INTERVIEW: We spoke with Diego Ras, the developer of the game Raccoo Venture

Today we’re going to talk to Diego Ras, who single-handedly developed the game Raccoo Venture (available for all current platforms).

Hi Diego, thank you very much for agreeing to our interview; Right away I want to let you know how much I admire your ability, dedication and intelligence, for being able to make a wonderful game on your own with so many details, like Raccoo Venture, which is a platform game, my favorite style of game. You simply made a dream come true that I had in my childhood, when I read game magazines and dreamed about games and the possibility of learning how to make a game; Well, the most I’ve learned so far is how to make a website, and so I try to put my passion for games into practice by talking about wonderful achievements like yours. Therefore, I emphasize here how happy I am to publish this interview with you on our website, Revolution Arena.

Well, let’s get to the questions:

Markus (Revolution Arena): I think Raccoo is very similar to the games I was passionate about back in my Nintendo 64 days, am I right? What was the initial inspiration for creating “Raccoo Venture”? Does the game have influences or references from other games or media?

Diego Ras: You are more than right! The Nintendo 64 was my favorite console. I don’t know if it’s a question of nostalgia, nostalgia or if I simply had more fun with games back then. The biggest inspirations came from the Mario franchise, from Mario 64 to Mario 3D World. But other games also had major influences such as Banjo & Kazooie, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Donkey Kong, Gex Enter the Gecko, Conker Bad Fur Day etc.

Markus (Revolution Arena): What was the process of developing a game yourself like? What were the biggest challenges you faced during development?

Diego Ras: Solo development is a journey of many challenges, whether technical, financial or otherwise. Especially in a project like Raccoo Venture, which took 5 years of development. Inevitably, you end up experiencing moments of burnout and demotivation, which are extremely common when you work for so long on the same project. However, it is also important to understand that this is part of the game and that finding ways to get around these moments is also part of development. But I can say, without a doubt, that this journey is extremely rewarding and provides a lot of learning, contact with incredible people and achievements. On several occasions you need to use a lot of creativity to solve technical problems or overcome personal challenges, so it ends up becoming an opportunity to get to know yourself better and reinvent yourself in order to overcome the difficulties that arise along the way.

Markus (Revolution Arena): How did you balance your personal life and dedication to the project over so many years?

Diego Ras: The way I found to make this happen and what worked for me (after all, it may not work for other people) was to approach game development with the same commitment as a regular job. So I tried to keep my schedule, work every day and meet the goals I set. Understanding the project in this way helps to maintain the rhythm and avoid excuses to “skip” a day of production, in the same way that there are days when you wake up and don’t feel like going to work but need to go anyway.

Markus (Revolution Arena): How did your background in mechatronics and design influence the development of the game?

Diego Ras: Mechatronics is an area that involves a lot of calculations. There are several subjects where more in-depth knowledge of physics and mathematics is required. Coincidentally, when programming a game, a lot of mathematics and a lot of physics are used as well. I believe that this familiarity helped to understand more quickly some aspects more related to the exact aspects of development. On the other hand, training in Design (the former “Technical Drawing”), involves subjects related to communication and visual language, composition, etc., which in turn helped me with all aspects of creating characters, animations, intentions among other aspects that would have greater connection with the player’s artistic and psychological relationship with the game.

Markus (Revolution Arena): How did you approach creating the graphics and art design for “Raccoo Venture”?

Diego Ras: My objective with this game was to bring that playful and more simplistic atmosphere that we had at the beginning of the era of 3D games, but with a small touch of modernity. For this, the more cartoonish art style of the world and characters seemed like a good option to achieve this result.

Markus (Revolution Arena): How important are music and sound effects in the game?

Diego Ras: All elements of the game have great importance and their own responsibilities so that the player’s immersion is actually created and maintained through the experience proposed by the game. Music has a great power to influence feelings and emotional states in people, so I used music to keep the player calm, focused to explore and solve puzzles, or more tense as happens in boss battles.

Markus (Revolution Arena): How did you decide on the game’s mechanics and gameplay?

Diego Ras: As it was a project that I would work on alone, the smartest thing to do would be to try to create simple mechanics that could be used in several different ways, as creating several mechanics that were very different from each other would require a lot of production time, which could make the project unfeasible. That’s why I decided to go with a proposal where the player would have few mechanics available but could use them creatively to solve the problems the game presented along the way.

Markus (Revolution Arena): Was there a point when you thought about giving up? How did you overcome that?

Diego Ras: There were several troubled moments during the game’s development time. However, there is one fact that was more striking and that today has a great link with the trajectory of the game’s development. In the first year of the project, in 2019, my father was diagnosed with cancer. In parallel to the years of development, he successfully faced hemodialysis and 2 chemotherapy processes. This had several impacts on our lives, from emotional, financial to changes in routines. It was a few years of juggling the “lemons that life gives us”. And it was my father who encouraged me the most and “demanded” me to see this project finished. Unfortunately, he passed away in early 2023, a few months before the completion and release of Raccoo Venture. So the possibility of giving up or abandoning the project never crossed my mind, as it was always more than a personal issue.

Markus (Revolution Arena): What was the public and critical reaction to “Raccoo Venture”? Did you expect it to be different?

Diego Ras: The vast majority of the public has liked the result and news outlets have provided good analysis. Which for me is already an excellent result. Except for some complaints about the game’s difficulty (laughs), which at times can make some players get a little more excited, but which also has its fans, who highlight it in their comments.

To be honest, my goal has always been to deliver a good product to the players, but I didn’t know exactly how it would be received and in fact I didn’t expect the game to be so well received in that way, which surprised me quite positively. .

