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### Motocross Challenge [GBA]

#### http://www.dhggames.com/

#### Reviewed By Dudley

Generally our mission here at RGCD towers is to bring you the best in retro homebrew, but this month's featured game is a departure from the norm. It's not retro; it's a newly produced game from an original design document. Also, whilst it bears a resemblance to several old games it's certainly not a remake of anything you've ever seen before. That said, neither is it strictly homebrew; instead the game was developed by a commercial developer who had a contract with a publisher.

So why are we so interested? It's because we love a story and this game has a good one. Motocross Challenge has been in development for three years now by relatively small indie developer DHG. In 2006 they signed the game to what they describe on their website as "a very big and international publisher that shall remain unnamed". After a further six months of solid work, the game was finally completed in February 2007 - yet while it was in final testing the publisher decided that the GBA market wouldn't support enough sales of a non-licensed game to make releasing it worthwhile. The project was thereafter cancelled, despite just needing to be written to a cartridge, stuck in a box and shipped to the shops.

So far, so disappointing. This actually happens quite often in the industry, and usually we hear nothing for several years until someone leaks the game when the machine is long dead. On this occasion though, without the resources to port the game to something else and with a strong desire to actually let someone play the damn thing, DHG made the amicable decision to host their opus for download from their website. So there you have it - Motocross Challenge has been released absolutely free in its completed commercial form for you to play on your GBA emulator or (if you're me) your shiny new Gameboy Micro.

It's an inspiring move that we at RGCD whole-heartedly salute. As soon as we heard the news we relegated the previously chosen featured game and our international media team (aka James) leapt into action. We're your one-stop shop for this game, not only do we have this superbly written review (... - JM) but also an interview with the good people at DHG. Of course, it goes without saying that the GBA file is ready on disc for you to drop straight onto your flash cart or emulator of choice...

So what is Motocross Challenge? Well in short it's the bastard child of that old GB racer Motocross Maniacs and the NES classic Excite Bike (with maybe just a dash of the bike sections of California Games). To be more specific, the viewpoint is that of Motocross Maniacs, the tracks are classic Excite Bike (although considerably more complicated and imaginative) and the game features a neat and very intuitive trick system much like that found in California Games.

The main Challenge mode involves a series of rounds in three major categories (in separate trees so you always have at least one of each open). These categories are 'Beat the Clock' (time based), 'Trick Attack' (points based) and 'World Tour' (where you race against the AI opponents). Each of these rounds demands a subtly different play style and is probably the first indication that we're dealing here with a proper commercial game rather than a polished piece of homebrew.

Graphically MXC is a thing of beauty - its right up there with any GBA game you care to name. The artwork is detailed without being cluttered, the frame rate is absolutely 100% rock solid and the general presentation is very professional and intuitive. The mistake a lot of GBA developers make is to try and ask too much of the machine, but DHG have succeeded in pushing the console as far as they can without jeopardising the game-play.

The controls mark MXC out as more than the standard arcade-style bike games it originally appears to be a copy of. The main noticeable innovation is in the physics - when your bike accelerates the front wheel will start to leave the ground and you'll have to keep nudging the d-pad to make your rider lean forward and correct it. This is crucial since many of your tricks will require you to get the bike in the right position when making jumps (and of course, you need you to continue adjusting the bike in mid air to ensure a safe landing). It's a nice little touch that makes pulling off tricks slightly more involving than the usual 'take-off and mash buttons' technique.

There's also the addition of a turbo boost, which gives you a much increased top speed for a limited period. This is useful for those desperate mad dashes to the line in 'Beat the Clock' or 'World Tour' modes but also rewards you with you extra air-time when jumping off ramps - thus giving you a few more seconds to ramp up those trick scores. The boost is strictly limited, but crucially also recharges continuously (albeit at a slow rate). You really do have to keep an eye on it, ensuring that you don't max out (which results in your bike losing speed) and also that you save enough for those tricky ramps ahead.

You may have noticed from the screenshots that the courses aren't entirely 2D - much like Excite Bike you can move into and out of the screen. The game utilises this depth by placing muddy sections which slow you down, obstacles to avoid and wooden ramps across the z-axis as well as along the length of the track. Learning the position of these is crucial to your success as the same courses have to be played in a completely different way in each of the game modes. For example, while in trick mode you'll be looking for every ramp you can find in order to maximise air-time for pulling off stunts, whereas in the beat the clock mode performing tricks is only going to slow you down. You'll plan a route to blast by as many of them as possible, taking into account the ramps that allow you to jump a muddy section or obstacle. It's all surprisingly strategic considering we're looking at an essentially simple motocross game in two-and-a-half dimensions.

