<pkchu> <LusciousOne> Question: Is there a distinction made between male and female gamers while creating and marketing products or is it believed that the games themselves cross gender lines thus no distinction is needed?
<levelord> interesting question, to be honest, the thought of gendre NEVER comes to play (yet)
<levelord> ...we just make games, and I guess the tend towards the 'male' audience
<levelord> ...I think it's the interface (computer/keyboard = very inpersonal) that stops many woman from playing
<Hexagon> <ayarger> here's a question: Despite how things continue to rock at Ritual, do you ever have regrets leaving 3D Realms?
<levelord> Hex: yes, I feel really bad for being an asshole when I left, call it Prima Dona Syndrome
<levelord> ...I would still leave knowing what I know today, but 3D Realms is quite the place
<pkchu> <Hellchick> how has your level creation talents changed over the course of of going from Doom to a game like FAKK2? What sort of stuff do you feel you've learned since then?
<levelord> the levels haven't changed at all other than in relationship to the changing engines
<levelord> ...that is
<levelord> ...we have true 3D now, and curves, and (if you're Ritual) scripting and such that add alot more power
<levelord> ...but the levels, the COOL shit, stays just the same
<Hexagon> <Ma|k> how did you get involved and recognized in the industry? any good tips to people that love to make maps and might want to work on it professionally?
<levelord> Majk: just make levels, that's all I can ever say, it's very hard to get "in" now because everyone wants "in", but if it's your passion, you will succeed
<Hexagon> <Doh> Do you have your gfx settings at max to admire your levels? :)
<levelord> no, medium
<levelord> ...it hurts my brain if I go all the way up
<levelord> 640x480, etc
<pkchu> <Liu4L1fe-afk> How deeply do hardware requirements affect your levels architecture? Are you satisfied with current PC's ability to render polys, etc? When you finish a level, do you still feel it's bare bones empty compared to what you could do if everyone had a top of the line pc?
<levelord> wow, that's a mouth-full ;) The best thing I can say is that we aim for "last" year's platform, but that sucks because many of us have 3-year old platforms at best
<levelord> ...so I try to tone down the detail if I can, but that doesn't make the levels any less cool
<levelord> ...I like to say that a small palette does NOT a small artist make ;)
<pkchu> <ayarger> here's a question: Levelord: In your words, how did you end up from being a regular joe to one of the most respected people in the gaming industry?
<levelord> easy! ... I only have two fingers!
<Fatigued{KEA}> <Ma|k> how did decide (well, accept) and come about the nickname levelord, and why did you settle on it?
<levelord> Fat: the nick "levelord" just sounded cool, I was emailing Nick Newhard while doing BLOOD levels and it just sort of fell out, first as Level Lord, then I saw the light
<Fatigued{KEA}> <korupt> question for levellord.... what do you think influences you the most?
<levelord>...most definitely that inbetween dream state right before you actually fall asleep
<levelord> ...I stral from books and movies, too
<levelord> ...I mean "appropriate"!
<levelord> stral = steal
<levelord> ...that's Hungarian, sorry
<pkchu> <Doh> Do you find yourself in admiration of other mappers' work? If so, who and why?
<levelord> Doh: definitely! ...all of them! ...it's just like when you make a sandwich for yourself, it tastes fine and all, but when someone else makes it, it always tastes so much better
<Fatigued{KEA}> levelord: do you have any vodka at your place right now ;)?
<levelord> Fat: of course, fool!
<Fatigued{KEA}> <wRynn> levelord: best 3 games of all time?
<levelord> Fat: DOOM, DOOM, and, ...oh yes, DOOM
<Fatigued{KEA}> <Liu4L1fe-afk> Well if the other dude won't post my question :) ... How much planning do you put into a level before you start building, if any at all?
<levelord> Most of my levels have a basic "theme" to start from, then they sort of go their own way
<Fatigued{KEA}> <NCaRn8_3ViL> i make maps too well tried..and my best shit comes to me at that point too.....i do have tons of designs written down but i cant just put on the computer becuase i suck and all of htem came in that half sleep phase
<levelord> NCaRn8_3ViL: I think all the lust gets burned out while you're putting the ideas down on paper
<Fatigued{KEA}> <Ma|k> so, what's your setup at your editing computer?