Markus (Revolution Arena): What does the raccoon, the game’s main character, represent to you?

Diego Ras: The raccoon is a symbol of curiosity, intelligence and represents more than just a digital avatar. It symbolizes the player’s journey of discovery and overcoming through the adversities of the world in which he lives. Your curious and determined nature reflects my own approach to life, motivating me to explore new horizons, learn from every situation and move forward with determination.

Markus (Revolution Arena): What was the process like testing and adjusting the game for different platforms?

Diego Ras: This was a process in partnership with publisher QUByte Interactive, who spared no effort to make the game run perfectly on all consoles.

Throughout this process, we identified and resolved specific performance issues, optimizing graphics, gameplay and game stability on each platform. Close collaboration was key to overcoming the unique challenges presented by the different hardware environments that exist between consoles.

Markus (Revolution Arena): What lessons did you learn from this project that you would like to pass on to other indie developers?

Diego Ras: The development of ‘Raccoo Venture’ was an enriching experience full of learning. Some key lessons include:

Have solid planning from the beginning, including market research, clear goal setting and most importantly: realistic timelines.

Community feedback is gold . Involving the community and getting regular feedback during development is crucial. External opinions can reveal valuable perspectives and identify areas for improvement that contribute to a more polished product.

Be prepared to adjust course as needed. Flexibility is vital in game development, as inevitable changes can lead to unexpected improvements. However, don’t let yourself get carried away and remember to stay focused on the fundamental objective of the project.

Beware of the mutating scope. Throughout development, you are often tempted to include incredible features and mechanics that were not planned, which can make the completion of the project intangible. So it is preferable to cut elements than add new ones.

Promote your game from the early stages of development. Building an online presence, engaging the community and creating expectations can drive interest even before launch, which is very important when you don’t have a few miles left to invest in marketing (lol).

And finally, maintain a healthy balance between work and rest. Also understand that moments of slowdown and fatigue are natural during the process and that everything is ok! Understanding and accepting these aspects is crucial for long-term creativity and productivity.

Markus (Revolution Arena): How do you see the future of “Raccoo Venture”? We’ve recently had more languages ​​added to the game, but are there any plans for expansions or sequels? Can I dream of a new 2D platformer for Raccoo, or a race in the style of Diddy Kong Racing?

Diego Ras: Hahaha.. This is a recurring question. But it is something that involves other factors unrelated to the desire to produce a new game, in this case a sequel, which include the public’s reception, acceptance and interest in the game. I’m currently collecting feedback from players and news outlets, understanding the game’s relevance in players’ minds and, of course, what the stores’ return has been like. All of this has a great influence on a decision to invest efforts in a new product that is linked to the Raccoo Venture universe. What I can say is that at the moment I’m supporting the game, fixing any bugs and working on improvements to players’ quality of life, to make Raccoo Venture a good product that can entertain many players around the world. 

Markus (Revolution Arena): What feedback from players has impacted you the most? How did community feedback influence the game’s development?

Diego Ras: Throughout the game’s Early Access period, there were several changes due to feedback from players who risked facing the raccoon’s unending journey. I remember that in the first versions of the game there were physics problems that often hindered players, generating a great feeling of frustration. Reaching a point where it was necessary to redo the entire physics part from scratch. Although this was difficult, today I see that it was of great importance in the result, to have control over the events that happen in the game. And this is just an isolated example, as there were several changes and improvements that were only possible due to this exchange of ideas with the gaming community during the development process. In other words, thanks to this interaction, today the game has become more enjoyable, with a better game feel , more polished and more fun.

Markus (Revolution Arena): In hindsight, what would you have done differently in the process of creating “Raccoo Venture”?

Diego Ras: It’s a difficult question to answer, as identifying areas that can be improved is an ongoing process during game development and after launch. Maybe I would spend a little more time researching the market and understanding player expectations. This could have resulted in a slightly more refined take on the game from the start, ensuring an experience that better met the target audience’s needs and preferences.

Markus (Revolution Arena): What message would you like to send to people who dream of working making games, but still don’t know what to do or how to do it? Could you give some tips on how these people could get started, to achieve their dream?

Diego Ras: Game development is an incredible area to work in. But like any other job, it is tiring and has its days of struggle. Developing a game is not an easy task, but it is not impossible either. Today we have many tools that help solo developers and small teams with their projects. It is an area that requires a lot of technical knowledge on various subjects, so it is essential that you are very interested in researching and learning new things. For those who want to work with games, my tip is to dedicate yourself and get your hands dirty, create small projects to learn how to manage your time and better understand your limitations and strengths, as it will also help you understand which areas within the game development you feel better and have more affinity to work. Try to finish your projects to understand all the steps involved in completing a complete game. This will give you a better view, help you understand the process as a whole and bring greater experience within the area.

Markus (Revolution Arena): After developing Raccoo Venture, showing exceptional competence and quality, can you talk about whether you have been approached by any development company trying to hire you? Do you think it would be good for you, or is it better to continue having the freedom to do everything the way you prefer?

Diego Ras: So far I haven’t received any tempting proposals, but I’ll keep checking my email inbox (laughs). Jokes aside, both are interesting paths to take. I have no closed doors and no resistance to working in “multiplayer mode”, in other companies, or continuing in “solo mode” as I have been doing. I believe that both paths will always bring new teachings, new challenges and new experiences. This is all part of this entire process of learning and maturing as a professional. So, let’s let it go!

Thank you very much for the interview Diego. You really are an example of a person who chases their dreams and makes it happen. Congratulations for everything you have done and are doing, and especially for “Raccoo Venture”, which is a wonderful game. I’m already looking forward to more of your games in the future.

Hug.