The Czech series Polda is a well-known and popular brand in our country. Pankratz and his misadventures as a detective have been with us for 7 episodes. After the last one, the developers are now in a hurry to remake the second part, which will be released mainly thanks to the support of fans on the Hithit platform.
Zing: How would you introduce yourself to those who don’t know you?
Peter Svoboda: Piotr Svoboda was a classic programmer who was approached to program the Polda 2 game for Zima Software. Years passed, the parts increased. And I programmed more and more of the series until I literally started to dabble in other industries when I tried to write a script in the 4th series, and since the 6th series I have also been a producer. But game programming is not my main job. This is a hobby that I really enjoy.
Zing: If I’m not mistaken, you have worked on almost all of Polda’s works. So, for you, this is a matter of the heart?
Peter Svoboda: Apart from the first part of Polda, I really am a part of every part. So yes, Polda is a matter of my heart. And such an interesting thing … I was convinced of this even when I became a father. My daughter was born unplanned on May 12, when Pankratz himself has a holiday.
Zing: Some Czech people appreciate your series and the first Mafia. Do you see it that way too?
We’ve already filmed 7 episodes with Polda and that’s all thanks to the support of the fans. I can probably say that it will be something like a gem. And I totally agree with Mafia. I played it myself and really enjoyed it.
Zing: You are currently working on a remaster of the second Polda after you raised money for Hithita – the second time actually, the first time was for a brand new Polda. I would like to stick with this as a large number of copies of the game were pirated prior to release. After all that time, how do you rate the success of Volume 7?
Peter Svoboda: I’ll put this into perspective a bit. Yes, the game was pirated and from the very beginning, shortly after the release, looked quite tragic. But I also mentioned in an interview a little later that sales eventually improved. Maybe because I spoke publicly about piracy. And those fans who can appreciate how much work went into it bought the game based on it. Then there is another group of people who scolded us for just complaining and crying. I think everyone would probably cry if they weren’t paid for their work. But what really upsets us is that it was done by someone who probably played the game as a fan and wanted to cause such harm from the very beginning. You learn from mistakes.
Zing: Speaking of the seventh cop, do you plan to make any improvements to prevent hacking?
Peter Svoboda: Yes, we plan to improve security.
Sing: The newest Polda costs about 30 euros. Do you plan to keep the same price tag for the remaster?
Peter Svoboda: No, the price will definitely be lower.
Zing: Six months ago, in an interview, you mentioned a remaster, saying that it wouldn’t cost that much to develop. Internet gamers are of the opinion that if you get paid so much for Hithita, you should make the game cheaper – what do you think?
Peter Svoboda: As I mentioned in the previous answer, the price will be lower and we are planning a discount for Polda 7 very soon.
Zing: I’ll ask you about development. Why did you start the second volume? Wouldn’t it be easier to introduce the game to new players and get started first?
Peter Svoboda: In the 7th part of “Polda” we went back to the time when Pankratz played part of the revised number two. Since she had a decent fan response, we settled on her. Secondly, I didn’t participate in the first part, so I had to deal with the guys from Sleepteam first and the second part at the same time. artistically closest to Yakub Maresh.
Zing: Do you have other plans? As you can see, the support of the Czech fans is huge, there is no doubt about it.
Peter Svoboda: There are many plans, but where to start is difficult. The fans have a lot of ideas and requests, and if we could and were in our power, we would fulfill them. But everything must be done gradually. So, for now, we can confirm and promise that Polda 2 remaster will be released by the end of 2023, Polda 7 will be released on mobile platforms, and parts 1-5 will be released on Steam.
Sing: Let’s talk about rewards – I saw a fan donate 50,000 crowns to you for the development of Polda 2 – when someone sends that much money, do you give it back in some special way? Maybe go with him for a beer or something?
Peter Svoboda: No, we don’t go for beer, but within such a high amount, which includes more awards, there is a need to communicate more with these fans. Indeed, we get to know them more than, for example, buy cards.
Zing: What will you do with those characters whose voice acting is no longer available? Are you planning to replace them?
Peter Svoboda: There will be no need to replace, the voice acting will remain the same, and the most important thing for us is Ludek Sobota and he promised us his participation, which we are very happy about.
Zing: What is your favorite part of the whole Polda series?
It is hard to say. Every part means something to me. And the longer I am connected with Polda, the closer she is to me. However, I am interested in the fact that I also participated in the script of the 4th part and time travel, so for me this is a gold medal.
Zing: Do you have a funny story about the development of any piece that you remember?
Peter Svoboda: It would be … For me, Osudova is the one who is no more than five years old. Even quite serious at that time, today we talk about it with humor. I lost my driver’s license on a business trip because of the police… The road took us to South Moravia. The day before the meeting, I visited the basement with my colleague Mira Sab, who participated in Poldo as a screenwriter, and with another friend. Delicious wine, friendly winemaker. It’s good that there was no early return. But we had to get up in the morning and go to the meeting. Unfortunately, I was caught speeding. I had to breathe and it was time for my driver’s license. The rest of the alcohol was still there. So I couldn’t leave, Mira couldn’t either, and while the police and I were dealing with this difficult situation, our friend had to be treated for a stomachache. When he returned all green and ripe enough to lie down, the police officers offered him to breathe. Wow, he could drive. So that time, instead of resting, he had to take us in his state to a meeting, and then across the country. Luckily, the police were nice to me too, and instead of a year-long driving ban, I was only a quarter of a year without one.
Zing: My last question: do you have anything to say to the fans?
Peter Svoboda: I will probably repeat myself for the hundredth time, but I want to thank our fans on behalf of myself and the whole team for their many years of support. For the fact that they communicate with us, for the fact that we can know their opinion, because they also give us inspiration for creativity. I will thank you calmly a thousand times for not abandoning us and pushing us further. Thanks a lot.
Zing: We also thank you, as you can see, fans have a lot to look forward to: in addition to the promised remake, the seventh volume will also be released on phones, and the remaining volumes on the Steam platform. Fingers crossed and good luck with development!
Source :Indian TV
