POV: You’re a performer and it is your first look into the animation world
Hello store managers, I’m Lynn, once a performer, now XZV Studio’s new copywriter, here to give a game development update of Keen Mart: F.A.R.P. Simulator. May 8th marked my first visit to an animation studio – our production partner, Vmagery Studio. During my visit, I learned that Keen Mart was in its choreographing and rehearsing phase before performance day. In other words, the game is currently developing its characters and identifying bugs through playtesting before its release to the public.
Choreography Meets Coding
There are many aspects of choreography: creation, formation and finding issues in a performance, or in this case, finding and fixing bugs. As a cozy gamer myself, I’m no stranger to the term “fixing bugs.” However, this visit opened my eyes to how tedious the process can actually be. Fixing bugs is not as easy as changing a dance move. In the world of animation, I learned that bug fixing can be fixed through changing codes, removing assets, debugging and the list goes on. For example, the team discovered that too many customers (NPCs) in the store causes the game to freeze. The solution—reducing NPC density by optimizing frame updates or managing how often NPCs spawn. The real question, how? For this, both solutions require coding implementation.
Bringing Keeno to Life
One of the most important characters is Keeno, Keen Mart’s adorable robot mascot with a front tray that functions similarly to Doraemon’s bottomless storage space. Turning Keeno from a 2D illustration into a 3D model is still a work in progress. The first model had edges that were too square, so our 3D modeler worked on softening the corners to preserve Keeno’s chubby and cute intended vibe. Keeno’s movements such as raising his arm and opening his tray was simulated repeatedly, almost like exercising a muscle. Coming from a performance background, it was interesting to see how much character development translates into rhythm and timing.
Technical Rehearsals
Before this visit, I assumed game tests just meant “checking if it works.” I was wrong. Testing is essentially a technical rehearsal. I learnt that this development process is known as User Acceptance Testing (UAT). We are currently doing alpha testing, which happens internally while the game is being developed. This is what’s being tested in this first phase:
– Ensuring character movements are smooth
– Working within the memory limits
– Adjusting shadow casting
– Stabilizing the auto-save & load features
– Creating new models and simulating furnitures
To me, this translates into performance concepts like rehearsals, timing and fine-tuning for a better performance, something I never thought to connect so naturally with game development.
Learning Expedition
This first visit felt more like a learning expedition as I tried to make sense of the chaos as a newbie in the animation industry. The simulator mixes cozy supermarket vibes with wartime chaos. Keen Mart is set in The Sentinels universe but has turned into a Forward Arming and Refuelling Point (Hence, F.A.R.P.). So, instead of just managing the store, players will also be protecting the store and aiding recruits during an active siege. It is a combination of role-playing (RPG), life-sim and a little bit of first-person shooter (FPS). Honestly, the cozy gamer in me cannot wait to play.
While this is not the regular game development update, I now understand why the cozy games I play are constantly being updated. I gained a new respect for game developers and I intend on deepening that during my next visit. Follow @XZVStudios on Instagram for updates as we continue developing the game. And with that, thanks for reading my op-ed disguised as a game development log… or was it the other way round? Either way, till next time, store managers!
– Lynn
Explore the World of Qu-1
The game is currently scheduled to beta release at the end of the year. So, if you’d like to explore the Sentinels Universe or learn more about the Siege of Qu-1 (Yes, the siege happening while you run your supermarket), check out the links below or enter the island code in Fortnite!
Fortnite Island Code: 3019-3995-5833
Fortnite Island Link: http://play.fn.gg/island/3019-3995-5833
Discord: https://discord.gg/f9Emd43VNW
Website: https://xzvco.com/portfolio/siege-of-qu-1/
Disclaimer: Gameplay footage and screenshots are not final. Final product may vary.