Interview with Norb Timpko about Take Command: 1861 The Civil War
Real war leads to new level of war appreciation
By Russell D. Carroll [March 16, 2004]


What do you think makes Independent games distinctive?
They are labors of love and can serve a niche market that the big publishers don't bother with. They also tend to be very efficient...they have to to survive without funding.

How did your studio get your start in working with independent games?
Just Do It. We had ideas about how to do things in a different way and wanted to try them out. We stopped talking about it and started actually doing something about it!

What is the most innovative feature of Take Command: 1861 The Civil War and how is it innovative in your mind?
It is the only game that I have ever played, that gives the player a true feeling for what Civil War combat was like.

What do gamers appreciate most about Take Command: 1861 The Civil War?
A free camera that can view the horizon and is NOT locked to the classic 45-degree angle of other RTS combat games. The freedom is so liberating it’s hard to go back and play games that limit your view. The AI is very good and the map very large.

What was the most difficult part of Take Command: 1861 The Civil War to program?
It has to be the AI. We worked on infantry AI for an entire year. Of course with us that’s an entire year of nights and weekends, but no other single feature of the game came even close to taking an entire year.

Other than your own game did any one of the IGF finalists or Student Showcase games stand out to you?
All of this years games look exceptional. But we think that this will be an interesting year. By the IGF definition, an independent game is one without a publisher. One of the entrants did not have a publisher but did have an enormous budget for an independent game. Now although the rules do not state anything about this, I think that the IGF is going to have to make a decision. Because what’s the difference between getting big bucks from a publisher or a private investor? Small independent start ups such as ourselves would not stand a chance in competing against a well funded game. I feel that if the IGF does not add a rule about the game budget, they are going to lose a lot of participation from shops such as MadMinute Games.

What is your definition of an Independent Game?
A game created a designed by a small group of dedicated individuals that are beholden to no one. Meaning that they have not signed the rights of the game away to publishers or investors. The group that works on the game provides for the game. We would even go so far to say that it has to be the first game created by the company. There has to be an element of risk involved, with no prior success. Of course these are only the ideas we have when we think of independent games, I’m sure that they mean many different things to different people.

How do you think Independent Games will evolve in the future?
Independent games will only become more prevalent because the "system" squashes innovation and small teams can be more creative by doing MORE with less.

What is the biggest challenge facing Independent games?
Time, money and the dedication of the members of the team. Everyone has to trust that the other members will be self-motivated to work extremely hard and resolve the differences that come up.

As one of the leaders of Independent Games, what is next for you?
To build on what we started and to grow the wargame market thru new innovative features.