Curling 2010: Good Timing and Nice Pants

There probably is no better time for the release of Curling 2010 than during the two-week window of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Curling--the relatively obscure winter sport that involves Teflon shoes, granite stones, and long brooms--is currently enjoying a dose of worldwide exposure at the Olympic Games. Dadoo Games' Bill Fowler, the one-man team behind Curling 2010--which was released this week on the Xbox Live Indie Games channel--didn't plan the release necessarily to time with the Olympics, though he recognizes that the timing works in the game's favor.

"The timing of its release did work out pretty well," Fowler told me over e-mail. "I wanted to have it released in the fall originally, then a month ago, but it ended up smack dab in the middle of the Olympics. I give a lot of the credit for the interest in curling and the game to team Norway's pants. Man, those are nice pants!"

Even with lovely pants, though, it's doubtful that curling will ever gain a toehold in America in the same way as the NFL or the NBA. That said, the Xbox Live Indie Games channel is proving to be a haven for sports gaming experimentation. Curling 2010 is just the latest in a catalog of games based on under-the-radar sports like bowling, college lacrosse, and even Japanese hand games--with more to come in the future.

I recently had a chance to speak with Fowler over e-mail about Curling 2010 to find out more about the game and his future plans for Dadoo Games (be they involving sports games or home improvement).

GameSpot: Tell me about the development of the game. How did you get started with the project and why did you choose curling? What previous games (if any) have you worked on?

Bill Fowler: I had no experience at all with making games when I began making Curling 2010. My day job involves programming, and I had heard of [Microsoft's game development toolset] XNA, but that was about it. The game was born out of a demo for a 2D physics library I was playing with at the time. I had just started curling myself and decided it would be easy to make a curling game--I was wrong! From there, it was one small improvement after another. There was no master plan, and I had a lot of learning to do concerning the basics of 3D games. When it came to adding features, like the AI and online portion, there was a significant amount of rework needed, but [there] are still parts of that original demo in the final game. Working on the game for two to three hours every other night makes for slow progress, but I'm very happy with how it has turned out.

GS: We've seen curling in games before, often included in larger minigame collections as in Deca Sports. What does Curling 2010 do that those other games don't?

BF: Online multiplayer is the one glaring omission from all other console curling games I've seen. Curling is a very social game, so it only makes sense that gamers would want to play against each other. Curling 2010 allows up to four players to compete in the same game online, which I'm pretty sure no other title allows. The game also includes a practice mode, which is a lot of fun on its own. It's basically "no rules" curling: You can place stones wherever you want on the ice and retry shots over and over. There's no scoring and no end goal, so it quickly turns into a competition to see who can make the most outlandish shot. Finally, there's a target competition mode that is less competitive than a normal curling match and is easy to pick up and play.

GS: How is the game played? What kind of modes and difficulty levels are there?

BF: The mechanics of the game are pretty simple: spin, power, and direction are the only controls you need to master. When you throw a curling stone, it will follow a curved path controlled by the direction you spin the stone handle and how much force is behind the shot. You need take that curve into account when aiming the stone down the ice, then throw and hope for the best. When you find that you need the stone to curve less or travel farther, the sweeping aspect comes into play. The game features a tutorial that explains the basic rules of curling plus walks you through throwing stones and the strategies involved. Once you've gotten the hang of how to throw, it becomes a matter of planning and strategizing.

There are three game play modes: Traditional Match, Target Competition, and Practice. All modes except Practice allow for four-player online play and local play against your friends or family. There are also computer opponents with three levels of difficulty for when there's no one else around. There are little extras as well, including eight unlockable awards and 20 different curling badges you can earn for good (and bad) shots.

GS: The release of Curling 2010 times nicely with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Was the timing intentional or just a happy accident?

BF: When I originally started development, I figured I might be able to get it ready for the launch of the [Xbox Live Indie Games] service (circa November 2008), which was pretty naive looking back. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that needs to be completed for the game to be robust and pass through the XBLIG review process, and it can take a while to work it all out. Fortunately, there is strong community support on the creators.xna.com Web site. Then, I decided to add online multiplayer, delaying the game by another few months. I switched my release date to last fall, hoping to catch the start of the curling season, but that didn't work out so well either. The last few months the target release date switched to whenever it's ready. It was just luck that it ended [up] being released right in the middle of the Olympics.

GS: For viewers who might be seeing curling for the first time on the Olympic broadcasts, what do they need to know about the sport? What separates the great teams from the rest?

BF: Curling is a strategic game. My advice would be to ignore the throwing and sweeping (and yelling) aspects of the game at first and focus on the strategy involved. Most people see curling and think it's easy, but it's a lot harder physically than it looks. I think great curling teams need to be able to roll with the punches, as every stone has the potential to totally change who has the advantage. It's very similar to chess, where you need to plan ahead but still have a solid backup plan. There is also a rumor that checkered pants make you sweep harder, but I can't confirm that.

GS: What's your next project?

BF: I need to finish renovating my bathroom. It has been ripped apart since January, and my wife's patience is at an end. I'll definitely work on another game, though I'm not sure what yet. It will partly depend on how viable multiplayer turns out to be for XBLIG. If there isn't enough of a player base to be able to readily find matches, I'll probably drop it from my next game. One of the biggest advantages of [the] Xbox Live Indie Games service is that game genres and concepts that no studio would touch will find a voice. So maybe a good caber tossing game or online knitting?

GS: We're all over either of those! Thanks for your time, Bill.

Curling 2010 is currently available on the Xbox Live Indie Games channel for 240 Microsoft points.