My First Interview Featuring @CircuitBoardProductions and Their Game "Saturday Night at Freddy's"

First question: What inspired you to create Saturday Night at Freddy's ? Was there a specific idea or moment that kick-started the project?

• "A Bite at Freddy's was my main inspiration, at least visually, and I believe it kinda shows in game with the animatronic's designs. The main idea for the game was set all the way back when I did my first game (Fazbear Factory), from then on wanted to break the trend of being in a pizzeria, hence why Freddy's is a bar this time around."

Second question: How has the development process been for the Game so far? Can you share some challenges or memorable moments you've encountered along the way?

• "The development is going really well atm, I'm getting a lot of progress done on the main nights. I believe the biggest challenge for the project was getting the models to a point where I was happy with them, but with the newly updated models I'm really happy with the visual look of the game now. Not many memorable moments were made during development, but there is one that stands out. I was testing the office parallax and forgot I had Freddy's AI turned on, that sure gave me a spook 😭"

Third question: How would you describe the core gameplay and main features of the Game ? What makes it stand out from other games in the genre?

• "I think I could describe the night gameplay as fun, with a lot of challenge mixed it, and little RNG other than the AI system (simply cuz I believe RNG can make or break a game). Something I believe that makes it stand out is the office design, featuring a breaker box behind you, a large panel window in front that gives you a view of the dining room, and a door to your left that you can close. Another thing is the mechanics, I can't really go into detail as to not spoil anything, but certain mechanics I believe have never been done in a fangame before :)"

Fourth question: The visuals for it look quite unique. Can you tell us about the art style and how it contributes to the overall atmosphere of the game?

• "Typically I prefer to go with brighter environments in my games, just so you can see every detail there is to offer, however in SNaF I decided to keep the lighting minimal, and to hide everything in the shadows as best as possible. The art style for the game is something that came to mind instantly when I was designing Freddy, I knew I needed to keep everything in a simple, yet terrifying style."

Fifth question: What kind of experience are you aiming to create for players with the Game ? Are there specific emotions or reactions you hope to evoke?

• "To be honest, I don't really wanna make the game too too emotional, there are some scenes that may cause an emotional reaction from players (Looking at Saturday Night/Night 5 specifically!), but for the most part I only wanna provide a fun experience for the player."

Sixth question: How important is sound design and music in Saturday Night ? Can you share any details about how you're approaching the audio aspects of the game?

• "Sound design is a very high priority for this game. For the most part, I'm trying to stay away from free sound websites and create my own sfx. I also have VA's for the characters, which will play an important role in the gameplay. As for the music, it will somewhat be important. Currently I have someone in mind to do ambient tracks, which I believe will be a nice background noise to keep the game from being silent for long periods."

Seventh question: Have you had the chance to get feedback from early testers or the community? If so, how has that influenced your development decisions?

• "So far only a few of my closest friends know the gameplay. Some gameplay aspects have changed based on feedback they've given me, but I believe the biggest changes will happen when the game begins beta testing in the coming months."

Eighth question: What made you choose GameJolt as the platform to showcase for the Game ? How has your experience with the platform been so far?

• "I see a lot of fangames thrive on gamejolt, there's even an official FNaF community on there, so I figured it would be the best choice. The platform has been good, I believe SNaF has gotten some good attention thanks to it, and I have no plans of moving away from gamejolt any time soon!"

Ninth question: What are your plans leading up to the release of Saturday Night at Freddy's ? Are there any particular milestones or updates that players should look forward to?

• "Around the release of the game I plan to do daily updates showcasing each character's mechanics, and some office gameplay. I don't really have an milestones planned (at least for now), though there could be a possible chance for a demo? Not sure though."

Tenth and last question: As a game developer, what keeps you motivated throughout the development process? What advice would you give to others looking to create their own games?

• "Something that has kept me motivated is the rise in popularity of fangames recently. My friends have also been able to keep me motivated, so huge thank you to them. My advice to any smaller game devs out there: Don't try to do it alone. I'm at a place now where I am able to do most visual work by myself, but I still need other's to help me with my projects. I believe Fazbear Factory's biggest flaw was me thinking I could do it all myself."

Alr, that's every question. Would you like to state anything?

• "One thing I'd like to add -

  Sometimes people are confused on SNaF having animatronics in a bar, however the showbiz animatronics were actually stationed in a bar back in 2018!"

Huge Thanks and Shoutout to @CircuitBoardProductions

Make sure to follow them and keep an eye out for Saturday Night at Freddy's, you definitely won't want to miss playing it when it releases.