We had the opportunity to meet Aron and Dominik, the founders of Acodeon Gaming, a Croatian studio located in Strizivojna that was founded in 2020, and which should release an exciting action, racing and shooter title Chaos on Wheels next month. We talked about the game, their views on conditions in Croatia and the gaming scene in general.
In Chaos on Wheels we will be able to customize our cars, equip them with armor and weapons, unlock new devices, upgrade ammunition and shoot at other cars or objects. In addition to shooting at others, it is also important to avoid projectiles, traps and dangers that will come towards us.
This game is coming out on October 19th in Early Access and will be playable on PC via Steam. The Steam Early Access version will feature a ten-chapter campaign, a single-player Chaos Career, a custom two-player split-screen gameplay option, as well as two game modes. It also includes more than 25 vehicles with loads of equipment, dozens of maps and a group of unique drivers to choose from. In the beginning, garage management will have a limited amount of actions, but this will all be fully polished during the final launch and the exit of the game from Early Access.
Be sure to check out their official website, Steam Store Page and YouTube channel where they often post content related to Chaos on Wheels.
I think we are all interested to know how Acodeon was established; what is your story and how many people are currently developing Chaos on Wheels?
Acodeon was created as an idea of the two of us, to combine our three passions: programming, art and gaming. In the beginning, there were only two of us and we independently learned the skills of video game development in Unreal Engine, and decided to drop out of college and try to find our way in entrepreneurship and the gaming world. Chaos on Wheels is currently developed by three people full-time, and a few freelancers help in certain parts of the development.
This is not your first project, are you preparing a few more games for us? Along with Chaos on Wheels, there is also Superhero Tactics Saga. What is the background behind that game?
This is our first independent project, but no, it is not the first project. We have worked on many projects for clients, including the Superhero Tactics Saga. It is a project of a company from America, on which we are doing the development. It is a turn-based strategy with superheroes.
Are you satisfied with the conditions in Croatia regarding the possibility of developing video games, what are your experiences and opinions?
We are very satisfied with the conditions in Croatia. I think there are legal procedures, as there would be in any other country, but I would also point out that there are many good opportunities that the country offers to those who want to roll up their sleeves and work. From state incentives for self-employment, CES funds, and vouchers for education. In Croatia, there are also various game dev communities that are very accessible to everyone and very helpful to those who want to enter the industry.
How long has Chaos on Wheels been in development and what would you single out as a special feature we can find within the game?
Chaos on Wheels has been in development since November 2020. For the first two years, it was all in part-time development, and in 2023 we decided to complete the game and start full-time development. I would single out, in my opinion, the very intuitive and easy handling of the vehicle, which allows players to focus on shooting, destroying the environment, while drifting and doing cool stunts.
Chaos on Wheels is a combination of racing and shooter elements that we don't see that often, why did you decide on this approach and does the game draw inspiration from other titles?
Yes, car combat is not very popular, but according to our research, there is a good number of potential players and a good chance for the success of our first game. Also, as kids, we played games like Carmageddon, Twisted Metal and Vigilante 8, that is, we wanted to create something inspired by those titles, but modern and made in our own way. Also, the Croatian game Gus Guzzlers by Gamepires is one of the inspirations, and we wouldn't complain if we followed in their footsteps.
Do you use Unreal Engine to develop your games, what are some pros and cons of that engine based on your experiences?
The advantages of Unreal Engine are definitely its capabilities and the ability to change the source code, and the disadvantages would be the smaller number of developers familiar with how it works compared to Unity.
At the moment we will be able to play Chaos on Wheels only in singleplayer, do you plan to release the multiplayer game mode as well?
There is local multiplayer, which combined with Steam's "Steam Remote Play" feature, in a way, gives something similar to online multiplayer. Real Online Multiplayer is currently not in our development plan, but it has never been completely ruled out that we could add it.
We can download the Chaos on Wheels Demo on Steam and sign up for the Beta on Discord ahead of next month's launch, how much does player feedback mean to you?
Player feedback is of crucial importance to us because it is a good indicator of what we are doing right and what not. For example, the first negative feedback about the game was about the driving and map design at the time, which we took into account and changed, and now the feedback on it is all very good. We try to take into account most of the feedback, without changing the imagined vision of the game.
What kind of vehicles and weapons can players expect in Chaos on Wheels, and are there environmental features or interactive elements within the game that players can strategically take advantage of?
The vehicles are mostly modern, inspired by everything that could be found on today's roads. From vans to supercar class vehicles. Weapons are standard; machine guns and rocket launchers of various types. There are pickups on maps, and Driver Abilities that provide a strategic element during the fight itself, but also a whole garage where players arrange their cars and equipment.
We know that the game will be released in Steam Early Access, what is your roadmap, i.e. what kind of content can we expect in the upcoming updates?
We aim to add more content, more cars, drivers, and weapons, add new ways to play, translate the game into more languages, optimize it, polish and improve current features; such as AI, editing cars, engines, chassis to visual features. We also plan to add competitiveness between players through Steam Leaderboards and Steam Achievements.
What can you tell us about the ten-chapter campaign and the Chaos Career we can find within the game?
The campaign is very concise, and is there to explain and evoke the world in which Chaos on Wheels takes place. Chaos Career is the point around which we focused. In Chaos Career we have everything from the management of the entire garage, to the actual fight against other cars or the environment.
How long will one playthrough last, i.e. is there replayability and enough content to keep players engaged?
One fight lasts 10 minutes or 15 minutes depending on the game mode. What gives us replayability is the possibility that you can always play locally with friends in split-screen mode and try to beat them, or solo in Chaos Career, where you can edit your garage, cars, weapons and other equipment, almost indefinitely.
Can we drift in the game? If so, how does it work?
It is possible to drift in the game, it is enough to press the button for the handbrake, or normally, at high speed, make a sharp turn. Our goal was to make drifting as fun as possible, and easy maneuverability during drifting. Immediate feedback from players revealed that we were able to make it happen. But don't take our word for it, try it and see for yourself.
What are some of the obstacles the team faced developing this game? What motivated you to keep going?
The main obstacle is, of course, money. Developing a game of this scale is a very expensive and long process. The main motivator is that you will never succeed if you give up. Just keep going and success will come sooner or later.
Finally, do you think that the development of games in Croatia is growing year by year, that it has a future as an industry?
We would definitely say that it is growing and has a future, with the increasing interest of young people in the industry, and the help of many individuals, companies and communities, the development of video games is much more accessible and growing year by year.
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