An Interview with Newman

An Interview with Newman - A Ben X Dev

By Kasaix • 4 years ago

Kasaix: Hello Doujin Army! (Top voted banner. Discuss in the comments.) A few months ago, I gave you all a look at Ben X, an eroge parody of the famous show Ben 10. Well, I’ve been talking with Newman, one of the devs behind this game, and we set up an interview to talk about it. A new build was dropped a while ago, and it is great.

It's clear you're passionate, and I respect that

What inspired you guys to make Ben X in the first place?

Newman: I had played Akabur's games, so I knew NSFW could be well-written and fun. And then I just read that a group of people were looking for someone to do art for a Ben 10 NSFW game and answered

It certainly wasn't what I expected, it turns out only one person there wanted to actually MAKE the game XD

The whole thing had started as a prank to some troll... I don't really remember. But K-dot wanted to make it into a game, and I saw a lot of potential

We're still feeling the heat from that because for some people, the game is like 4 years old

But it was only after Akanoes replaced K-dot that we actually got the ball rolling

Not that I hadn't worked till then. I wrote hundreds of script pages and 4 game design documents that were constantly revised!(edited)

But K-dot realized he couldn't keep going, that I was carrying most of the load and that Akanoes could make the game work, so he was kind enough to step out

And it REALLY was like this. It's not some press-talk bullshit!

He had a lot on his plate

But he loves the game, and we keep in touch

After that we kept working. Being able to focus on making the game is possible now, thanks to our combined Patreon pages giving us enough to pay bills and stop accepting every crap job that comes our way

(Thanks, guys)

So to answer your question... Akabur, K-dot, Akanoes, the Fans.

And the series, which has the greatest alien designs ever!

Makes it fun to twist them

Kasaix: Albedo was an interesting choice for protagonist. How did that come about? I think Albedo has been good so far. He wouldn't understand human desires right away. His progression in that sense has been understandable. In the show, he had a tough time understanding and dealing with Ben's cravings for chili fries

Newman: Yeah, that's the fun thing about writing a NSFW parody. You take character traits that the OC has, and then you take him/her to the REAL world.

That is, you add all the things the series can't really talk about. Not only sex for sex's sake, but also complex issues like crime, political corruption, social awkwardness... It opens the topic range immensely

You can really talk about everything because you part from the fact that the player already knows the gloves are off, you know?

Kasaix: Yeah, I liked that. It was like a gritty take on Ben 10. The show already talked about corruption in the form of the Rooters, so this seemed like a natural progression for the Plumbers. Crime on the streets was just a given, and I liked how that was handled

Newman: And it is cartoons, so you can get away with it. Sure, Albedo's personality is horrible, but he's not real, so we can sort of explore how someone with that moral would behave without feeling rejection for the character

We still can feel like we are him in the game

Even though we'd never do the things he does

Which, I suppose, it's the base of all sexual fantasies

To do the forbidden. To pretend to be who we aren't for a bit, safely knowing we'll go back to being us when the experience is over.

It's also really cool, because doing this with someone you trust or love... it creates a fun bond

Like a kinky inside joke, I guess XD

You feel accepted and accept the other in return

Even when you let loose

So that's what I wanted Albedo to eventually become

Instead of this megalomaniac bastard

But of course, that's all player choice

It's only my view of the character

Others may disagree

And that's a good thing too

Kasaix: That's how I saw him.

Newman: Like a megalomaniac bastard? Fuck yeah he is

Kasaix: No no, I saw him as that, yeah, but the scene with Gwen made him seem a bit softer, like he showed some genuine care

And with Shar and her nightmares, even if that was an attempt to play around with her

Newman: Well, caring will come. Maybe. XD Question is: What would facing his humanity turn him into? It's easy to stay away from humanity when you have a craving for fries, but sex... sex is powerful. You are at your strongest and at your most vulnerable at the same time.

So I wanted to explore that

That's why I chose him instead of Ben as a main character

Albedo's conflict is much more interesting (Sorry, Ben fans!!)

Kasaix: I see it. I thought Ben wouldn't go down such a route, so that's why you went with Albedo. I had no idea you had a deeper reason than that, to create such a character evolution

I'm genuinely impressed

Newman: Pshaw

I'm just having fun

I knew this was going to be a long project so making characters interesting is important so you don't bore yourself

Kasaix: The title page shows different incarnations of Gwen showing up. This suggests the game is going to get pretty big for that to happen. How big is the scope of the game right now?

Newman: Pretty big. Let me check the doc.

Ok, so. We have now completed what could be called Part 5, and we're working on Part 6, "Crime Never Pays"

The plan is for 15 parts

And I just KNOW I'll probably have to add a couple more

No matter how much I keep trying to reduce the script, it seems breaking it up into smaller bits is the key to keep it interesting

So maybe 17?

The story will tell

But the main plot and sub-plots work well now. I'm not about to change what's there, just the way I tell it

Fans sometimes ask for more characters, or give me cool (and not so cool) ideas

But I always tell them the story comes first

Maybe in Ben X 2

Kasaix: You're already planning a sequel?

Newman: Can't help myself. But first we need to finish Ben X

And then there's Shagworthy's Legacy, the Scooby Doo game

So we have tons to do before Ben X 2 happens

Kasaix: Sounds interesting. Do you have an update schedule people can follow to make sure they get the newest build when it releases?

Newman: We have an internal one, but someone inside NSFW I respect once told me not to go the "fixed release dates" route, and I have to agree with him.

What happens if you realize you did something that doesn't work and you should replace it? Do you go back on your promise to your fans, hope they understand? Or you keep going, even though you know the game is not as good now, but keep your promise?

Every time we've discussed this with the fans, they told us to take as much time as we need, and make an awesome game

No doubt big studios fucking up big time has helped us being able to work like this, as people understand you can't rush good shit

But it's still very surprising and really fucking nice for fans to say it nonetheless

They know we love Ben X

And trust us to make the game they want to play

Which in turn puts a lot of pressure on us!! XD But the RIGHT kind of pressure.

Kasaix: Makes sense. Things happen, and fans could feel slighted and vent their frustrations. Keeping a clean schedule really does seem to be the best way to go

Newman: And yet, you can't leave them hanging. You have to keep them interested on the project. It's a tricky balance.

My Goodie Packs and Akanoes' streams and walkthroughs help.

But we want players to play

So we get stressed out when shit goes wrong

Basic game mechanics are done though, and we've learnt to communicate better, have clearer meetings, so we are feeling less stressed and more capable of meeting those internal deadlines

Still a lot of combat testing ahead of us... balancing is difficult

But we'll get there

That we can promise to the fans

Game will be made.

Hopefully many more after it

Kasaix: Hopefully. Let's wrap it up here. I don't want to take too much of your time, and you clearly have a full plate. Do you have any parting words to all your fans, especially those hoping for a Gwen-themed orgy?

Newman: It will not only most definitely happen. It'll be the biggest orgy you've ever witnessed. Like a Where's Wally with sweaty nakkid ladies. Boobs and asses everywhere, guys and gals. Boobs and asses everywhere.

All red haired Goddesses.