Interview with Kyle Choi

By Jen

Kyle Choi is the creator of Comer, an immersive adventure game dealing with creation mythology, aliens, and trees. Read my review and then order the game from Shine Studio.

What inspired you to create Comer (other than your admiration for Myst)?

Myst is the direct inspiration to be sure. There is another animation cartoon from Japan called Laputa, describing a city floating in the air, which I regard as the best of animation cartoon of all times, just as Myst is the best of its kind.

You seem to be a regular Renaissance man, what with being good at music, art, and game design. What is your educational background?

Thanks for the big hat of Renaissance, which makes me feel that I should have lived at that time. As for the background, may regard it as multi-cultural and multi-fielded. I drew and painted a lot as a boy, then played piano for a couple of years, then somehow entered college with an Architecture major and graduated alternatively from computer engineering (did spend my college years in the States, which enabled such diversity). The reason I entered the computer field was simply because I happened to see a stunning 3D computer graphics demo.

One thing that really struck me about Comer was the blend of Eastern and Western design elements. Were you attempting to attract two different types of audiences, or is that an aspect of your own personality?

It is both. I was trying to make something universal instead of culture-dependent, while that something universal has to be cultural at the same time. So I worked in an attempt to mingle the best of all cultures into something everyone can enjoy.

Why did you decide to sell Comer online only? Was it due to lack of interest from publishers, as so often seems to be the case these days, or was it merely so you could keep a bigger slice of the pie?

Comer is sold online because there seems to be no other way out. I did contact many publishers and got an impression just like you said.

If a publisher were to approach with an offer to distribute Comer, would you accept the offer, or do you like the challenge of being responsible for your own destiny?

I would rather like a publisher to handle the business aspects and Shine Studio to be kept as a development entity in order to focus on quality titles. Unfortunately the real world is not like this.

Do you have a "real" job, or do you work full-time on game design?

I worked full time for the Comer development and believe that a quality title does require the effort.

How has daily life for the average citizen in Hong Kong changed, if at all, since China took it back from the British?

Nothing changed at all, from my point of view.

Do you have any plans to create another game(s)?

If Comer turns out to be selling well (still early to tell at this time), more will be planned. If it is not, more will be planned as well (I hope, at least I think this way right now).

Comer seems to have been indirectly inspired by Philip Jose Farmer's series of Riverworld novels. Are you familiar with these cult classics and, if so, were they an inspiration?

Not connected, and this is the first time I have heard about the Riverworld novels.

Are there any of the so-called Myst-clones that you personally feel are as good as Myst, or is there just Myst and then everything else below it?

In my opinion Myst is still the best of its kind (maybe due to it was the first adventure game I played). I may be wrong since I did see other people's opinions. Myst is a perfect blend of all elements contributing to an graphical adventure, such as story, plots, puzzles, graphics, music, etc. Other games may exceed in some elements but not in all. The most important thing is the quality. Myst-clone is somewhat a negative term these days because of the flood coming out after Myst. I just could not imagine a game like Myst could be made in a year. Besides the efforts in the making, the quality also includes, for lack of better words, culture, taste, etc.

How do you react to critics who claim that the success of Myst indirectly destroyed the adventure genre?

People can express opinions as long as they have a point. I do believe Myst pioneered something new, and that something new was grouped into the adventure genre, which I think is a correct grouping that makes the adventure genre stronger.

What exactly was is about Myst that so deeply affected you?

I saw a future for adventure games. Can you imagine how closely it resembles a movie? I always compared Myst with a good movie. It has a story and good plots like a movie, it has realistic graphics and astounding music and sound effects like a movie. It exceeds a movie with its computer-generated beautiful environment only with human imagination as the limit, it exceeds movie in that you, the player, are the main character instead of just watching others. With improving computer technology, this type of game will eventually get rid of the slide-show type of limit, although there is still a long way to go. After the marriage of computer and TV in the future (I think they are engaged now), interactive entertainment of this kind would probably thrive: A movie in which you make things happen.

If you could say one thing to the Miller brothers, what would it be?

Hi, I just wish there are more people like you with great ideas and making brilliant games like yours, which would keep me busy playing them instead of making them myself with a hard time.

Can you tell us approximately how many copies of Comer you have thus far sold on-line and how many you need to sell in order to break even?

I think I should regard that as a commercial secret (if not embarrassed when telling the figure). Comparing to other on-line business I know of, it is a success. If Internet business is getting doubled or tripled each year as people expected, we can merely survive. I am still optimistic in that people will quickly and eventually feel safe and get used to Internet shopping. People will realise that in the lack of a publisher, this is the only way out for a small developer like us. If they do need quality titles, I call out with this desperate voice: Please buy online and support us.

What steps have you taken to publicize Comer and to garner sales?

Currently we are depending on adventure sites like yours and adventure lovers spreading words. Any recommendation is welcome to let every one know about it.

Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and Sinbad all make an appearance in Comer, but no Pamela Anderson Lee! Could she possibly be in the sequel?

This is a good question concerning the design aspect of Comer. In selecting the 'Comers' in the game, I had to judge who in history are suitable for the characters. The persons must be universally, trans-culturally known to everyone in order to get the thriving feel when finding out who they are.

What's your stance on the timber industry?

Timber industry is not something in my mind when making Comer actually. I am not in the position, or with good knowledge, to judge whether there is a balance between the use of wood and preservation of nature. I like the feeling of forest very much, as well as the feeling of wooden chairs and desks. The point is, Myst is probably the only game (before Comer) that gives people a feeling of being immersed in many trees. However, trees, especially beautiful ones, are a very difficult thing to be made with computer. Roughly 2/3 of the rendering time of Comer was devoted to trees. Without them Comer would have been released years ago, and without them Comer could not be of the same value as it is. I wish people appreciate this feeling of nature and the effort behind it. The immersion of many trees is certainly the distinctive element of Comer.