Finalist | Nuevo Award
Florian Veltman is the creator of Lieve Oma
Each year at GDC, MFA students from the NYU Game Center interview the Independent Games Festival nominees, asking them three questions about their development process. In addition to this interview, you can read all the insightful interviews from 2017 here. These conversations, and much more, will happen when the Game Center returns to GDC in 2018. Learn more about the Game Center at GDC 2017.
Corey Bertelsen: What main concept, image or question began this project?
Florian Veltman: I was working on another game, and got a bit burned out on it. So I wanted to do something more relaxing and only had about six months to do so. So I decided to figure out something that would be simple and relaxing and kind of sweet. That was kind of the way it started.
It was kind of borne out of scope, as well – figuring out what I could do in that amount of time. Many of the choices I made in this game were the result of having to do things as quickly as possible, and deciding when things were good enough.
Corey: Can you describe a specific experience with another game or media that influenced you as you worked on Lieve Oma?
Florian Veltman: I don’t see that many games that inspire a positive and soothing mindset, and the world kind of went to shit this year, so I think it would be good to have some more soothing experiences as well.
If people decide to spend time with something you made, you might as well give them something nice in return. That was kind of the motivation behind it. I like a lot of slice-of-life kind of comics from Japan – that was a concept that I don’t see that often in games. I wanted to work with that as well.
Corey: Is there a specific tool or methodology that you feel was important in shaping a unique characteristic of your game?
Florian Veltman: I didn’t really time box anything or whatever, but I knew when I had to finish it. So I had to make sure I didn’t spend too much time on every single detail.
Corey, a recovering structural engineer from Minnesota, is studying game design at NYU. He likes synaesthetic games, improvised music, and pancakes.