<levelord> Ma|k: set-up? Windows NT, with I think 64 meg and a few gigs, can't remember the vidi card
<BaDmAn> A Celeron 300
<Fatigued{KEA}> <Doh> What do you admire more, aesthetics (i.e, textures and architecture) or map design (flow, gameplay, etc)?
<levelord> Fat: definitely aesthetics! ...I hate to say that, but it's true, similarly, if I had to pick between fame and fortune, I'd pick fame
<Fatigued{KEA}> «19:33» <Cutlass> I know this question has little to do with mapping but.. If you had the freedom to include any background music you want the player to hear, what artists/bands would you choose?
<levelord> Fat: music? ...that's a tough one, it depends on the level/game/etc
<Fatigued{KEA}> <Ma|k> thought you had a 566 celeron @ 850 and a GF2gts or something..., anyways, what do you think about the FSAA and industry wars going on right now, what's YOUR favorite, and dont dodge the question ;P
<levelord> Ma|k: I am truly hardware illiterate, comes with being old and having given up on shit changing every fucking 6 months ;)
<{DiE}DarkStar> How did you come up with the ideal of the map called Spry for SIN?
<levelord> DiE: that was inspired by the Simpsons, that intro seen in which they run for the couch
<levelord> ...one of the episodes has then shrunken
<Fatigued{KEA}> <FreaK_BrutheR> what kind of machine do you use to compile maps? could it be the programme used to compile making it unable to compile a certain size or is it down to machine specs more?
<levelord> FreaK_BrutheR: we use a dual CPU something or another, we use the same compiling util, though, so it's your map that's dragging the system
<BaDmAn> <ddep2> Levelord: any chance for Sin2?
<levelord> ddep2: YES!
<Fatigued{KEA}> levelord: I had a choice to buy Sins2 and Halflife, and I stood there like an idiot for 2 hours, reading the box.. bought HalfLife :)
<levelord> Fat: Halflife ruled, no doubt about it, I just wish SiN could have been the Pepsi to their Coke
<Noc> Levelord~ Yes or no, SIN2 . . . . dont break our hearts, baby. =)
<Fatigued{KEA}> levelord: SiN was a sweet game
<Fatigued{KEA}> levelord: the timing of its release was not too great
<levelord> thanks, truly, but we screwed up, maybe SiN2 ;)
<Fatigued{KEA}> «19:41» <fiend-> if halflife is coke, what upcoming game would you say is the dr. pepper?
<levelord> Fat: Dr. Pepper ROFL!
<levelord> ...Q3, sir!
<levelord> I so want to make some deathmatch levels in Q3
<k9-slam> [21:38] <RedBarchetta> For Levelord: Do you ever play SoA anymore? and did any of the hipdm maps give you any inspiration for your current work?
<levelord> K9: I'm afraid to do any HIPDM-type levels, there are many "platform" DM levels out there
<k9-slam> <toe> The mapping community has bloomed recently. What if any game/s do you accredit this to?
<levelord> k9: actually, it's ALL the games out there right now, remember just a few years ago? ...there were maybe 1 or 3 games coming out? ...now there's like a dozen, that has made for a huge garden for many plants to grow in
<Fatigued{KEA}> «19:44» <Doh> ...What do you think of gimmick maps? :)
<levelord> Fat: gimmick maps? ...I love them, of course ;)
<Fatigued{KEA}> «19:41» <Doh> Will SiN2's game revolve more around single-player or multi-player, or both?
<levelord> Fat: SiN II is but a pipe-dream right now, we ALL love the idea, but nothing is planned yet
<NCaRn8_3ViL> Levelord: what was the most troublesome map you have ever made and did your computer last through that map?
<levelord> NCa: Tier Drops from Duke, not sure if anyone noticed, but it is 4 seperate rooms that actually occupy the same 1 space of the level, real bitch to think through ;)
<Doh> Do you create your own textures for your maps?
<levelord> Doh: thankfully, NO!
<levelord> ... ;)
<Fatigued{KEA}> «19:48» <fiend-> what are your expectations for upcoming games, such as (drool) tribes2?
<levelord> fiend: not expecting anything other than more realism
<toe> lord: What do you think the industry is craving the most? Originality in games?
<levelord> toe: as always, the Fun Factor, I think Old man Murray says it best, ...that if it isn't fun (and without crates!) within an hour, it's gone!
<Fatigued{KEA}> Wrynn would like to know: «19:43» <wRynn> levelord: what kind of cigs do you smoke?
