Production Line has been on our radar for almost a year now. In that time, it's gone from a general concept to a working Early Access venture for its lone developer Cliff Harris. Besides the art, this is his baby - a management sim focusing on the intricacies of building cars in a gloomy factory. But how do you gain the knowledge to turn a massive industry into a simplistic looking simulation? Books - and a bit of travel.
Never resting, our own TJ Denzer decided to quiz Harris following the impending Steam Early Access release of Production Line. While modding support and a low-down of the complicated systems gets Harris spitting out the paragraphs, it's the origins of this game that caught our attention.
Harris doesn't come from a production background. At least, not a car production background. It's never stated that he once worked in a Car manufacturing plant or worked the assembly line - yet he's managed to condense the operation into a functioning tycoon-like simulation game. When asked about the initial idea, we were told that it all started from an electric car.
Make Sure To Read The Full Interview With Cliff Harris Over Here
"I bought an electric car in a mad moment." said Harris. "At the same time I had been reading a lot of the favourite books of Elon Musk, one of which was the life story of Henry Ford, My Life and Work... I’ve played games like Factorio, published games like Big Pharma, and have dabbled in all sorts of games like those. It occurred to me that these games always started you off with making something simple and would eventually lead you to making something really complicated. What Henry Ford did was pretty much the opposite".
When asked about the research that had to go into making a game like this, Harris "became incredibly obsessed about it". Going so far as having a Model T on his desk because of the time period he had originally envisioned the game to focus on. "I did do the homework. I ended up going to Detroit, Michigan in the United States to visit a car factory and observe a tour among many other things." But he knew were to draw the line. Understanding that things like painting a new car is far more complicated than the game lets on Harris said "I want there to be an enjoyable level of detail without the game slipping into “edutainment” territory..."
Game development is a delicate process. There's a constant battle between realism over fantasy or story over graphics that make even the most simple of decisions seem like a daunting life choice. Harris went above and beyond to ensure he found the right balance of each here. The factories are colourful without seeming childish with the overall process being condensed without feeling shallow. It took meticulous research bordering on obsession; but it goes to show the lengths a developer will go to ensure their game meets the standards of a rapidly changing industry.
Want it? You'll have to wait 3 days.
