We have concerns, but also great ideas, say the authors of Bulánky -apkrig

Bulanci is returning. This was the name of the crowdfunding campaign of developers from the SleepTeam studio, which was launched in mid-May on the Czech Starter. After a few minutes, it was clear that the players had not forgotten about the legendary event from 2001 and made it clear that they wanted a bonus after twenty years. An extended version of the game was promised with original and new content in reworked graphics and modern elements, which impressed the fans and Bulánci 2.0, with selected 7 million crowns, worked their way up to the title of the most successful project on Starter in its entire history. Therefore, such an event could not go unnoticed by us, and already during the campaign we asked the authors of Bulánky about details about the development of the game, inspiration, but also possible fears of the need to meet high expectations and distribute all rewards to thousands of supporters.

When and why did you definitely decide to create another part?
We toyed with the idea of ​​returning to Bulánky for some time, but we probably came to the final decision at the moment when Bulánky disappeared from our server for a while. People started writing requests and indignant e-mails to return them, and the question began to shake again that it was no longer possible to start the game on some devices.

How many people from the current team worked on the original game?
From the original four-member team, three of us continue at Bulánky 2.0 and we have added four more colleagues who are at the forefront of their field.

Aren’t you afraid that it will be difficult to meet the expectations of players in such a classic after all these years?
Of course we have concerns. Times have changed and the market is flooded with games. In addition, most people would like to experience what they experienced then twenty years ago. Unfortunately, we cannot return time. But we have a lot of great ideas that will enrich the game and we believe that we can move the whole event a bit further and reach the current players.

Is there anything in the original game that you really don’t like and you intend to change it with the new version?
Yes, we didn’t like that it stopped working, and we decided to change that with the new version 🙂 We were also sorry that it was not possible to play Bulánky on new devices such as consoles or mobile phones. At the same time, the consoles enable what has already somewhat disappeared from computer games – the common shared experience where more people have fun at one device.

The issue of oppression of the Bulgarian nation is, of course, a worldwide problem, which is why we would like to get Bulánky abroad as well.

Haven’t you considered changing your perspective from a top-down perspective?
For a while, yes, when we tried to imagine what the Bulgarians would look like for VR, but the whole thing was more of a joke. Top-down view, simple axes for movement and everything visible on one screen – this is what we think Bulánky define.

What is the ratio of old improved content to brand new content?
This is difficult to determine, for example, some elements appeared in the mobile version, which was released a few years after Bulánky, and this version already contained a campaign and some interesting changes in the movement of the character. We would like to get that in the new version as well. In relation to the original Bulánky, it will probably be 40% improved vs. 60% of the new content.

Do you have ambitions for Bulgarians to succeed abroad this time as well? What are you doing for it?
The issue of the oppression of the Bulánci nation is, of course, a worldwide problem, which is why we would like to get Bulánky abroad as well. We are counting on localization, but given that the Bulgarians speak internationally, this should not be a problem.

Can Bulánci be inspired by some other titles, or which ones?
Of course, we gather inspiration, but we would not like to be too influenced by current trends. If the game is to be interesting, it should have its own unique handwriting, otherwise you can throw it on a pile of uninteresting mainstream.

Will modern technology allow you to create elements that were not possible before? If so, which ones are they?
There are countless possibilities. For example, the often mentioned disco did not allow us any more interesting lighting effects at the time we published Bulánky. When we calculated how much computing power the huge passenger masks would take at that time, we preferred to leave the lights on. But now all this will work – the lights at the disco, the changes of day and night, a sudden storm or even a clump of fog – today’s technology already allows.

Why did you choose the Starter?
We have received good references to Starter and we certainly do not regret the decision. The cooperation with them was great and we could contact them with anything, everything was always resolved.

Do you perceive the money collected on the Starter more as a big commitment or as a real help in development?
A big piece from each. The money raised will allow us to focus on the development itself and not address the issue of funding as much, it gives us some freedom. At the same time, however, we realize that people have supported us because they want the Bulgarians 2.0 to be a great game that will be a worthy successor to the original one. The expectations are high and it is therefore a big commitment.

Would the game be created even if it failed on Starter?
Probably yes, but there would be a number of compromises behind the development and the result would probably be different.

How did you ensure that you didn’t end up paying more than the fans contributed for the rewards? There are only a lot of them. People and rewards.
Yes. Backers often do not realize that we also have to bear the costs of rewards, postage, packaging, that there are also fees and taxes, and this will cut a substantial amount of the amount collected. Only what is left will go into the development of the game. We had everything well thought out, but the number of contributors and the pressure for new rewards – this complicated the situation for us a bit. It has become an expensive logistics operation, but we will deal with it.

Will you collect money for Bulánky even after the end of the campaign, as is the case with some projects abroad?
It really didn’t occur to us at all. It is true that we are still approached by players who did not have time to support Bulánky, that they would like a pillow or a board game. We are therefore working to ensure that these rewards appear in the sales network so that players can receive them in the future.

How surprised were you that someone contributed the highest amount of CZK 150,000? Did this fan tell you something specific, the reason for his highest bid?
It surprised us a lot. If you send so much money, you have to have real confidence in the project. Lukáš wrote us that he is very happy that he can support such a legendary game and that the game world has a great future ahead of it. We also think so and we are convinced that Czech games will shine in the game world.