Backer Q&A #1
Cleod9: Programming Lead, McLeodGaming Owner
Ramsey: Art and Animation Lead
Max: Game Design Lead
Mass: Art and Animation
Sirto: Game and Web Programming
Q: Will ranked online be a thing at launch or will that come later?
Cleod9: We can't guarantee ranked online will be available at launch. We'll see what we can do, though – we plan to do our best to at least have basic matchmaking (bare minimum) from day one.
Q: What specifically do we need to know (or start learning now) to use everything fraytools has to offer on day 1?
Cleod9: Basic programming skills will help you create more advanced custom content for Fraymakers, but one of our goals is to make sure it's accessible to anyone! We plan to create tutorials to help guide you along the way.
Q: Is Fraymakers going to have an option of changing the music when you pick a stage ?
Ramsey: We'll definitely give you the ability to choose specific tracks you'd like to listen to while playing! We're also looking into functionality to let you adjust song frequency.
Q: Could you give some general information regarding how the camera works in the game? Specifically, what is the most the camera can show at a single time (i.e. how big can a stage be until the camera can't show it all at once), and will the camera's zoom prioritize keeping sprites pixel perfect?
Ramsey: Sure! We plan to make the camera as flexible as possible for our purposes internally, and also so your possibilities with regard to UGC stages are practically limitless. We have the default zoom of the camera set to pixel perfection, but if two characters separate from each other within the pixel perfect bounds the camera will zoom out to accommodate. Similar to smash of course you could possibly get to a point where the camera is so zoomed out that you can't see anything lol, but that's more of a design concern with the stage itself and less so the camera.
Q: Can you give a breakdown of the functionalities of Fraytools, including the necessary skills and requirements needed to utilized them (e.g. programming languages, external software)?
Cleod9: We gave an overview of the main functionalities of the program in our 7th Kickstarter update: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mcleodgaming/fraymakers-the-infinitely-replayable-indie-platform-fighter/posts/3028934 We'll be able to go more in depth when we get closer to releasing. In terms of skillset, we currently use a Haxe-like programming language for scripting in Fraymakers (though this may be subject to change). If you want to make your own content from the ground up, you'll also want to make sure you have a sprite/image editing software in your toolbelt (Aseprite, Photoshop, etc.), as FrayTools is designed to organize your image assets onto a timeline.
Q: Sorry for so many questions Team Fray, I'm just so exited: Will Alpha's Announcer pack included maybe some jokes form the channel or match the other Announcer Options?
Max: We'll be working directly with Alpharad to build out his announcer pack. That process will begin a bit later on (since we don't have everything he'll need to record locked in quite yet) but our plan is to do what we can to make sure his announcer pack includes a lot of his personality!
Q: Where did the idea to do one-sided shields come from?
Ramsey: The idea came about when we were building out our gameplay systems. We were experimenting with airdashes, and wanted you to have a unique way to punish shield outside of grabbing or general pressure – the idea of crossing up a shield using airdash came up, we tried it in game and it worked extremely well. It inspires aggressive gameplay and intelligent usage of shield.
Q: whats the largest indie game that could plausibly get representation in fraymakers?
Ramsey: Hard to say for sure, but from our perspective, any! We're open to any and all indie inclusion, from the little guys to the industry giants.
Q: One of my favourite features from Rivals of Aether Workshop is that you can change any rules with only stages and do almost anything with them, allowing you to even create minigames or entire bosses. Are we gonna be able to change rules oponents and AI using Only stages here?
Cleod9: Our UGC ecosystem is designed to allow you to create just about anything we would be able to create officially (because we're using it ourselves!). That means if you want to create your own boss mode, minigames, and AI behavior you can. As for how this customization will apply to the game's built-in stages, this is something we are still fleshing out.
Q: I only ask you to work hard and make a good game
Ramsey: Thanks! We'll do our best!
Q: will there be a palette editor like in rivals of aether
Ramsey: We haven't made a formal decision about this yet, but it's definitely something we're thinking about. There are design challenges to overcome which make the feature a little more complex than you'd expect – either way, it's something we're loosely considering.
Q: I noticed that in the Kickstarter for the dlc character it said "first" dlc character, does that mean if the game is successful you plan on adding more, also a small question how are you doing, I hope things are going great for you (ramsey If you are reading this help me, they kidnapped me and you've got to send help please…. Oh wait they're coming back, if you want to know where to find m*** THIS MESSAGE WILL NOW SELF DESTRUCT)
Ramsey: Yes!! To what degree is hard to sus out this far in advance of course, but we're absolutely interested in expanding Fraymakers passed the promised Kickstarter offerings if there's fan demand for it. We'll start to have more discussions about this sort of thing once we hit 1.0 and begin development on the first DLC character and AAAAA NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Q: When will the first tester build be available and what should we expect to see in it?
Max: We don't have an exact date for its release yet (before March 2022 of course!). We'll be implementing the planned content over the course of the tester period, so it's all ready for early access. That means over time, you'll test 4 Characters, 5 Stages, 20 Assists, Rollback Online, and FrayTools.
Q: Since mechanics like Wave-Dashing are confirmed, are there any particular mechanics the Dev Team is excited about?
Max: This is super tough, but Airdashing has proooooobably been my favorite mechanic to play around with so far. We spent a lot of time iterating on how it'd function and I think we ended up with something that's super fun to use.
Q: How hard was it to obtain licensing for characters such as The Watcher via Mega Crit?
Max: We're not gonna go into too much detail about the specifics of our negotiations with different developers, but suffice to say every single one of the dev teams we've worked with has been super accommodating and supportive! Make sure to go tell them thanks if you haven't already.
Q: When designing concepts for new characters, do you decide the character first and fit a fighting game archetype on it, or do you have a list of archetypes you want to fulfill and find the right character that fits that mold?
Max: Generally speaking, we don't have a list of archetypes that we try to find characters for. However, roster diversity is important to us, and we want to make sure people who are fans of a specific type of gameplay can find something to enjoy. We maintain diversity by choosing characters we think will bring something fresh to the table!
Q: Two questions, if you only answer one please answer the first of the two. What is the favorite color of every member of Team Fray? Also, is there any way to give someone the backer role if I purhcased one of the extra copies of Fraymakers and plan to give it to them?
Ramsey: What a good question LOL. Sirto, Max and myself love purple and Cleod is a fan of blue. As for Mass, I have a direct quote: "Lime green, like that H&R Block green, that's nice." Also, thanks for grabbing the multi-copy tier! It's a good question, but nope. Backers receive one backer role per account, not per amount of copies of the game backed for.
Q: Will Fraytools creation tools and content be available for the Nintendo Switch Version, if so how would it work?
Sirto: The Fraytools suite will be available on PC as a separate program included with a game purchase. When we announced Fraymakers on switch, we stated we'd do our best to support as many features as possible while within the limits of the switch hardware. We'll do whatever we can to support UGC to whatever extent we can on Switch, but we can't promise it for now.
Q: I want to make my dog (Billy) and cat (Milo) into one duo-fighter. With the current custom character tools, how (im)possible would that be?
Cleod9: Getting fully custom art into the game may depend on your art skill, but with some basic photo editing skills and utilizing free art assets it wouldn't be too difficult to get your pets to show up into the game! To get them to work as a duo would certainly be trickier to code, but very possible!
Q: Does your friend get the dlc/Alphard pack, when you bought "Fraymakers for two"?
Cleod9: The rewards for Fraymakers for Two applies only to the backer specifically. However if you purchased extra copies as an add-on, each add-on copy will be entitled to the DLC stretch goals.
Q: Will people be able to use FrayTools to make standalone sprite animations (something akin to a Death Battle sprite fight, or similar)?
Cleod9: FrayTools isn't designed for standalone sprite creation, but instead geared towards working with your existing art assets from other programs such as Aseprite or Photoshop to be bundled for game use.
Q: How did you decide the original 6 base roster characters for the game? Did you have anything specific in mind when you were picking them?
Max: We didn't have anything specifically in mind for these 6 – we use the same general concepts for our entire roster. We want to make sure that each character brings something unique to the roster while being fun to play and true to their source material.
Q: will test builds have local multiplayer?
Ramsey: Absolutely!
Q: who was the first character added to Fraymakers, or were all of the characters in the original roster decided at once
Cleod9: CommanderVideo was the first! (Shout out to Choice Provisions for working with us!)
Q: How do you plan to implement supers mechanically?
Max: We're currently experimenting with different solutions for this! It'll likely take a bit of testing before we decide on a concrete answer, but we'll keep you guys in the loop as things develop.
Q: Does the team plan on releasing the backer content survey results in any form?
Cleod9: We don't plan to release the full results, however we may disclose some tidbits of data over time as we reveal more confirmed content!
Q: Will FrayTools have it's own in-game sprite maker or can we only export from other software?
Cleod9: FrayTools is not an image editing tool itself, so you will need to source your sprites from other software. There are some great tools out there like Aseprite that we felt are best for that job, while FrayTools is focused on arranging those assets into animations suited for games.
Q: Are you thinking about adding content after the release of the full game?
Ramsey: If there's demand for more content after the release of 1.0 and the additional DLC character, absolutely! If we're able to based on the game's reception, we'd love to continue to make Fraymakers content.
Q: What would be some good foreknowledge to have if one wants to become proficient with using FrayTools?
Cleod9: Users coming from Adobe Flash/Animate will feel right at home, and having basic knowledge with a coding language such as JavaScript or Haxe will be beneficial for creating more advanced custom content. And the animation interface won't require a skill you couldn't pick up in a matter of days.
Q: Despite all the new mechanics that Fraymakers has to offer, what platform fighter do you think the game feels like the most? (Ex. The hitstun feels like Project M’s)
Max: This is pretty hard to say! I think that by including mechanics we like from other games and introducing some of our own, we've ended up with something pretty unique and cool. It's hard to say exactly which we're closest to. If I had to name one it'd probably be SSF2, but there are pretty significant differences across the board – speaking as someone who's played an absurd amount of SSF2 (among tons of other platform fighters), it definitely feels like its own thing.
Q: Do you have plans for a Ranked Doubles (2v2 format) online matchmaking mode?
Max: This isn't top of our priority list, but it's definitely something we'd like to implement down the line. Doubles is siiiiick
Q: Is Fraymakers gonna have a dedicated short hop option like Rivals of Aether? And if not, please, for the love of Octochad, do this. (Never got the point of two jump buttons that were the same, when there's 2 different forms of jumping)
Max: Yes, we'll have an (optional) dedicated short hop button! Accessibility is important to us, so we'll be doing what we can to make sure we provide options for everyone to customize the way they control Fraymakers to suit their needs.
Q: Out of curiosity, how do character negotiations work behind the scenes?
Max: Answered above, but we're not gonna be able to go into too much detail on the specifics here. Every dev we're working with for Fraymakers has been super cool and approachable, though!
Q: will there be unlockables or achievements, and if so, can you elaborate on some examples?
Cleod9: We're still planning on how we want to handle things like this, but we'll definitely be utilizing Steam's achievements system at the very least for accomplishing certain feats in-game.
Q: For cases like the Slay the Spire cast where there was no existing precedent for how they’d play, how did you decide who you wanted to be playable/an assist over the others?
Max: Slay the Spire is an interesting case! We feel like of the Slay the Spire cast, the Watcher brings the most to the table for a platform fighter. Her stance mechanics are totally unique in our cast and were super fun in practice, and her staff is a cool weapon type that lends itself to lots of distinctive attacks. Basically, she fits perfectly and accomplishes pretty much everything we're looking for in a playable character. Of the remaining characters, the Silent was our choice for assist because we liked the idea of her poison mechanic! Of our offensive assists, she's unique in that her initial attack isn't all that potent, but if you're able to follow up with more hits the reward can be massive.
Q: I'm a big fan of airdashing in fighting games, so I was really excited to see that Fraymakers was going to incorporate it into its mechanics. Has implementing airdashing into a platform fighting game had any sorts of unexpected consequences or ramifications? How do you feel it has impacted the flow of combos compared to other platform fighting games?
Max: Great question! Airdashing was something we were interested in early on, but it took a lot of iteration and testing to end up with something both balanced and fun. Since it sends you into freefall if you don't manage to land the followup attack, it's a somewhat high risk option, but the ability to quickly cross your opponent up with an attack (combined with our shield system) has resulted in some pretty unique pressure interactions that we weren't initially anticipating. As far as combos go, it took a bit of mental adjustment at first, but the ability to quickly adjust your character position can be super powerful if for following trajectories/DI that might allow the opponent to escape otherwise. I'm personally looking forward to getting airdashes in your guys' hands, since I'm sure you'll be able to use them to pull off some absurd stuff!
Q: How in-depth will the built-in character and stage creation tools in Fraymakers be?
Cleod9: FrayTools is a standalone software separate from Fraymakers itself, so this allows us to do things that normally wouldn't be possible in a game environment. It's also the very software we're using to develop the game content ourselves, so you'll be able to create content that is essentially as in-depth as the game's official content.
Q: Did you guys have to pay for licences for the Interlectual Properties you are using or is it an agreement for free marketing, mutually beneficial kinda thing? How do you think this differs from larger AAA titles like Super Smash Bros?
Ramsey: It's difficult to compare to larger AAA crossover fighting games like Smash (especially since their operations aren't exactly transparent), but we approach each indie developer with the expectation that they're going to let us know what their terms of use for their IP are and go from there. We can't go into the specific details of those terms, but this project would not have been possible without the indie developers overwhelming support. Our goal for this project is to be a love letter to fans of indies, and it's extremely heartwarming to be supported by such an incredible community of hard working developers.
Q: Do you have plans to release content for the game even after the confirmed dlc fighter?
Ramsey: To a certain degree if the game is successful enough to justify it and there's a demand for additional content after all of the offerings we've completed for Kickstarter, we'd love to deliver on that front!
Q: Question on mechanics of the game if that's okay: Shield/block is shown to cover only one side in the trailer. Will the game allow a side switch during shield or is it a full commit?
Max: Currently, you cannot switch sides with your shield. However, this is something we have on our list to test later on – if we find that it improves things, we're open to adjusting this in the future.
Q: Will there be a vetting process for custom fighters to be used publicly, on freybets, or put on the workshop, for age restriction or copyright concerns?
Cleod9: We plan to crowd-source the majority of the vetting process by making certain it's possible to report malicious or illegal content, with the addition of some automated checks as well.
Q: will i be able to cover myself in oil and fly when it rains in fraymakers?
Max: With FrayTools, anything is possible.
Q: How was your day?
Max: I ate too many fruit snacks so my tummy hurts but otherwise it's going pretty great!
Q: How much can we do with fraytools, so far I know we can make characters, stages and gamemodes? but will there be further additions or even a way for the community to add onto fraytools itself in the form of plugins?
Cleod9: We actually briefly mentioned in one of our Kickstarter updates that FrayTools utilizes a plugin system of sorts. This system allows its features to be enhanced, and we'll be showcasing more of what's possible at a later date.
Q: I'm really interested in the technology/frameworks you're using; could you elaborate om what you are using/plan to use?
Sirto: Gladly! Fraymakers is made of our custom platform fighting engine coded in Haxe (https://haxe.org/). We're also using the Heaps Game Engine (https://heaps.io/), which is a Haxe library for rendering graphics, sound, etc. on screen. We currently compile the game to Hashlink (https://hashlink.haxe.org/), which is a cross platform runtime. I know, it's a lot of H's and I still mix them up in conversation. Fraytools is our UCG editor (https://www.typescriptlang.org/) written in typescript and wrapped in electron (https://www.electronjs.org/).
Q: Can multiple players use the same assist and if so will the assist have different colors/skins?
Ramsey: Multiple people can definitely choose the same assist! As for palette swaps for assists, it's something we're considering. Palette swaps take a considerable amount of time to develop, and doing that for 50 assists is quite the time investment – that being said, it's not off of the table by any means.
Q: What is the chance that we'll get a character with an Ice Climbers-like gimmick? (Examples of characters that could fit are Shovel Knight & Shield Knight and Mayday & Zuke)
Ramsey: We're open character archetypes of any kind if it fits the character we acquired the rights to use for the game! I'm interested in more examples from you guys for characters that fit the Ice Climbers sort of partner playstyle.
Q: What's a funny bug that happened and what character was it on?
Ramsey: Not quite a bug, but something I always forget about that recurs and it's SUPER funny (and also very cursed) is our default functionality for assists before any code is added to their file is their standing sprite spawns in the middle of the stage and hovers there menacingly for like 45 seconds. It's amazing LOL
Q: Do you have any plans for single-player content? Because I love playing and speedrunning single player modes in smash games like Break the Targets.
Ramsey: It happens very quickly in our kickstarter trailer, but if you look closely toward the end you'll see we actually confirmed a "target test" like mode! We haven't given any specifics on the mode yet outside of the very short clip, but we're super stoked to share more details down the line.
Q: Why did you add lesser known characters like The Watcher or Welltaro over more recognizeable characters like Shovel Knight or Sans
Ramsey: We take pride in having indie representatives from all the way up and down the indie spectrum!
Q: How will custom Fraytools content work between online players? Will there be any kind of synchronisation or sharing as you join, similar to Garry's Mod or CS:Source?
Cleod9: Yes, in order to play matches against people who have custom content there will be a system in place to automatically synchronize the content between devices.
Q: how are you?
Ramsey: good u? uwu
Q: I’d imagine something like this would be pretty hard to add in, but are there any plans to add a 8-Player mode like Smash 4 and Smash Ultimate has at some point?
Max: We don't have plans for this currently (it presents some engineering challenges for sure) but it's definitely not off the table for the future!
Q: Is there a possibility to be any option in the future for existing, or specific special characters (presumbly fraymaker specific original designs), that as a free to play player, i can unlock in addition to the base characters that come with the game?
Max: We haven't really nailed down the specifics of our post-release content – right now, our focus is on the early access/1.0 content we've laid out for the base game. Things like unlockable and/or original characters are possible for sure, though!
Q: How will universal throws work?
Ramsey: Hoping I get the meaning of the question, but throws are relatively straight-forward, input grab either by pressing the grab button or shield+attack, grabs bypass shield and then you can throw in any of the cardinal directions.
Q: Given that there are many platform fighters like Brawlhala, Super Smash Bros. Rivals of Aether. How do you guys plan on keeping the game relevant and having it fall into obscurity like Fall Guys and Among Us?
Max: This is definitely something that I think has been on many devs' minds lately. Our strategy is similar to what we've seen other games that have maintained interest long term do: community support, communication, and regular updates (big and small – characters take a long time to make, after all!). Our hope is that by involving the community during Early Access, we're able to build a great relationship that'll have you wanting to stay involved long into the future. Though this does depend to some degree on its success, we'd like to be able to continue supporting Fraymakers long after its 1.0 release!
Q: Hello Mr. Makerfray I have an art-related question for artists wanting to get a hang of the game's artstyle so we'd be able to create faithful yet beautiful complex Fraytools creations (Ronald, Peter, Wazowski, Etc.): Is there the possibility for future tutorials/info about the game's art-style direction for artists wanting to create content faithful to it's vanilla art-style
Ramsey: We'd love to release art tutorials in some form! What form that takes is definitely up in the air, but we're super excited by the concept. We'd love to hear some of your ideas for what you think the shape of that should be – feel free to @ me in fraybackers with what you'd like to see
Q: Will there be an official tutorial/guide on how to use FrayTools (By video or by other means)?
Sirto: Yes! We plan on releasing tutorials and documentation on creating your own content. I'm not exactly sure what form it will take yet, but I'm thinking at least a public website or wiki with UGC API documentation and examples. We may produce video tutorials as time goes on. I'm also sure that our community will come together and also produce a ton of UGC tutorials and helpful guides.
Q: Have y’all ever had any dreams involving game development, good or bad? Like, literal dreams, in your sleep. Any you’d be willing to share?
Max: Not related to Fraymakers, but I dreamed a game design once, woke up in the middle of the night, and scribbled it down nearly illegibly on a few pages of scratch paper. You can look forward to me actually making it someday maybe? lol
Q: Hi! I talked about this in the survey already, but I'd love to hear what you all have to say on the topic: what are your thoughts on having other ways of spending meter, beyond just the super itself? In my view, things such as EX moves, bursts, or even cancels that cost meter are vital to creating a dynamic system that offers players a multitude of options, in contrast with something like Ultimate's meter, which on top of the obvious balance issues just isn't very interesting. Have you looked into any of these ideas in the context of Fraymakers, and if so, do you plan on including something like this in the game? Thank you!
Max: I like systems like that too! We're not currently planning on having different ways to spend meter in the base game, but it's something we're looking to experiment with in some fashion – maybe through Match Modifiers! There's a lot of potential there that we're looking forward to experimenting with.
Q: I have concerns over the directional shield. How will the shield work when an opponent is directly above you, and is it possible to switch the direction of the shield while blocking?
Max: Shields generally block the area suggested by the visual: the front of the player down to the floor, and almost up to their head. If you're above the shielding player and manage to hit the back part of their head that's not covered by the shield, the hit will land. As mentioned above, you currently cannot switch the direction of your block, but that's something we'll be looking to experiment with later on.
Q: Will Fraybets be available on the Nintendo Switch version?
