Image by: Zoni321.

Hello, KoGaMians!

We've got another builder to spotlight this month! Unfortunately, it had to be delayed to early May due to the Eggstravaganza and Content Creator Program, but it’ll still count inside April, since most of the work was done there! This month, we’re casting the spotlight on a well-known Spanish creator, known for his in-depth logic and creative games!

About

Most likely, you’ve come across this player already from his various logic games under the name of --LG--. His games may be small in quantity, but they’re made with quality! In this interview, --LG-- will describe how he found himself creating on the platform, where he was during his breaks, and what’s next for him.

The interview

1. Introduce yourself to the community. How long have you been creating on KoGaMa?

I've been with Kogama since 2014. I started doing more serious construction in 2020. I've directed some of my projects that were never launched to test my creative abilities in construction, logistics, and other areas.

2. What does your username "LG" stand for? Is it an acronym for something?

It has a double meaning. First, L stands for my name, "Leonidas", and G for "Gavriil," my middle name. It's also an acronym that stands for L for "Library" and G for "Games." I'd like my main focus to be on showcasing the quality of my projects and editions, and encouraging originality.

3. You seem to have had a long hiatus from KoGaMa which stretched for several years. What prompted your return to this platform? Was there a specific experience or opportunity that motivated you to keep on creating?

First of all, Kogama is something I grew up playing, it seemed like an intuitive and easy platform to create. After a short long break and for personal reasons, I realized that Kogama was not only a platform to enjoy, but also a way to deal with stress since it keeps me satisfied, it is one of the few games that I value that although in terms of updates/novelty that they give us it is not great, I feel that Kogama also has a nostalgic effect that makes you want to return in some way or another, obviously it would be an immature thought on my part, but I believe that we all have a childish interior in which we have fond memories, and even more so when I discovered the KoGaMa platform on Kizi.

4. Your game "Creepy - Packstman" is notable for its take on horror, turning a well-known and loved franchise to a corrupted version of it, which has also received an Editors Choice award. What inspired you to shift the genre from arcade to horror?

At that time I had a school class and they had talked about a topic of the most recognizable games, I always liked the horror atmosphere because it is a genre that makes you feel the adrenaline, although the project is not the most terrifying thing I did (since promising projects are coming soon), I wanted to do it as a kind of survival horror, but after some changes, it ended up being what it is today, an arcade horror game, inspired by the ". Exe" games in addition to the horror games that are usually a randomized map (Yes, the map has a lot of logic in which the map circumstantially changes some areas, so that you do not know the paths by heart) and more disguised with terror, it is usually overwhelming.

("Creepy - Packstman")

5. Your game "Space Invaders" is outstanding for its rich and diverse array of melee weapons to use in the battleground. Did you face any difficulties in designing this game?

That project was rushed, as it was for a competition with a limited time. The first mistake was that it was a rather ambitious and complex project for only 1 month with 3 people working on it. We had to divide up the tasks for many things. Due to lack of time, we had to discard quite a few things, and it ended up being a product riddled with errors.

For the bladed weapons, I want to express my deep gratitude to -PanTruskawka- and Vizary. If it weren't for them, the final product wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps in the future we'll end up improving the project, ironing out the bugs, and so on. I got the weapons from internet references and asked Pan for them. He was in charge of almost all the bladed weapons, since we wanted to provide extensive battle customization for each player role.

("Space Invaders")

6. Outside of your games, you also have one other unique achievement: you contributed to the game by creating a new official Avatar. What was your overall approach in developing this Avatar?

I felt Kogama needed a noble, dangerous enemy who presented traits that made you feel like you were in danger. I felt like he was lacking substance, so I started designing three characters.

King Oculus: Designed and inspired by the Oculus.

Night Block Boy: Tourist's counterpart, the dark nightmares of a cosmic horror.

Alien: Designed and inspired by ghosts.

So, looking back, I decided to design King Oculus since it might make more sense as a character in Kogama's world and allow players to speculate about his existence. King Oculus is actually two characters in one. One is called "Ocu" in which he is found on the front (red eye), and the counterpart face, "Lus," is found on the back (blue eye).

He has his own story, but for now, I prefer to keep it.

7. Has your experience as a game creator translated into something outside of KoGaMa?

After playing Kogama for a while, I've adapted to using programs like Blender and Adobe (Illustrator, Premiere) to further express my ideas and create quality content. Thanks to Kogama, I've also been able to gain a sense of creative freedom for other projects. I'm an artist who draws my characters, creates digital and traditional commissions, and now I'm starting to use Blender on my own and learn about its potential for the future.

I'll also start creating content, like Instagram, to pitch ideas to Kogama, collaborate with other content creators, try to connect with former players to create a large-scale crossover collaboration, or even upload advanced project content. Outside of that, I also have a life and a place where I'm happy now.

8. You seem to now focus on diving deep into creating suggestions and concepts for updates in KoGaMa. Summarising everything up: what are the main things you wish to see KoGaMa implement or improve?

I think we all agree that Kogama needs a lot of rethinking. (That is, it's lost countless players who have left the platform.)

(--LG--’s logic feature suggestions & concepts)

These ideas don't change that much in and of themselves, but I feel like Kogama is missing a lot; it needs to improve its map creators. Imagine having over 2,000 models and having to search page by page. It's overwhelming that it continues like this. I've been writing a project in Word for half a year called "Steps Kogama Could Revive." I won't go into too much detail now, but in short, I feel like Kogama should give players more options to create their projects, so that it's distinctive, vastly different from other maps, and that it isn't repetitive. This argument of mine is supported by seeing almost all the maps that work by formula, but are repeated. For example, the vast majority of parkour maps are based on jumping from model to model purchased in a store. You buy 20 models, do 20 levels of parkour on the purchased models, and that's it. (It's boring)

That's why I think it needs to provide new tools, not that it be so complex, but that it divides between simple options (for new players) and advanced ones (for experienced players). This way, they can explore the new things they can do on a polygonal cube platform.

9. Do you have any advice for people who are interested in creating games on KoGaMa?

It would be a pleasure when you start a project, try not to overwhelm it if you don't know how to implement it. Always try to start with an easy goal and make your capabilities possible. I started by making Five Nights at Freddy's maps, but little by little, I managed to shape and improve them. You would even improve your map creations a lot if you started making models first, since you keep in mind that the maps are polygonal cubic, like the models.

Also, remember not to be so detail-oriented. Sometimes, perfection makes the work tedious for other players and even for yourself. Don't be an obstacle for yourself or others (although I prefer to work alone). But it never hurts to have other players help you and give you new ideas. You'll see that everything will go faster and be done with love. If you have ideas, motivations, write them down! You'll remember that those beautiful moments can be built even on those that are destroyed.

Before Kogama gets destroyed or abandoned, let's build together to rebuild what the community once was!

10. What will you do next in the platform? Are there any updates or projects you’d like to let the community know about?

Let others see and draw conclusions from the progress. It won't be today, but perhaps I can satisfy someone with these images or previews. (Some of these are collaborations with other builders.)

(“Escape From the Hole” - work in progress)

(“Logistic Kogaming” - work in progress, 0.2 procent as of posting)

(“Baldi’s Basics in Education and Learning” - work in progress)

If you are interested, you can learn more about --LG--’s upcoming projects and his collage of works [here].

Interview conducted by 11Net11.

Be considered for the next Builder Spotlight

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To read more about Builder Spotlight, its criteria and benefits, the link to it is [here.]

This News Post is brought to you thanks to the whole members of the HotW Committee.