VA:We weren't planning to make a sequel from day one but it soon became very clear that the range of ideas and gameplay concepts we wanted to explore with Train Conductor weren't going to fit into a single release. That's why Train Conductor 2: USA is so different and more varied than the original.

A sequel became inevitable when the game was successful and so we had the freedom to explore the ideas that we'd always wanted to include in Train Conductor. Both versions of Train Conductor are great games, but Train Conductor 2: USA is where we really hit our stride in terms of the creativity and variety of gameplay we added to the core mechanic.

QJ: Who designed the character of the conductor, Penny?

VA: Penny Conductor was designed by Luke Kopycinski, an artist who was working with us at the time. We wanted a unique character to help guide the player through the game in Train Conductor 2: USA. We had a similar character in the original Train Conductor - Bruce Conductor. Penny is Bruce's American relative.

QJ: Each level in TC2 is incredibly unique in both style and gameplay.  What goes into designing a level with Train Conductor 2?

VA: Agent Simon designed most of the levels in Train Conductor and Train Conductor 2. Agent Henrik has joined him on that task in the latest levels to be added to the game. The level design process follows our core creative process: make quick prototypes and then keep iterating. Make something small then keep adding to it so that it keeps getting better.

The major issues to be considered when creating a Train Conductor level are 1) what is the variation? what makes this level unique? 2) How hard do we want this level to be? How fast should trains spawn and how complex should the puzzles be? and finally 3) is it fun? Each level is played by many testers to ensure that the level works and is fun to play.

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