Cleod9: We can't confirm what specific features will be supported in the Switch version just yet, but we will do our best to port everything the platform will allow us to. The Switch version carries its own set of challenges, so it's hard to be sure about specific features like this for the time being. We'll be transparent with you guys as we find out more over the course of the game's development so you can make an informed decision on which version you'd prefer
Q: What kind of modes and restrictions do you plan on having, i.e. a ranked mode with official characters, stages, and assists only and a casual mode with fraytools content capable of being enabled or only one mode?
Max: This is a pretty big question! It's hard to make a comprehensive list past what we've gone over in Kickstarter at this time, but I can tell you that we're definitely looking to have mode offerings that cater to both competitive and casual players.
Q: Do you think more updates and DLC will come after all the stretch goals have been met or will you move to other projects afterwards?
Max: If the game does well enough to justify it, we'd love to continue to make content for Fraymakers long into the future!
Q: alright lets hope this question doesn't get asked already/is redundant When can we expect the next info drop about content in the game (characters/stages/assists/other cool stuff and etc) to be?
Max: We don't have any specific timelines for future content reveals at this juncture – right now, we're all working as hard as we can toward early access release! That said, we'll look into revealing some more content/updates along the way. 🙂
Q: From the Fraymakers Backer Survey who was one of the most requested characters? Even if they aren't possible for the game in its current sate.
Max: We're not currently planning on posting the full results from the backer survey, though we'll do what we can to reveal smaller bits of info about specific content as we reveal it!
Q: Could you please show a picture of Orcane grabbing the ledge again? Is so cute. Thank's for your amazing job and love in this game:) !
Ramsey: Hang in there baby!
Q: Will we be able to have a choice to have the announcer voices be on a random setting? I want to be able to not have to change it each time and be able to appreciate all the voice acting work ❤️.
Cleod9: Not a bad idea! We'll take that into consideration once we've implemented the new voice packs.
Q: Will we be getting a roadmap of when we can expect reveals and annoucements in the future?
Cleod9: We don't have plans for a strict content reveal schedule at this time. As we get closer to beta testing we will start to lay out a loose timeline for the game's lead up to Early Access. As far as reveals go, we'll probably generally announce when we're going to reveal something shortly beforehand, both because it's a bit unpredictable when those will be ready super far in advance and because we like them to be a surprise!
Q: I have to wonder how extensive the tools used can go if some wished to make a complex character, because in no doubt over the game's very long lifetime of it we will get original sprited as well as the sprite ripped set of characters, so to someone like me, who knows quite little about spritemaking and having former IT Extended Diploma, if this was a first game to get into creating, how much effort could it take to make something very polished…or something near that.
Cleod9: Our entire team uses FrayTools and we're not all programmers! 🙂 Naturally the more knowledge you have about coding, the more advanced content you can make. But keep in mind that the Fraymakers game engine is doing most of the heavy lifting in terms of gameplay mechanics, so much of the base functionality for a character just requires tweaking some predefined values around. Also nowadays there is a never ending sea of freely available art assets out there that you can use to practice with, so that's one less thing to be concerned about.
Q: What is your favorite thing about the game?
Ramsey: I can't speak for the other guys, but the feeling of contributing to the indie community by representing its beloved characters, and having a community of people who look forward to the game and are so excited to play it is just so… ;0;
Q: First of all I just wanted to say thank you for being such good video game makers in times like these. And my question is, how much say do the creators of the characters have on the playstyle and attributes or, do they let you choose how to make the character?
Max: Thank you!! We're generally happy to accommodate whatever level of involvement the creator of each character prefers. Some devs prefer to be more hands on, while others would rather mostly let us do our thing!
Q: If you could include any Indie character in Fraymakers who would you include?
Ramsey: Can't quite speak to that lol, but I hope whoever your favorite is gets in!
Q: How balanced will supers be for competitive play?
Max: Supers are something later on down the roadmap that we're still experimenting with, functionality-wise. One of our goals is to make sure they're balanced, though!
Q: Will stages have multiple songs, if so will we be able to use songs from different games then the home series for each stage?
Ramsey: Each stage is currently confirmed to have three songs, one from each of the following artists: Soul Bros, OC Remix, and FamilyJules! There's no concrete plans for home stage music playing on a different stage one way or the other, but it's an interesting idea for sure.
Q: 1. Will FrayTools let you add custom music to the game? (Including music for stages already in the game)
Cleod9: Yes, we plan to have music customization options available! As long as it's not something that'll impact the gameplay, we generally want to make sure you have as many customization options available to you as possible.
Q: What is the current status on Linux support? Is it going to be supported on day 1? Have you got a native Linux build running and are the developer tools going to support Linux?
Cleod9: We actually have a unit test server for our engine that runs tests for the game directly in Linux 🙂 But the answer is yes, Fraymakers does currently run on Linux, and FrayTools is built on a cross-platform program called Electron that is also compatible with Linux.
Q: Do you have any plans of including more content other than the playable character DLC later down the line such as assist characters or stages?
Max: Yes! If Fraymakers does well enough to support continued content development, we'd love to keep working on all aspects of the game, including assists and stages!
Q: Hi, in the extra Tester Build reward, it says that it also grants access to the backer discord, so I wanted to know if those extras accesses will be given with the extra Tester Build in 2222 or can they be given now?
Cleod9: If you've purchased an extra Tester Build as an add-on, you will soon be able to use our backer bot on Discord to grant access to this extra person. Please stay tuned!
Q: How many costumes will each character have, and do you plan on making balance changes, post-launch, if a character ever becomes too powerful/weak?
Max: For the first question that's not finalized yet, so I won't get on your case for squeezing in two questions lol We're definitely open to making adjustments to character balance post-launch if necessary. However, our goal is to use our early access period to tune balance, so hopefully major changes won't be necessary later down the line.
Q: What is the most difficult part when creating the fighting style of each fighter?
Max: Each character presents their own unique challenges! In general though, we try to pick characters that suggest unique/interesting playstyles in a platform fighter somewhat naturally. Our goal is to avoid situations where we're trying to force a character into a specific niche that doesn't naturally suit them – that usually results in characters that feel poorly represented! We try to choose characters that bring something new while also feeling like themselves.
Q: Will the sound files for the announcer voices (and other sound effects/voices) come with the game? If so, which audio file format will they come in (e.g. mp3, wav, flac, etc.)?
Cleod9: Audio files that come with the game are bundled into packaged files specific to Fraymakers. Generally speaking though, we like to work with OGGs as a base format, and plan to support WAV and MP3s.
Q: Around how much money will the game cost upon release?
Cleod9: The base cost for Fraymakers at Early Access release is planned to be $19.99 USD. The exact final price of the game post-Early Access isn't set in stone yet, but once all of the game's content is added there may be a slight price increase.
Q: Hi guys, fraymakers looks hype. I know you guys will nail the competitive side so I have a casual related question. My friends really enjoyed a mode in rushdown revolt where it's a multi person lobby, each player fights another with one stock each, when a player loses their stock another player enters seamlessly. It was a lot of fun and I was wondering if you guys are planning any similar modes?
Ramsey: This does sound super fun! We're definitely looking to have a wealth of fun and exciting casual modes – super excited to dive further into it down the line. In the meantime, feel free to keep suggesting modes you think would be fun!
Q: Will the game's ledge mechanics be based on ledge hogging, ledge trumping, or something else entirely?
Max: Our ledge mechanics currently feature ledge hogging with limited invincibility frames for ledge actions/ledge drop to prevent stalling tactics. With how our character recoveries are balanced, this has created the best/most interesting results in edgeguarding scenarios so far. If things change significantly in the future, this is something that we'd be open to tweaking!
Q: Will there be assists (or will we be able to program in assists) that have flexibility in use by how the assist button is pressed? An example would be, for I Wanna Be the Guy, as opposed to: you press the assist button, Kid spawns immediately, apple spawns immediately, apple falls; it could be: you press and hold the assist button, Kid spawns immediately, but then the apple doesn't spawn until you release the assist button, turning it into a zoning tool with variable range. If not, that's cool, I just want to know before I plan-out how assists I make will work.
Cleod9: That's a very clever scenario! I don't see why you wouldn't be able to do something like this in general (you'll have programmatic access to whether or not a button is held), though I can't say for certain yet whether or not any official content will work this way.
Q: Are there any plans to implement customizable alt colors?
Ramsey: We don't have any concrete plans for this right now. There are some engineering and design concerns, but know we're definitely aware of the fan demand for this type of feature!
Q: Will we be able to make custom alts with sliders like in rivals of aether, or will we have to use fraytools or mods for something like that?
Ramsey: Like I mentioned above, we definitely see the fan demand for this type of feature LOL. No news on it currently, and we haven't decided whether or not we'll move forward with implementing that type of feature. Stay tuned!
Q: Do you guys use false color mapping to make the alts like skullgirls does
Ramsey: Yes in fact, we do! I'll show you an example
below, but for all of our sprites we color separate the base in advance to allow for all of the fun and
varied palettes you've seen throughout the Kickstarter campaign. Here's what Welltaro's
currently looks like:
Q: Will the level editor allow for random or dependant variations? (Using Smash stages as examples: Minecraft World has a number of variations on start-up, Spirit Train changes if someone picks Toon Link, and Smashville changes depending on the time of day)
Cleod9: Yep, it'll totally be possible to create variations of your custom stages with FrayTools!
Q: How do assists work in the air?
Max: Great question – this depends on the assist! We want each assist to feel both intuitive and functional no matter where you use it, which means different assists have different requirements. For example, an assist like Aine doesn't fall down through the air since she needs to keep moving forward to land her combo, while someone like Diogenes has gravity built into his jumping functionality so he'll fall as you'd expect.
Q: What is the dev team doing to make the game accessible for people with disabilities? (Reducing screen flash/screen shake, remapping buttons, colorblindness filters etc.) also love you guys and keep up the great work!
Ramsey: We're EXTREMELY interested in implementing robust accessibility solutions for the game like the ones you mentioned. We don't have any explicit features to share on that front – just know we absolutely want to include features like that in order to allow as many people as possible to enjoy Fraymakers!
Q: Are there any characters you wanted to include but couldn't for one reason or another?
Ramsey: We unfortunately have to be hush-hush when it comes to this subject, I hope you understand!
Q: Will there be a dedicated short hop button?
Max: Yes, we'll have an (optional) dedicated short hop button! Accessibility is important to us, so we'll be doing what we can to make sure we provide options for everyone to customize the way they control Fraymakers to suit their needs.
Q: Do you plan to have a movement option similar to wavedashing in the game
Max: Yes! You can use airdashes to wavedash.
Q: How many songs will there be per stage?
Ramsey: There's currently three songs confirmed per stage! One from Soul Bros (an incredible jazz band), one from OC Remix (an extremely talented and varied electronic remix group) and a third from FamilyJules (an amazing metal guitarist!)
Q: Will Fraymakers have turbomode?
Max: We haven't implemented it yet, but in all likelihood we'll be including Turbo as one of our Match Modifiers!
Q: Can you pick the same assist as the character you're playing? ie. Fishbunjin with Fishbunjin assist
Max: At the moment yes – we could end up changing this later on after further testing, though.
Q: Are there any plans for adding stages/music from games that assist characters originate from?
Max: Not at the moment, though this is a possibility later on for sure!
Q: Will fraymakers have in depth tutorial like ROA
Max: We're absolutely interested in having an in-depth tutorial system! This kind of thing would likely come a bit later down the line, though – we'll generally want to focus on ironing out the content itself before creating tutorials for it.
Q: When will the beta be available to us?
Cleod9: We don't have a set date yet, but it will be some time closer to the Early Access release (so before March 2022 at the latest)
Q: Are there any features/mechanics/properties the team wanted to include but weren't able to because of constraints?
Max: Not as of yet! One of the benefits of building a project from the ground up (and planning out our core features beforehand) is that we can usually be pretty sure that we'll be able to accommodate our design goals.
Q: Can you tease us one of the next fighters ?
Max: might be too much of a hint, but at least one of the next fighters will be from an indie game
Q: Which Smash Bros game has had the biggest influence on the design of Fraymakers?
Ramsey: This is going to sound like a cop-out, but we've been playing Smash Bros our whole lives! Our approach to designing Fraymakers utilizes our comprehensive knowledge of not only Smash, but of the wealth of other fighting games to create a fresh take on the platform fighting genre we know you'll love!
Q: Show us a best out of 3 set in game, if the game is stable enough?
Max: This is a request not a question smh LOL THAT SAID: we'll look into posting more extensive gameplay footage later on, but for now we're pretty heads down in content development/polish.
Q: fnf or hades assist?
Ramsey: We welcome all prospective indie characters with open arms!
Q: What are plans for post-launch balancing of Freymakers? Like a schedule for balance updates or how hands on your approach to balancing is
Max: Our goal is to use our tester and early access periods to balance the core content of the game through regular updates. By the time 1.0 rolls around, we'd like to have things in a fairly stable state. That said, we'd still be open to making more sporadic adjustments later on if the situation warrants!
Q: Will Fraymakers have rollback netcode?
Max: Sure will!
Q: uh. How you doin??? Yea thats my question
Max: My tummy has started to hurt less than it did when I reported in earlier, so things are going pretty great
Q: Will there be additionnal skins or cosmetics (other than the limited golden ones) for fighters ? And, if that's the case, will they be paid dlcs like in Rivals of Aether or free (which would be unexpected) ?
Cleod9: We've always been interested in the idea of additional cosmetics. While we're not certain of when they might be added, they would likely be introduced as additional content separate from the base game (whether paid or free).
Q: Can fish clutch?
Max: As mentioned above: we're still working on Fishbunjin's mechanics! It's a bit tricky adapting him into a different environment with different controls, but we'll do what we can to make him feel good.
Q: What was the hardest thing to code?
Cleod9: Rollback online takes the cake on that one so far. We made it an explicit goal before launching our Kickstarter that we would get the foundation up and running for rollback before announcing it. It required an extensive amount of research and helped us make informed decisions early on about our code architecture so we could be fully confident it would not be an issue.
Q: Will there be buffer?
Cleod9: Yes, we currently do have an input buffer system in place that we're still fine tuning. (rest assured it won't be a hold buffer, don't worry!)
Q: What gameplay style/flow are you guys aiming for? (EX: Ultimate, Melee, SSF2, RoA, a hybird of many styles, something original, etc…)
Max: Of those choices, the answer would definitely be "something original" or a hybrid. Talked about this a bit earlier, but I'd say that while SSF2 is probably the closest, it really feels like its own thing considering all of the different/new mechanics we've implemented.
Q: What steps are you taking to make sure some assists don't have similar utility to others
Max: Generally, we only consider an assist in the first place if we think it'll bring something unique! While there are some mildly similar ones, we think all of the assists in our lineup present interesting quirks and decisions to be made on the part of the player.
Q: What is the Maximum/Minimum number of alternate colors that are allowed for custom characters?
Max: Our current plan is to allow you to put in functionally as many alternate colors for your custom characters as you'd like. There miiiight need to be some extremely high upper limit for technical reasons, but we don't plan to limit this manually.
Q: Why is 2/3 of the initial playable roster primarily a shade of blue (and the remaining 1/3 being grayscale monochromatic)? It's oddly bugging me.
Ramsey: Cleod just loves the color blue so much 🙂
Q: Will there be controller support?
Cleod9: Of course! We're aiming to support as many devices as we can.
Q: Will you be dropping teasers for the other fighters/assist’s or just announce them?
Max: Depends on the situation! It's still a little bit up in the air at the moment, but we'll probably do what we can to make things exciting, especially for our playable characters.
Q: About how long will this game be supported post- release with patches (if any), DLC, etc.?
Cleod9: That depends on its success of course! If the game does well it shows us that you all want to see more, and that will certainly let us keep going with content for as long as we can feasibly do so.
Q: How likely is it that the playable character from Hollow Knight will be added?
Cleod9: Sorry but we can't answer questions like this for the Q&A! You'll have to wait and see.
Q: Will there be online coop?
Cleod9: We'd love to introduce some co-op modes for online! While we're not certain yet if the base game will contain this capability, there will be nothing stopping custom content from being cooperative.
Q: As we all know, there will probably be a lot of long-time Super Smash Flash 2 players, including a lot of keyboard players, try out Fraymakers. Will you take any steps to ensure these keyboard players feel at home with the game, and/or ensure keyboard controls aren't an afterthought in terms of game feel?
Max: I'm originally a keyboard player myself! (though these days I try to mix it up between different controller styles) While there may be some specific differences between keyboard and controllers (like analog inputs), we're going to do what we can to make sure keyboard feels as good as it possibly can. Some of the keyboard-specific considerations that you now see in other platform fighters that support keyboard (like the dash button, for example) were originally from SSF2, and we're looking to continue supporting and expanding keyboard functionality with Fraymakers.
Q: How is Fraytools sharing going to work? Will there be built in browsing of community content? What are your thoughts on using the Steam workshop for this?
Cleod9: We're planning to have a combination of in-game browsing capability for custom community content in addition to the ability to load custom content locally. The mechanisms for where online content will be stored is still something we're hashing out.
Q: Is it possible to see representation of Japanese indie games on fraymakers, or does the language barrier make it a problem to speak and negotiate with the developers?
Ramsey: We're definitely open to japanese indie representation in Fraymakers! Of course the language barrier is definitely an issue, particularly because being self-funded before kickstarter made paying for an official translator somewhat out of our scope. Max is brushing up on his japanese, but he's not quite at the level of business negotiation translation LOL
Q: How much dialogue do you guys plan on featuring for the announcers?
Ramsey: We don't have a specific amount, but we're playing around with innovative ways to integrate a fresh take on the announcer
Q: How much of a pain in the a** was reading all of these questions?
Ramsey: I'm actually having a blast LOL, love interacting with the community so much
Q: Will there be a Fraymakers original stage kinda like Battlefield and Final Destination in Smash Bros?
Ramsey: We haven't ruled out the possibility, but we're making an effort to prioritize indie worlds generally speaking – that extends to all forms of content for the game!
Q: When will you reveal the rest of the fighters? (DLC included)
Ramsey: In due time! We're going to be focusing on getting Early Access ready so that's the priority for now, but you should definitely be excited for the unannounced character reveals – they're gonna be so hype
Q: Where did you get the idea to implement the Fraytools feature?
Cleod9: Much of FrayTools' design inspiration comes from Adobe Flash/Animate, which we grew accustomed to from working on Super Smash Flash 2! We took a lot of the concepts from what made our development workflow smooth and applied it to our own tool dedicated specifically to games rather than solely animation.
Q: Any plans for a competitive scene?
Max: We'd love and hope to see Fraymakers develop a healthy competitive scene! The game is designed to be suitable for competitive and casual players alike, so we'd hope that people looking for competition will find a thriving scene in Fraymakers.
Q: Will the game have Horror game representation in some forms?
Ramsey: We would love to have horror indie game representation! We'd love to hear some of your favorites!
Q: Here's to a good game ! Cheers !
Ramsey: Yeah!! Hope it satisfies all of your expectations!
Q: Will this game be a more grounded fighter like Rivals/Melee or a more offstage/aerial focused fighter like Ultimate?
Max: I think one of the benefits of our character design is that we can do both! Characters like Welltaro thrive in the air, while someone like CommanderVideo will often like to start his combos from the ground.
Q: Can you pet the dog in fraymakers? (Orcane, or any future dog that we may or may not know about)
Ramsey: You'll just have to wait and see! Welltaro canonically loves animals, he'd be a pretty strong contender for petting a dog in Fraymakers, don't you think?
Q: Will we be able to add our own music to the game?
Cleod9: You'll be able to bake your own music into your custom content, though we are still fleshing out how a core music customization system will work for both in-game and custom content.
Q: Will there be minigames?
Cleod9: While we can't confirm whether or not official "minigames" will be made, they would fall under the umbrella of custom modes which will be possible for anyone to make through FrayTools.
Q: If you could add one non-indie video game character to Fraymakers, who would it be?
Max: Goku.
Q: How long will post game support last?
Ramsey: It genuinely depends on how well Fraymakers does, combined with fan demand to some degree. We'd love to continue to support Fraymakers if it makes sense for us to do so!
Q: In Fraybets, will there be any kind of system of conduct or rules so as to prevent overpowered characters and assists made in Fraytools from entering Fraybets?
Max: We're probably gonna have some system to prune characters that end up in Fraybets. That said, I wouldn't expect overpowered stuff to be excluded completely – ridiculous matchups are just part of the fun!
Q: Will there be a ps5 release? I really want to know
Cleod9: Currently for console releases we're only planning on Nintendo Switch. Once the game is done and out on all the other supported platforms, we may consider releasing on PS5/XB, but no promises on that for now!
Q: What other platform fighter concepts did you consider for Fraymakers before settling on "indie crossover with assists"?
Ramsey: We very briefly considered creating original characters for a platform fighter, but the idea didn't really stick for long. Our passion comes from applying an already existing character to the platform fighting environment. Considering their range of abilities, throwing in neat little touches to make it feel truly like you're playing as the character! Assists came shortly after we decided on indies, and they've been a blast to implement too! They're a separate design challenge with a whole lot of freedom compared to designing a more traditional character, and allow us to include a ton more indie representation than our playable roster alone.
