If you have been living under a rock, then you may be excused for not having heard of Iron Tides.  Described as a survival-strategy game that is like a Viking-FTL meets Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem, the game’s premium look and feel has piqued our interest, and brought the sweet smell of the sea and blood to our nostrils.

The game is currently in its final hours of a Kickstarter campaign. So jump on over, support this great indie game and grab yourself a pre-order at at great price.

We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk with Carina from Crash Wave Games, who will discuss their game, and offer some interesting behind the scenes insight into their successful indie dev process.

Tell us a little about yourself and your team:

My name is Carina Kom and I am the co-founder and media director of Crash Wave Games. We are a 2-person team with close to 15 years of combined experience and passion. Crash Wave Games is set in the heart of Vancouver, Canada – a talented living space where several other indie studios have emerged.

Tell us a little about your game Iron Tides:

Iron Tides is a Viking-themed rogue-like-lite dungeon crawler. It is a survival-strategy game that is like a Viking-FTL meets Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem. By using fluid turn-based game mechanics, Iron Tides is founded on the basic principles of a paper prototype with dice and stats. Our players love strategy and story-driven content, often comparing Iron Tides to War Chess, XCOM and Banner Saga.

What were your inspirations for the project?

Our immediate inspirations were drawn from popular board games like Dungeons and Dragons and Talisman. As game developers, we are inspired by success stories like the Darkest Dungeon, FTL, and Curious Expedition.

What tools and technology are you using? Was there a specific reason for this choice?

We are using a combination of Maya Autodesk and Unity. Unity was an easy choice for us as it is an accessible and easy to use software.

What are the main challenges you have encountered during the process? ( Technical, scope, creative, other)

We originally intended Iron Tides to stay focused on quick skirmishes that rearranged itself again and again. The idea was to create a new battle experience using seasoned character types and a spread of abilities. As we invested more of our time into Iron Tides, we realized we had to expand the idea outwards by including an endless exploration phase and a base for Vikings to come home to.

What is your general production process flow like, from ideas conceptualisation to dev / design, to testing / revision?

At this point in development, we are creating content that fits within our vision of a Viking-fantasy world. From concept to implementation, we take our paper prototyping very seriously. Everything from concept to core game mechanics or tweaks are done through paper. Our ideas are then implemented into our (now) built system which allows us to produce a new build every day. When the build is complete, we test the game ourselves or send it off to professional testers for QA.

Exposure and PR has been a big topic of recent for indies. Do you have a PR strategy you are using, ie Twitter. How do you feel it has been going?

We’ve used a variety of strategies helping us build our momentum over time. By joining indie groups or organizations, we’ve been able to expand our following and find players in unique places. We’ve also stayed mindful of launch dates and social trends so that we can stay relevant and up to date with current events. Having said that, gaining exposure is a difficult and sensitive thing to tackle as we (as indies) experience an emotional roller coaster of ups and downs. Developing your PR relationship early and often is crucial. Discovering your player-base is critical.

Congratulations on your funded kickstarter campaign! How did you find the process, is there any advice you would share with other indie’s? What if anything would have changed? Why do you think you got funded where other promising Indie games failed?

Make sure you’ve planned 3 months in advance and have all your ducks in a row. Mathematically work out the number of backers you want to get (be realistic within what you currently have for an audience), and weigh this against the amount of money you need to finish the game. Test your game thoroughly and jump straight into player testing as soon as you can. Always keep your spirits up and maintain momentum! There are resourceful ways to get your game out there that are affordable but prepare yourself for a slog of hard work. If you are not on the ball, or refuse to accept feedback, you will surely fail.

Where can readers find your game / info on your game. If it is still in production, when is it due? (Include relevant websites/ twitter accounts).

Please visit www.irontides.com for more information on our game. It will be available for PC/Mac/Linux and is expected to release in late Spring Early Access 2017 (pending stretch goals). We can be reached through @IronTides or @CrashWaveGames and are accepting battle challenges through our Twitch.tv/crashwavegames account.

Thank you! All the best with launch, we look forward to playing.