Interview with Ultraw!

On August 7th, 2021, AnimalBot99 got to talk to Ultraw.

Hope you enjoy the interview!

Animal: Hello Ultraw, it is great to finally be speaking to you one on one. So, what do you do on Roblox?

Ultraw: Hi, it’s great to be speaking with you. I’m the developer of quite a few games on Roblox including Restaurant Tycoon 2, and I run the development group Ultraw Games. I’m primarily a scripter.

Animal: Speaking of Restaurant Tycoon 2, I saw that some new updates were released.

Ultraw: Yes! We always try to get good updates released. Last week we released the “New Kitchens” update which completely overhauled the cooking system to make it more interactive and immersive. And just today we released an update to improve waiters and chefs, and support kitchens on multiple floors. 

Animal: Is it fair to say that most of your success on Roblox comes from that one game?

Ultraw: We have had success with quite a few games, including the Clone Tycoon series and also the first version of Restaurant Tycoon. But Restaurant Tycoon 2 has been the most popular overall, and I expect it to overtake our other games, in terms of visits, very soon. 

Animal: I only bring up that point because, using the WayBack Machine last time I interviewed you, your place visits kind of… skyrocketed by a lot. In 2016 you had 67,090,542 visits, before any Restaurant Tycoon came out. As of now, you are sitting at 1,984,399,261 (editors note, as of publication the place visits are now 1,984,499,344). and climbing every second. Did you expect this much success with it?

Ultraw: It’s kind of amazing to see how the number of visits has increased so much over the years. And we are very close to hitting the 2 billion milestone as well, that’s awesome. I never expected this much success - overall I’m never too focused on the success of games and mostly just try to improve the user experience and make them as fun as I can. But it’s great that the games have been enjoyed by so many people!

Animal: I always enjoy playing your tycoons games; speaking of the Clone Tycoon series that you mentioned though, do you have any big plans for them?

Ultraw: In terms of our plans - at the moment we have much more lined up for Restaurant Tycoon 2. This includes adding homes that players can purchase, deliveries to those homes, greenhouses to grow your own food, food critics in the restaurant, and more things like that. The Clone Tycoon games have been out much longer, so they are more of a ‘finished product’, although there is certainly potential for new updates such as new planets or quests, or maybe an entirely new game in the series. But I will just see how planning and brainstorming goes with our team before that.

Animal: So, as you mentioned a team, I take it you aren’t the one running everything behind the scenes?

Ultraw: I do all the scripting for the games, but I also work with some very talented builders, such as DerpyMcDerpell and Zynkuru, who help me so much with the 3D environment in the game, as well as other forms of creativity. I also love getting input from the staff in our discord server in terms of planning updates, deciding what users want the most, and in general planning which direction to take the games in.

Animal: I just have to go back to the games because I don’t want to overlook one that takes a whole new direction, Luigi’s Cafe & Restaurant. What was the idea behind this game?

Ultraw: I used to play a lot of cafe games on Roblox, but one thing I didn’t particularly enjoy about them was that you had to join a group, and apply to be a staff member, in order to be a chef or server. Although that is a good approach, I had a vision that I wanted to make a fully integrated experience where people can select their job, and roleplay in a restaurant with a very large server. I had that idea for a long time, but the day that the idea really started to take shape was when I saw someone selling the restaurant 3D model on twitter, and it instantly caught my eye. I knew that I could put the amazing restaurant build to a good use, and that’s when I finally made Luigi’s Cafe and Restaurant.

Animal: Do you ever think that any of your restaurant games will take an approach like Work at a Pizza Place? (Adding user homes, more customizations, etc)

Ultraw: I have had a vision for quite a while that users could potentially own homes in Restaurant Tycoon 2. It would make a lot of sense, if after a long day’s work in the Restaurant, people could choose to return home, relax, and chill with their friends. The homes could also be integrated with other systems in the game, for example, users could order food from other player’s restaurants to their home, and things like that. It would be great if people could customize the furniture in their home too. Nothing’s confirmed, but I think this idea would be a great addition to the game.

Animal: Add homes to Luigi’s and then you’ll have a delivery person role! Anyways, I think that we can move on to some more “fun” questions that I am sure you get from day to day on Roblox. Will you don8 the robux pl0x?

Ultraw: I get that question way too often haha. Unfortunately earning robux is my job so that will have to be a no unfortunately :)

Animal: Your favorite Roblox admin is…

Ultraw: Hmm.. let me think. I’d say Nightgaladeld

Animal: If you could own any limited without needing to pay for it, which would it be?

Ultraw: Probably one of the sparkletime fedoras. I have been wearing a checkered fedora for years, which I love, but it would be great to have more bling. I’d probably choose black or gold

Animal: If only one of your places could remain active and all the others have to disappear forever, which one are you saving?

Ultraw: It would have to be Restaurant Tycoon 2. At the moment I am loving bringing out new updates and I have so many new ideas for it. It’s also the most popular.

Animal: Any advice for people who wish to gain nearly as much success as you as a developer on Roblox?

Ultraw: My advice is just to do what you enjoy doing. Don’t chase the things that are already popular, or something you think will make some quick robux, just simply build whatever you personally enjoy building. Personally, i just love using Roblox as a platform to express my own creativity, but a lot of people enjoy many different forms of creativity, like making videos, making art, etc, so I would just say to follow your heart, and keep working as hard as you can to follow your dreams.

Animal: Well, Ultraw, it is always a pleasure talking with you. I very much look forward to seeing what else comes about with your games, good luck!

Ultraw: Thank you, it has been great to speak to you today. Good luck with future interviews and have a great day!