Q: Will there be an art gallery for people that make fan art of the game?
Ramsey: That's such a neat idea!! There are some logistical issues we'd have to overcome, but we'll definitely consider it.
Q: How do you decide which characters/assists to add?
Max: Great question, and there're a lot of factors that go into this! There's no hard and fast formula that determines our content additions, but the main factors for our main cast are generally speaking gameplay potential, identity, diversity, and recognizably. We'll typically map out a lot of a character's moveset before approaching IP holders so we can make sure we'll be able to deliver on a fun character that's true to their source material while bringing something unique to the roster. As far as assists go, we can be a lot more flexible – if you think a character would bring something distinctive to the assist roster, they have a great shot!
Q: What is your favorite skullgirls character?
Ramsey: Very tough question… I mained Filia and Painwheel (changed around the third character quite a bit). I have a soft spot for Peacock too, since her animation is incredibleeeeee. If she wasn't more of a zoner I probably would have mained her (I prefer rushdown types lol)
Q: How early can you show a best of 3 set?
Max: We don't have a specific date for something like this! Generally speaking, our goal is to get the game into your hands in the form of a tester build/early access ASAP. Once everything is polished enough, we'd prefer to just let our testers play it rather than showing it via video.
Q: How was the roster decided? Was it hard to get anyone in?
Max: Can't comment about the specifics of negotiations and stuff, but for each character on our roster, we're looking for characters that we think will bring something unique to Fraymakers and fit well into a platform fighter environment while representing their source material.
Q: Are you a fan of shovel knight?
Ramsey: All indies get all of my love!! [heart] (nice try but no hints LOL)
Q: Any progress on getting Gamecube controller support for the game?
Cleod9: Native support is something we're still looking into, but we already have support for the Mayflash GC adapter, as well as the official Gamecube Adapter through vJoy. There are technical difficulties with native support since there's no official Windows drivers for it.
Q: will we be able to turn off assists if we don't want to use them
Max: Like many features in Fraymakers, this is customizable, so yes! I'd recommend giving them a try, though – the game is designed with them in mind. 🙂
Q: What are the top 3 hardest things that you have to overcome while making this game?
Cleod9: 1. Rollback netcode (it's very involved!) 2. FrayTools development (we're developing a tool and game at the same time!) 3. Art and animation (it's extremely time consuming!)
Q: How far out is the test build?
Ramsey: The only information we've given out so far about the Tester Build is that it'll definitely release before Early Access! As soon as we have more concrete information the Tester Build squad will be the first to know.
Q: Will each character have their own break the targets?
Max: We're not revealing anything about target stuff yet! You'll have to wait and see. 🙂
Q: Is there a chance for a public demo?
Max: This could potentially happen in the future, but it's not in our plans right now.
Q: When you gonna announce fighter since all fighter been bought
Max: You'll have to hang tight on this one! New character announcements will likely be a bit down the line.
Q: How will your ranked system work, if there is one?
Max: This is one that'll be ironed out a bit later on – our priority is to get netcode and unranked matchmaking running smoothly. We're definitely going to be looking to create a ranked system later on, though!
Q: what other menu/ui options will there be outside of fighting and how wil it all be organized?
Cleod9: We're still working on the menu design, capabilities, and layout, we'll share more when it's all ready!
Q: What modes will be included for casuals?
Ramsey: We have quite a few ideas lined up for fun casual modes that I can't quite go into right here, but Match Modifiers is already slated to be a huge source of chaotic casual play!
Q: What games do you grow up with?
Cleod9: My first system was a Sega Genesis, and I eventually graduated to a PS One, followed by the Nintendo 64 (stuck with Nintendo from that point forward!). I mainly grew up with classics like Sonic the Hedgehog, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Mario Kart, Smash Bros. 64 etc.
Q: Will Fraymakers support vector graphics (.svg files)?
Sirto: No, we're not planning on Fraymakers supporting SVGs. You'll need to rasterize the vectors into bitmap frames before loading them in the game
Q: Q: How will the custom content made from Fraytools be accessible on console versions of Fraymakers?
Cleod9: We're not yet certain how feasible custom content will be on console for technical reasons, but we plan to find out more later on when Switch development is further along.
Q: Will there be MvC3 style alts?
Ramsey: Premium costumes are a very very large art undertaking – we aren't ruling them out by any means, but we'll have to seriously consider whether they're worth doing at all and at what point. For now though Early Access and likely through 1.0 as well, the art resources will be directed toward completing our promised content from the Kickstarter campaign.
Q: Would you be implement custom content beyond just regular characters in FrayTools? Thinks like custom sounds, music, stages, modes, bosses, story, etc?
Cleod9: Absolutely! The entire custom content pipeline is designed around being able to create experiences that fill the void of whatever we don't manage to make into official content ourselves.
Q: Are there plans for a turbo mode in the game? If so, how will that be implemented? Will it be a separate mode, a game modifier, just something you toggle when starting a match etc.?
Max: Turbo mode is something we're planning to look into! Chances are we'll implement it as a match modifier down the line.
Q: Will there be any monke (Bloons or otherwise)?
Ramsey: We've got Ape from Ape out! For any more monke related content you'll have to wait to find out 🙂
Q: Will it be possible for the specifications for a fighter to be published beforehand? Such as the size and format of the sprites, some info on how things like knockback, damage, etc. are calculated, and any other pertinetn file information. This would allow people to start creating assets and estimating values for attacks to be able to publish a fighter via FrayTools quickly once released.
Ramsey: We likely won't dive super deeply into the structure of FrayTools ahead of its Early Access release, but when we get closer we can begin to dive into some more specifics to give your UGC project the headstart it deserves. For now, the base sprites for our 6 revealed characters can be found in the pins for (I believe?) the Fraymakers-Art chat – that'll get you started on the base.
Q: Do you have an estimate of when this is officially coming out?
Max: Early Access is slated to come out in early 2022!
Q: Will you be able to see hitboxes
Max: Yes, they will be viewable in training mode.
Q: Can we stream it whenever we can play it?
Max: Yes, you'll be allowed to stream everything from the tester build onward!
Q: What other platform fighter would you compare this to?
Ramsey: It's a little hard to say because Fraymakers is very much its own unique thing, but it'd probably be SSF2 if we had to choose. All of the new gameplay systems and new engine makes this a bit of an impossible question though haha, you'll have to feel it out for yourself when Fraymakers releases!
Q: is there an eta. for the first test builder release?
Max: We don't have an exact date for this locked in yet, but our goal is to have it come out with enough time to adequately test stuff prior to the early access release in early 2022. We'll keep you in the loop as we nail things down.
Q: Is Fish going to get anything similar to the Clutch and Air Strong mechanics present in Slap City or anything to compensate? they were a big part of his original gameplan and i feel like their absence would be very bad for fish
Ramsey: We're still nailing down all of Fishbun's mechanics and design, but our goal is to make him feel super fun in this new environment!
Q: How big of a difference do you think the fraymakers shield will make compared to the more standard shields found in games like Smash or Rivals?
Max: Our directional shields create some really cool interactions! Since they don't decay, they feel pretty sturdy from the front, but if your opponent predicts that you're going to hold shield and crosses you up, you're left super open. I feel like they emphasize outplaying your opponent and predicting their action, since options by both players have pretty strong counterplay.
Q: What are some features/small details in the game that you are particularly proud of, or just think are neat?
Ramsey: I will say that we've prioritized injecting as much personality as we can into each of these characters, and representing their home games to the best of our ability. This results in small little touches that each character receives that may go unnoticed to those unfamiliar with their respective series. I'm excited for you guys to dive into the characters and find all of those small details!
Q: Has anyone on the team played Azure Striker Gunvolt, and if so, did you like it?
Ramsey: Yeah! I like the super flashy graphics and slick pixel art.
Q: What features are you planning on bringing over to the switch version? Will we be able to at least download custom content?
Ramsey: We're going to do our best to carry over as many features as we can to the Switch version. When it gets closer to Switch time we'll be sure to be transparent about the differences so you can make an informed choice.
Q: Is there an estimated release for the Backer Beta?
Ramsey: Not quite, outside of "before Early Access". Trust us, your group will be the first to know when we have more concrete information!
Q: How will DI mechanics work?
Max: Our DI is fairly similar to the Smash games where it's more powerful. We think that higher DI values tend to create more interactivity and creativity in combos
Q: Will you be officially supporting fan made characters in some capacity
Ramsey: Yes! To what degree remains to be hashed out, but we'd love to be able to promote the hard work the community pours into their UGC projects.
Q: So will we see anything like in-game profiles to describe the fighters and assists and their origins?
Cleod9: Introducing more ways to incorporate source material sounds fun, we'll definitely consider it later down the line!
Q: Have you guys thought about opening a "FrayTools" Workshop once "FrayTools" is out? Y'know, a place where people can playtest others creations and give constructive criticism?
Cleod9: A dedicated space for FrayTools creators sounds pretty cool. We've discussed in the past wanting to facilitate interactions in the creator community, so we'll be considering something like this.
Q: How much movement tech do you indead the game to have?
Max: Satisfying movement is super important to us! Aside from stuff we've done over already (airdashing, wavedashing, etc) a lot of our characters have their own movement tools that give them their own distinct flavor. For example, I'm a huge fan of CommanderVideo's Slide – sometimes I just go into game by myself and use it to zip around the level for fun lol
Q: Any ideas for the rest of the characters yet, both playable and assists?
Max: We have plenty of ideas, especially after seeing the backer content survey results! No announcements to make as of yet, though. 🙂
Q: Will there be an option for more than 4 players matches (both locally and online)? PLEASE SAY YES!
Ramsey: Not currently planned for Fraymakers due to some of the challenges that come along with it, but it's possible!
Q: What is the weirdest/coolest idea you've had for Fraymakers? Is it going to be in the final game?
Mass: Definitely Infinite Assists, it's pretty crazy. It'll show up in the final game along with the rest of the Match Modifiers.
Q: will it have suypport with zadig?
Cleod9: Zadig+vJoy are actually the current methods we use for official GC Adapter support due to the lack of native drivers for the device. We'll be looking into if native support will be possible in the future.
Q: What is the movement like in fraymakers? Is there any cool movement techniques like in melee or is it more streamlined like other platform fighters. Does it have any non-movment mechanics that are intricate or difficult to master?
Max: Fraymakers features a lot of your favorite movement techniques from Smash, including wavedashing and associated techniques (wavelanding, etc). Generally, we want our mechanics to be less difficult as far as inputs (our wavedashes are somewhat easier to perform than Melee's, for example). I'd say we prefer difficulty to come from the decision making – for movement-heavy characters especially, your options are going to be virtually limitless, so it'll be a challenge to consistently pick the best one.
Q: Is there going to be any type of online play?
Ramsey: Yup! We've confirmed Rollback online, and we're looking to implement different types of online play (such as Ranked mode)
Q: Other than the focus on indie games, what makes Fraymakers stand out against other platform fighters such as Smash and Rivals?
Mass: Gameplay-wise, the main draw for us is the Assist mechanic, in addition to the playable Indie fighters. These characters can help cover your fighter's weaknesses; can start, continue or finish combos; and even provide useful stage control. There's a lot of them; and we think choosing the ones that work best for you and your character's gameplan will lead to a lot of complexity and match variance. Additionally, we also have airdashes, which provides a quick burst of movement in any analog direction, which you can cancel out of with an attack. Successfully landing an attack continues the combo, but failure to do so'll leave you helpless and vulnerable to counter attack. It's useful for platform movement, closing the distance between your opponent, and even Wavedashing. Of course, there's also UGC lol
Q: How do you plan on balancing airdashes so that they aren't an over-centralizing part of gameplay?
Max: Good question! Airdashes can be massively rewarding if you cancel them into an attack that connects with an opponent, but if your attack misses (or you don't cancel it at all) you end up in freefall with a ton of landing lag, leaving you open to a punish. This might take some tuning as time goes on, but our goal is to keep airdashes powerful but punishable if you get too predictable.
Q: So how powerful will fraytools be? Will you be able to make custom menu ui and css like in mugen? From the trailer I wasn’t sure whether fraytools was like a design tool or an engine
Cleod9: FrayTools will be as powerful as you allow it to be! We're using it ourselves to implement all of the game's official content (including some menus), so you'll be able to do just about anything we can do. FrayTools itself isn't quite an engine so much as it is a multi-purpose tool for designing and combining your animations, code, and audio assets into a shippable package.
Q: Do you plan on adding more and more characters as long as the game lives on? Kind of like the smash fighter passes but maybe for longer?
Ramsey: It entirely depends on how well the game does! If the means for us to create the content and deliver it to you all is there, we'd love for Fraymakers to have a healthy lifespan!
Q: May you tell use about the Items in the game? What are some ideas you have for them so far? Will most of them be functions of Smash/SSF2 items, or will there be all new items functionly unique to Fray?
Cleod9: We aren't able to disclose the specifics of items just yet, but for now we can say they will function differently from Smash/SSF2. You'll have to wait and see for future details!
Q: How excited are you to see user created content?
Ramsey: I cannot understate how exciting the prospect of seeing the community build UGC is! Even without FrayTools out there's already such an outpour of art, design and general excitement for UGC and it's so infectious.
Q: Will items be specifically references to stuff from indie games or more generic tools?
Ramsey: We'll leave that to your imagination for now – items are a bit of a ways off and i'd like for you to be able to see them in action rather than in an explanation.
Q: Will there be a dedicated strong button like rivals?
Max: We haven't nailed this down quite yet, but we'll definitely want to include control options for all types of players. Unless we come up with an alternate solution we like better, I'd say this is fairly likely.
Q: Given how much effort you put into FrayTools, do you plan on officially adding custom community-created characters to the game at some point? I'm not just talking about existing indie characters (whose owners might be fine with their character's inclusion), I mean entirely new and original characters too, if they were really well made and interesting to play.
Cleod9: It's certainly not off the table! We owe it to our players to prioritize our official content first for full release, but there could be a future where something custom impresses us so much that it became official content in some capacity.
Q: What goes into the process of deciding a character’s moveset?
Max: There's no rigid formula for this, but generally we heavily consider moveset potential when we're deciding which characters we'd like to include in the first place. If we don't think a character will bring something unique and fun to the table, we might not include them in the first place. Once we're getting into specifics, we try to create a cohesive moveset that represents the character's source material well!
Q: I saw a package for having access 2 closed beta / alpha and i wasnt able 2 buy it at the time… will it be available again?
Ramsey: We don't have any plans to open up Tester access to people who didn't get the chance to back at that tier during the Kickstarter at the moment.
Q: How was it to have Kira Buckland back as the announcer? Was it a smooth process for her to come back after so many years?
Ramsey: It's such an honor to have Kira back on the team!! It really sort of feels like a full circle moment. Kira was immediately on board and is such a pleasure to work with!!
Q: Are there any plans to jumpstart the game's competitive scene or is that something you want to leave to the community?
Ramsey: We haven't committed too much time to hashing out what the details of something like this would mean yet (gotta have a game before it can have a competitive community!), but we're very interested in doing what we can to stoke the flame so to speak.
Q: What characters are currently under consideration for dlc?
Ramsey: Cool characters. Very cool characters.
Q: Will the Switch version have 5+ player support much like Smash Brothers?
Ramsey: We aren't sure if more than 5 player support will be a thing at all for Fraymakers on Switch at this point – we still have a bit of research and development to do on that front before we can say whether or not it's a possibility.
Q: Can we get the Untitled Goose as a fighter or assist? Please I have 200 hours on that game:moyai:
Ramsey: We're going to do our best to satisfy as many people as we can with our content choices. Can't confirm anything specifically, though!
Q: How are you guys doing today?
Cleod9: Sleepy😂
Q: I know the game is surrounded by fabricated controversies but I just wanted to know if it wasn't impossible for YIIK related content to make it in the game?
Max: It could be included, but we can't comment much on potential future content at the moment!
Q: how does the process of getting newcomers from other games in work? do other creators of games reach you out or vice versa?
Max: Our pitches pre-Kickstarter were all done through our own outreach (for obvious reasons – the game wasn't announced yet!). For future content, we're generally not commenting on this at least for now, though we can say the Rhythm Doctor devs reached out to us once the Kickstarter launched! See: https://twitter.com/7thbeat/status/1338037809341321217
Q: According to the Fraymakers kickstarter page, the game will "have access to the full suite of attacks and techniques that you’re used to from the biggest games in the genre". I have to ask: does this include the essential technique of "ladder climbing" from Smash, in which you can climb up and down ladders?
Cleod9: We don't currently have plans for dedicated ladder climbing for official content, though it's possible to implement something like this in custom content.
Q: I don't have anything to ask, I just hope you're having a good day 🙂
Mass: Thank you, you as well!
Q: can u use tilt stick and custom keyboard controls
Ramsey: Yup! There will be a high degree of control over controls and your ability to customize them in the way you prefer!
Q: Will there be updates for characters and assist similar to smash dojo or will it be on social media?
Ramsey: We will likely not be doing something along the lines of a smash dojo (the overhead…whew) but you can absolutely expect updates on social media!
Q: Will you actively support a competitive scene?
Cleod9: We will do everything we can to support the competitive scene, especially since competitive viability is important to us. We'll be able to paint a better picture of what that support will look like later down the road!
Q: In regards to the alternate osts, will each ost have different versions of every song in the game (e.g. three versions of Octodad Medley), or will the artists choose different songs from the represented game series to arrange? Also, will the assist characters' series get music tracks?
Ramsey: So far each of the artists choose different songs to make a cover of. It's not out of the realm of possibility for two artists to do the same song, or for us to have an artist do a cover of a song that belongs to an assist.
Q: Are you able to say if we can expect online play to be available at launch?
Max: Yes, that's our plan!
Q: How accessible will Fraytools be to begginers? Any plans to bring creations from Fraytools Creations over to Nintendo Switch or other consoles? (Not saying "Can you bring fraytools to switch" since thats basically impossible)
Cleod9: We'll be working hard to make FrayTools as beginner friendly as possible. As a base example, if you can drag images into a window you will be capable of getting something on-screen in Fraymakers. If you know how to edit some numbers, you'll be able to make characters' physics feel differently. As you learn more about the tools available, you'll be able to do more complex things with your custom content (especially when it comes to scripting).
Q: Will we be able to fight against players that use custom characters that we don't have downloaded locally? (I.E Will the game automatically asks us if we want to download our opponent's character?) Please make it happen.
Ramsey: The plan is for the game to sync the UGC between players to make your online UGC experience as seamless as possible.
Q: I've noticed that most of the characters already showcased have very unique fighting styles, and the Fraymakers team has mentioned that this is intentional. What other criteria have you guys chosen, spoken or unspoken, for a character to be considered for the Fraymakers cast?
Mass: There's no strict rules for choosing characters to be in Fraymakers, but we've made sure to pick from a variety of Indie tiles from old to new that bring both unique gameplay while also representing their source material.
Q: What influenced the idea of the project, how did this idea come up and the process behind it.
Ramsey: We're just a group of people with a strong passion for this type of game design! When we got to talking about what was next, it was only natural that we'd be led in this direction.
Q: Is there anything that you've stumbled upon in development that was harder to implement/work on than you were expecting?
Cleod9: Shaders are one of the harder aspects of development that were somewhat unexpected since we didn't initially plan for them (i wrote my first custom shader code only 2 years ago!) In case you don't know what shaders are, they are special bits of code designed to run on your graphics card to create special effects. Some examples of this for us are palette swaps, shadow, hue/saturation/brightness filters, CommanderVideo's rainbow trail, and things like those. So we've learned a lot since starting this project!
Q: will custom characters be avalible in online play?
Ramsey: Yes!
Q: Do you plan on making DLC skins for characters?
Ramsey: It's on the table, but we need to evaluate whether or not it's worth it. It's a very tall order in terms of how much art time it requires, and our immediate priorities are on the content for 1.0.
Q: What scope of games will be represented? For example, will huge indie games such as Undertale be a part of this? Maybe even AAA games? Or just smaller indie titles?
Max: We're open to including a wide range of games! We're going to be looking at games specifically in the indie space, though.
Q: Are stages in the future going to be chosen based on the music genres you have to abide to, or will you be willing to get unique arrangements for stages from game that don't quite have something that'd fit metal persay?
Max: Assuming I'm understanding the question correctly – we don't generally expect stages to be limited by music. All of our musicians are super talented and some of the most experienced people out there at video game music covers, so we're confident they'd be able to create some amazing stuff regardless of the source material.
Q: Are there gonna be DLC assistant, other than DLC fighters?
Ramsey: It's definitely possible, just depends on how well the game does and if there's demand. 50 assists is already quite a lot LOL so it's something we'd have to seriously consider before moving forward on.
Q: will there be any extra assists
Ramsey: Similar to the above question, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Just something we'll have to think about considering how high the amount of assists currently is.
Q: What is the hardest part of coding a game and what coding platform do you use?
Cleod9: I'd say one of the hardest parts of making a game is fixing bugs. Some bugs can be extremely difficult to diagnose and take hours to fix yet only require a simple one line change of code. Luckily the debugging tools provided by Haxe (our coding language of choice) are pretty versatile and help us pinpoint most issues rather quickly.
