Kevin Brock / Trainwiz on Underspace – Interview Series

Kevin Brock, otherwise known by the nickname Trainwiz, isn’t just a renowned modding guru for the likes of Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls and Fallout, but also the torchbearer for up-and-coming space-centric RPG Underspace—a title that is currently gearing up to launch its second major expansion, Faces in the Fog. Knowing this, I decided to reach out to the solo developer, curious to learn more about what the future holds for Underspace and its forthcoming roadmap of events. Here’s how that brief, albeit incredibly insightful conversation went…

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Please could you quickly introduce yourself to our readers? How did it all start for you, and what brought you to the world of game development?

Kevin: My name is Kevin Brock, better known among worse circles as Trainwiz. I got my start, long before I made games, as a modder, specifically on game series like the Elder Scrolls, Fallout, etc. If you’ve seen mods involving horrifying amounts of trains, that’s probably something I’m responsible for, indirectly or not.

On top of modding, I had made little games for years and always wanted to break into full time game development. I had done a stint as a programmer at the now-defunct Human Head Studios, as well as contract work for Bethesda Game Studios proper, which gave me the initial capital to start my own.

Tell us a bit about your space-centric RPG, Underspace. What’s the story behind it, and what role do players hold in its world?

Kevin: The basic premise of Underspace is that whatever allows for faster-than-light travel also creates these hyperspatial storms that blow across the galaxy. Anywhere they hit they spew forth anomalies, monsters, and generally warp the place beyond recognition. You are a starchaser, a contracted monster-hunter/explorer/stormchaser whose job it is to go into the hearts of these storms and destroy them, clearing them out to make it safe for settlement and passage. This is generally just an excuse to get you out into the galaxy completing quests, exploring, fighting bosses, and generally doing what you’d expect to do in a big open world RPG. Just you know, with way more space monsters.

Suffice it to say, the game has been making quite the splash over on Steam these past few months. Tell us, what do you think it is that makes it so special?

Kevin: There’s a lot of other space games out there, admittedly, but not a lot of space fantasy games, and certainly not a lot of space games that make fighting huge space monsters a focal point of the game. I’ve seen it done in a few things, but I know there’s a deep dark part of every human being that wants to find a giant evil space whale and kill it.

Guilty as charged. Let’s talk about the second major update that’s due to arrive in the RPG, Faces in the Fog. Could you tell us a bit more about what’s being introduced to the game?

Kevin: Faces in the Fog is generally a huge content expansion (especially compared to our last update, which was generally a facelift and redo of a bunch of existing content) whose major focus are quests and bounties. For quests, we’ve got a lot of finales to a lot of regional questlines, as well as tons of side stories that are usually more centered around solving puzzles or investigating things on stations. We’ve also greatly expanded party member dialogue and added quests to solve their personal issues too.

Bounties on the other hand were part of a system I implemented to give players a chance to instantly find some sort of unique action setpiece. Static versions of random bosses or more powerful enemies that reward new equipment. There’s a lot of fun little vignettes there.

Mind if we ask what you’re hoping to achieve after the Faces in the Fog update? Could we be seeing the arrival of any other expansions over the next several months or so, perhaps?

Kevin: Faces [in the Fog] is just the second of four planned roadmap updates. Our next one has a heavy focus on redoing interiors, both ships and stations. There’s going to be a huge pass on customization options, player housing, tons more work on ship cockpits, and of course a lot of new interiors and planetside stuff to explore and people to talk to.

We’re real suckers for a few pro tips. Care to share any words of advice for those who’ve yet to embark on their own orbital journey in Underspace?

Kevin: Use your long range scanners. There’s a TON of things in Underspace to be scanned, and turning in that scanned data can not only yield rewards, but also can do things like mark elite ships or give you an idea of what storm hazards you’ll face or secret lore.

Let’s stay up to date with this. Are we able to take note of any social channels, streams, or live presentations?

Kevin: You can join our Discord for the best moment-to-moment updates, and follow us on Steam for big updates.

Is there anything you would like to add for our readers?

Kevin: Look both ways before moving through space. There are giant ancient space trains and far too many people have gotten pancaked by it. Operation: Lifesaver has been a failure, evidently.

Duly noted! Thanks for your time, Kevin. We look forward to catching more of Underspace over the coming weeks!

You can find more information on Trainwiz’s space RPG by checking in with the developer over on their official social channel here. Alternatively, you can visit the website for additional updates and coverage here.