With the exception of the somewhat disappointing sound and ineffectual password save system, MXC is a first-class professional product. It's our collective opinion that if it had had been released back in the GBA's prime MXC would have been a top seller – and it's an exceptional title compared to the avalanche of licensed dross the machine has suffered in the last couple of years. Even with a £20 price tag this would be easily the best game of its type on the GBA and the bargain-price of free makes it an essential addition to your collection. If DHG organised the production of a £15 homebrew cart I'd personally be the first in line to buy a copy. As it is, it's probably earned a permanent place on my flash cart and I strongly suggest you award it the same on yours. I really hope this release secures DHG a future DS publishing deal, as they have certainly shown themselves to be more than worthy of it.

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Motocross Challenge is a fantastic GBA game - it's as simple as that. It's uncomplicated, easy to learn, fun to play and shines with quality, even when compared to its commercial peers.

The only flaw with the game is its archaic password-save method - a system more suited to home consoles than handhelds. However, that aside, I agree unequivocally with Dudley's review and eagerly await news on any future projects from DHG Games - they've definitely proven themselves to be a competent development group with plenty of original ideas.

J. Monkman.

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Graphics: | 95%
Sound: | 83%
Game Concept: | 92%
Gameplay: | 96%
Lasting Appeal: | 92%

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Q1. As way of introduction, please could you give a brief paragraph or two about yourself and the other members of DHG?

My name is Daniel-David Guertin, aka Guert, and I'm the artist and designer at DHG games. DHG games was founded by David Doucet, a professional programmer, during his University graduation year. The first to join his project was Étienne Houle, an old programmer friend working in database software field at that time. Shortly after that, they both began working for a game development studio full time and on Motocross Challenge part time.

I joined DHG games few months afterward. I started out as a pixel artist and eventually started to design the game based on the original concepts. I took care of all the graphic elements and a major part of the design. We dealt with indie artists for the website and music tracks. Few other people have touched the project a bit, but as our story tells, it's hard to find people ready to invest the time and effort needed to achieve such a project.

Q2. What development tools and hardware set-up were used to create MXC, and could you briefly describe the development process?

We used DevKit Advance for code and graphics were created with various software, such as Gimp and Photoshop. All other tools used have been developed in-house such as our track editor.

As for the development process, we prototyped a lot. We wanted to take a lot of small steps toward our goal since it was our first big project and we didn't know exactly where we were going. If we could start again, we'd certainly work more on design before starting to prototype but this approach has helped us get the hang of the GBA and its limitations. We also established very clear and precise milestones. We wanted to make sure that when it would be time to deal with publishers, they would see right away that we were serious and we knew where the project was heading and what needed to be done.

Q3. What was the main inspiration for creating MXC?

The original idea came from David. He wanted to create a motocross based 2D racing game and felt like there was still some room in the industry for this kind of game. Of course, you can't say 2D motocross game without thinking 'Excitebike' or 'Motocross Maniacs' so when I picked up the design, I inspired myself from these titles and tried to give a more modern flavour to it all. We really tried to push every concept as far as possible and add as much new elements without loosing the classic feel of these titles.

Q4. The story behind the game is really sad, with the publisher pulling out at the testing stage (after months of work and many changes to the original design). What advice (if any) would you give to new indie developers looking for a publisher, and what have you learnt about the industry as a result of your publishing problems?

Our cancellation was mostly due to a bad timing. We started developing at the same time that the Nintendo DS first showed up on the market. Back then, the future of the GBA was still bright, especially with the release of the GameBoy Micro. When the DS lite came on the market, we were already talking with potential publishers and nobody expected an explosion of the sales for the new DS iteration. The DS Lite nailed the coffin of the GBA shut and publishers started to steer heavily away from the dead handheld console even if there was faint signs of life.

From what I learned of the industry, my first advice is to never give up. Even if we were cancelled, our story shows that with hard work and perseverance, it is possible for small independent groups to break in the industry. Our game interested major publishers and we had signed contracts but we simply started developing the project few months too late.

Of course, this has been told many times but we experienced it first hand: you have to look professional. This doesn't simply apply for your website or your game, it also applies on how you deal with the publishers.

When we started dealing with publishers, we understood that the days of the GBA were numbered and that the system might not last until the game's completion. Publishers knew it too and used this to try to get the upper hand in the negotiations. They knew that if we'd refuse a deal, we might simply end up with nothing. My advice is to always take the time to negotiate. Never show that you are anxious to sign and don't accept the first thing they slip under your nose. Ask for meetings instead of simple email exchanges. Be prepared and confident about your game when you meet them. And don't be intimidated because you're dealing with a “big shot”: most industry leaders used to be developers too.