Q: Could i make something like an arena to host battles with friends or anyone who wants to play?
Cleod9: Yes, we'll be adding the ability to host matches with your own settings that people can join.
Q: What are going to be the limits on gimicks for custom characters?
Cleod9: The sky's the limit! We don't plan to enforce any maximum limit on custom content gimmicks.
Q: I have just one question. Can we possibly get a timetable for announcements, like when you plan to announce new fighters or new stages in prep for the Early Access release?
Ramsey: We're going to keep our exact plans on the down low for now, but we're looking at doing reveals of some sort leading up to the Tester Build and Early Access!
Q: How soon will we receive an open beta
Max: Assuming you mean the tester build – that's still something we're working on! It'll be before Early Access comes out, though, which is slated for early 2022.
Q: what was the mindset choosing the first six characters? was it focused more on the games they represent or the potential gameplay opportunities?
Ramsey: The answer is a bit of both! All of our characters so far bring something unique to the table, while still being very well loved indie favorites!
Q: Will there be DLC and will you constantly update the game?
Max: It's hard to say for now, but if the game does well enough and there's demand for more content, we'd love to continue working on Fraymakers post-release!
Q: How will you determine which characters will get the animated stretch goal trailers?
Ramsey: We'll be hand choosing depending on which character is the most appropriate based on some behind the scenes factors!
Q: Outside of things such as Fraybets, are there things planned for more singleplayer content (akin to Classic/Arcade Mode, or Trophy collecting). Not asking specifics, as I'm sure that'd be too much, but just in general.
Ramsey: Thank you for not expecting specifics haha. Simply put the answer is…we're talking about the possibility! We're really excited to be able to dive into additional modes when the time comes – for now we're focusing on our Early Access offerings
Q: How will online work with custom characters? not just with friends but online custom character matchmaking big reason for why i ask(its a wall of text so im just putting it here on this pastebin: https://pastebin.com/nAUDCS4K very important to read it even if my english is bad since it is a bigger problem i know from RoA´s workshop matchmaking)
Ramsey: We'll have a few different ways to interact with UGC online that we'll get into when we get closer to delivering (including Fraybets!) – and we'll save that pastebin and sort through it! Thanks for delivering your concerns, we'll be sure to take them into consideration.
Q: What and how much do you consider when designing and balancing assists?
Ramsey: Our goal with them all to have unique functionality, and for balance we want all of the assists to be viable choices depending on the scenario/matchup.
Q: Will you eventually release the statistics for the character polls?
Max: We're not planning on posting the full results of the content survey, but we might be revealing more data for specific pieces of content if/when we reveal it later on!
Q: Is the Custom Character Suite and Custom Assist rewards for other indie characters or original characters of the backer
Mass: You can have any character of your choice for the Custom Character Suite and Custom Assist rewards.
Q: If the game ends up being very successful, how big do you see the player roster and assist roster getting via post-launch dlc?
Ramsey: If the game does very well we'd love to expand the character roster to some degree! Assists are a possibility, there's just already so many that we'd have to be a little more careful (and see if that's even something people would be interested in).
Q: Can we get dlc stages/music for games that aren't represented as fighters or assists?
Cleod9: No solid plans on this at this time but it's not off the table!
Q: Will Freddy Fazbear get into the game and will he get a Purple Guy assist
Ramsey: We aren't going to be confirming any individual indie's chance of inclusion – but we see all of the fans' requests and are taking it into account!
Q: What characters did you want to put in but couldn't come up with a good enough moveset for?
Max: We're not gonna comment on stuff like that, at least for the time being. 🙂
Q: What responses from the backer survey (characters, assists, or other suggestion) made you say "why didn't we think of that" or "this needs to be part of the final project"
Ramsey: There were a few surprises, but I can't go into specifics about it right now, sorry! ):
Q: Are you going to have any settings for the various OST editions you have? Not unlike Smash, or any other game that lets you choose songs at stage selection. Are there any plans for something like that?
Cleod9: Yes, there will be a music track customization system in place for choosing what tracks play on each stage. The details aren't completely fleshed out yet, but we are planning on it.
Q: We know that we're gonna get one music track per stage and per sountrack. But can there be more than that ?
Cleod9: Perhaps someday we'll add more tracks, we'll see! Either way we'll make sure you're able to mix things up with customization settings.
Q: How many songs do you plan to add to the game, and how many of them are remixes? also hope the game is going well been a learking fan since smash flash 2 and I’m happy to see a big project like this!
Cleod9: To start we're planning on 3 tracks per stage, each one being covers that are created separately by Super Soul Bros, FamilyJules, and OCRemix (and thank you for being a fan!)
Q: Will custom character be on one slot like ROA or multiple slots?
Cleod9: We're not finished yet with the design for how custom content will be presented, but you'll be able to see when it's ready!
Q: Are there going to be stages based on assists? If so are you guys able to tell us anything about which assists?
Max: We don't have any plans for this at the moment, but we're certainly not ruling out the possibility for future stages!
Q: Do you have any estimation on when the tester builds will be available, and will we be able to stream them?
Max: We don't have an estimate as of yet (we'll let you know more as we nail things down!) but yes, you'll be able to stream the tester build!
Q: Will the game have music from the characters originating games, or will it be a completely original soundtrack?
Max: Our soundtrack will have a small component of original stuff (the obvious example being the Fraymakers theme), but will largely consist of covers of indie game music by 3 different artists in different styles. We're not planning on using direct rips of any music at the moment.
Q: Will Fraymakers custom content include game modes and music?
Cleod9: Yes! Custom content can contain code for custom game modes in addition to music.
Q: Are there any plans for bringing FrayMakers to Smashcon or any other conventions if covid is situated?
Cleod9: Definitely, we'd love to return to Super Smash Con and other conventions in the future to showcase the game and have official tournament brackets if possible.
Q: How long do you expect the game to be supported for? 5 years, post-release? or 10+?
Max: We can't commit to something like this for now – we're focusing on finishing the game first! If the game does well enough and there's enough demand, we'd love to continue developing content for Fraymakers post-release.
Q: In what state do you hope to launch the game into early access? How much content should we expect to see at launch?
Max: Our plan is for early access to feature the following content (at minimum) at launch: – 4 Characters – 5 Stages – 20 Assists – Rollback Online – FrayTools
Q: If there was a spelunky rep, would it be Guy or Anna?
Max: Can't go into specifics for potential future content like this – sorry!
Q: will there be post launch fighters or will it be up to the community for new fighters?
Ramsey: Thanks to you all funding the Kickstarter to the level it hit, we're guaranteeing at least one post 1.0 DLC character! Passed that, it depends on how well the game does and the demand for more content.
Q: Hearing that the Super Smash Flash 2 team will continue development and that no members of SSF2 will be developing Fraymakers, what is the current org structure for McLead Gaming? Are the two teams fully independent? Are past members of SSF2 now developing Fraymakers with new members working on SSF2?
Mass: Both the SSF2 Team and Team Fray are separate developing teams, with past SSF2 developers working solely on Fraymakers. There's a couple of us working on both SSF2 and Fraymakers as well.
Q: Are there any indie games that you were surprised to find people requested in the Backer Survey?
Ramsey: I will say there weren't many anomalies 🤔 can't really get into the results for now!
Q: How will you handle the rips of sprites from ssf2 for fraytools? Will you allow them or will they be removed?
Cleod9: Generally, removal of content for copyright reasons will be handled at the discretion of copyright owners. I'd hope this wouldn't happen too often, but if it's requested that content be removed by copyright owners, we're obligated to comply.
Q: Oh my god that's a lot of questions
Sirto: Yes it is! We'll need to order Max some hand braces after all this!
Q: What indie games have been the most inspiring for the dev team during the production of Fraymakers?
Mass: Skullgirls was a big influence for me animation-wise. There's a ton of impact and character packed into their animations, and they're very conservative with their sketched frame counts. Smears, multiples and breaking the body to achieve impact can also be found in their work. Over the course of my time working on Fraymakers and looking at Mariel Cartwright's GDC talks, I've learned to improve my keyframing, and to only add as many frames as I need to to convey the impact and fluidity of an attack.
Q: Will I need Nintendo online to play if I get it on the switch to play
Cleod9: We're not certain yet, but we'll be looking into the requirements when we're further along in Switch development.
Q: will there be Tester Online tags? Also once Fraytools releases will there be royalties needed to be paid if you choose to make your own game and sell it like how Unity and UE4 do it?
Cleod9: We haven't confirmed yet if testers will get their own dedicated tags but we'll consider it! And since my first answer wasn't too exciting I'll reply to the rest: FrayTools will be free software with no catch! We'd love to see you use the tool for other engines.
Q: will the game have controller support and if so which type
Cleod9: We plan to support as many gamepads as possible! Currently we support most major brands, although note that in some cases special drivers may be needed (such is the case with the official GameCube adapter right now which we are looking into)
Q: Will there be online lobbies ala Super Smash Flash 2 and/or a direct matchmaking system?
Cleod9: We plan to have matchmaking capabilities in addition to a system that allows you to host games others can join with custom match settings.
Q: How many Single Player Modes do you wanna do?
Ramsey: We're definitely interested in building out our single player mode offerings – we won't know the exact form that will take while we're doing our best to focus on Early Access content though.
Q: Will there be options for DI and actions to do out of hitstun for CPU in training mode ?
Ramsey: Yes, absolutely!
Q: Will there be a certain size limit for sprites in Fraytools (fighters, stages, assists, etc.)? Is it planned to be relatively strict and at a fixed aspect ratio or rather fairly flexible?
Ramsey: Surely there will be some upper limit, but for the most part it'll be designed to be flexible in that way!
Q: Can you explain in more detail how assists will work?
Ramsey: Choose one from soon to be 50 unique assist characters on the character select screen. Then, you charge a meter based on how much damage you deal to the opponent, and once the bar is full your assist is fully charged! Press the assist button to unleash the assist and wreak havoc on your enemy! Every assist functions uniquely.
Q: Will FrayTools allow people to add new music to stages, and edit the likelihood of particular tracks playing?
Cleod9: We'll definitely be adding music customization capabilities that let you determine what songs you want to hear, though we're not sure yet how we'll be handling custom tracks on official stages.
Q: Will Isaac be in the game?
Ramsey: We can't answer any specifics about the roster, sorry!
Q: What game are you pulling inspiration from the most as far as “feel” goes? Is it closer to SF2, Rivals, or are you trying to create a new engine with an entirely unique playstyle feeling?
Ramsey: I'd definitely say the last part is the most accurate! Fraymakers somehow manages to feel both familiar and fresh. I can't wait for you guys to get it into your hands!
Q: Will we be able to make our own custom alt colours? If not, is that something we can make with fraytools?
Ramsey: It's a surprisingly complicated feature, so we're not 100% sure yet whether or not we'll have the ability to make custom colors. You'll absolutely be able to make your own custom colors for your UGC characters!
Q: Will you consider adding items like the ones in smash?
Max: We will have items in some form! We're not revealing details past that, though.
Q: How is the game’s development going so far?
Max: Super well! We're still feeling confident about hitting our established goals.
Q: Will the character creator be available before, on or after launch?
Sirto: The Fraytools program will be available at the same time we launch Fraymakers. It will be included free with your copy of the game.
Q: Will there be native support for the official GC controller adapter?
Sirto: At this time, we're investigating supporting the official Nintendo GC adapter. Since it doesn't have official windows drivers I cannot promise it will be supported yet. However, we do support the Mayflash GC adapter!
Q: When designing characters, do you look for inspiration more in the characters abilities or in their original moveset?
Mass: Both! Generally we look to the characters' abilities for moveset inspiration. We also look for any gameplay mechanics that both translate well into this type of environment and best represents their source material. For some of the more original moves, we tend to base it on their personalities and what feels natural for them to be doing, along with what makes sense in the context of their moveset.
Q: Could we get some information of the pixel dimensions on stages and stage backgrounds for those planning on making stages early, such as the dimensions of a large and a small stage?
Ramsey: Remind me to get this for you closer to Early Access coming out – we're still working on formalizing things like that. I don't want to say anything too early and misdirect the art community.
Q: Will Fraymakers have bosses?
Ramsey: Something to consider for the future! We're going to be prioritizing Early Access promises first and foremost.
Q: How does team fray define “indie” as a qualifier to get into fray makers. And is there wiggle room within that definition for larger indie characters like (without spoiling anything) shantae or shovel knight who’ve seen broad mainstream appeal to be included?
Max: We're pretty flexible with our definition of indie – I'd say even more popular/mainstream indie characters would still count! As long as they're made by an independent company, they're fair game.
Q: How is the team processing and going through the survey responses, particularly with respect to the freeform additional suggestions section?
Max: For characters and assists, we used an algorithm to group different wording for the same character, then passed over them by hand to correct for any errors and ensure accurate results. Extra comments are read individually – we're still taking our time to go through them since the response to the survey was so incredible, but we're making sure to read them all! Some cool ideas have already come up that we've made note of for the future.
Q: Will Fraytools allow us to modify the AI of computer fighters when making custom characters?
Cleod9: Yes, modifying the AI for custom characters will be possible through scripting. We'll go into more detail about how this works as we get closer to release!
Q: How did the process of adding all the guest characters/assists go? Did it go as smoothly as you thought it would be?
Ramsey: It's always very scary to be honest, because you just want more than anything for it to go well. And you want to impress the devs! Fortunately every developer in the indie community is a big sweety pie. They're so approachable and easy to work with 🙂
Q: What is the process of getting through the language barrier to get certain indie characters like Josef in the game?
Max: Luckily, we were able to communicate with the indie devs who owned content featured in our Kickstarter in English! Can't comment on future content specifically, but we'd be contracting translators as needed.
Q: Do you have a favorite story from working with the other developers to adapt their characters?
Max: We don't want to go into too many details about private stuff generally, but since they've talked about it a bit publicly, I'd like to shout out the Rhythm Doctor devs again for being super cool to work with! They were someone we'd probably have reached out to anyway, so having them reach out during the Kickstarter and working with them on the assist design was amazing.
Q: I’ve been doing pixel art for a couple years, and drawing for a couple months. What piece of advice would you give to someone who’s very much still growing as an artist, and aspiring to even come close to living up to the artists of Final Fantasy 6?
Mass: Experiment a lot with different techniques, and just have fun with it. I learned a lot from trying out a technique I heard of before or something I was thinking of, like maybe doing a smear or a multiple or sculpting a sprite's form before doing outlines, and seeing how it works. You learn a lot about what's working about it and what's not. And it gets pretty fun that way. Trying out new things and getting the hang of them has basically been my practice lol You should also look at what things you like about your favorite pieces of art. What about it that works so well (like the colors chosen, or their poses, or the composition) and how are they using it to great effect (like they like to use complimentary colors to draw attention to the most important part of the pixel art, or they frame their characters in a way that gives off a really cool mood/effect). And just take it as a journey. Pixel art and animation's been my passion for years and I've just been having fun with it all and trying new stuff along the way.
Q: Are there any plans to provide templates or tutorials for people to learn how to use Fraytools?
Sirto: Yeah, we plan on having a public wiki / website with Fraytools documentation and tutorials available. It's hard to promise details, but we're definitely very interested in finding ways to help you learn how to use Fraytools. We'll make sure the community is able to learn and create awesome content. I'm sure some of our community members will be producing their own tutorials as well.
Q: Hi, I have a question about Fraytools. When making sprites for a fighter, will there be any kind of scaling options to keep highly detailed characters small, or is the canvas size strictly related to their in-game size?
Cleod9: Yes, this is actually an important feature so that's very insightful of you to ask! You'll be able to control the base scale of the character so that they render at the size you want relative to other characters. This way you don't have to worry about manually resizing sprites directly in FrayTools itself.
Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, how difficult will it be to use frey tools with zero experience
Cleod9: We plan to build out documentation with sample materials that beginners can follow along to be able to create custom content in FrayTools with no experience. If you can follow step by step instructions you'll be fine creating your first project, and can gradually pick up new skills as you go to make your content more advanced.
Q: Will Welltaro be toxic to play against? On a serious note, are all indie games from any genre welcome to join the game at any point? How hard is it to come up with a moveset for them?
Max: All indie games are fair game to join the roster in some capacity! For our main roster, we wanna make sure that we have a good concept for a fun, unique moveset.
Q: What is your favorite indie game that is featured in fraymakers?
Max: You will NOT make me play favorites!!!! If a game is features in Fraymakers you can be pretty sure that we like it a lot though LOL
Q: Hey there, love the progress on fraymakers, very excited to play it!
Cleod9: Thank you so much! We're glad you like what you see so far 🙂
Q: What was/is the most fun aspect of the game to work on? (And if you want, what was the hardest aspect to work on?)
Mass: Personally, it's character polishing. I love adding little details, touches and references to the characters once they're almost all completed. It all helps to make the characters feel closer to their source material, like they've just jumped out of their games.
Q: Who was your favorite character to develop and can you give any insight into the development process as well as being able to use there characters?
Ramsey: Truthfully they've all been extremely fun to develop, but a standout for me personally has been Welltaro. When Max proposed the initial concept of a projectile heavy fighter with an ammo meter and a vertical inclination I wasn't sure if it would work to be honest. However when concepts started getting drawn up and we began implementing the attacks and movements in the engine it came together so beautifully – the end result is a character that is extremely unique and intuitive to play. Can't wait for you guys to try him out~
Q: Damn, that's a lot of questions. I have only one question…How are you guys doing? Hope the development goes well!
Cleod9: So far so good! We're all staying healthy and safe, and firing on all cylinders since 2021 rolled around!
Q: How will fraytools function and be accessed?
Cleod9: FrayTools is a standalone program that will be freely downloadable and accessed separately from Fraymakers. We went over a bit of how it's used in one of our Kickstarter updates: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mcleodgaming/fraymakers-the-infinitely-replayable-indie-platform-fighter/posts/3028934 We'll share more info as we get closer to releasing it!
Q: Do you believe there's value in having low tier characters in the game, or will you try to make everyone comparably powerful?
Max: Our goal for the cast to be as balanced as possible – especially considering our roster size, we want to make sure that all of our characters are viable. To some degree, certain characters being a little better than others is fairly likely, but we don't want any character choice to feel like it's massively inhibiting your chances to win.
Q: How will tournaments work
Cleod9: We're not sure yet! I'm certain the community will be able to hash out the standards, but we may come up with some default settings that work as a starting point to what we anticipate being commonly used in competitive matches.
Q: If theres going to be online play, will you be able to use custom characters online?
Cleod9: Of course! We're actually very excited to see what our players create and share online.
Q: Are you Shure you guys will be able to answer this many questions 🙂
Sirto: To be honest, I didn't think it would be this much. At this point we've gotten this far, so yeah, I think we'll make it 🙂
Q: Will you be able to make your own custom alts for the characters?
Ramsey: We haven't decided one way or the other on this quite yet, as there are some engineering and design challenges to consider and overcome. It's definitely on our minds though!
Q: How many people can play in a match at once?
Sirto: Up to 4 players can play together at once in a match. We can't commit to anything past that at this time.
Q: Fraymakers?
Cleod9: Frays will be made.
Q: Did Octodad (the series)'s unique control scheme influence Octodad (the character)'s gameplay?
Max: While Octodad is definitely easier to control in Fraymakers than he is in the original games, one of our main goals in his visual and moveset design has been to represent the unique motions possible through his original control scheme. Octodad's movements and attacks take full advantage of his flailing stretchy limbs, giving him a distinctive feel that we think is properly reminiscent of his source material.
Q: Do you have anyone in mind for the first dlc character?
Mass: Our lips are sealed. 🙂
Q: Will characters have moves like falcon punch or warlock punch?
Ramsey: If the design of the character calls for it, it isn't out of the realm of possibility! Fishbunjin's down special is the really insane universe destroying wind-up punch, if you haven't tried it out in Slap City give it a go, it truly is something to behold LOL
Q: Have you already decided on future character and/or assist additions to the game?
Cleod9: It's too soon to share details, but we're regularly working towards locking down what future characters and assists will be added to the game.
Q: How will Character implementation work, Specifically are we able to port in outside PNG's for use in Custom Characters
Sirto: You can use sprites generated in your tool of choice. Fraytools will allow you to import these frames, then you'll be able to animate and script a character
Q: Will the game be crossplay- and if so, then what platforms?
Sirto: We haven't officially announced if we'll be supporting cross play at this time
Q: Will you endorse the competitive scene and content created by the community? Basically, will you pull a not-Nintendo?
Cleod9: We'd welcome a competitive scene with open arms, and user-created content is something very central to Fraymakers (it's even ingrained in the name itself!)
Q: What was the creative process like between creating a moveset a non conventional character like the watcher?
Mass: There was a lot of card art to go off of to help fill out Watcher's moveset and basic motions, so we could just translate those poses to what makes the most sense contextually. We also focused on representing Watcher's unique mechanic in the form of her Divine Stances.
Q: Before you reached additional character goals, did you have the additional fighters planned out or are you still trying to figure that out?
Ramsey: Without going into too much detail… both 😉
Q: Can custom characters e.g. alter time dilation for slow-mo effects if programmed into the character manually?
