Interview with the Diner Dash 5 producer

Diner Dash 5: BOOM! was a long time in the making, and it couldn't have happened without someone directing the troops. Thankfully, despite some early turbulence with the team being shuffling around, Vicki stepped up to take the reins. We asked Vicki what it was like being the game producer for the highly anticipated Diner Dash sequel, which launched on standard edition today.

What exactly do you do as a game producer on Diner Dash 5?

Being a big fan of the DASH series, it was quite an honor to be assigned the project. As the producer, you work with pretty much everyone during the life cycle of the game. The less glamorous parts are schedules and budgets, but without them, your project can fall completely off the rails, which is not good for the team or the player.

The core game team I'm referring to is comprised of talented game designers, artists and engineers. As the producer you make sure everyone is getting what they need to do their part, whether it's documentation on how a feature works or having all the audio for the animator to use for the movies.

What's different about Diner Dash 5 compared to the previous games?

Diner Dash 5: BOOM! was the first time we made a Collector's Edition -- meaning the edition with extra levels and other bonus material. It was fun working with the team on wallpapers and screensavers for it, but it was likewise tedious when creating the strategy guide.

The new in-game Facebook feature is really cool too. Allowing the player to receive a gift from their Facebook friend and affect the game was pretty neat. [Applesun: see our Super Sneaker's post for more info on this feature.]

What's your favorite part of Diner Dash 5?

My favorite features are the townies and environmental disasters, but overall, Thyme Square is my favorite venue because it's set at night but lit up with nice city lights. Having three fuse boxes that can blow a fuse at any time really keeps you on your toes. The Lawyers are also introduced in this venue, which makes things very interesting if you misplace this group (remember, they like to have loud debates).

Do you have any gaming quirks when you play Diner Dash 5?

One thing I do for fun is play the game without any helpers -- no Karma working the podium or Quinn at the salad bar. While their help is invaluable, I do enjoy beating a difficult level with just Flo.

Going back to making the game, what was the hardest part of working on Diner Dash 5?

Keeping true to the Diner Dash series but adding new elements that were both challenging and fun.

Did you have any challenges while making Diner Dash 5?

During our race to beta, our lead designer had to attend a game conference in Kyiv which is in the Ukraine. This made it very interesting when having to set up meetings, considering we were in different timezones. Both the level designer and I would call him during our normal business hours while he would have to work late into the night.

We also had to do a "SecondPeek" for Diner Dash 5. Like all of our games, we tested Diner Dash 5 on FirstPeek, which is our beta program where players try a game in development and give feedback. Many of the players did not like the "zoom" feature, many of them not even knowing what it is. A lot of players commented on small click spots or graphics being too small, and while it was technically true, what many didn't realize was that the game perspective zoomed out. As fan of time management games, I try to memorize the click spots so when things get hectic I am ready to throw down, and "zoom" threw that common tactic off for me and other players. After considering the input from FirstPeek, it made sense to me and the team to cut "zoom" and focus on other features like customizing the diner.

To be sure we didn't break anything, we did a "SecondPeek", which was basically putting the game through FirstPeek testers again. In the end, our scores the second time around were much higher and very positive.

So, what's producing a game like overall?

I think of producing as a fun road trip. You work out who is going where and when you have to get there. You know there will be a few bumps along the way but that communication is key, as long as you're having fun.

Thanks for your time, Vicki! Now get back to producing the sequel to that other hit PlayFirst game. *winks*

Do you have any questions for Vicki, or anyone else on the team? Let us know in the comments! Interested in helping make our games better? Join our FirstPeek program here.

Games in this post: Diner Dash 5: BOOM! standard edition, Diner Dash 5: BOOM! Collector's Edition