Interview: Vector Unit on what it takes to run an indie studio

Steve Conger at The Gamesman posted a great interview with Vector Unit's Matt Small and Ralf Knoesel.

Get a behind the scenes look at the development of Riptide GP and Hydro Thunder Hurricane, and learn a little more about the indie game development roller coaster.

It's really a pleasure for us to talk with someone like Steve who's genuinely interested in the process of game development.  Hopefully this discussion can give people thinking of starting their own business a little more insight into what it takes and how to go about it.

Link:  Special Edition Riptide GP/Vector Unit Interview

Get Hydro Thunder Hurricane for 800 points

Hey we realize times are tough, and not everybody has $15 lying around to spend on a totally awesome and completely worth it rocket-powered speedboat game with thrilling waterfall jumps and technologically amazing water physics.

Well, if money is the one thing that's been holding you back from buying Hydro Thunder Hurricane, now's your chance to stop crying about it and break out the virtual wallet.

As Major Nelson has reported, Hurricane will be discounted 33% to 800 points during the week of January 31st.

The discount is part of a "Get Wet!" promotion that also features Hydrophobia and Aqua.  

Game with the developers, February 7!

So you think you got skills because you beat some chumps playing Hydro Thunder Hurricane online?  Test those skills against the people who made the game!  

Vector Unit will host a Game with Developers event on Xbox LIVE, February 7 from 6-8pm PST.  Look for us online during those hours and join in the mayhem!  We'll be playing on all tracks including the Tempest Pack, so be sure to download the full version of the DLC if you want to join us.

We'll post more details as the date draws closer.  Check back for more info!

Reviews for the HTH Tempest Pack

Reviews for the Tempest Pack, the new downloadable expansion pack for Hydro Thunder Hurricane, have been rolling in.  And the reviews are good.  

Here's what a few reviewers had to say:

Vector Unit have taken the triumph of Hydro Thunder Hurricane and given their fans even more to sink their teeth into, making it an essential purchase.

Console Arcade, 4/5

Over the top racing pitted with challenging maps created a great arena for players to relive and continue to have great memories of Hydrothunder. All of this for just 400 MS points, you can’t go wrong.

Gaming Truth, 4.5/5

The Tempest packs adds quite a lot to the great formula and should keep anyone who buys it bust for quite a few hours. ... If you enjoyed Hydro Thunder Hurricane, then this really is an essential purchase to expend this really enjoyable title....

- Game-Smack Ireland, 8/10

All in all, this is a great value for fans of the Hydro Thunder game. The new tracks are great, and if you enjoy player against other players, the X-Boats are a necessity...

- XBLA Fans, "Buy!"

Hydro Thunder Postmortem on Gamasutra

Our in-depth look at "what went right" and "what went wrong" during the development of Hydro Thunder Hurricane is now up on Gamasutra.  

We love reading developer Postmortems, at least the ones that don't BS around too much and actually fess up.  We tried to be as candid as possible in this one, and at the same time give a little perspective on what it's like making the switch from working for a big company to running your own studio.

Here's an excerpt:

When we started Vector Unit, we figured the experience we had as leads managing large teams at established game development studios would scale smoothly to the development of a smaller game project. If anything, we thought, it would be easier -- fewer moving parts. To some extent that ended up being true. What we didn't count on were the countless small surprises that small game development had in store for us.

You can read the full article here: Postmortem: Vector Unit's Hydro Thunder Hurricane