Cleod9: Time dilation and slow-mo at an individual object level is something we're still experimenting with to see how it affects custom content. We'll see!
Q: Are there any plans, in client or out of client, for official competitive support? Whether that means in game ranked mode, tournaments, etc.. Will this be integrated or utilize the vast customization and building options fraymakers offers?
Cleod9: We've had quite a few discussions internally about these kinds of things! We're not sure the extent to which we'll take it, but there will definitely be features geared towards competitive players that custom content can also benefit from.
Q: Are things like edgecancelling, DACUS, or moonwalking/potentially other techniques being considered for the game? Also would love to hear about new techniques that you guys have created too!
Max: Bearing in mind that this is all subject to change: – edgecancelling: yes – DACUS: no – Moonwalking: not at the moment, but this is being considered – Other techniques: you'll have to wait and see! Lots of these are character specific, though.
Q: What programming languages are you using for development?
Cleod9: Fraymakers is written in the Haxe programming language, while FrayTools is written in TypeScript.
Q: What are some of the things you look for when deciding on fighters? Both current and future
Ramsey: To greatly oversimplify – we look for three things. Will they bring something unique to the table in terms of gameplay and visuals, is it a character that fans will be interested in, and is the character something that we ourselves as developers are interested in developing!
Q: Will there be bosses
Ramsey: It's a possibility for the future! For now we're focusing on our promised offerings for Early Access and 1.0!
Q: What characters do you guys want to have in the game?
Ramsey: Characters that fulfill the hopes and dreams of our community!
Q: can you customize the main menu ui with FrayTools?
Cleod9: We're not certain yet how far we'll allow access and modifications to official menus through custom content, but you'll certainly have the ability to programmatically use some existing menus to coordinate your custom content (such as the character select screen if you wanted to make a custom mode that needs it)
Q: Question: Since the Newgrounds Tankman more-represents flash as opposed to games, will there be representation from other Newgrounds stuff in some capacity like Madness Combat or Pico?
Cleod9: We can't go into details on if other Flash character representation will be added for certain, but we are definitely considering Flash content overall as indie game representation suitable for Fraymakers.
Q: Have you heard of a game called “Maiden & Spell” (or mns for short), asking for a friend
Ramsey: Yeah I have, I never would have considered a 1 v 1 bullet hell battler. It's so stylish too!
Q: will there be remixes from other indie games that dont have a playable character in the game?
Ramsey: We're definitely open to the possibility – can't say much more than that about it!
Q: Will you be able to answer all of this in about an hour or more? That's a LOT of questions. Good luck btw.
Cleod9: As you could probably tell we could not LOL
Q: Will music from the original games be used in fraymakers
Cleod9: Right now we don't plan to use the original master recordings from the games represented since our OST is geared towards covers, but we'll see!
Q: What programming language will the mod tools use?
Cleod9: Currently we're using a scripting language called hscript to code custom content (a subset of the Haxe language), but this may be subject to change in the future.
Q: Since the shield is directional and I presume can be crossed up, does it not break to compensate?
Ramsey: That's correct! The shield currently does not shrink or break at all. Your main options to combat it are grabbing or crossing them up by getting to the unprotected side and attacking.
Q: How close is The Knight from Hollow Knight to being in Fray?
Ramsey: Can't comment on the chances for any one specific character, sorry!
Q: What are the chances of getting more announcers?
Ramsey: Has just about as much of a chance as anything else! We're going to spend some time hashing out what the specific responsibilities of our three announcers are before thinking about including more, but open to the possibility.
Q: Will FrayTools have Steam Workshop support?
Cleod9: We're still working on determining the best distribution method for content created in FrayTools, so we'll see!
Q: If we have Golden One Skin does that carry onto both the PC version and the Switch version if we get it through a McLeod account of something? I don’t want to have it on one and not the other especially since I don’t really know what I’ll play on primarily
Cleod9: Our goal is to allow the Golden skins to carry over to each copy of the game you own, but we're still in the process of determining if we can do this on Switch.
Q: As far as the roster goes, will character be primarily separated as either playable or assist? In other words, if a character that is so far confirmed as an assist fighter then that’s how they’ll in the final game and vice versa with playable fighters. No option to choose “X” as my playable & “Y” as assist, or “Y” as my playable and “X” as assist.
Ramsey: This question is hurting my brain a bit… LOL. If I understand correctly, we're not going to be demoting any playable characters to assist-only ever. You'll be able to pick any playable character as an assist though! And there is the possibility for an assist character to be promoted to playable, but we don't have any plans for that either
Q: Do you plan on making balance changes after launch, and if so, how frequently?
Max: Our goal is to use our tester and early access periods to get the game's balance into a fairly stable state through regular updates (don't have an exact frequency right now, but we plan to do them pretty often). Past that, we'd still be open to making adjustments as needed, but with less frequency than during early access.
Q: How do you go about creating movesets? Do you try to make the characters feel as if you were playing their source game?
Max: While it's not gonna be 1 to 1 or anything, one of our main design goals is for each character to feel very representative of their source material. Obviously some adjustments need to be made as a character moves into a different genre, but making them feel like themselves is among our top priorities.
Q: How many Fighters/Assists have been decided as of now?
Ramsey: We definitely have open spots that we're considering (as of the kickstarter, 4 character and 30 assist spots opened up!). As for if any of them have been filled yet, gonna be tight-lipped about that. I will say exciting stuff is happening that we can't wait to share with you!
Q: Will the design book be available separately when released?
Ramsey: We haven't decided yet – since it's a backer reward it might feel a little bad for those who backed specifically for that reward to find out that we opened that up to the public, but we'll see.
Q: I don't really have any important questions to add sadly, so I'll ask a pretty stupid question instead. What are the odds of getting another character that has a tail? Prolly the main thing that I really want from the new characters heh. Really excited for the game even if I don't get this!
Cleod9: I never would have guessed that from your username lol. But lots of characters have tails, so I imagine at least one more will appear in some form when you consider we have 30+ more assists to reveal in addition to the other playable characters!
Q: How much fun are you having making the game?
Cleod9: Lots, and it's quite fulfilling! It's nice not having to hold back on our dream project, and it's all thanks to the support from you all! ❤️
Q: Which character was the hardest to re-adapt into the game's art-style?
Ramsey: None of them were particularly difficult due to the flexible nature of our sprite style, though I will note that the Watcher being the most detail dense is a bit of a time sink. It's worth it for that stunning end result though!
Q: Is having multiple characters form one game a possibility?
Ramsey: Yes! We don't currently have any plans for that, but we aren't opposed to the consideration.
Q: Will examples/templates be provided for FrayTools to get newbies acquainted with the system?
Cleod9: Yes! We plan to provide documentation and sample materials that you will be able to use to hit the ground running.
Q: No questions from me, I hope you guys will have a good and smooth development with the game!
Ramsey: Thanks! The well wishes from the community are a huge driving force behind our motivation to deliver the best game possible for you all, so we really appreciate it!
Q: Will Fishbunjin have his dumbbell throw and if so will it replace a special or can we expect aeriel smash attacks from at least one character?
Ramsey: It will be in his moveset in some capacity! You'll learn more about his specific implementation when we get closer to revealing the full character.
Q: How long has this been in development?
Cleod9: A little over two years (initial design/production started in late 2018)
Q: Will there be an official sprite sheet? If not, will there be some alternative way you recommend for people to rip the sprites? Keep up the fantastic work! It's gonna be amazing!
Cleod9: We don't have plans to publicly release official game content sprites at this time.
Q: Does the Switch version plan on having any type of online? If so will rollback net code be implemented?
Cleod9: We're basically going to port every feature that we can, though note that rollback poses a big technical challenge for the hardware that will require more testing before we can say for sure.
Q: Is the gameplay going to be similar to smash flash or are you taking a different approach to how the gameplay will work as you disconnect yourselves from previous projects or other games?
Cleod9: Since Fraymakers is a platform fighter, there are going to be some similarities by nature, but we've taken a few steps to differentiate ourselves already such as our assist mechanic, cancellable air dashes, and directional shield (among many other changes) that already change up the formula quite a bit.
Q: Will there be a story mode? I'd love to see how the characters interact with each other! Also I hope for a photo taking mode to just goof around in and maybe make stories like the Smash machinimas!
Ramsey: We don't currently have any plans for an interconnected story mode exactly. And we'll consider the possibility for robust photo mode tools 🙂
Q: What documentation will be provided for Fraytools? Will there be an exhaustive “manual” for programming in Fraytools?
Cleod9: Yes we're planning to create documentation and sample materials that you'll be able to use to learn how FrayTools works.
Q: What do you consider to be the largest selling point of fraymakers?
Ramsey: Really that it's an indie lover's dream! It's not only a huge crossover of so many beloved indie characters, but filled to the brim with fast paced fighting game action! Not to mention the extremely powerful sister program FrayTools – this game checks a lot of boxes!
Q: Will there be the implementation of footstools in this game considering you're adding a more intuitive combo system with assists?
Ramsey: We don't have plans for footstools at this juncture.
Q: how long were you working on this before the kickstarter?
Cleod9: We started the initial concept in late 2018, so a little over two years!
Q: at how low of a level can you interact with fraymaker's code using fraytools?
Cleod9: We aren't able to disclose every detail just yet, but if we're talking technical terms here Fraymakers exposes an API that your custom code will be able to use to interact with the engine directly.
Q: Is there a planned date for release?
Ramsey: Our current concrete plan for the release of Early Access is March 2022. Beyond that, no concrete details have been shared at this point.
Q: What do you think makes this game unique from other platform fighters?
Max: The most obvious answers would be some of our bigger features, like the assist system and the distribution of robust UGC tools. On top of those, we also have a unique blend of mechanics (some new, some familiar), and we think the interplay of those mechanics has made something truly unique. Fraymakers feels very satisfying and deep to play while focusing on being approachable for players of all levels.
Q: Will the character modifying/stage modifying software be avaliable on switch?
Ramsey: It's not likely, but we're going to do everything we can to try and make the Fraymakers experience as rich as possible on the Switch version. When we get closer to the Switch release we'll be sure to be transparent regarding any differences.
Q: how possible does the dev team think it would be to get larger indies like hollow knight, undertale, fnaf, etc repped in fraymakers in some form?
Ramsey: Can't speak to the possibility of those acquisitions – only that we're very open to any indie's inclusion!
Q: What language is Fraytools built on?
Cleod9: FrayTools is written in TypeScript.
Q: Will the game have some sort of story mode?
Ramsey: We don't have plans for a story mode comparable to something like Subspace at this time.
Q: What's your design philosophy for Fraymakers characters' balancing and mechanics? (Hopefully this doesn't count as two questions) Is it the same as SSF2's? also give us some backer exclusive images and sneak peeks on #fraymakers-backers every now and then, please
Max: Our goal is to keep the characters mostly in-line with each other balance-wise while preserving what makes each of them unique. Considering our roster size, it's important to us that every character both brings something new to the table and is a viable pick for players of all levels. We design our characters from the ground up with both strengths and (crucially) weaknesses in mind, which we think ensures that the interactions between them will stay interesting and prevents the cast from becoming homogenized.
Q: Will Fraymaker’s build on SSF2’s current “Insider’s Updates/Newletters”?
Cleod9: Perhaps! We haven't decided yet what else we want to do with the Insiders newsletter besides big MG announcements. But we've also set up a secondary newsletter specifically for Fraymakers that may be used from time to time at this page: https://next.mcleodgaming.com/
Q: How are you trying to streamline the creation process with Fraytools? (i.e. how simple will it be to use?)
Cleod9: We've focused on speeding up the process of things that would normally be tedious with other tools (such as our automatic hurtbox generation, bulk sprite importing, multi-frame editing, etc.). When it comes to getting content into Fraymakers and tweaking basic physics, it will not require a lot of technical knowledge.
Q: Will we have the ability to create and share our own announcer packs for the game?
Cleod9: Not a bad idea, we'll look into it!
Q: Without naming specific characters, what are the biggest obstacles that you will face when it comes to licensing guest characters?
Cleod9: I'd say "time" is the biggest obstacle, simply because when you have as many indie contacts as we do at this point and the time it takes to get everything together, it really puts a lot of strain on our resources having a small team. Fortunately every studio we've worked with so far has been an absolute pleasure in our interactions with them, so all the effort we put towards acquisitions has been worth it.
Q: How was the transition from making a fan game to one of your own with your own mechanics and ideas? Exciting? Overwhelming? More than you anticipated? And did you expect to get this far?
Ramsey: What a good question!! Honestly, every step of the way has been a perfect mix of exciting and soooo scary! Especially before we went public, there's this feeling of… like, is it good enough? Will people like it? It's interesting to have this very deep visceral belief in your project but not knowing if when it's public, people will share the sentiment. So when the Kickstarter came out after 2 straight years of hard work, ups and downs, for the public to give us such an explosive reception meant the world to the team. Thank you so much for supporting us through the project – all we want is to create the best indie crossover platfighter experience possible!
Q: Will temtem be items like pokemon are in smash
Ramsey: Can't speak to any specifics about items right now, but we love seeing everyone's suggestions for ideas!
Q: Are your animators paid handsomely? They better be!
Ramsey: Such a kind comment! We ensure all of our contractors (including animators!) are paid what they deserve, they're all so talented and the project wouldn't be where it is without them.
Q: Will you be giving representation to games that don't have a fighter or assist, as in stages or music?
Ramsey: Open to the possibility!
Q: What characters do you think could potentially show up in Fraymakers?
Ramsey: If they're an indie, they all have a chance of showing up!
Q: Are you gonna add any hazards and if you do will there be a on off switch
Cleod9: Yes, we've confirmed hazards will be a thing and will be toggleable.
Q: Are there any characters that you'd like to put into the game, but seem too unlikely to put in for any reason?
Ramsey: Goku
Q: Will there be mini games like break the targets
Cleod9: Yes, so far we've only confirmed a target breaking mode but we may consider more.
Q: Will assists be apart of core gameplay or will there be a way to toggle them off if you would prefer not play with them?
Ramsey: Assists will be togglable for sure! Though just because they're togglable doesn't mean they aren't a part of core gameplay – we just believe you should be able to play Fraymakers how you want!
Q: How long do you think it’ll take to develop Fraymakers?
Cleod9: We've estimated it will take about 2 years after Early Access is released to finish the full game, though this is subject to change.
Q: do you add a character based on if you want them, if a company requests them, or some other reason
Ramsey: There isn't any one singular reason – we have to believe the character brings something unique to the table in terms of gameplay first and foremost, so if a company would like their character in or we actively seek out a character we consider the first point before moving forward 🙂
Q: How will the training mode work
Ramsey: We plan to include a full suite of features for training mode – we don't have specifics for you yet but please look forward to it! If you guys have any specific ideas feel free to let us know as well
Q: Is there anything that you want in the game but aren't able to fulfill cause your not able too?
Max: We can't really go into non-confirmed content questions, so I can't answer this – sorry!
Q: What platforms are you guys hoping to release on besides computers? Are you hoping to make one or more console releases?
Cleod9: Nintendo Switch is confirmed! We're not certain about other consoles yet but may consider more after everything else is shipped.
Q: Approximately how long will it be until backer builds roll out? Will there be any sort of embargo on recording or showing footage?
Cleod9: We don't have a specific date yet for testers (before Early Access of course), but don't worry, there won't be any restrictions on your ability to show footage.
Q: are most of the teams you ask to use their character willing? if not, how many have said no?
Ramsey: Don't want to get into any of the business dealings for privacy reasons, but all of the indie devs we've interfaced with have been truly incredible!
Q: How were the initial 6 characters for the base roster decided?
Max: Our goal with our first characters was pretty much the same as our full cast: a cast full of characters that we think present unique playstyles while faithfully representing their source material! You can expect that same philosophy to be applied to future character additions as well.
Q: Can you share any more details about FrayBets? It sounds like an exciting feature, but the initial post about it on Kickstarter didn't mention too much about it.
Max: Basically, it's an in-game system that allows everyone to wager points on CPU battles (featuring user generated content) that the game generates! If you're looking for something like it so you can get an idea, check out https://www.saltybet.com/ – it has a pretty similar system using MUGEN.
Q: Did you have any ideas for potential DLC characters when you announced them as stretch goals or was the plan always to figure out who they were at a later date?
Cleod9: Nothing set in stone – we had some ideas, but generally wanted to have the resources for an extra slot so by the time we did the backer content survey we'd be able to fulfill more of your requests 🙂
Q: What do you guys have to go through to get a character you want in the game, as a fighter or as an assist?
Ramsey: It starts by interfacing with the dev who owns the character and seeing if they're into making the idea into a reality! From there we find out what their expectations are for the terms of use of their IP.
Q: How much control will you have over the control customization?
Cleod9: You'll be able to map any input to any button on your controller that you'd like.
Q: Will DLC sales contribute to trailers for new characters
Cleod9: Not sure about DLC sales specifically, but generally speaking if we're doing well monetarily we'd definitely consider doing more trailers.
Q: Will the roster consist of more well know characters ( Sans, The knight, etc) or more obscure characters?
Ramsey: We hope to be able to represent indies all across the board!
Q: If the chance were to come would you add a character from a non-indie game? Especially one that might be forgotten to time like Earthworm Jim or other forgotten mascots?
Ramsey: Not opposed, but we would have to carefully consider beforehand depending on the character.
Q: What gave y’all the idea to do a indie character fighting game? I love it so much!
Cleod9: We're all huge fans of platform fighters as well as indie games, so of course it was inevitable for us to want to put the two ideas together!
Q: If your mind has changed at all, is there any plans to have the shields shrink/crack and break?
Ramsey: Currently shields don't crack or break, but we aren't afraid of making large design updates to our mechanisms if we think it improves the gameplay. This is something we'll be looking into further during the Tester Build phase of development!
Q: What are your (In-depth) plans for singleplayer content? With COViD and a poor internet connection, singleplayer is often a very important piece of a fighting game for me, and I'm interested to see what Fraymakers will have to offer.
Cleod9: We don't have the ability to go in-depth just yet, single player content is something we're still in the process of planning. One thing for certain though is that anybody can create their own single player content with FrayTools, so we're hoping that over time a never ending sea of single player modes are added by the community.
Q: What would have been the next stretch goal after those last few character reveal ones?
Ramsey: Those were the last stretch goals we had planned, believe it or not! We were so blown away that we got that far!
Q: Are there plans to add dlc content after the 1st character promised in the kickstarter?
Ramsey: That all depends on how successful the game is, and if there is enough fan demand!
Q: When developers and programmers make a balanced fighter, will you fight to make them competitively legal?
Ramsey: Assuming you're talking about UGC – ultimately to some degree it's up to the community. We aren't planning to do a ton of balance policing of UGC content officially, but if there's a fan initiative to organize something like that when the time comes we'd love to signal boost it!
Q: How does the system work with Fraybets? Are the characters tiered in some way, or found to be roughly equal strength, for entertaining fights? Are the characters going to be assessed in some way, for allowing them into the cycle?
Max: Great question! We're still tuning the specifics here, including whether we want target balanced matches in some way. I can say we're definitely going to have some sort of way for content to be filtered before it can show up in Fraybets.
Q: What's your favorite assist implemented so far?
Ramsey: It's sooooo so hard to choose, but I think Aine is one of my favorites. It's the most frame heavy assist so far (I think?) and it leads into such fun combos.
Q: has this game been more or less fun to create overall compared to super smash flash 2
Cleod9: It's more like a continuation of the same fun! Platform fighters are our element, so it feels right at home developing one.
Q: How do you guys plan to balance the roster post-release?
Max: Our plan is to heavily iterate on character balance during the tester and early access periods, with the goal of getting balance in a stable state through data and player feedback. We aim to reach a point where balance updates don't need to be as frequent, though we'd still be willing to step in if the situation requires it.
Q: This will be first and only Backer Q&A?
Cleod9: We plan to do a couple more during development at different times so it's more convenient for other time zones!
Q: What is your favorite Smash clone?
Ramsey: Can't make me choose between Rivals and Slap City, man! Absa and Goddess of Explosions mains here!
Q: Do you have plans on having some sort of extra cosmetic customization such as custom colors in rivals of aether or releasing costumes for characters as dlc?
Ramsey: Definitely interested in the idea of updating the game with extra palettes. As far as premium costumes go, it's something we're considering, but very carefully. It's a tall order as far as art resources go, and we're doing our best to focus all of our art initiatives into delivering the promised playable content first and foremost.
Q: How did you decide on Watcher among all the Slay the Spire characters?
Max: A few reasons! We thought her stance mechanic would translate extremely well to a platform fighter and bring something totally new but still reasonably intuitive. We also liked her staff as a weapon type, and there were a lot of cards in her lineup that we felt translated very nicely into her moveset.
Q: Is it planned for all playable characters to be represented by at least one stage?
Max: We haven't locked this in quite yet – you'll have to wait and see!
Q: How did you come up with the name "Fraymakers?"
Cleod9: It took quite a while to find something we found felt so natural to us, but it just came down to what we felt best represented what the game was all about in its name!
Q: How long is early access planned for?
Cleod9: Early Access is currently estimated to span about 2 years before the full game is implemented, though this might change down the line.
Q: How often can we expect updates?
