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I'm gonna kick the shards outta you!
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Pappy: What have been the hardest goals to achive to date, and do you have
them
licked or still on the drawing board?
The map generator I use for the "Escape from Hell" gametype was very
difficult to implement. When I started coding this, I had no idea
whether it would be possible. It's something the Quake3 engine obviously
was not intended for, so I expected to encounter lots of unknown
limitations. Actually it was even worse, as I found a few bugs in the
engine that nearly prevented me from finishing my work. Fortunately, I
was able to overcome most problems, and the remaining few are acceptable
in my opinion.
This is actually a typical story. Sometimes I think I should stick with
more usual ideas. That would certainly save me a lot of work. But so
far, I always was lucky, as I was able to finish anything I started.
Pappy: Was it difficult working primarily on your own and has it
influenced the
type of projects you attempt?
It wasn't difficult, but it did indeed influence my projects. I'm a
mere coder. I'm neither a mapper nor a modeller. So, when I plan a new
feature, I almost always have to make sure it can be done with existing
maps and models. But it seems, many people consider this an advantage.
They like being able to plug in any map from lvl, and all the models
they find at polycount.
Pappy: What do you think are the strongest points or features about your project that will attract players?
The monsters, of course! People are excited about the hordes of
monsters they get in Hunt. Most suggestions I get are about new types of
monsters. It seems many people agree with me that the Q3A arsenal is
destined for blasting away ugly brutes.
Another important aspect is you always carry all weapons, and your
ammunition automatically recharges. It's as simple as that:
much firepower + many monsters = much action
I call this the "Serious Sam Equation".
Pappy: How open do you think you are to community suggestions, and have there been many?
I think I'm very open to suggestions. I'm always glad to receive
suggestions, even if I have to reject them. And even if I reject a
suggestion, I'm still open to arguments. There's more than one case of
me altering my opinion because of a convincing argument.
So the list of changes and features suggested by the community is nearly
endless. Some prominent examples are: monster health being adjustable,
the existence of the grappling hook, lens flares for map lights, the
Titan.
Unfortunately I'm already very busy with working on Hunt, so I usually
have to postpone new ideas and suggestions. Meanwhile I'm a bit afraid
of taking a look at my to-do-list...
Pappy: Why did you choose the Quake 3 engine for your work?
It's a stable, powerful engine with a large community. The software
design is adequate. You code in C instead of an arcane language like
Unreal Script. So there're good reasons to choose Q3A!
Pappy: If you could have anything you want happen with the project, what would that be?
Someone paying me for working on Hunt would be much appreciated! :)
Well, personally I'm very happy with what's happening with Hunt, but it
seems many people long for more public servers.
Pappy: If you could have anything you want happen with the project, what would that be?
Well, currently it looks like I'll be working on Hunt for the rest
of my life. I'm currently preparing some documentation about how to
create maps for Hunt's "Escape from Hell" mode. I've promised GNC to
publish Hunt's lens flare code. There're so many plans and ideas that
still need to implemented. But of course I'm very curious about the Doom
3 engine, especially about how much control a mod-maker will have over
it. Believe me, I've no idea of what future will bring. Only one thing's
for sure: it'll surprise all of us!
