Originally from Kiss My Geek. Slightly abridged from original interview for clarifications. Hello Melibellule and Tigrounette and welcome to Kiss My Geek’s mayhem. Before we talk about your amazing game Transformice, let’s talk about the amazing developers behind it. Can you tell us who you are, and how you met ? Well I’m Melibellule, or Meli for short, I’m a 24 years old graphic designer chick, and I’ve got two cats and lots of plushies. How did you get the idea to work together? Basically, I think it’s because Tigrounette had already made a couple of cool games, and we thought it would be great to make another one but with better graphics. We’re very complementary too ^^ What did you have in mind when you began working on Transformice? For my part, nothing much I admit. I basically said "hey I’ll make a little mouse, and it’ll have to get a cheese and bring it back to its mousehole as fast as possible!" ^^ The goal was to make a small fun game, nothing revolutionary, just something to do for fun and test our skills, so we didn’t really put that much thought into it. What were the differents steps in making Transformice? Well there weren't many steps. The gameplay concept was quickly formed and approved, and the rest just flowed by itself. We launched the game in early May with only a dozen maps made of plain green blocks, and no hats (thus no cheese to gather to buy them, only for titles), no emotes, well nothing much in fact. But the game was an immediate hit with many people, so we wanted to keep improving it with regular updates. How would you explain your game’s concept to a new player? The simplest way possible: you’re a little mouse, out to grab cheese and take it back to the mousehole! I think I should add that you’re not the only one after that cheese, and you’ll have to be a very smart mouse to get your cheese back before everyone else. And that’s what makes the game so fun! Is Transformice the game you wanted it to be at the start? For my part, I’d say it’s even more than I had originally hoped, but it’s also a bit different. The introduction of the cheese as a money to buy hats has slightly changed the basic gameplay. Before people were just playing to play, making amazing contraptions, and just having fun. Now, they’re all obssessed with cheese ^^’ And when a Shaman isn’t doing his job properly, he often gets his head bitten off. What is the most amusing part of your game? Personally, emotes! Recently, we added some emotes like dance, laugh, cry and kiss, and dancing is definitely my favorite. I just love to see dozens of mice (and thus, the real people behind them) beginning to dance in rythm and choreographing, instead of always running after the cheese. ^^ What amuses me the most is to see people interacting with each other, with only the few actions a mouse can do. Putting together 50 people in a room is very revealing of human nature! What's in Transformice’s future? We’re still thinking about it. If it could go on like this forever, it’d be great, but it’s rarely that simple! Personally, I’d love to just continue to make updates that players would love, and wish for more and more players and more and more fun. If you had to sum up Transformice in a few numbers, what would they be? Transformice, it’s more than 4 million visits a month, 80,000 unique visits a day, 7,500 players connected simultaneously every night, and the #1 multiplayer game on Kongregate, it’s madness! For a lot of people, you are the perfect representation of the indie game developer’s dream, created by two people and now played by thousands. What advice would you give to those who would like to make an indie game? I think the best advice I could give is: seeking after fame and success at any cost is the best way never to achieve it. Our success was truly a surprise for us, and I think that most of the successful projects were done by people who weren’t looking for it either. What’s your greatest wish for Transformice? I admit that I’m fulfilled! I’d love to work on Transformice as my main job and keep improving it full-time, but it’s not really easy to plan. Do you think there is some kind of limit in Transformice’s growth that shouldn't be exceeded, or is this something you haven't thought about yet? I think that any community based project has a certain limit that shouldn't be exceeded, because people will feel like very little fishes in a big pond. I’d like never to reach it, but I don’t really know where it’s at. Does your success scare you? How far would you like to go with it? Well, I admit that it does scare me a little, but I’m easily frightened! (Tigrounette cries : SO TRUE!) It still hasn't really sunk in that so many people love to play with the little mice I designed… As I said earlier, I’d like to develop it a bit more professionally, but it’s not simple. What are the advantages and the disadvantages of working with someone else? Advantages: It goes very quickly, when we have an idea, we share it immediately with each other and see if it’s possible, and decide whether or to do it. We don’t burden ourselves with unnecessary considerations. Disadvantages: sometimes we can mess up things and do them wrong, because a decision made by only two persons may not have enough perspective. And also when we don’t agree on what we should do, it’s sometimes hard to decide who’s right. Being given that Tigrounette is so stubborn! What are the main criticisms you hear? "Too much lag !" "You should add this, this and this" "This sucks, since <insert update here>, the game isn’t the same anymore, I’m leaving !" "I WAS UNJUSTLY BANNED !!" And the most beautiful compliments? I personally love when I see in the comments "I have never laughed so hard at a game in my entire life" ^^ What are your short and long term projects? Personal and professional, of course! It’s – a – secreeeet ~ Are you going to make changes to Transformice? What kinds? I’d really like to improve the maps. Make them a bit better looking. And I’m preparing something secret too. Is there a question people never ask you that you’d like to answer here? Uh… Let’s see… "Do you like rhubarb ?" "Yes !!"
Meli seems like a really nice person! I love her drawings and I like to compliment her on them when she's on! But she never answers Still a beautiful person =)
UH, wha???? I didnt read it, but the new stuff you did with the Ad, man, Mods, Cool mice, then down to the IDIOT xP lol. I thought that was so funny. Hope you guys get the ranks updated. Can't wait to see my new rank! Tig, you need to get more cheese and shamen, your rank is going down, thats not good. -Klaeb ( Your youtube guy xP)
Isn't that the main hardship when you design the most popular and amusing multi-player game? Or are there others that I'm not currently aware of?
Meli and Tig should be very proud of Transformice. Without it I wouldnt have met: Simpleasthat Ugomann Pompomball Smoof Chesseo Sourdough Kiytt Pwnk Sabusha Keithhh And many many MANY MANYYYYYYY more! Thank you Meli and Tig! THANK YOU! :3
why does it take alot of work to make a permanent map that is a good map? i made about 6 permanent maps and they all got deleted! reply and write awnser here what does it take to have you make someone a mod? reply and write awnser here [mod] no need to copy the entire interview. Also, they don't look at these forums, so those questions will never be answered by them
It is quite amazing how this game progressed and came to the point it's at now, the rating on Kongregate went somewhere on the fourth page of top rated multiplayer games, to the #1 multiplayer game, I hope they strive for #1 on the whole website.