My last advice would be to never accept a deal without an advanced payment. When we started dealing, we received ridiculously low offers from big industry players and after that one fairly negotiated deal cancelled, we were ready to accept anything. We did a big mistake by accepting an offer which did not give us an advance payment of royalties. The contract wasn't all that bad. Royalties rate was good and the distribution rate was acceptable given the state of the GBA market. We believed that the contract was a good enough guaranty for a commercial release of the game. We believed wrong. About six months after we signed the deal, our publisher canceled the contract. Legal actions would've cost more than what we would've made so our options were very limited. So, if you sign a deal, make sure you have an advanced payment along with it so that if the publisher wants to cancel the title, they will also have a lost. It was too easy for our publisher to pull the plug.

Q5. On the DHG website you mention the publisher forcing you to compromise and make many changes to the game. What features were omitted as a result of this?

The first big thing we had to cut out from the game was due to the removal of memory batteries in the cartridge. We designed the game with a standard GBA cartridge in mind but the publisher asked us to make it fit on the smallest and cheapest format of cartridge. We had a profile system that allowed different saved games on the same cartridge, high scores for every tracks and secret achievements to beat for every event in the game but it all had to go since we couldn't save anymore. We came up with the password system to at least keep track of the player's progression but the rest had to go.

The other big thing that was omitted was the various music tracks we had planned. We were suppose to get at least 4 other tracks for the game but we ran out of time and cartridge space We didn't want to cut too much on graphics and tracks so the music took the biggest blow.

Some graphics were also cut from the game, such as alternate colors for the enemies, special animations for the menu and a special ending for completing the game with a 100% ratio. We were also planning to create a track editor but that also had to go.

The trick system had more depth and featured more tricks but we had to cut it a bit too.

Q6. Looking to the future, where would you like to see DHG in five years time? Have you any potential projects on the drawing board?

Being quite busy with our respective carriers, we took a little break following Motocross Challenge's public release. We evaluated where we wanted to go with DHG Games. We invested over 5000 hours in development time and we didn't know if we really wanted to start this all over again without monetary compensations. The huge interest following our game's release and the positive feedback we received is truly helping us getting motivated for a new project.

As for right now, we're working on a new version of Motocross Challenge. We want to improve what we have as much as possible. We are also working on personal projects that may become DHG projects in the future. Also, I've already started to create a design document for Motocross Challenge 2 but nothing is officially planned. We're taking a bit of time off before we decide what's our next official project.

Q7. Have you considered the possibility of releasing a limited number of copies of MXC on a cart? Games such as Blast Arena Advance have become much-sort-after collector’s items - there's definitely a market out there that collect independently released carts, regardless of the fact that flash carts are readily available and the original ROMs are free to download.

We did consider it but we felt like giving the game was a lot more interesting. We estimated that the visibility given by free distribution is far more valuable for us than the few bucks we could have make by selling the game on cartridges. We are currently in discussion with a potential business partner to port the game on a new system and an improved version of Motocross Challenge for GBA has also been mentioned. We can take advantage of all comments made on the free version to significantly improve the game.

Q8. If you had the resources and time to port the game to the Nintendo DS, what improvements would you make to utilise the power of the more powerful hardware? For example, would you utilise the DS's innovative touch screen and dual display features?

With time and resources, we would have a whole lot of things we would want to improve. First of all, we'd make use of the 3d engine by changing the 2d sprites into models to make everything looks smoother. We'd also make use of the two screens, using one for the action and the other for the information such as the turbo gage, time limits etc.. I can really see a stylus based editor and the ability to share your custom tracks with fellow players. We'd use the wi-fi capacities by adding multiplayer modes so people can play with or against other players.

Of course, a port on the DS implies the reinsertion of everything we had to cut and new elements added to the game.

As for gameplay, I don't believe that a game like Motocross challenge could benefit from the touch screen or microphone feature so there wouldn't be much change in that direction.

Q9. The choice of saving system (via a password) seems a bit odd for a game designed for a handheld console. Why was this method chosen?

It was our last resort. As mentioned earlier, passwords were never planned to be part of the game. We know that writing down a password while playing on the go is very difficult and we tried to keep it as simple as possible. We could've created a password system that allowed the player to save high scores and the special achievements but that would've required very long password. If we kept everything we wanted in the game, we would have passwords with over 25 digits. We already felt that eight characters was a lot so adding more digits was simply out of the question.

Q10. Thank you for participating in this interview. Is there anything else you'd like to add before signing off? (This is your chance to speak, ask questions, plug your website, etc.)

Thank you! It was quite a pleasure. I hope that our story doesn't discourage potential independent developers. Even if we didn't have the classical happy ending, I'm very satisfied with how everything is turning out. Expect to see more of us in the near future and check out our website, www.dhggames.com, for news and more details about our projects!