AmplituDS
Sander Stolk Interview



We (retrohead and Vaskituh) spent some time talking with Sander Stolk (Dark Knight ez) today. He is the creator of the superb AmplituDS which is a clone of the game Amplitude for the Playstation 2 more or less re-created for the Nintendo DS. The game has set the standard for music games to come in our opinion and with work still being done on the game it is one of the most interesting developments so far. On top of this Sander told us some exclusive information about his next project for the DS and gave us a run down on what we can expect to see sometime next year!

Sander Provided us with some exclusive concept images for AmplituDS, see if you can spot a little frustration in one of the images


AmplituDS Concept Designs By Sander Stolk

Not thats whet your appetite, without further ado, cast your eyes down the page and and see what Sander had to say for himself. Prepare to be intrigued if not amazed as the discussion continues

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DS-Scene.net:
Whats your name, age and where are you from?

Sander Stolk:
My name is Sander Stolk. I'm currently 21 years old and live in The Netherlands.

DS-Scene.net:
What first attracted you to the Nintendo brand of products?

Sander Stolk:
Zelda.  That is to say, "The legend of Zelda: A link to the past". A friend of mine once showed it to me and I had a blast playing it. After that, I was drawn in by the SNES game world more and more.

DS-Scene.net:
Understandably so

Sander Stolk:
That's a long time ago though... I guess six years?

DS-Scene.net:
maybe more..

Sander Stolk:
Maybe so, but I was kind of introduced late into the SNES gaming world so to speak. It had been out for years with many good emulators already existing. I myself only own a GameCube, a Gameboy Advance, a Nintendo DS though (and soon a Wii of course).

DS-Scene.net:
Speaking of Wii, what do you think about the Latest Nintendo generation of gaming? Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Wii are trying to make the world of gaming a little better and different..

Sander Stolk:
I like this question.

DS-Scene.net:
They seem to been aiming thier products different markets than they use to..

Sander Stolk:
Hmm... yes and no. I think Nintendo always used to be innovative. Almost every console created by them had an innovative feature (analog sticks, etc) and their games also were top-notch and full of innovation. I really like them taking a totally different approach than would be obvious though, with the DS and the Wii. The touch features of both consoles can make the interaction between user and game a lot more user friendly and fun, let's not forget fun!

DS-Scene.net:
*nodding in agreement* that's one of the best features of Nintendo they always seem to make Games fun more innovative or not.. I think everyone would agree with that.

Sander Stolk:
I guess so.  I'm really excited about the Wii though.  If or when homebrew is possible on it, I'll certainly try to get some stuff of my own working on it. Already have a few ideas... Think AmplituDS but with "drumset".

DS-Scene.net:
That would be great! When did you think of starting to develop for the Nintendo DS?

Sander Stolk:
Hmm... well... probably when I had some spare time and having heard how relatively easy it is to get graphics showing on it. Of course, when it was first released I was already thinking of what great games would be possible on this little system. Oh, and one more thing actually. An important reason. I played Amplitude for the PlayStation 2 with a friend, but I didn't want to own such a console myself... I wanted that game badly though. So I figured I'd give creating it a shot myself. It is the first real game I ever created by programming.

DS-Scene.net:
Why did you choose to code for the DS above any other console?

Sander Stolk:
*laughs* I owned it plus it's fun to have something on the go, so you can let friends check it out. The previous answer could be right for this question too, I heard it was fairly simple to get something to show and I felt I could achieve my goals

DS-Scene.net:
Are there any other projects on other platforms that you have been involved in or want to be?

Sander Stolk:
Other than school projects on computers, no.  Like I said before, I'm anxious to develop for the Wii.  Other than that, I have little interest in other consoles or platforms.

DS-Scene.net:
Nice to see that you want to develop for Nintendo only..

Sander Stolk:
You make me sound like a fanboy. *laughs*

DS-Scene.net:
Did you ever think of starting to work on a real gaming company? where you could make commercial games for Nintendo or perhaps even work for Nintendo?

Sander Stolk:
I don't know.  I think I'd like to keep game development as a hobby.  I might try to "sell" my projects to companies though. Although I don't know how interested they would be.

DS-Scene.net:
I think with the likes of AmplituDS you could stand quite a high chance due to its quality

Sander Stolk:
Perhaps.  It needs more polished graphics though, for people to realise it's worth their time.

DS-Scene.net:
I still think that your homebrew AmplituDS and many other homebrews stand up when compared to commercial games.

Sander Stolk:
Perhaps gameplay wise, but most lack that visually polished look.  If that's not present, people would be reluctant to pay money for it. So in that aspect, it's still a world apart.

DS-Scene.net:
Did anyone help you on a large scale for your projects or are they created entirely by yourself?

Sander Stolk:
Let me think. For AmplituDS I first got advice by tssf who you might know. He also created the Turrican remix music which is used in the game.  Other people worth mentioning for help or advice in AmplituDS are retrohead and tepples. For my new project (ed - we did pick up that he said this and we quiz him about it later), takieda has been a big help in brainstorming. If I forget someone, my appologies.  Thanks to all who've helped out!

DS-Scene.net:
What do you think is your best coding achievement for the DS and why?

Sander Stolk:
Can it be two things?

DS-Scene.net:
Sure *laughs*

Sander Stolk:
For AmplituDS it's definitely got to be getting the music playing in synch with the stage, and how I've made it possible to only let part of the song, as in individual instruments, play. For my new project (ed- There it is again we know he wants to tell us more), it's the fact that everything is loaded in from files from the card's FAT system. Not just graphics, but also how everything acts.