Cleod9: If you mean communication updates, we'll generally try to post something regularly, such as how we did our Backer Content Survey last month and now this Q&A. Though if you're talking about updates for the game itself after Early Access is out we don't have a set schedule planned yet.
Q: How do you decide who to put in to the game as fighters and assists? Will Fraymakers have more modes and if so what kinds?
Ramsey: If it's a character we feel has the chance for unique gameplay, and it's something the fans (and ourselves as devs) are interested in, we consider it! And we're definitely interested in adding new modes for you all to enjoy, can't get into the details at this point yet.
Q: Along with the Tomar and Alpharad packs, do you plan on adding any other voice packs later on?
Ramsey: We're definitely open to the consideration!
Q: How will new characters be revealed?
Cleod9: At least 2 will be revealed through animated trailer announcements since we hit some of our trailer stretch goals thanks to you all! As for the rest, we'll see!
Q: As of late,I have decided to stop preordering games in it's entirety. I think it's not the best course of action to continue that trend. How do you feel as game developers about the issue of preordering games and rushed/unfinished titles happening because of it?
Cleod9: As gamers ourselves we understand that all too well. For us, development of Fraymakers simply would not be possible on a reasonable timeline without the generous support from you all (thank you so much!). It's a shame when a rushed or unfinished title is released, and this can happen for many reasons. But that's part of why we chose to go for an Early Access model designed to fund the full product through Kickstarter. This way we can release the game sooner than we could otherwise with funds to last the full development, and also have access to valuable feedback from our community early on.
Q: Will Fish have his Air-Strong? I mean, in RoA, said mechanic is exclusive to only certain characters, so I assume something similar could happen here.
Ramsey: We'll get into more specifics about the way we're implementing Fishbun from Slap City to Fraymakers at a later date.
Q: Will Fraytools have character creating tools (I mean playable ones, like octodad)?
Cleod9: Yes you can create both playable characters and assists with FrayTools!
Q: How much will come pre-baked into the character/stage/item creator?
Cleod9: As much as we can! Templates, samples, and documentation to get you off the ground quickly are things we are planning for the FrayTools ecosystem.
Q: Hi, first of all, thanks, second, will there be any new competitive modes, like squad strikes (3vs3 or 5vs5) or smash down (only a example from ultimate), or any new modes you are planing to create?
Ramsey: As we work on the already announced modes and content for Early Access through 1.0, we're constantly brainstorming new content and modes for your enjoyment! If you guys have any ideas be sure to post them (and remember, you'll be able to make modes through FrayTools as well!).
Q: In the infinite assist mode, if I use captain viridian a second time while the first is active, will i be able to flip gravity again? that would be funny i think
Ramsey: You'll just have to wait and find out :3
Q: If fraytools is pc only could there be QR code integration for custom sprites / stages with the Switch online app or another alternative?
Cleod9: We're not certain yet, but we're planning to look into what delivery methods for custom content on Switch would be feasible while also still complying with policies. A QR code is a neat idea, although I'm not sure it'd be able to hold enough data to represent a character or stage. We can certainly look into utilizing QR codes in other ways, though!
Q: How beginner friendly is the fraytools system?
Cleod9: We're planning to make sure it's plenty beginner friendly by providing documentation and samples that you can follow to make your first custom content by following basic instructions.
Q: Mostly just curious about training mode, and what kind of features are currently planned that haven't been brought up.
Ramsey: We can't confirm the specifics on this quite yet, but we definitely plan to implement robust tools which will greatly expand the training mode possibilities! If you have any ideas feel free to let us know.
Q: Of the base Cast, who was the hardest character to create or adapt a moveset for and why?
Max: This is a pretty tough question because really, each member of our cast so far has presented unique challenges! It's pretty hard to directly compare something like adapting cards for the Watchers moveset and coming up with new motions based on Octodad's unique physique. That said, I can tell you that Orcane and Fishbunjin were easier for obvious reasons lol
Q: So far, what has been the most enjoyable character for you guys to work on?
Ramsey: They're all my children!!! You couldn't possibly make me choose ;-;
Q: What is the process of developing an assist character? does it start with a character in mind? hope development is going good for y'all! we are all excited for this lovely game :>
Ramsey: I think in most cases it starts with a character that we feel has the possibility for some type of unique functionality, and hashing out the specifics of what the character would do as an assist. Then concepting and trying it out in game with sketches, then if we like the direction we refine and finalize!
Q: In training mode, will we be able to set the cpu di and/ or set the cpu to repeat a specific action?
Cleod9: Yes! CPUs will have a variety of customizable behaviors you can toggle on and off such as the ones you listed. We'll be able to go into more detail at a later date!
Q: Favourite flavour of ice cream?
Sirto: https://www.bluebunny.com/flavor/chocopolitan
Q: Will we get more post game DLC characters?
Ramsey: We'd love to, but it depends on how well the game does and if there's enough fan demand for it!
Q: Will you be able to use custom characters online against your friends
Cleod9: Of course! Custom content is a major aspect of the Fraymakers ecosystem, so it would be a shame to not allow you to share that content online!
Q: I would like to know if custom character will available on online and will they compatible on switch .
Cleod9: Custom characters will be available to play with and against online, however we can't confirm at this time whether or not this will be supported on Switch.
Q: Do creators who use FrayTools owe royalties or something similar to to McLeod Gaming if we make other projects not related to FrayMakers?
Cleod9: No way, we'd love for you to spread the word about Fraymakers and support us that way, but any content you make in FrayTools will not cost you a dime in royalties.
Q: I just want to know if you've spoken with the people who make Shantae, Shovel Knight, Hollow Knight and Mighty Number 9 so they can be in the game as playable fighters? I WANNA BE A SHANTAE MAIN!
Ramsey: Can't go into depth about any potential character acquisitions in the works!
Q: Are there any interesting statistics from the Backer survey you would like to share, such as the popularity or unpopularity of certain fighters or features?
Ramsey: Not at this point! Maybe sometime in the future if it correlates with a new character 🙂
Q: Would a game's rating or content have any impact on it's chances of having representation? Ex: Monster Prom/Camp
Max: Generally speaking not really, though we would want to make sure we have a way to adapt the character faithfully while still fitting into Fraymakers.
Q: Now that the project is underway, how's it looking on funding? Do you think you'll be able to accomplish your goals with the amount you raised?
Cleod9: With how much we raised, without a doubt! We're also very meticulous about managing our budget, and we've got the financials planned out all the way through the rest of development.
Q: Will there be any larger stages because it seemed like the stages in the trailer were maybe a little smaller than I thought they would be
Cleod9: Stages will vary in size for sure – you'll have to wait and see!
Q: is Adriana Figeuroa going to voicing be Lady Luck?
Cleod9: At this time we haven't confirmed whether or not certain characters will have new or existing voice clips introduced from, but we'll see!
Q: What will the first tester build look like? Will it feature all of the currently announced characters?
Cleod9: The first tester build will have something close to what the Early Access release will contain (online mode, up to 4 characters / 5 stages / 20 assists, FrayTools support). There may be some placeholder content in place but the goal is to have nearly everything planned for Early Access ready to go by the time we open up testing.
Q: When can we expect testing to start?
Cleod9: No date set in stone yet! But it will start some time in the months leading up to our March 2022 Early Access for sure.
Q: What kinds of more casual/party modes will the game have? E.g. custom smash, coin smash, the tetherball thing Rivals did, etc.
Ramsey: Our only revealed casual mode so far is Match Modifiers, but trust me when I say we definitely intend to populate the game with fun modes! It's more of a matter of when – right now we're doing our best to prioritize the promises for Early Access.
Q: How was the platform fighter aspects (like the intricate mechanics) planned and designed, and (if you can only take one question take whichever you choose) what advice would you give to someone looking to make a platform fighter?
Cleod9: We've already talked about the others a bunch, so I'll go with your latter question – if you want to make a platform fighter, get your feet wet with FrayTools! Creating content for Fraymakers will be a great way to learn the basics of platform fighting game development without having to invest as much time into the nitty gritty stuff like how to implement a physics system and how to compile all of your art assets into a playable fighter. Using the documentation and samples we put out will help familiarize you with concepts that translate to game development as a whole, and hopefully one day you can take those skills with you to your own projects!
Q: What are some the offerings for Single player content? Arcade, Event mode, Adventure/Story mode perhaps?
Ramsey: We've only really confirmed that there will be single player modes, but we haven't gotten into the nitty gritty publicly yet. We've confirmed a "target test" style mode, but beyond that you'll have to wait and see!
Q: How are you going to balance custom characters? They could be much stronger than basic characters.
Ramsey: The better question is, how will you?? We don't plan on policing the balance of UGC, though we plan to have ways for the community to tag specific UGC (and we may do a bit of dev-seal-of-approval types of stuff), but I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves here.
Q: Can we expect to see some form of classic or story mode? I know that’s a bit of a leap considering there is a large variety of characters from multiple different franchises and developers, but I think that could be fun and interesting if y’all could make a cool story line to make that work.
Ramsey: We don't plan on having a story mode at this point. Most other single player modes are up for discussion, but we're primarily focusing on our promises for Early Access before we get too far into pre-planning more single player content.
Q: Was there any hard negotiators when it came to trying to get characters into Fraymakers?
Ramsey: Can't go into any of the behind closed doors business dealings unfortunately – hope you understand!
Q: How do you approach to others devs to ask for their characters? with this in mind, How did you get the characters for the initial roster?
Max: Can't go into too much detail, but for our Kickstarter characters we reached out to devs directly with some info about the game and our plans and went from there!
Q: What do you look for when adding an additional character to the roster? How about for assists?
Max: Similar criteria for both: we're looking for characters that will let us bring something unique to the roster while faithfully representing their source material!
Q: How would you recommend someone with little to no art skill but veteran level programming go about strengthening their art to end up getting even slightly close to their custom characters fitting in with the game’s art style by the time the game releases? I have a lot of ideas for characters but I’m extremely not artistically inclined.
Ramsey: Like anything else, if you'd like to get better at art you have to put in the effort! 🙂 There are a ton of resources online to help get you jump started with your pixel art creation adventure. It's like a muscle, doing your best to make pixel art here and there will naturally make you improve! Going from 0 art experience to Fraymakers style art assets within a year is a tall order, but I believe if you dedicate yourself to improvement you'll get there!
Q: After the final release of Fraymakers, how will the future of possible DLC and newer games affect Mcleodgaming's future updates and patches for Fraymakers?
Ramsey: We're interested in providing future content updates, but it depends on the success of the game and if there's fan demand. It's hard to forsee how new project would impact Fraymakers dlc, we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there.
Q: Have you played Goat Simulator, and would you consider adding a Goat Simulator representative (in any form)?
Ramsey: Who hasn't played Goat Simulator by this point?? And any indie is fair game!
Q: If the opportunity arises, will Fraymakers ever receive the blessing of the developers to become an Esport?
Cleod9: I certainly wouldn't hold it back!
Q: Do assists from companies that are already in the game (ie Bunger and young horse games) have a better chance than others
Max: I wouldn't say a better or worse chance than others, but they're definitely in the running!
Q: A friend told me to ask this… Do you think sheep are fluffy?
Ramsey: Yes! Super floofy, and they're also lil sweeties.
Q: What would be the best way for a developer to contact you about adding one of their characters as an assist (assuming there are still unfilled slots)
Ramsey: Reaching out through the McLeodGaming twitter is your best bet!
Q: Super Smash Flash 2 has some glaringly obvious bugs that I theorize are due to it being a beta game (certain moves not functioning how they should, an obvious lack of balance in power, the physics engine bugging out, etc). Were these not fixed for so long because you were so focused on Fraymakers? And more importantly, after Fraymakers releases, will we see more effort being put into patching these glitches? (And perfecting the SSF2 physics engine? Have you seen the way characters slide after a Bob-Omb exploding?)
Cleod9: Bugs are unfortunately something that come along with any type of software development, and with every bug that gets fixed another bug gets left behind or introduced. We're hoping to have a more stable game this time since we're starting fresh from a new engine, but over the long term we plan to come up with more transparent processes for bug management so that we can prioritize issues that players run into.
Q: Will there be more updates after fraymakers gets released sorta like how smash flash 2 gets more content every now and then? Also a small question on the side, which character did you have the most fun animating?
Cleod9: We have to limit questions to one per person, sorry! But to answer the first, if the game is successful enough we'd love to continue rolling out updates after the game is done.
Q: What is the decision making process like when deciding what stages to include to represent a franchise? And will there be stages for franchises that don’t have a playable fighter?
Max: This varies a lot depending on the source game! We value iconic environments and stage diversity within our own lineup, and we try to pick stages that check both of those boxes. Past that, our stages are designed to have options for hazards on and hazards off, so we'll want to make sure we can end up with something fun for both options.
Q: What has been your process for games development from concept to playable version?
Max: This is a pretty huge question! Loosely speaking, we mapped out our core concepts for the project, prototyped them, created a more polished playable slice of the game, then built everything out to show during the Kickstarter campaign. Throughout the entire process, we were also working on building out our roster of characters and assists!
Q: Will there be banging music?
Cleod9: You know it 😎
Q: What was the process of deciding on which characters got to be in the game?
Ramsey: At the forefront and to greatly oversimplify – we want the character to bring something unique to the table, and have it be someone who fans and ourselves are interested in bringing to life in Fraymakers!
Q: will the game have localization/translation into other languages?
Cleod9: Translations aren't a short term priority for us but it's something we'll be looking into for the long term!
Q: How recent will the new playable characters will be? I know for assists that you are ok if the game doesn't exist yet or has just been released, but how will it work for the playable characters?
Ramsey: We're open to unreleased characters if it makes sense!
Q: Will the game support multiple languages?
Cleod9: That's something we may look into later down the road!
Q: What is your proccess for deciding whether a character should be a fighter or an assist? Are there any assists in the game that you think would have worked better as an actual fighter? Also, what's your balance philosophy behind making assists so there isn't one single OP assist that everyone will use every time? Thanks 😊
Cleod9: Good question(s)! (I'll stick with one here) There's no hard and fast formula with this, and I think ultimately almost any assist could be playable and vice-versa. But our main goal with assists in general was to allow us to represent more characters that we wouldn't be able to otherwise if we stuck with having solely playable characters in Fraymakers, with the added bonus of adding a unique element to our gameplay.
Q: Can you DEconfirm any characters that wouldn't be possible or just wouldn't happen for Fraymakers?
Ramsey: Nope! Maybe… real life people? Idk if John Cena knocks on MGs front door and demands to be in Fraymakers idk if we have much choice in the matter.
Q: Will you be able to play without assists and if so can you do that online aswell?
Cleod9: Sure, that's one of the best part about having a customizable game, it's up to you both online and offline how you want to play!
Q: What's a funny joke you heard recently?
Ramsey: Have you ever heard about Updog?
Q: Hollow Knifght?
Mass: It's a very beautiful and atmospheric game.
Q: How should I get into game developing?
Sirto: I know it can look pretty daunting, but the simple answer is to just "try it out". Look up basic tutorials in a game engine that's on the easier side to get started in, like Unity (https://learn.unity.com/). Once you understand the basics of the tools, come up with a basic idea of a game and try and implement it. Your first few ideas and games may seem bad to you, but we've all started in a similar position. Personally I've got an archive of old programs and games I've made over the years. The old ones are really really bad. However, they show how far I've come, up to working on Fraymakers.
Q: Will post launch content be free/ paid for, if paid how much would it be?
Ramsey: If the game does well enough, we know we would like to support post launch content, but the form it would take is still up in the air
Q: Will there be a community workshop for we the people to mess around with like in Rivals of Aether?
Cleod9: When it comes to custom community content, we'll have systems in place to allow you to explore the content creator by other players. More details will be revealed closer to release!
Q: Will there be developer supported esports? Or will we be on own as a community in the competitive scene?
Cleod9: We'll be supporting anything the community puts together, though while the game is under Early Access development we'll be putting our priorities on completing the full game and may be limited in what we organize ourselves.
Q: will the dlc characters be in a fighter pass like smash bros
Ramsey: Too far out to say for sure.
Q: some assit will be fighter in the future ? and other dlc by the way ?
Max: We don't have any plans for assists to become playable characters at the moment, but we're not ruling out the possibility either!
Q: For the switch port, what are your plans regarding controller support and customization in game?
Cleod9: For Switch there will certainly be some controller customization options, though as to what extent we can't say for sure just yet! We'll be iterating on that when the time comes to make sure what we come up with is suitable for console.
Q: Will Fraymakers updates cover the technical side of things, i.e: Netcode, programming-related (Optimizations), etc.? I think it'd be neat for the internals of this game to be as polished as possible given the sheer potential of everything there is to offer, more than meets the eye.
Cleod9: Sure, we'll think about showcasing more technical aspects about the game at some point!
Q: How exactly will the cancelling system work? On paper it seemed very similar to that of Rushdown Revolt. In the case that it is, what how do you intend to balance characters around the cancelling mechanic as based on the Rushdown Revolt alpha, it appears awfully difficult to balancr ridiculous combo potential and high freedom of movement in such a way that the game doesn’t devolve into “no please you go first sir”?I want to clarify I don’t intend to slander RushRev (it's probably one of my all time favourite games) however I’m very curious to see other team's solutions to the issues that Team Vortex have encountered with their game.
Max: We don't have a system quite like the Rushdown Revolt's. I'm guessing you're referring to the ability to cancel out of airdashes with any aerial in Fraymakers. While this can be massively rewarding, if your aerial fails to hit an opponent, you'll be sent into freefall and suffer a lot of landing lag. Using this mechanic thus has a high level or risk built in, which should prevent it from overuse. That said, we're still open to iterating on mechanics like this through our tester/early access periods if they still turn out to be too centralizing.
Q: For those in the beta test tier, will there be bounties and rewards for digging out sugs and reporting them?
Cleod9: No plans for rewards or bounties right now, but incentives like that are something we can consider.
Q: Here's a for fun question, Which of the fighters was the team's favorite to implement? (Programming, Art, etc.)
Cleod9: Trying to make me play favorites huh? Every fighter was fun to implement in their own unique way!
Q: Of the main cast from RoA, what led to choosing Orcane?
Max: Aside from being one of the most recognizable characters in Rivals, we felt like Orcane's mechanics translated really well into Fraymakers and his character design worked great for our artstyle! We also had some cool ideas for new moves he didn't have in Rivals (grabs/throws, etc). Plus he's cute!
Q: What are the limits on what characters you are willing to add to the game? Will we ever get yakuza man (kazuma kiryu) in? Since smash refuses to acknowledge him
Ramsey: Yakuza fan!!! What great taste. Can't speak to possible inclusions though!
Q: Are you guys open to the possibility of implementing fanmade additional content into the base game? Like if a mode or item produced as a mod was of high enough quality and popularity, would you consider adding it officially to the game in an update? Making it accessible in ported versions of the game?
Cleod9: We're open to the idea but don't have any plans locked in.
Q: Is there a specific number of music tracks that will be in the full game? If so can you say how roughly how many tracks there will be?
Cleod9: Right now we can confirm 3 tracks per stage performed by each of our three OST musicians. So that's at least 40 tracks minimum if you count the main theme.
Q: How do you think the game will change once community content is created? Will it still be similar to how the game was invisioned in the first place?
Cleod9: We think it will be precisely how the game was envisioned, and change for the better of course! One of Fraymakers core design goals was that it needed to be a solid standalone game on its own, in addition to the ultimate customizable platform fighting experience. We hope meshing those worlds together makes the game more appealing to players of all types!
Q: Have you considered a boss mode or single player content for Fraymakers, whether that be post-launch or at launch?
Ramsey: We're definitely making those considerations, but we're primarily focusing on our promised content for Early Access first.
Q: will there be items, also bunger?
Ramsey: We love Bugsnax! And yes there will be items, but we aren't going to be more specific than that for now.
Q: How do you plan on keeping the game's community alive for years after release?
Max: One of the main things we'd like out of our early access period is to develop a working relationship with the community that lets us improve and update the game over time! We hope that the steady support throughout this window will keep the community going strong. Post-1.0, we'd still love to continue to support the game as much as we're able to! (though to some degree this depends a bit on the demand and the game's reception)
Q: What are your philosophies on making fighters, assists, etc?
Max: This is a pretty big topic! In super general terms, though, we want all of our content in Fraymakers to bring unique functionality/gameplay opportunities to the roster (we want your choices to feel meaningful!) while also representing their source material well.
Q: What content will be there for single player? Story mode, arcade, training, fighting tutorials, boss rush, etc.
Cleod9: We haven't confirmed much yet outside of targets and training, but we're definitely considering additional single player modes. We'll share more info when we're ready!
Q: What’s the process for deciding what characters get in? Do you reach out to developers or do any reach out to you?
Cleod9: Prior to Kickstarter we did the reaching out ourselves (since the game was secret). But we do hear from other developers first sometimes now that we're known!
Q: What was the thought process behind implementing crossups into a platform fighter?
Ramsey: It was sort of this emergent type of gameplay that came about with the implementation of airdashes and one way shields, and it felt so right in game!
Q: Are there any characters you think you would have trouble implementing?
Max: Potentially, though I can't go into too much detail about potential future content. We try to pick characters we think would be good fits for the environment.
