Witchboy is in major crunch and cannot come to the phone right now. He will be updating again soon, with any luck. Meanwhile, here are recent interviews on DX.

Gamers Central (04/27/00)
GameSpy (04/23/00)
DX Zone (04/00)
DX Zone (02/29/00)

this could be summed up as “fixing bugs and tuning game-play.” but i’ll go into a little more detail.

the programmers are:

1) writing some really innovative user features (some of which are secret). 2) tweaking the ai. (it’s already doing some amazing things.) 3) working to help balance and smooth the game-play through weapon and unit behavior. 4) adding more NPC conversation/behavior functionality. 5) plugging our exotic (dynamically changing) dx music into place. 6) fixing bugs.

the artists are: 1) reworking textures here and there for greater consistency. 2) tweaking animations. 3) orchestrating some last minute makeovers for character portraits. 4) fixing bugs.

the designers are: 1) currently smoothing out game-flow, alleviating spots where a mission or subquest is frustrating, providing more story/situational info for the player to use strategically. 2) adding more options for the player (in the form of in-map/in-world nonlinearity of action). 3) responding to playtest–getting from of testers, friends and coworkers. 4) detailing out a few areas that need a little more interaction. 5) speeding up maps. 6) prepping for a balancing/resource economy pass with GBAT, chris norden’s game balance analysis tool. (a program which counts everything in the game in interesting ways.) 7) fixing bugs.

the writers are: 1) detailing out all the hundreds of emails, newspapers, books, conversations and barks in the world. 2) prepping to record all our conversations in 3 languages. 3) fixing bugs.

the game has taken a few leaps forward in fun and ‘rpg-ness’ lately, as people have, over the last couple of months, finally been able to see some of the systems we planned coming together. i’m really psyched right now. moreso than i have been over the last 2 years. i played mission 01 this morning and used flares in a way that i had not previously. my favorite things about the game right now are the freedom it allows in playing (and playstyle), plus the interaction with npc’s (both friendly, meaning conversation and subquests, and non-friendly, meaning avoiding with stealth and fighting with a variety of interesting weapons and devices).

btw–the first in a series of monthly Deus Ex chats will be held this thursday at 8PM (CST). i think most of our team will be online to field questions and such. so be there if you want to get the latest scoop. (www.ionstorm.com, room #ion.)

adios.

____________________

“Some there be that shadows kiss, such have but a shadow’s bliss.”

The Merchant of Venice

Harvey Smith, ION Storm Lead Designer, Deus Ex http://www.stormtroopers.com/witchboy/ icq#: 1132071

getting away from crunch mode for a while is great. the holidays are a lifesaver. i also get a chance to catch up on movies i’ve wanted to see.

my thanksgiving holiday movies:

1) north by northwest–loved it, especially the ending. i love hitchcock. he is the nabokov of film.

2) end of days–yuck. some good scenes courtesy of satan, but otherwise a buddy cop movie where arnold shoots the devil with a rocket propelled grenade.

3) being john malchovic–incredible. delightful. really creative and interesting (the highest compliment).

4) shine–not as great as some said. a weak plot, though a good movie and a great performance. movies about peculiar humans and virtuoso capability are usually fun. geoffrey rush is like a gift to western culture.

5) iron giant–wonderful. well worth watching. ray bradbury-esque in my opinion. innocent, yet meaningful.

6) sleepy hollow–exciting fun. tim burton is awesome. i hope he eventually does the gaimen sandman/death movie.

i just started re-reading the first amber books. as my favorite fantasy series, i re-read them every few years. each new reading brings me some new realization. this time around (and this may be too subjective to get across without talking about it for a long time) i feel like A) i’ve nailed down why i like the first series more than the second and B) Shadow is waaay more insubstantial than i first thought.

regarding A, because corwin’s understanding of the world is so limited (compared to merle’s when it comes to shadow, magical effects, sorcerers in general, the courts of chaos, powers like shapeshifting) there is a much more powerful feeling of mystery. that, along with my friend chris mccubbin’s (savvy) rant about the latter parts of the 2nd series being “too many marvels per page” sum up for me why i prefer the first series. (don’t get me wrong, though–i like the 2nd series too. just less so.)

regarding B, there are all these little one-liners here and there that imply that the ‘stuff’ rippling between amber and the courts is extremely malliable and very much influenced by all sorts of events. it ties in with why some of the amberites don’t care about shadow dwellers. this seems obvious, i know, but it’s the degree to which shadow is insubstantial and can be influenced that has taken me aback re-reading the series.

take for instance chapter IV in NPiA. random talks about the shadow creatures harassing him and says, “i moved the plane several times to subtract them but it didn’t work.” so these things are following him through shadow (obviously). he tries slightly different versions of the reality he’s in–one in which he is over our earth, that time of year, in a plane, heading over denver and most other details the same…he alters the world around him, switching to harmonic variations or something in which the shadow followers do not exist. however, they continue tracking him, moving along with him to those slightly alternate realities. they can manipulate shadow, at least to a degree that allows them to follow someone.

*then* in flora’s earth living room, a few pages later, random says, “there exists a probability that they will gain entrance. therefore they will enter.” i once used to chalk this up to him being cocky or fatalistic. now i see this as something stronger, supported by adding up all these little one liners that i am coming across on the subject. it now seems to me that he is saying that he could will himself to a slightly different reality without them, but because they can also warp shadow, they would continue to come.

note a bit later, the same thing: corwin, when the shadow beings knock on the door, says, “what about carmela (flora’s maid)?” flora responds with, “i have decided that it is improbable that she will answer the door.” random says, “but you don’t know what you’re up against.” and, as if to prove him right and flora wrong, random leaves the room and barely reaches carmela in time to stop her from answering the door. i used to see this as flora guessing about her servant’s behavior and simply being wrong. now it seems clear that more is going on (when all these things throughout the first 2 books are taken in toto). i think flora is attempting to alter reality so that carmela stays in her room, but the will of the shadow followers is stronger and instead reality is established so that carmela *does* go answer the door.

and this type of thing is done in lots of places. i would not mention it save that it happens over and over, and it’s a bigger deal than i previously thought.

damn, i’ve killed 30 minutes on writing this up. that’s 30 minutes i could have spent on Deus Ex. arg. crunch mode sucks. (but we really are getting close, btw.)

at this site, there is an article about ‘why the game industry sucks.’ http://slashdot.org/features/99/08/20/143215.shtml

i obviosuly do not speak for all perspectives, but from my point of view, the game industry is immensely wonderful. i’ve been involved for just over 6 years now and i have loved it. i’ve had ideas crushed, seen friends fired, had projects killed, worked with evil tyrants, had games tank completely and worked on one project i consider at the least a quasi-dog.

but i’ve also worked on games i loved (that did pretty well, at least critically). and i’ve been payed for doing something i enjoy. i’ve helped other friends achieve goals. most importantly, i’ve worked with some people who continually amaze me–some smart, creative people who care a lot about what they do. i’ve learned constantly–the challenges are never ending.

no, i’ve not been on the cover of wired or rolling stone. i don’t have groupies or drive an expensive sports car. (that shit would be nice, btw.) but all in all, i love my job, despite the hard times.

none of this is really factual–it’s all perspective based, of course. the author of the ‘why the game industry sucks’ article is certainly entitled to his opinion.

btw, as a warning: out there, in the world of media, you will also find numerous articles, songs, movies and other such works that will state, as if it were fact, that the world itself sucks.

defy. defy. defy.