reliance on vertex data with "needlessly large" requirements

=== Development Team ===
The project was essentially a solo effort, with the developer's young son serving as the primary tester.

== Game Design Philosophy ==

=== Survival Focus vs. Minecraft Similarity ===
The developer initially envisioned a survival-focused experience rather than a direct Minecraft clone. However, player feedback pushed toward more Minecraft-like features. The developer expressed intent to maintain survival elements including:
* Environmental hazards (cold, hunger, thirst)
* Natural disasters
* Progressively dangerous enemies
* More challenging gameplay that doesn't "peter out so quickly"

=== Pricing Strategy ===
The developer implemented a graduated pricing model where costs would increase with each update to reflect the growing value and feature set of the game.

== Market Performance ==

At the time of the interview, Survivalcraft had achieved notable marketplace positions in the UK:
* 15th in overall games ranking
* 7th in Action & Adventure category
* Ranked higher than Pro Evolution Soccer

The developer remained modest about sales expectations due to the limited Windows Phone 7 install base, noting "I don't think I will get huge sales".

== Development Timeline ==

The interview was conducted during preparation of a major update, with the developer indicating it would be released "soon, maybe in a week or so". Two features remained to be completed for that update.

== Legacy Considerations ==

The developer committed to backward compatibility, ensuring that existing worlds would remain playable with new updates, though acknowledged that certain new terrain features or blocks might not appear in pre-existing worlds.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* WP-Games.pl interview with Kaalus, November 26, 2011 ([https://web.archive.org/web/20111203174757/http://wp-games.pl/2011/11/26/wywiad-rzeka-z-tworca-gry-survivalcraft/ archived version])
* Conducted by Paweł, translated by Łukasz & Paweł

== External Links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111203174757/http://wp-games.pl/2011/11/26/wywiad-rzeka-z-tworca-gry-survivalcraft/ Original archived interview]
* [[w:Survivalcraft|Survivalcraft on Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Game Development]]
[[Category:Interviews]]
[[Category:Windows Phone Games]]
[[Category:2011]]

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''This entry summarizes a bilingual interview originally published on WP-Games.pl. The original source provides the complete text in both Polish and English.''