Coming from a Sumo Digital Reddit AMA...
No plans for performance-improving patch on Switch:
Hello, we currently are not planning to release a patch specifically aimed at improving performance. That said, we are constantly looking for ways to improve the game and some of these improvements could potentially result in better performance, as evidenced by the first patch we released.
Considering the time frame we worked on the Switch version, we didn't want to take too many concessions in gutting the volume of stuff in comparison to the other platforms. Snake Pass is a rather CPU/GPU heavy game where things like the accuracy of the Snake physics that take into account all sorts of friction from Noodle and his surrounding environments, grass density/interactivity, no baked lighting, etc. is intense! As much as we don't want to, some things have to give to ensure the best balance of content and performance, but it's still early days in Switch development and we're always looking for ways to improve the experience for everyone.
On the character names:
We have had many lists of names going around within the team but none of them really stuck until one of us suggested Noodle (which is obviously a nod to the danger noodle meme). As for his hummingbird friend, for a while we were considering the name Honeydew but that didn't sit quite right with everyone. That's why we had an online contest which resulted in the name Doodle (Pinch was runner-up).
On cut ideas:
There have been many ideas and prototypes for mechanics that have been cut for reasons of budget and time constraints or because they diluted the gameplay experience and the physical nature of the game. Examples would be a "coil->spring mechanic" and an "interactive worldmap".
On Switch sales:
I can only say we are very happy with how well the game is doing on the Switch :)
On a physical release:
We're exploring our options.
On dev challenges:
The biggest challenge in terms of gameplay design was to find the right balance between realism and playability for the "snake physics". Mapping this to a controller in a way that was both fun and intuitive to control was a big part of this as well.
On additional content:
As for additional content, again we're exploring what can work and work best, especially considering how unique the controls are anyway!
On the Switch porting process:
Thanks to amazing support from both Nintendo and Epic, the porting process was relatively smooth and painless. Personally I see a lot of potential in the Switch. The fact that it runs UE4 the way it does means that there will be a steady stream of awesome games in the (near) future.
On a Noodle/Doodle amiibo:
I have no idea if it's in the cards, but I just want to say that I would absolutely LOVE this to happen.
On the time trial mode coming to Switch:
It was a tough call to make considering how we wanted to ensure we were able to launch the Switch version with all the other platforms day and date on top of how much time we had to work on the Switch to begin with. Needless to say, we are getting Time Trials in a future patch.
On controls:
It took many hundreds of hours of tweaking to get to the final result. It was difficult but fun at the same time because as the controls improved, Noodle was able to do more and more and a big part of this phase was discovering for ourselves what this thing we had created could actually do :)
On supporting Switch with more games:
All depends on the project, but we'd definitely love to keep working with Nintendo and the Switch. And as a Switch owner myself, I want this to happen!
On Noodle's colors:
He went through a couple of iterations. We settled on the final colours in part due to the pleasing aesthetic, and how well he contrasts with most of the scenery in the game. The banding also helps give the player a better visual about how quickly and in which direction he's moving.
from GoNintendo
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