Shack: The phrase "web browser game" carries a negative connotation in the minds of some traditional gamers. Are you concerned about making this feel like a "proper" game, rather than a browser-based shooter?

Tim Aste: The reason some people have a knee-jerk negative reaction to "web games" right now is because there are a lot of crappy web games out there. Most web games today are low-end, low production value, simplistic games or toys. There are some real jewels, but there's a lot of junk.

Josh Williams: However, if you took all the good things about web games--their ease of access, how easy it is to share them, the social connectivity, the always-on development--and you could mash that up with much higher end technology and graphics and more core and polished gameplay, you'd have something pretty compelling. That's what we're doing, and that's why most people get really excited when they hear about this stuff. With InstantAction, we are mixing the best of the web with the best of gaming and I think that will dramatically shift how people think of web games.

Shack: How will the game interface with the browser exactly? Is it "launched" from the browser, or built into it? I am technologically ignorant when it comes to browsers.

Tim Aste: The games will run inside the browser, not just launch from them. As a hardcore FPS player, when we first started talking about this idea a couple years ago, I was really skeptical. FPS in a browser window? Even if we figured out the technology, I had expected it to be awkward.

Once we had it up and running though, I realized how nice it would be to play from anywhere. I don't have to carry a disc around with me, I don't have to go through a laborious install process. I just click a link and start playing. I can get invites to my friends' matches or invite them to mine by simply passing a URL in IM, email, or whatever. I can see what other games my friends are playing, and that's just the beginning. It's actually awesome.

Josh Williams: Another great thing about being on the web is that we can update games any time. With a direct connection to players, developers can listen to feedback and deploy updates live. It's not like making a fire and forget product for retail. We don't ship something in a box, wait to see how sales are, and then maybe do an expansion pack or sequel. We're live on the web, and can grow the game along with what the players want.

Shack: Will users be downloading permanent files, or is the content streamed each time you play?

Tim Aste: Good question and this is one we are seeing from players a lot. You don't have to wait for a bunch of files to re-download every time you play, no. That would suck, and one of our primary goals is to not suck.

Shack: How are you dealing with the limited window of screen space inherent to web browsers? Will there be a full-screen option?

Tim Aste: Yeah, we were all as concerned about this as players too. Running the game in the browser is exactly like running it in a window. With some stuff, I like being able to check my email, check out the latest chatty, jump back and forth between pages, etcetera. Being inside a browser is great for those situations. However, the tech allows us to go full screen with games. We'll definitely enable full-screen play for games with lots of players who want it.

Josh Williams: We're testing each game for all this sort of player feedback and demands already. In fact, that's what our beta is all about and you can sign up for it right now. We're prioritizing access by sign-up date; those who sign up first are first to play. Once you're in the beta, you'll get a preview of all the games, and can give feedback on them, having an effect on how they turn out. You can also invite friends and if they sign up, you get ActionTokens, which is our virtual currency that can be applied to buy games and such down the line.

Shack: Has there been a pricing model established for InstantAction? Can we expect to pay a single fee for the game, or will it be part of a larger subscription?

Josh Williams: We're not announcing pricing just yet, but there are a couple underlying principles we can talk about.

First, we think that giving players options is a good thing. As a gamer, I often get frustrated at how little choice and control I have over that with most games and platforms. So, we want to give players some options about how they'll pay.

Second, we think gaming is an awfully expensive habit right now. Maybe I'm just cheap--

Tim Aste: There's no "maybe" about that.

Josh Williams: Tim, you're fired. Anyway, I don't like paying $60 for a new game, especially when it seems, if anything, I get less gameplay out of new games than I used to back when new stuff cost $30, $40, or $50. Overpricing is rampant on the other end too, it seems absurd to pay $20 or more for a simplistic, tiny casual game. We are trying to innovate on the pricing front as well--creating more accessible and flexible ways for gamers to pay.

Shack: The Tribes community is very.. "passionate." Will you be taking community desires into consideration going forward?

Tim Aste: We are constantly interacting, lurking, and reading what people think in many communities, and the Tribes community is no different. However, we are game designers first, and want to create a compelling fun experience.

While we always listen to what the community wants, if you try to please every ranting forum troll, you're quickly going to destroy your design with a mish-mash of half-baked ideas. At the same time, you can't be a prima donna and think you're a perfect designer. It's really a balancing act, and working with an extremely close-knit and a talented group of guys really helps us move forward with something we hope is quality.

Shack: Anything particularly cool that I haven't asked about?

Tim Aste: Well, we don't want this interview to get too long. We know Shackers have to get back to their important business like watching "2 Girls 1 Cup" and such. [What -ed.] But there are a couple quick things.

First, all of our games will have a free to play component so you can try before you buy. The first hit is free because we're street like that.

The other thing is our party system, which allows you to invite friends to your party by passing them a link via email, IM, the InstantAction lobby or website, or whatever. They come join your game instantly when they click the invite, no matter where it comes from, because it's all handled via the web browser. Once you're in a party, switching from game to game is seamless. There is no time-consuming shut down, setup, and matchmaking process.

Josh Williams: Oh, and if there are any Marble Blast Ultra players out there from XBLA, there will be lots of extra maps that have never been available before up on IA. MBU works the same as the Live Arcade version too, except it's just in your browser and all you do is type in a URL and click some buttons to play, which is cool. And your friends don't have to have Live to play. Now you can even challenge them from work.

Shack: That's about all I can muster for now. Thanks for talking with us.

GarageGames will be launching a beta soon at InstantAction.com. Signups are currently open.