Cheyenne and Evie Wolford, Virtue Games Interview

by Alexander Tait 1 January 2005

Interviews

First interview with Cheyenne and Evie Wolford, the husband and wife Virtue Games team about Isles of Derek, a remake of Derek.

By Alexander Tait

Guys, thanks for letting me chuck all these questions at you. You’re probably pretty busy with Isles of Derek and the follow up, Mayabin… So, where are things up to?

Cheyenne has finished revamping Derek and a large distributor here in the US is looking at carrying it. We’re also going to be running a full-page ad in the Christian music magazine, HM magazine which has a circulation of 15000. We are also going to be mailing you a copy of Isles of Derek in about a week so you can compare it with the original Derek.

The marketing push for Isles of Derek will be beginning around July 1.

Mayabin is also coming along well. We’re looking to get it on the shelves of stores before the Christmas holidays (God help us!). There is much more to it than what you last saw and still a lot to come.

Cheyenne and I are doing very well. We’re now living near Yosemite, with running water and electricity (aren’t we getting spoiled!!).

How are you enjoying not having to rely on a generator?

It’s great to not have to run out and refuel a generator in the middle of the night! It opens up the way to let long animations sit and render for days!!!

What made you decide to re-release Derek as Isles of Derek?

When Virtue Games became a subsidiary of Thousand Mile Productions, we began making plans to do a real marketing and publicity push for Derek. Since we needed to re-publish it anyway, we also decided to update it some by drawing on the talent of our voice and sound expert, Mike Hill. Then Cheyenne (realizing that the majority of the Christian market is not acquainted with adventure games) got the idea of adding a hint system. With all these changes we decided to give the product a new name to distinguish it from the old Derek – so Isles of Derek was born.

Who will like Isles of Derek?

People of all ages, even young children, if they are playing alongside an adult, will have fun in the Isles of Derek. While it is clearly a Christian game, its challenging puzzles and creative graphics will make it enjoyable for anyone. And with its new hint system, it will even be great for those who have had little or no exposure to adventure games.

Was Derek successful?

When Derek was released we had no marketing or publicity system set up. Most of the sales went to those who had played Nacah and wanted the sequel or to the few who stumbled across our website or an online review of the game. Considering these limitations it has sold quite well and been very well received by its players, so we consider it to have been a success.

How is Isles of Derek different to Derek?

Isles of Derek has updated sound effects, new voiceovers for the main character, new video compression, new menu, inventory and credits, and most important-a hint system. The hint system, when engaged, will allow the player to access hints throughout the game. This revolutionary new hint system opens the world of adventure games to those who have never played them before.

Did you add or change anything?

No changes have been made to the actual game play. But there are a few extra Easter eggs scattered throughout the game…. 😉

How long did Isles of Derek take to develop?

It took about 2 months to develop and insert all the new features for Isles of Derek.

Will people who played Derek want to visit Isles of Derek?

Anyone who loved Derek and wants to keep it on hand to play in the future should upgrade to Isles of Derek. The hint system is fun to experience even if you don’t need it, because sometimes it fills in some of the storyline or inserts a funny comment. The new voiceovers for the ship captain really enhance the game as well. On the other hand, if a person has made it successfully through Derek and doesn’t feel like replaying the game, then there isn’t much reason for them to go through Isles of Derek. Like I said above, it’s really the same game with a facelift, if you will.

What is the storyline?

To paraphrase from the blurb of Derek, the Isles of Derek are inhabited by a people called the Matteh, most of whom are in absolute darkness as they have been under the thumb of the Dalaq, a people who follow a false religion. The Dalaq destroyed the Matteh’s Holy Bible, their one source of truth, and replaced them with Bibles in a language the Matteh could not read.

There is rumor of a secret sect of sincere Matteh that took copies of the Bible in the Matteh language and fled to a hidden spot in the mountains many years ago. You are sent on a quest to seek them out and bring back a Bible in their own language.

Does it follow on from Nacah?

While it does assume that the player has come “from the Islands of Nacah”, Isles of Derek does not require any experience with Nacah. All you need is a willingness to explore and have lots of fun!

Is it a prequel to the upcoming Mayabin?

Not at all.

Where is the game available?

The game will be available in stores all over the country and also from our website: www.virtuegames.com. It is due to be released in July 2005.

How is Mayabin progressing?

Mayabin is progressing slowly but surely. Now that we’ve got Isles of Derek finished, progress should speed up some. We’re also utilizing some new software tools that should greatly speed the production process.

How has Virtue Games grown since Derek?

Virtue Games was started by Cheyenne in 2000 because he wanted to create high quality adventure computer games in the genre and with the quality of Myst and Riven but with Christian values. His first game was Nacah, which took two years to complete. This was followed by the ambitious project Derek, which took eighteen months to complete.

The major change since Derek was released in 2003, was the acquisition of Virtue Games by Thousand Mile Productions in early 2004. Now that Virtue Games is a subsidiary of TMP, we have more team members (Rick Tewell, executive producer, Mike Hill, director of music and sound, and Lisa Tewell, business development and others) and more resources. Cheyenne is the chief game architect for Virtue Games and oversees all game development projects. The current game in production, Mayabin, is an adventure game based upon a “prodigal son” allegory.

What are Virtue Games’ philosophies for game development?

Virtue Creations is dedicated to producing quality Christian computer games that are nonviolent, Bible-based, and loads of fun. Additionally, we are focused on excellence. For far too long Christian computer games have been associated with mediocrity. Virtue Games hopes to change that.

Does working as husband and wife on a game change development (compared to a one man developer)?

The long and short of it…yes. Together we come up with better ideas for the story line and puzzles when brainstorming. We aren’t just a husband and wife team any longer, however. We are now part of a larger organization that is providing direction, support, creative input. There are quite a few members now on the “creative” team for Virtue Games. In fact, we now have SEVERAL husband and wife teams working together on Mayabin and future projects… Having a complete team allows Cheyenne to focus on the graphics generation instead of putting together the entire game. Art and graphics is where Cheyenne’s true gifting lies…

What are your plans for the future?

At this point we are planning to continue making Adventure Games far into the future. And, yes, we do have some awesome games in mind for the future.

Any plans to do a game based on Bible events (there is certainly a lot to choose from!)?

We have thought of doing one based on the conquest of Canaan, but it isn’t what we’re planning on doing next…wink. Think “Bible-esque”…

Is there a market for Christian computer games?

There haven’t really been any Christian computer games until the last few years, so we’re kind of finding out what the market is right now. We believe its big….seeing as there are lots of Christian kids wanting to play computer games and lots of Christian parents worried about what kind of influence the games will be. Our market analysis indicates that growth of Christian computer games will be on par with the success of Christian music, books, television and other media vehicles.

What do you see is the future for adventure games?

We believe that Adventure games will never go out of style. In fact, we think they have the potential for incredible growth as they are made more open-ended with more options for the player to determine the course of the game.

Has your game been used in Sunday Schools?