Q: Will there be any true/long combos akin to melee or will the combo game be more focused on mixups and pressure after getting a hit like brawl? I ask because I think that long true combos make the game objectively worse once you get to a high enough level that everyone can execute them consistently as they just make the game slower and more boring
Max: Fraymakers has combos for sure, though we think that we have a system that allows combos to stay interactive and diverse. Our goal is to keep decisions interesting throughout as much of a combo as possible, rather than having too many automatic followups. This is something that will likely require adjustment and improvement over time, but we think we're aiming toward something pretty cool!
Q: What popular indie characters will not be getting into Fraymakers?
Max: We can't confirm/deconfirm future content for our roster quite yet, sorry!!
Q: How through are the tutorial that are going to come with Fraymakers going to be? Will a person who has no clue on how to program be able to figure things out easily?
Cleod9: Absolutely! We'll create guides and samples that you can follow along step by step to be able to get content into the game without any coding experience.
Q: How will lobbies work? (Max of players, queue/anybody can fight anybody, how would mods work, spectator mod and if it will have crossplay)
Cleod9: We don't have all the online mode details drawn out yet, but basically we'll eventually have both match-making and game hosting abilities which will support custom content.
Q: Hey! Will the online system have multiple modes such as a ranked ladder/unranked matches?
Cleod9: Not everything is planned out yet but we do plan on having multiple modes, including some geared for competitive players.
Q: guessing that your intent with this game is to promote smaller and unkown indie games, how do you feel about people asking about including characters that are really well known and popular already?
Ramsey: The intent more than anything is to promote indies from all parts of the popularity spectrum! From the smaller companies to the larger guys, all indies have a home with Fraymakers!
Q: What's your favorite color?
Ramsey: Cleod likes blue, Mass likes lime green, and Sirto, Max and I like purple!
Q: Did you have characters in mind before you hit the stretch goals for them? Had you already starting talking with other developers? What is your criteria for a series being represented in Fraymakers? Popularity? Personal attachment?
Ramsey: Gonna answer that first one – we had a pool of characters we were loosely considering, but didn't want to do lock anything in before we had the means to develop any of them, or before we heard any of your feedback through the backer survey
Q: Will there be a way to implement custom content in the competitive scene?
Cleod9: Theoretically yes, custom content could be used competitively. But what is considered legal in the competitive world will be up to the community and isn't really in our control.
Q: When it comes down to designing characters for Fraymakers, how important is following the character/game of origin's design? Or are characters designed more akin to something unique the character has, even if it's not the main focus of the character/game?
Cleod9: There's no hard rule on this, but generally we want to do what we can to represent the character as holistically as possible. We always aim to have some sort of base concept thought out based on a character's source material rather than simply adding a character and trying to make them work after the fact. Having an attack plan is important when it comes to design!
Q: Will online multiplayer with more than 2 players be in the game? If it is being considered, is it more likely to use delay based netcode instead of rollback?
Cleod9: Matches containing more than 2 players online will be possible. Supporting rollback with more players will be tricky, but we'll make every attempt to support it in as many online mode scenarios as possible.
Q: How long will it be until we see more substantial gameplay? How will you decide which characters get the animated reveal trailers?
Ramsey: Hard to pinpoint exactly, but I will say you'll definitely be seeing full matches from people streaming the Tester Build. As for before then we're loosely considering streaming some matches at some point.
Q: several questions: have you decided on any of the characters that have yet to be revealed? where do you draw the line of who and who not to include?
Ramsey: I can't get into the first one, so for the second question i'll say that there aren't really any steadfast rules. If we can imagine a unique functionality and are interested in the character alongside you guys, then it's always worth looking into!
Q: For the team's programmers, how have you gained experience coding over the years and what was most helpful for you learning to code for a fighting game?
Cleod9: For me in particular, it's been a very long journey. I started in middle-school writing text-based games in BASIC on my TI-83 Plus calculator, eventually moved on to Flash, then JavaScript for my professional career, and now we're using Haxe to develop Fraymakers. During this transition between technologies, working in Flash made things easier to comprehend since the animation process was much more intuitive than anything else I found at the time. Now that Flash has fallen out of fashion we expect FrayTools to fulfill that void. I think there are enough aspects to game development that are tedious and tough to pick up, so FrayTools is being designed around the very processes that I found made Flash a more efficient way to develop a 2D game like Fraymakers. This way we can spend more time designing and less time wrestling with our toolchain just to get some sprites onscreen.
Q: Will fraytools be released alongside the tester build, at an individual release date, or alongside the full release?
Cleod9: FrayTools will be given to the testers at the same time as the tester build so that we can collect valuable feedback before Early Access is launched! Of course FrayTools will be released to everyone for free at the release of Early Access too.
Q: While these games are mostly known for competitive settings, will there be any kind of mode meant for casual players?
Cleod9: Of course! We expect custom content to be especially appealing to casual players as well, since they allow much more control over the gameplay rules.
Q: Have you started development on the yet to be revealed characters or assists.
Ramsey: Sneaky… I like the cut of your jib. But nice try! Not gonna get me on this one haha
Q: Are there any game series that you are the most ecstatic to represent in the game?
Ramsey: I'm a huge fan of rhythm games, so having a Rhythm Doctor assist is suuuuper exciting for me personally! Although it's hard to not be excited about literally every single series in a huge crossover like this!
Q: The game has a lot of focus on customisation – I can't recall if you've said anything or not but would that extend to custom palettes for characters?
Ramsey: We haven't confirmed or denied this yet simply because we're undecided. There are some design, engineering and logistical challenges to overcome with this feature specifically so we're holding off on committing. Though we're aware that it's a super highly requested feature!
Q: When did the idea of creating Fraymakers come about?
Cleod9: Because we're all veterans from working on Super Smash Flash 2, the idea was sort of out there for quite some time that we could create something new in the platform fighting space with our experience. While we didn't start Fraymakers development until late 2018, it was only a matter of time before we'd decide to pull the trigger on a new project.
Q: Will there be buffered inputs? Like say, in smash ultimate or 4, or none like in melee for example.
Cleod9: We currently do have an input buffer in place that we're experimenting with, though it may be subject to change (no plans for a hold buffer though)
Q: How will the air dodge cancel mechanic function?
Ramsey: The airdash mechanic allows you to airdash in any direction. You can cancel the airdash with any aerial – if you land the attack you're free to act again, if you miss the attack you enter freefall until you land. Similarly if you airdash and don't input any aerial you'll enter freefall there as well.
Q: Is there a character your team wanted to get access to, but couldn't make a deal for?
Ramsey: Not getting into this anytime soon if ever, haha.
Q: What fighting game would you say the engine of Fraymakers most represents
Ramsey: It's very much its own thing, but if we had to pick one it'd likely be SSF2 all things considered. It's such a unique game in so many ways that it's hard to make the direct comparison to any one other platform fighter though.
Q: Is quote anywhere on the table
Ramsey: All indies are all over the table!
Q: Would we be able to use Fraytools to mod in our OWN voice packs? Such as if we record our own voices for instance or something along those lines?
Cleod9: That's something we can definitely consider!
Q: Is there going to be additional updates after the game comes out, such as dlc to add more indie games into the fold?
Ramsey: If the game does well enough and there's fan demand we'd love to look into the possibility of post launch DLC, representing as many indies as possible is our M.O.!
Q: Is Undertale/Deltarune Content of any Kind being considered to make it into the game?
Ramsey: All indies are in contention for a spot – we can't dive into specifics beyond that.
Q: Is there going to be support for 5+ player gameplay (or game modes)? If so, is it possible to also have it available as an online feature or just expect to be a local-only feature?
Cleod9: We're not sure if we'll have 5 or more players yet for online or offline, but we'll be experimenting with it!
Q: Will there be any sort of effective report & consequence system as a measure against BM online? For all the people who will end up teabagging, excessively taunting, verbally harassing (if there's any sort of message system, or it works like how it did similar to Smash on the Wii U), spamming, camping, timing out, enabling a lag switch, etc.
Cleod9: We plan to have some sort of player-sourced moderation features that help mitigate bad behavior in our ecosystem. We don't have it all planned out yet but we will make sure measures are in place to keep your gameplay experience as safe and friendly as possible.
Q: Considering that just about any Rivals character would have been ample to fill the unique "synergistic power" character niche, what was the particular thought process behind choosing Orcane in particular as the Rivals of Aether rep? Does Dan just love his orca? Do you just love his orca? (Half of the current roster is aquatic creatures and we all know people love to make fun of you for it hehe)
Ramsey: We love all of the Rivals characters, but we thought Orcane's mechanic would fit well in Fraymakers' environment, thought his design would translate really well to the style and had some fun ideas for his throws among other things (get hype for his Super Attack 👀). Plus we really like the guy! Though I really feel like any Rivals character would fit well in the game.
Q: What are some tips you can give on motivation
Cleod9: Small wins, small goals, and constantly asking yourself questions! To keep myself motivated in the world of coding, rather than trying to focus on larger goals like "I'm going to make a platform fighting game", I started with questions like "How do i get a character sprite to show up on the screen?". "How do I move that sprite to a specific location?". "How do I move the sprite in response to user input?". "How do I simulate gravity?" etc. With books and the internet at my disposal, there was a never ending wealth of information I could use to gradually learn how to do these things. Over time all of these little steps added up, and it became easier to grasp these concepts without having to constantly research. If my motivation ever wanes, I try to find another small question to focus on to exploit my curiosity. It can be very satisfying to start the beginning of the day not knowing the answer to a question and by the end of the day you do. I feel this can be applied to just about anything in both the creative and technical world.
Q: How many characters do you plan including? (With possible DLC's).
Ramsey: It entirely depends on how well the game does and if there's demand for it! We'd love to have to further expand Fraymakers beyond the already promised offerings.
Q: Was it difficult to get Fraymakers off the ground due to licensing multiple characters from different publishers?
Ramsey: I will say it took a looooot of pre-planning, and the first couple of pitches/acquisitions especially were extremely scary because their approval largely determined whether or not we were going to be able to make the project at all.
Q: What are the limits to what characters you could put into the game?
Ramsey: Not very many off of the top of my head, we don't really have many steadfast internal rules outside of greatly prioritizing indies.
Q: How draining is working on Fraymakers for you, and would you consider delaying the release for the sake of the team's health ?
Cleod9: At the end of the day health must always come first, but so far we are proceeding at a sustainable pace! If anything like stress concerns were to ever occur, we would be transparent with you all about what that means for Fraymakers' release timeline.
Q: What brings you here?
Ramsey: We're here to answer your questions in as timely a manner as humanly possible!
Q: What kind of Netcode are you guys gone use for Online Play?
Cleod9: We're using rollback netcode for all of the game's official content online! Note that custom content has some technical challenges when it comes to rollback and may require delay-based netcode, but we'll be doing our best to give the best experience possible for all types of online play.
Q: what are your plans for the competitive aspect of the game?
Ramsey: We'll do what we can to help it prosper and grow – but we don't want to have an iron grip over it. At least at this point, it feels as though it'll be largely up to the community to decide specifically what the competitive scene will look like. We'll perpetuate one to the best of our ability though!
Q: How do the gold tier/other skin backers decide which fighter gets gold? Do we decide before launch or is it a one time pick on release so we can decide whos playstyle we like most and can then choose them for the gold skin?
Cleod9: We plan to use a system that lets you choose when you're ready, that way you can save your gold costume for characters that aren't released yet if you'd like.
Q: What things are planned to able to be customized in the game? (Or what assets can be customized when being able to mod the game besides the ones listed in the trailer?)
Ramsey: We don't have a finite list like this with regards to Fraymakers content specifically – expect more details like this to come out as the game gets further into development.
Q: Due to a bad experience with another Kickstarter campaign of another indie smash-like where I got the game but not any of my rewards, I would like to know when people can be realistically expecting their rewards such as drawing/sketch tier
Ramsey: First off, I'm really sorry about the bad experience you had with the other Kickstarter. We're good on our word though – you can expect the rollout of the rewards around the time that was designated below each reward tier.
Q: How modular are control schemes? Will it be feasible to play with nontraditional controllers like the b0xx, or even keyboard?
Cleod9: Keyboard absolutely yes. Many other devices will be supported as well (with the ability to assign any action to any button you like), but we won't know the full list of supported devices until later on in development. So far major devices like the Xbox 360 controller, Mayflash Adapter, and official GC Controller Adapter (via vJoy) are supported.
Q: How will the ledge work? (Ledgehogging, i-frames, getup options, etc.)
Ramsey: Ledge uses ledge hogging with limited i-frames for ledge actions/drop to prevent stalling. We have all of the standard ledge actions: get up, roll up, jump up and ledge attack.
Q: What criteria do you use to decide the stage for a character? Is it popularity of the location?
Cleod9: It's definitely a mixture of recognizability and what kinds of interesting layouts and hazards we can come up with. We want stages to be fun and not too repetitive when playing on all the different environments, while also familiar to players with an expectation of what platform fighting stages should look and feel like .
Q: What are some mechanics or features that you believe will make Fraymakers stand out compared to other Platform Fighters?
Ramsey: Assists is a huge one for many reasons but what appeals to me is how it influences matchups. You can strategically choose an assist to maybe cover a character's weakness, or bolster one of their strengths – maybe even to counterpick your opponent. That combined with all of our system wide differences which create unique gameplay scenarios (like one way shield + airdash creating the opportunity for crossups) makes the game stand out in a really fresh way.
Q: Will Nintendo Switch have availability for Fraybets and Fraytools? Will customization mods be available on Switch?
Cleod9: We're not certain yet what features we'll be allowed to port to Switch yet, but we'll be doing our best to implement as much as we can.
Q: How many game modes are planned?
Ramsey: We have quite a few game modes announced (check out the Kickstarter trailer and our KS updates for more info on those), but we have some more ideas that we're playing around with too!
Q: are there going to be stages that represent franchises that maybe couldn't have a fighter or assist?
Ramsey: Definitely a possibility – can't say more than that at this point.
Q: What makes a character indie? Is being from an indie game, series or company the only requirement for a character to get into Freymakers? And what character(s) do you have lined up to join the frey as of now?
Max: We're pretty flexible with what characters we consider indie – if the game was made by an independent company, they're generally fair game!
Q: Will there be a way to showcase FrayTools content through Fraymakers itself?
Cleod9: We're not sure exactly what shape custom content will be presented in yet, but we do plan to make it possible to explore custom content created by others within the game itself to some extent!
Q: What is your primary consideration when it comes to what characters will fit the game well, such as unique moveset potential?
Max: Unique moveset potential is one of the primary factors we consider for new characters. If we think a character would have a unique moveset while also representing their source material well, they're probably a good fit!
Q: Will you be taking the input from the playerbase when making balance changes?
Ramsey: Absolutely – that's one of the key areas we'll be looking at during the Tester period for example!
Q: will you be adding any nontraditional modes to the game like the ones in project m?
Max: We have a lot of mode ideas! We're super excited to show off some of them through Match Modifiers in the future.
Q: Will super attacks be balanced for competitive play?
Max: Our plan at the moment is for super attacks to be balanced! We're still playing around with the specifics of their functionality, though.
Q: Have there been any unexpected challenges with development, and how have you handled them?
Ramsey: We'll have to dive into this one some other time, but for the most part development has been nice and smooth!
Q: Who was your least favorite character to develop
Ramsey: I love them all!! ❤️
Q: My friends suck and I hate constantly whooping them in any game we play! Any kind of handicap system in place so my friends will actually have a chance?
Cleod9: Having a handicap setting of some sort is something we can look into!
Q: How will you keep players coming back to the game after playing for 6 months, after 1 year, and 🤞 after 5 years?
Max: We're committed to supporting Fraymakers to the best of our ability for the duration of early access at the very least. We'd love to continue to support the game well after 1.0, though to some degree that's gonna depend on the reception and demand for more content post-launch.
Q: Would you allow alpharad to show footage for the game some point before release so we can see how the game is going?
Ramsey: We're mostly targeting the Tester Build (which Alpha will get his hands on for sure!) so if he'd like to show it off in some capacity that's absolutely welcome!
Q: How will the team be doing character reveal trailers and how will they be planned?
Cleod9: We're still in the planning process for how and when trailers will be released, but ideally we'd love to have something to show off as soon as we're possibly able!
Q: What sort of options/modes/mechanics are you looking into that would be appealing or approachable for casual players and/or newcomers to the genre?
Max: We're approaching this from multiple angles! We plan to have some pretty fleshed-out training mode options for Fraymakers and tutorials for Fraytools, so even people who haven't played platform fighters before have a good way to learn the ropes. Our controls options are highly customizable, allowing players to set them to whatever they find most comfortable. Mechanically speaking, our guiding principle is that complexity should tend to come more from different options available than overly precise inputs or functionality that's hard to understand. We want users to be able to pick up each character and figure out mostly how they work through play (though of course there will often be more below the surface).
Q: Are you gonna keep updating the game regularly after you've done all of the kickstarter goals like in SSF2? If so, what kind of content would that be?
Ramsey: We'd love to! I will say it depends on how successful the game is and if there's a demand.
Q: Out of the 6 playable characters we have now, which one is the hardest to develop?
Ramsey: None of them have presented any particularly difficult design challenges, though I will say the Watcher's design being as complex as it is makes her a bit more of an art ask than someone like say, CommanderVideo. The results speak for themselves though!
Q: Can you guys let us know if there will be more content coming after the stretch goal dlc is made
Cleod9: That's pretty far out to know for sure, but if the game does well enough we'll be sure to announce any plans we have on additional content beyond our stretch goal DLC.
Q: What are the plans for online lobbies?
Cleod9: Currently we're planning to develop both a match-making system and a match hosting system for users looking for both randomized games and running matches with their own rules.
Q: So, regarding Fraytools: By limitless, do you mean that Fraymakers will basically be M.U.G.E.N., but for platform fighters?
Cleod9: Fraymakers and M.U.G.E.N. are a pretty good comparison! The major difference with Fraymakers is that it offers a full experience as a standalone game, while custom content is something meant to expand on that (as opposed to the entire game being centered around custom content like M.U.G.E.N.)
Q: What was the deciding factors/process to choosing the current roster of characters and assists and just in general for their role/placement? 🤔
Max: Assuming I'm understanding the question correctly: we wanted to make sure each character and assist brought something unique! We mostly looked for characters that could provide that while representing their source material well. I think we ended up with a nice diverse lineup of character playstyles and assist functionality!
Q: When can we expect Mr. Incredible to make his grande debut in Fraymakers?
Cleod9: Whenever you guys mod him in 🙂
Q: I know that you can’t reveal your DLC roster, but were there any surprising picks or trends you saw in the backer survey?
Ramsey: There weren't too many outstanding surprises, but there were a few! Can't get into the specifics though!
Q: Will we be able to see the results of the backer survey at some point?
Cleod9: We don't plan to release the raw data but we may reveal bits of information over time about it!
Q: Will controller support be better than in Super Smash Flash 2? In SSF2 having even a tiny fraction of a degree difference than straight to the side counts as a down input which makes it extremely hard to play on anything other than a keyboard
Cleod9: Yes, Fraymakers has the advantage of having analog support, running in 60fps, and having a more robust list of supported devices. All of this will help contribute to stellar controller support.
Q: Will there be stage hazards at all?
Cleod9: Yup, we confirmed a few already actually – Backyard is planned to have a destructible fence on both sides in addition to random lawn objects that can be knocked around. And Stratostar will have springs embedded into the stage with its main platform raised (these are demonstrated on our Kickstarter page). There will be more hazards revealed in the future as well, all of which will be toggleable with our hazards switch.
Q: Will Fraytools projects be available on console versions (eg. Switch) of the game, and will there be story/campaign included with the single player modes, where the characters interact with each other in some kind of story setting.
Cleod9: I can only stick to one answer per person, so to answer your first: We're not certain yet how many of our features we'll be able to port to Switch for technical reasons, but we plan to implement as much as we can!
Q: Any chance of a direct collaboration with Valve similar to the Headcrab's inclusion in Super Meat Boy or the Gordon skin in Fall Guys?
Max: We're largely looking for characters that came from indie companies, but aside from that pretty much anyone is fair game!
Q: are you guys planning a king of the hill type mode for online play
Cleod9: We're still working on what kinds of modes we'll build ourselves, but if we don't do it there's certainly nothing stopping the community from building that out as custom content!
Q: what are the possibilities of Non-video game characters like Tank man getting? (Saw this question in the spreadsheet but I wanted to ask it too as I suggested a Petscop assist)
Ramsey: Seeing as Tankman was added as an assist, I'd say it's not out of the realm of possibility! We're treating these instances on a case by case basis just like any other possible addition.
Q: Will the tester builds include FrayTools?
Cleod9: That's the plan! We'll be relying on testers to give both Fraymakers and FrayTools a spin so we can make improvements before they're released.
Q: Will cross-play be available?
Cleod9: We can't confirm at this time, but it's something we're looking into!
Q: Are there plans to make a story out of these indie characters and learn more about their origins, or lore explanations for this "Fraymakers" universe?
Ramsey: We don't have any plans to include a story mode at the moment, though we might consider it later on.