DS-Scene.net:
I have noticed other developers struggling with synch issues, AmplituDS has certainly overcome this issue.

Sander Stolk:
Yes.  I've used an unusual way of giving the music library as much time as it needs to have.  It required thinking out of the box.  Let's keep it non-technical and say that I've conceptually thought of the music to be the main program, and the actual game an inferior piece.

DS-Scene.net:
So could you tell us more about that new project?

Sander Stolk:
Sure. The new project I'm working on is codenamed rts4ds. I'm not sure if I'll change that name later on.


DS-Scene.net:
A RTS game for the DS? Cool!

(ed - Sander gave us some exclusive images of his new game that he is working and allowed us to share them with you. Please bear in mind that this is an extremely early version using sprites that WILL NOT be included in the final build. This is very important, the final game will not include any of the sprites seen in this early shots).



Sander Stolk:
It's an RTS engine which has similiar gameplay to the classic RTS game called Dune 2. The engine reads in everything from a card's FAT though. What buildings there are, what units there are, what their properties are, missions, technology trees and graphics etc... This way, one can create their own RTS with this engine, using only textfiles and graphics.  I'm hoping people will create different RTS games for my engine and if not, well, I'll still have fun with it.  I wanted a Dune 2 like RTS on the DS ever since I knew the Nintendo DS would have a touch-screen.

DS-Scene.net:
Do you think you could implement Wifi for it?

Sander Stolk:
Perhaps.  But at most 2 player, I think.  There are some limitations to the DS's Wifi and there are other things restricting my use. I'll give it a try after I've implemented singleplayer though, I'd really like to play it online versus other people.

DS-Scene.net:
That would be totally awesome. Do you have an intentional release date for your new game and any ideas for that name yet?

Sander Stolk:
Well, the engine which takes all the files and turns it into an RTS on the DS is currently called rts4ds.  Like I said, that might not be its final name.  I'm still looking for a pixel artist who can create original LEGAL graphics to make one RTS for the engine and to release that alongside it. (ed - if any one reading this is interested in helping out, you can contact Sander at the bottom of the page). As for a release date, I can't provide one. I'm hoping to finish this project within 6 months, but it's quite possible it will take me longer.

DS-Scene.net:
So the pack would be like an example for other people using your engine and the example itself, is it a full game or just to people know how to work with it ?

Sander Stolk:
Yes, like an example which is an entire game by itself. It's not that hard if you have the proper graphics.

DS-Scene.net:
That sounds fantastic once again! Which homebrew applications or games do you use yourself and which is your favourite?

Sander Stolk:
As for games, I really liked "Touch me (I'm famous)!" and dSokoban. Applications? Well, ScummVM.  And yes, I do realize that is also used for gaming solely. I havn't really used much non-gaming related applications on the DS.

DS-Scene.net:
Going back once again to AmplituDS, how did you come with the concept of using Intruments on different panels?

Sander Stolk:
The answer depends on how I interpret your question. The concept of having music "divided" over several lanes is also used in the game Amplitude for the PlayStation 2 which I based AmplituDS on. Using instruments to do this division was an idea from tssf, and a really great one, I might add.  Having a seperation by instruments feels natural.  You'd expect drums on one lane, and flute on another.  This ensures that.

DS-Scene.net:
What about homebrews like VGMDS ? what do you think about them, the concept of letting people create their own games using an engine like your RTS Engine? You seem to be big on user customisation.

Sander Stolk:
I think it's great.  Creating ones own content is really getting better understood these days, also with games and game creation utilities, so to speak.  A possible downfall is if it's not user-friendly enough to create new/such content. I do hope VGMDS will be really user-friendly and that it will generate a lot of new games. On the customization topic, I might want to mention the following by the way. It is possible to create your own stages, with your own selected music, in AmplituDS. It seems that not many people realise this. In order to give more information on this, and on other topics AmplituDS-related, there is now an official message board for it.

DS-Scene.net:
I have heard a GUI mentioned before, are there any plans to release one or is your primary focus on adding new content?

Sander Stolk:
My primary focus is on getting two new stages for it done myself.  A few other people are also working on the creation of stages. A GUI for stages creation is definitely not a priority for me now that my new project takes up a lot of time. If another programmer is willing to create a GUI for it, I'd be glad to give advice and pointers to help in the process though. If that doesn't happen, I might try to get an automatic layout-creation utility working myself.

DS-Scene.net:
that would be great! Once again, we get to know that you are an awesome guy.

Sander Stolk:
It's low-priority though, so don't expect it to happen soon. Honestly *laughs* It's hard to automaticly create a good layout.

DS-Scene.net:
Well, here at DS-Scene we would like to thank you for your excellent work on the DS so far. Do you have any last thoughts to say to our readers?

Sander Stolk:
Only that I hope they enjoy my creation AmplituDS and that they will enjoy rts4ds when it's released. I put quite some effort in it, and I appreciate all the compliments I received. It gives that extra boost, knowing that your work is appreciated. Oh, and enjoy the concept art and the rts4ds shots.

DS-Scene.net:
Thank you again for letting us interview you. We will be sure to post your first release when you have it ready

Sander Stolk:
No Problem.

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We hope you enjoyed the interview as much as we did. The exclusive news on the RTS game / engine was just amazing and I can say after testing the engine, although early, it is looking extremely promising indeed. We will bring you more news on this as soon as we have it!

Check out the links below for more information on AmplituDS including instructions on how to create your own Amplitracks:

AmplituDS Home Page
AmplituDS Forum
AmplituDS Instructions for creating Amplitracks
Download the latest version to date here
Contact Sander Stolk Here