AMGN interviews #1: Yu-Gi-Oh! Dominion

Hello Amino! You're friendly neighborhood Nerd here with an amino first: a new series where I interview a game developer. Today I'll be interviewing a guy who's actually a close friend of mine. The game in question, Yu-Gi-Oh Dominion, doesn't exist yet on mobile, but it will soon. Let's get into the interview.

For the record, here's what a Dominion card looks like:

And here's the standard version of the same card:

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Me: State your name for the record please.

Dev: My name is Christopher Vega.

Me: How long have you been working on Yu-Gi-Oh! Dominion?

Dev: I've been working on it fully since September of last year, but I originally concieved the idea back in 2017.

Me: And what Inspired you to Create Yu-Gi-Oh! Dominion?

Dev: My love for the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game, and my frustration with Konami for making horrible decisions.

Me: Could you explain for the readers exactly what Dominion is?

Dev: Dominion is a reboot of the official Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game. Changes were made to it based on the opinions of the community. Essentially, it is a version of the game made by the people who play the game.

Me: And could you explain a little about Dominion. The differences between it and standard Yu-Gi-Oh, price, etc?

Dev: How in depth would you like the explanation to be? This could take a while.

Me: Just the primary differences will be fine.

Dev: For starters, and I think the most obvious, is the lack of pendulum summoning. While pendulum cards exist, they are merely half monster and half spells.

Me: As well as Link summoning.

Dev: I'm glad you brought that up. The link mechanic is the opposite of pendulums. Players are able to link summon, but Link monsters don't exist. Not as a unique card anyways. They have all been turned into either fusion or exceed, formally xyz, monsters. The link card type has been demoted to a subtype.

Me: I see. I would also like to address your dedication to the fans and players. You've incorporated many cards in the game that have been created by others, including myself, and have gone through the painstaking process of digitally deg and programming each one of them into the game. I can only imagine the hours of hard work that must have gone into it all.

Dev: I'm happy to make others happy. I am a sufferer of severe depression, so if I can brighten someone else's day, I will do my best to do so. As for the hours, I would say that I have approximately 200+ hours into Dominion.

Me: That's a lot of time and hard work, and, if I correctly, you've only just begun. Do I hear correctly that you have plans for a standalone version?

Dev: That is absolutely correct. I am also working on physical cards.

Me: Surely you've had help with all of this? Even the most talented Indie game dev can't take on a project of this magnitude by himself.

Dev: I wish that I could tell you yes. I work over 40 hours at my job, and work try to work on Dominion for at least 15 hours a week. That was made harder by the pandemic, as now my kids are home for school. I have to balance working essentially two jobs and teaching my three teenage daughters. My wife has been very ive through all of this, and helps where she can.

Me: You deserve a medal, in my opinion.

Dev: Thank you. I will accept nothing less than 24 karat gold. :grin:

Me: As it currently stands, how can anyone who's interested get to play Dominion?

Dev: The game is currently available on Tabletop Simulator. Though that version is out of date. I will be updating it shortly. I have spoken with the creators of Yu-Gi-Oh Omega (an mobile version of Yu-Gi-Oh made by fans), and they have instructed me that it will be possible to incorporate Dominion into the game.

Me: That would be amazing! What is the current price of the Tabletop version?

Dev: Dominion itself is free, but Tabletop Simulator costs $20 on Steam. You can often find it for $10 on third party sites like G2A. The only version of this game that will cost money, is the physical one. That's only because the materials, and shipping, aren't free.

Me: Do you have any advice for anyone who may want to make their own game, mobile or otherwise?

Dev: You definitely have to consider physical media versus digital. What needs do you have? What would be the cost of making your game in real life? Is there a way that you can cut those costs? By all means, if you can make your game digital; do so. The one thing to keep in mind is expenses. Physical games cost more to distribute. Whereas digital games cost more to manufacture. It really boils down to your skill level. If you are not a programmer, then you may want to release a physical version first to make the money to pay someone who is.

Me: And not all game developers start off that well. Look at Scott Cawthon, creator of the FNAF series. His first several attempts catastrophically bombed before he finally made FNAF1.

Dev: It is also always a good idea to look at the current market. If there is a certain type of game that keeps getting released, then you may be tempted to jump on the proverbial bandwagon, but if you don't have anything interesting to add that separates your game from the rest, then you may want to wait.

Me: Right, also sometimes it's best to not do something BECAUSE everyone else is doing it.

Dev: That is very true, and that brings up another point. This may seem contradictory, but don't be different for the sake of being different. Too many games fail because the developers were throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. It is okay to be different, as long as there is an end reason for said difference. I am working on an original TCG of my own, and it was quite different than those already released. Every mechanic has a reason for being there. We weren't being different for the sake of different. We were different because that's what the game was, different.

Balance is key.

Me: Is that one of the reasons such games as FNAF or Bendy and the Ink Machine were so successful?

Dev: In my opinion, yes. They're uniqueness caught the attention of big gamers on YouTube such as Pewdiepie, Markiplier, and Jacksepticeye. Jacksepticeye even voiced an Irish character in Bendy. Uniqueness and inclusion are some of a developers most powerful tools.

Me: What is it that makes Indie games so much better than most modern AAA games?

Dev: Creativity!

Me: Something most AAA developers seem to lack. Everything looks the same now.

Dev: That's not saying that no Triple A title is creative, but a lot of the recent ones are just over done. Don't get me wrong, I am getting Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War when it comes out, but I already know what to expect. It probably won't be mind blowing, as much as it will be mind numbing. Everyone needs to turn off once in awhile.

That being said, you are right. Pretty much all of the most recent AAA titles look the same. Some of them even play the same. We are seriously lacking diversity right now.

Me: I miss 1999. When games like Ape Escape, Spyro the Dragon and Gex 3 were popular. They put so much more time and effort into them back then.

Dev: Yes they did. Look up developer burn out. Which is something that even Hasan Minhaj touched on in his show Patriot Act.

Me: Thank you for your time, Chris. I hope the readers will enjoy this as much as I have.

Dev: Anytime mate. I hope that I was able to help my fellow developers.

Me: Dude, you're a hero in my eyes.

Dev: Thank you so much!

Me: I'm looking forward to eventually being able to play Dominion myself.

Dev: I can't wait to duel you.

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Christopher Vega has put a lot of time and effort into Dominion. Please consider checking it out!

That'll be all for today, let me know what you think of this interview and I'll address your questions in the comments below.

Cya next time!