Agenda

Nick Romick, studio lead at RetroPixel Digital, shares the story behind Green Hawk Platoon, an action-packed FPS inspired by the plastic soldiers of childhood and reimagined for modern single-player and multiplayer play. In this 20-minute talk, Nick walks through key design and development decisions, from building responsive gunplay and class-based combat at a miniature scale, to creating dynamic environments like kitchens, bedrooms, and backyards that feel larger than life. Along the way, he touches on the realities of shipping an ambitious FPS as a small studio, including iteration speed, multiplayer testing, and scaling development workflows without slowing creativity, offering subtle, practical insights into how the right tools and infrastructure can help small teams build games that feel far bigger than they are.

Takeaway

Attendees gain concrete insight into building an ambitious FPS as a small studio, including designing readable combat at miniature scale, structuring rapid iteration loops, and managing multiplayer testing and cross-platform validation without enterprise-sized teams or budgets.

Intended Audience

This session targets gameplay, systems, and technical leads at small to mid-sized studios building action or multiplayer games. Attendees benefit from practical development lessons; familiarity with modern FPS design and basic multiplayer concepts is recommended, but no specialized tools or engine expertise is required.