Q: What has the process so far been like for reaching out to indie developers asking to use their characters in your game? Are they always down to work together or has there been opposition?
Ramsey: I'll answer the first one – if we're interested in including their character in some form we reach out! From there it's a back and fourth conversation depending on the developer, could possibly get into the design or discuss their terms of use for the IP. More than anything, they've all been extremely friendly and great to work with!
Q: What is your favorite bugsnax?
Ramsey: I have a soft spot for all of the Bugsnax friends!!
Q: Will you be including features for casual play, such as items, auto-scrolling stages and coin battles?
Cleod9: So far we've confirmed there will be items and stage hazards of various sorts, but we haven't revealed the rest of our plans yet. Nothing is off the table!
Q: How extensive will the single-player be for the game? Will there be modes like a campaign, mini-games, etc.?
Cleod9: Single player design is still in the works, but we'll be considering modes like that and more.
Q: Why does Fishbunjin not have gills on his spritework like his Slap City PA/Ittle Dew appearances?
Ramsey: He actually doesn't have gills on his in game model for Slap City 👀 We felt that the gills would clutter the spritework, but it's true that he has gills features in some of his other appearances! We love your attention to detail Bedoop~ ❤️ And thanks for being such a pillar of our community!!
Q: Is there a specific design philosophy you try to adhere to, when developing Fraymakers?
Max: Super generally, we aim for all of our content in Fraymakers to be implemented in a way that's unique and fun for players of all skill levels. We want to make sure each character we include maintains their identity from their source material and doesn't overlap too much with any of the other content.
Q: Are there going to be any updates with content and not just bug fixes after the games release?
Ramsey: We'd like to, but it depends on the reception of the game and if there's fan demand :3
Q: What coding language will fraytools be in?
Cleod9: Right now we're using a scripting language called hscript for coding custom content (a subset of the Haxe language), though this may subject to change.
Q: If Fraymakers succeeds, would yall have plans on making a sequel
Cleod9: Well, we need to finish the current game first 🙃 But we'll see!
Q: Will the game have collectibles similar to trophies or spirits from smash?
Cleod9: Nothing set in stone yet in terms of collectibles, but we're considering it!
Q: Will the game expand to new platforms as they release?
Cleod9: For now we're just planning on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Switch. When all of those are completed we may consider expanding to new platforms.
Q: Do you have an estimated time for tester builds or is that just a when it happens it happens?
Ramsey: Nothing concrete to say about this yet, other than "Before Early Access" – but the Tester Build reward people will be the first to know!
Q: When it comes to the animation who will you be working with and what have been some of the process when comes to like the UI and menus? Also, what may you have changed for the future?
Ramsey: Gonna address the first question – we have a very talented and passionate group of artists we work with, from stage art to game animation! The UI design is an iterative process like everything else – come up with an idea, try it out, if we hate it trash it and try something new – if we like it then polish it up!
Q: Will it be possible to directly port mugen sprites into fraymakers? What's the sprite size limit for characters?
Cleod9: Loading assets from other engines has some technical hurdles involved since movesets don't line up one to one between different games, but the plugin system in FrayTools could potentially be a place where anyone interested in that functionality could build out something like that (and base sizes could be tweaked with a multiplier).
Q: Any question I could think of has been asked 10 times over, have a nice day.
Cleod9: Thanks, you too!
Q: Will there be any dodging mechanics?
Max: Yes! Fraymakers features both spot dodges and rolls on the ground, as well as techs/tech rolls.
Q: To what extent will gameplay be customizable in terms of game settings and toggleable options?
Ramsey: We plan to have lots of customizability across the game, from controls to the way you're able to play the game (like toggling the assists themselves) – we'll get into more specifics later on.
Q: What kind of character creation features can we expect to see in Fraytools? Can we use multiple layers to make things like hats for our characters?
Cleod9: FrayTools supports layered sprites, motion tweens, frame labels, frame scripts, collision boxes, and more! If you wanted to make something like hats for your character, you could add a box that acts as an anchor point where you'd like hats to appear, and programmatically assign a hat graphic to it.
Q: What kind of atmosphere do you want the game to have?
Ramsey: We want playing it to result in an air of excitement!
Q: are there custom alts like ROA? unless that was specified and i didnt know
Ramsey: We haven't made a concrete decision about this feature due to some of the associated challenges, but we hear the community on this one – it's definitely a very highly requested feature!
Q: Have any indie companies came to you to have their characters added?
Cleod9: We've been approached a few times since going public! It would be too much to get into here, but the Rhythm Doctor devs are an example of someone who reached out to us and we'll now have an assist from their game.
Q: In my backer tier, I'll get to choose a gold skin for 1 character. Can you let us know when we pick the character we want to be gold? Will we know more about the movesets of all the characters or possibly be able to test them before picking? And will anyone have access to gold skins for dlc characters?
Cleod9: I can only answer one question here, but for the golden skins we will send information out on how to activate them via email at a later date, and you'll be able to save your decision for which character you want to apply it to when you're ready.
Q: What are some things that people making custom characters for the game should know about FrayTools, technically? What can I do to get my character in as fast as possible?
Cleod9: Right now it's too early to get into extensive detail, but know that we will have all sorts of resources at your disposal to learn how to create your character. For starters, we'll have step by step guides and documentation to demonstrate how to get your character up and running.
Q: well lilac from freedom planet be in the game
Max: I can't talk about what our future chars will be specifically yet, sorry!!
Q: I know it must be a noob question, but will there be a control to change direction ? Like to face in the opposite direction without triggering running
Cleod9: That's an interesting idea! I'm not sure what kinds of extra inputs like that we'll add, but we'll experiment with it! I can confirm now though that you can turn without triggering a run by holding the walk input when auto-dash is enabled!
Q: Do you have any plans to support a potential competitive scene for Fraymakers?
Ramsey: We'll do what we can to assist with it and help it grow! We'll work with the community to develop plans over time
Q: Hope you all are fine, here is my question: What are the minimum requirements to run the game on PC?
Cleod9: Check out the requirements on our Steam page! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1420350/Fraymakers/
Q: Do you have any indie game devs that yousy be interested in collabinh with and why aren't they relogic? And would ever considered collabinh with rushdown Revolt
Max: Unfortunately, we can't confirm specifically who we're interested in collabing with for future content at the moment. We'll reveal more stuff later on, though!
Q: To what extent will you be able to customize the game? Will it be just new characters and stages, or will you also be able to make custom announcers, custom skins for existing characters, custom match settings (like in Ultimate) etc.
Cleod9: Full details are not set in stone yet, but to start off we'll be focusing on supporting custom characters, assists, stages, modes, and other settings. Customization of the official character/stage content may be limited to some degree, but it's up for consideration.
Q: Will we have announcements for new characters any time soon?
Cleod9: It's hard to say when we'll be ready to announce new characters, but sit tight for now!
Q: How accessible will Fraytools be to newcomers
Cleod9: For newcomers we plan to have a bunch of documentation and samples lined up that you'll be able to comb through and learn the ropes by following simple instructions.
Q: What was/is the character creation process like?(choosing the characters, contacting the indie companies, creating the movesets, etc.)
Max: It's been stressful but surprisingly smooth! We looooove indie games and in our experience so far, indie devs are amazingly approachable and great to work with. Also developing platform fighter movesets is so dang fun!
Q: Will Welltaro have a drip alt?
Mass: His Hell palette has some pretty nice shoes.
Q: Why the hell was I pinged
Max: Thank you for participating in the backer Q&A 🙂
Q: Are assists balanced to all be comparable in usefulness, or are some supposed to be a lot more situational than others?
Mass: Both; some will be more situational than others but still do very well in those situations, while others are more general in use. It all depends on what your gameplan is and how your assist synergizes with your character. Try them all out and see what works best for you. And generally, we're aiming for all of them to be balanced for competitive play.
Q: Are the next characters already decided?
Ramsey: Nothing to share on that front yet!
Q: Thoughts about something like saltybet for fraymakers? having the AI fight one another and the community can place bets?
Cleod9: We've got you covered with FrayBets! We briefly described how it works over on our Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mcleodgaming/fraymakers-the-infinitely-replayable-indie-platform-fighter
Q: How do you decide on which characters are becoming assist and with ones are becoming Playable fighters?
Max: There isn't really a super rigid rule – we normally scope out some design and look for characters that we are a good fit from there!
Q: Trans rights?
Max: Trans rights!!
Q: Will there be some kind of costume creation like rivals of aether or something along those lines?
Ramsey: We haven't decided yet on this particular feature because of some of the challenges associated with it, but we definitely see the community's desire for it!
Q: What can fraytools be used for other than creating character? Can I make assists and mods like Rivals Buddies?
Cleod9: Totally, you can make assists, stages, modes, and if you wanted you could indeed code a buddy that follows your player around!
Q: Any single player content?
Ramsey: We've revealed a "target test" like mode – other than that we're focusing primarily on the promises set forth by the Kickstarter campaign. We do have some ideas though!
Q: If the game gets more successful past the already planned new fighters and DLC, would you consider implementing more content in the future (besides patches and balance updates)?
Ramsey: We would love to do post release content, it depends on the popularity of the game and if yall have a hankerin' for it!
Q: How did you manage to get so many connections/indie reps?
Max: Honestly, it was just a matter of reaching out to them directly and telling them about the project! Things have changed a bit since we've gone public, but largely indie devs are super cool and approachable.
Q: Are all indie game characters on the table in terms of fighter reps, or just the"main character" of the respective indie game?
Max: While generally we'd tend toward the most prominent character in a given game, I'd say that pretty much anything is on the table!
Q: How much are you going to be able to customize the controls?
Max: We're planning on having extensive support for control customization – you should be able to assign pretty much anything to any button!
Q: What kind of characters will not be able to make it in the game?
Ramsey: We're targeting indie characters for Fraymakers! So they're all fair game.
Q: How has the process of making a full commercial video game been different than developing free-to-play games like SSF2? Is there any difference in how you develop the game, or is it mostly the same process but just on a larger scale?
Cleod9: I think you nailed it with the latter! Since SSF2 and Fraymakers are both platform fighters, there are a lot of similarities to how we develop both games. But since Fraymakers is much more ambitious in scale, we've had to get a bit smarter and more efficient with our processes to be able to accomplish what we've done so far (FrayTools is a big example of one of those efficiencies!)
Q: Have you collabed with other indie devs such as Dan Forance?
Cleod9: Assuming you mean working with other indies directly, some folks we've met in person at various public events (we've often met up with Dan at Super Smash Con!) but in general though this is our first time being in communications with most of the devs who so graciously allowed us to use their content in Fraymakers.
Q: Who was the most challenging character to bring into the roster of fighters and assists?
Ramsey: They were all mostly seamless from a design perspective – i'd say maybe the Watcher is on the more difficult side purely from the art production side due to the nature of her details and fabric movement, but we're super happy with her results so far!
Q: Will there be support for online safe mods? One of the greatest things about the smash modding scene is music and costume mods. Would it be possible to preserve this for Fraymakers?
Ramsey: We definitely intend for UGC content to be usable online in some form! We'll get into the specifics as the game gets further into development.
Q: Can gold backers hold off on getting a gold skin for a later character?
Ramsey: Yes you may!
Q: If the game is succussful enough, could it continue to receive DLC after the currently planned characters?
Ramsey: Indubitably – depends on the success of the game and if there's fan demand.
Q: does every character get at least one stage?
Ramsey: Not confirmed explicitly, but not closed off from the possibility!
Q: Free/Paid DLC from Smash flash?
Ramsey: We don't plan to do any official DLC from smash flash
Q: Have you considered adding a boss, bosses, or even a boss rush mode similar to Smash Bros. Brawl or Smash Ultimate? How big of a challenge would that be to implement?
Ramsey: We have definitely considered the possibility! We're focusing on the already promised Early Access and 1.0 content, but we're really excited to explore the possibility of bosses.
Q: Do you already know who the unrevealed characters are?
Max: Unfortunately, we're not sharing much on that front from the time being!
Q: There will be plans for a website dedicated to Fraymakers content or at least desires to have one? Something like Newgrounds, Brawl Vault or other forums/content galleries. Would be nice to have all to found in a site, giving tags to the content to search them and even comment on, or separate them depending in the restrictions if there's one.
Ramsey: It's something we're looking into. If we end up doing something like this, we'll be sure to let everyone know.
Q: when will backers get beta build?
Max: Early access is currently slated for Early 2022. We don't have an exact date for the tester build yet, but it will come out before early access – we'll keep you in the loop as we nail down our plans.
Q: How long have you been planning the game?
Max: We were throwing around ideas for a while beforehand, but we estimate that development proper for Fraymakers started in late 2018, a little over 2 years before our Kickstarter.
Q: Are all assists/stages designed for competitive play, or will there be ones that are much more casual suited?
Max: Most of the assists we've done so far are suitable for all styles of play, though we're open for some more casual-oriented ones potentially. As far as stages go, we're going to have both hazards on and hazards off versions for every stage, so hopefully they'll be usable by everyone!
Q: How's development coming along, and who are the devs favorite characters to play right now?
Max: Development is going great! We're making steady progress and we're confident in our timelines. I will never choose one character, though – I love them all and if we liked one less than the others we'd probably do what we could to fix that LOL
Q: Question: What was the deciding process like for each of the characters already included in the game? Elaboration on question (can be entirely ignored): I've always found the decision process for deciding characters in a fighting game conceptually interesting, particularly when the character(s) are decided upon among preexisting characters, and Fraymakers has a wider pool to choose from than the vast majority of games besides arguably Smash, so I'm extremely curious what the decision process was like for each character individually, if it started by narrowing down the size of the ip, if it begins with a moveset idea you're currently looking for, or ect. If asking about each of the characters is too much for a single question though, I'm particularly interested in the decision process behind The Watcher, given she's neither the most recognizable character from her game, nor from an ip that people readily associate with indie crossovers like the others. Thank you for your time, and good luck with all of these questions~
Cleod9: That's a great question! Generally the process for choosing each character was very similar where we started with a base concept, developed a prototype for that concept, and eventually presented that concept to each indie we pitched to. We can't get very far without a base concept so that's one of the most important aspects to deciding what characters to invest time into. In order to come up with the base concept, we take into account other factors like fun, uniqueness, and source representation (not to mention picking characters from games we just enjoy!). Then as long as we're able to devise a solid foundation for a character, we simply commit to it and move forward. Of course there are so many characters out there to choose from, so at a certain point you just have to pick what we think is the best option!
Q: How long before you start showing trailers and how far apart will they be?
Ramsey: No set timelines as of yet! When we're gearing up to show off some new content in the form of a trailer, you all will be the first to know!
Q: How does the custom character creation work?
Cleod9: It won't be very efficient to get into the weeds of this during the Q&A, but rest assured we'll have plenty of documentation and samples that explain how the process works when the time comes!
Q: Are there any other indie series the team is interested in representing in Fraymakers?
Ramsey: Yessssssssir! You'll have to wait to find out exactly which series those are though.
Q: Do you think fraymakers is biased towards offensive gameplay or defensive gameplay? Is there an "ideal" balance you'd like to reach?
Max: Both are important, but generally we want the needle to tip a bit toward aggression. A better way of summarizing though is that we prefer to emphasize interaction between players, which is something that can result from aggro play and is sometimes discouraged by overly defensive tactics. We also don't want the game to devolve into both players charging forward and throwing out hitboxes over and over, though. The ideal balance would have players interacting with each other constantly, but not reaching that extreme where the interactions become less interesting.
Q: How do you plan on handling internet and online play? Will it be P2P? Server based? And is Rollback a thing?
Cleod9: For now all we can confirm is that online play for official game content in 1v1s will use rollback netcode. Custom content and matches with more than two players pose their own challenges for rollback, so we're looking into our options there.
Q: As someone who doesn't own a computer-compatible controller, how well will this game play on keyboard (taking SSF2 as a benchmark, since that's the only fighting game I play)?
Cleod9: If you're comfortable with SSF2's keyboard controls you can rest assured you'll feel right at home when playing on keyboard in Fraymakers!
Q: How hard is it to get rights for characters?
Ramsey: To oversimplify, it just requires a conversation with the IP holder. Fortunately, the indie community is chock full of vibrant, easy to talk to developers! It truly is a wonderful community.
Q: game looks great, hope you have a nice day :}
Ramsey: Thanks friend!! You too!
Q: How do you make a game that’s so easily compared to games like Smash and Rivals of Aether not feel like “Just another Smash/Rivals of Aether?”
Max: We think we've established a few flagship features that set us apart (assists, our indie crossover cast, and a robust custom content tool to name a few). We've also worked to make sure the game's mechanics feel distinctive, both through new mechanics and incorporation of some old ones. We think you'll agree that Fraymakers feels like its own thing!
Q: How are you doing today?
Max: poggers
Q: Do you intend to "double dip" at all in the franchises you've already drawn characters from?
Ramsey: It's not off the table! You'll notice we have some double series representatives in the form of character/assist, like the Watcher and the Silent!
Q: Have you considered/Would you consider adding character themes like Under Night, Blazblue, Street Fighter, etc?
Ramsey: I wouldn't say so, no. Those themes are very effective in those games for sure (some of my favorite music in all of video games), but the focus of our soundtrack on covers of existing songs from those games for use in stages. In a way you could consider those songs their themes since it represents their universe, however we aren't planning on making any unique music to represent the character.
Q: Could you tell us a bit more about how Airdashing works in this game?
Max: Each character can airdash in any direction. You can cancel out of your airdash with any aerial, but if your aerial doesn't hit an opponent you'll end up in freefall and get a bunch of landing lag. You can also use airdashes for wavedashing and associated techniques (wavelanding, etc).
Q: are there any characters in the game you were surprised to get access to? or any characters you wanted to add but weren't able to?
Ramsey: Honestly all of the acquisitions were a bit of a surprise, we're so touched that these indie developers believed in our project enough to trust is with their IP! We're doing everything we can to honor them and represent their characters with the highest degree of quality possible.
Q: will there be Items in fraymakers?
Cleod9: We've announced there will be items actually! We can't confirm the specifics of how they will work yet, but stay tuned!
Q: Will there be server support for years to come?
Cleod9: We certainly hope so!
Q: Is there any plans to help support future Fray content creators?
Cleod9: For sure! We'll be planning out the specifics of how to do that in the future, but for starters we'll certainly plan to signal boost the content created by our community.
Q: Will you be updating us with your selected additional characters upon confirmation with the owner of that property or will there be a batch release of all new characters?
Ramsey: We'll likely pair the public confirmation of the identity of the additional characters with a more grand announcement of some kind (like the two animated character trailers that got funded!).
Q: will custom color alts be real?
Ramsey: It's something we're very carefully considering – not 100% sure one way or the other due to some challenges.
Q: if you map two of the same button, and hold one down, will the other button work while the other button is already held? for example: mapping two shield buttons. this is an issue when you wavedash out of shield. you must let go of shield before wavedashing
Max: Thanks for this question! This is definitely a finer mechanics point that we'll be looking into later on, but we'll be looking into making it work as you'd expect and let your airdash input come out properly.
Q: Based off of this tweet (https://twitter.com/_BluWolfe/status/1329654217502580741), is ease of porting characters from MUGEN a goal of Fraytools?
Cleod9: That tweet is actually a good example of how Fraymakers' sprite dimensions are aligned with some existing resolutions in the 2D fighting genre. While we don't have plans to implement any features specific to porting M.U.G.E.N. content, the sprite dimensions of said content would certainly feel right at home in Fraymakers 🙂
Q: How many players can play in one match?
Cleod9: At this time we support 4 players in a match, but that may be subject to grow in the future!
Q: When will Test Build Access be available? also, hey, thanks for making something really cool!
Cleod9: No specific date yet, but it will land somewhere within the months leading up to our planned March 2022 Early Access release.
Q: Is the QnA time limit over?
Cleod9: Apparently it wasn't 😅
Q: Can assist characters become real characters in the future?
Ramsey: We aren't opposed to the possibility, but we don't have any plans at this time.
Q: Will you put The Batter in Fraymakers?
Ramsey: We're open to all indies! No further details for now, though.
Q: Are replays gonna be a demo file and allow people to record gameplay as an mp4 or gif similar to speedrunners (the game)?
Cleod9: Not certain about direct MP4 conversion yet (we'll see!) but we will absolutely have replay support.
Q: How do you plan to make custom creation (stages/characters) accessible while still giving it sufficient depth?
Cleod9: That'll be up to you creators! You'll be able to access functionality from our engine in your custom content, so the sky's the limit in terms of depth! For newcomers we plan to provide plenty of documentation, sample files, and example scripts that will help achieve commonly desired functionality with minimal effort.
Q: what is the most important way you'll spread the word of fray?
Mass: By making them. Making…frays, that is. Makefrayers.
Q: So has this been a good precedent for the next Q&A session? 🤔
Ramsey: It's definitely been a precedent… LOL. We had a great time, just maybe didn't quite expect this level of turnout 😂
Q: will fishbunjin have some sort of air strong like move
Ramsey: We'll let you guys know how we plan on specifically implementing Fishbunjin with regards to his changes from Slap City to Fraymakers when we get closer to his release! I can say he will definitely retain the dumbbell throw attack in some form.
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