… the studio

SmartArt makes games with an art style that focuses on vector based assets that have the definition of a cartoon and the character of pixel art. It is also committed to enrich the gaming world with a next generation AI where classic AI techniques such as Fuzzy Logic and Genetic Algorithms are combined to build on each others strengths. Its ultimate goal is to have engaging computer players with real personality, so you can play against a Leroy Jenkins or “teh pwnerer” type player. To have game worlds that enable players to engage in conversations NPCs which are knowledgeable about their environment.

… the owners

Casper Bodewitz is lead programmer and executive producer at SmartArt Game Studio. His gaming life began on an Olivetti M24 and two 5.4″ floppies with games from “Alley Cat” and “Test Drive” to “Kings Quest”. The real interest started when he found out there was BASIC and you could actually change (and break) the games you were playing. His main programming language is now Java, but he has worked with quite a few others such as Haskell, Lisp, Perl, C/C++.

Since that time he has finished a degree in Computing Science with his master thesis on Artificial Intelligence. He has worked a developer and IT-specialist for many years and combines his programming and creative skills with a sound business knowledge to build a gaming studio. His wacky art style has not been the favorite of most, but his crazy game concepts have always interested players. Sometimes he writes little games for fun to amuse his friends or test his Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar. Most notably the game Viking Rie has received critical acclaim amongst friends (contact me if you’re interested).

Joost Driesens is lead artist and designer. From the early dawn of the microcomputer, Joost was fascinated by the blocky fantasy worlds that computer games had to offer. Moving into the modern PC age, strategy games like Dune II, Sid Meier’s Colonization and later Galactic Civilization and Operation Flash Point kept him busy for many hours. Spending as much time thinking about games as actually playing them, he is interested in what makes a game world come alive and enables the player to create his own story in a game.

With his MSc. degree in Psychology and teaching experience, he is always engaging different ways to connect to people. Connecting a game to a player in a meaningful way is a challenge which is not always made easier given all the possibilities of current technology. Game art is an important aspect of any entertaining game and Joost has enthusiastically thrown himself at this part of game development by learning how to use graphics tools, specializing in 2D pixel and vector art. His aim is to create clear and simple graphics that immerse the player into a game world as well as helping the player to fully explore the game mechanics.