about feedback archives submissions

//loonygames://issue 2.1://Through the Looking Glass://1, 2
switch to printer-friendly version

What's new today:

New!!!
The archives have been cleaned up, dead links fixed, and the printable versions restored! Also, don't miss the new comments on the main page!

Livin' With The Sims
theAntiELVIS explores the wild and wacky world that is Will Wright's The Sims, asking the inevitable quesiton, "is The Sims the first step toward a virtual life where everyone is Swedish?"

Pixel Obscura
Josh Vasquez on Omikron: The Nomad Soul.

Real Life
Check out our newest comic strip, Real Life! Updated daily!

User Friendly
Updated daily!


Random Feature:

Inside Raven Software: Our definitive history of the company behind Hexen, Heretic and other classics.


Search the Archives!

Through the Looking Glass

An interview by Russell "RadPipe" Lauzon
Vol. 2, Issue 1 
November 8, 1999 
 
Rogue Entertainment has always been a company that's spoken softly yet carried a big stick.  In other words, they say very little but consistently produce great work.  How did they get involved in the Alice project?  Was it your experience with them in previous projects (such as mission packs for Quake and Quake II) that led you to them?

I've know the guys over at Rogue since my first days at id. The fact that they are now working on this product is one of the nicest examples of serendipity I've ever seen.


click to enlarge!

As this concept art proves, Alice is shaping up to be very demented indeed (214k)

Using the Q3A engine for Alice seems like an obvious choice considering both your and Rogue's experience with id-engine games, but since its focus is on multiplayer play, how do you see it as a development tool for single-player?  Are there any obvious enhancements you're planning to make that you can talk about now?

We've already made enhancements to allow us to immediately start single player development, but we're not ready to go into it yet.

What variations of multi-player play are you considering?

Lots! But we're not going to go into it yet.

The multiplayer game is from a first person view, while the single player is played from a third person view. Can you explain why you made this decision?

Well, this comes mostly from talking with various people in the industry, the players, and online community, and from my own personal preference. It just doesn't seem that a proper DOOM/Quake style deathmatch can take place in 3rd person. This does not mean that you won't be able to run a 3rd person server, but multiplayer will default to 1st person.

Will the weapons be identical in both the single and multiplayer games? How will the difference in perspective change them, if at all?

The weapons will be identical. You can see how the 1st/3rd person switch works in the current version of Q3.

Since the game is based on the Alice books (which are fairly tame), who will you be fighting against? Will the game's emphasis be on pure action, or exploration?

I'm hoping that we can recapture the action adventure feel of the original DOOM. The characters you will be fighting against are a mixture of original characters (Mad Hatter, Tweedledee, etc) and new characters that we've designed just for the game.

What prompted the decision to have two geographically separate teams to work on the single-player and multi-player aspects of the game?  What challenges do you foresee in communication and shared development?

The decision was based on the fact that this solution offers us the best chance at creating a solid product on time and on budget. The Rogue guys have Quake-based game development down to an art. We also have internal support from large group of very talented people at EA who are focusing an amazing amount of creative energy on this product.

Since you're the Game Designer, how do you plan on communicating your vision to the troops (friendly people at Rogue) when you live in a different city? Will you be sending anyone from EA to Rogue to help? How much time are you spending at Rogue's office?

This is one of the best parts about working with Rogue. Since we've all known each other for so long the communication issue is almost non-existent. The vision was communicated a while back when I spent a week in Dallas working with the Rogue guys. They are as much a part of the creative process as I am, and we've really come together on the design of this product.

What will your role at EA entail in addition to Game Design?  Will you also fill the slot as Lead Level Designer?  How about Project Manager?

At the moment my official title is "Creative Director". Under that guise I find myself doing everything from game design to level design to project management. Again, I'm also surrounded by a great group of people here at EA who are constantly helping with every facet of production.

What's the best thing that you learned at id Software that you've carried over to EA?

Wow, that's a really difficult one. id taught me so much about games, work, and life in general. I think the most important lesson I learned there is the one that I take with me even when I'm not at work: "Never take yourself too seriously."

What's the work environment at EA like? 

Just amazing. And speaking of which... I need to get back at it now :)

Thanks American McGee!

- Russell "RadPipe" Lauzon is currently exhausting all his free time researching Beer Goggles.

<<Prev


about feedback archives submissions
loonygames

Credits: Through the Looking Glass is © 1999 Russel Lauzon and American McGee. All other content is © 1999 loonyboi productions. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited, goldarn it.