<levelord> wRynn: Camel Ultra Lights, but tobacco sucks!
<levelord> ...I want to try an not smoke the fuckers to begin with ;)
<Doh> I'd like to know...was mapping a skill you developed or something that came natural to you? <levelord> Doh: level designing is like being an 8-year old <levelord> ...and some of us actually get paid for it
<BaDmAn> <Kevito> Please ask levelord this for me: Will there be holodukes in all of your maps? And will they be easy to get. I love them holodukes...
<levelord> Kev: Holoduke is a Duke feature, we don't have any in Heavy Metal ;(
<levelord> ...what a great game that was, good old Duke ;)
<Doh> This is probably a stupid question: What do you think is the next step for games, and for you as a level designer? Or have you answered that question already :/
<levelord> Doh: I'm not sure really, I see (we all do) a melting of us with Hollywood, but that's a big, big leap and one that I can't see completely across
<toe> levelord: Karnatos here, from Z-Axis @ Stomped - Just curious if FAKK2 will ship with a modified Q3Radiant for mapping? or do have another tool in mind.
<levelord> toe: we will ship FAKK2 with our version of radiant, just like SiN, if you know Radiant, you'll do foine ;)
<Doh> If you had the chance to program 3d-sound variables into your levels, would you do it, or would you want the engine specify sound ambience based on the level?
<levelord> Doh: definitely out of my field on that one, we have this sound god called Zak and all I need to do is ask, ...and my levels "sounds" cool
<ddep2> Levelord: Sin has reached a "cult" status. Is there satisfaction in that for you?
<levelord> ddep2: I'm not so sure about the "cult" thing... we're kind of stoked thinking about a SiN II, but we'll see
<Fatigued{KEA}> «20:11» <FreaK_BrutheR> so in saying aesthetics are most important to you did you ever kinda base a level around a few textures you saw and liked or are textures always an aftermath kinda thing?
<levelord> Freak: That's the way I prefer to make a level, ..."around" the textures
<levelord> ...unfortunately, the artists are such complete wastes-of-human-flesh that I have to do the geometry first, then they come in
<levelord> ...what fuck-ups they are!
<NCaRn8_3ViL> levelord:going to bed..but some words of wisdom "Jesus loves you, everybody else thinks you're an asshole"
<levelord> NCa: just who is this Jesus dude I keep hearing about?
<Doh> <TheContact> What's his take on environmental deformation and its impact on level design?
<levelord> Contact: environmental deformation? ...wtf?
<Doh> I think the Volition game coming out has that feature
<levelord> Doh: we ALL dream of THAT day! ...like that scene in Ghost in the Machine in which the machine gun is ripping huge wholes in the concrete walls? ...WHEN INDEED!
<Doh> ooh, better example: what about if you destroy a pillar that's holding up a platform? Hehehe. Now I'm confused :(
<levelord> Doh: we'll have to design around things like "blowing through walls" , usually it's as simple as limiting ammo ;)
<Fatigued{KEA}> «20:15» <FreaK_BrutheR> do you suggest a good toke and a couple of beers while working on levels.....or do you insist?
<levelord> Freak: a good toke defintely! ...alcohol only makes me stumble in the editor
<Fatigued{KEA}> «20:10» <Kiasuman> will the game have the security alike quake3?
<levelord> Kia: it is the Q3 engine, so I suppose the security stubs will all be there
<Fatigued{KEA}> «20:10» <Karnatos> Do you guys @Ritual find Q3Radiant to be buggy? As a amateur mapper that twiddles around with Quake3 mapping atm, I find it crashes on me quite often.
<levelord> Karn: it never crashes on us(?) ...maybe you're doing stuff that's out-of-bounds?
<Frightener> levelord: Are the cutscenes in FAKK2 being done from the engine?
<levelord> Fright: yes they are, it's a hard choice, ...rendered cinematics, or in-game
<BaDmAn> Levelord: are you working on Blair Witch 3, too?
<levelord> BaD: no way! ...those guys are real assholes!
<levelord> ...they smell bad, too
<levelord> ...sorry, no I'm not
<BaDmAn> Are there any solid plans for the FAKK˛ MP addon?
<levelord> all the MP code and whatnot is there, we just couldn't spend the time to make the levels and critical paths MP-friendly, doing that in 3rd person is a bitch
<levelord> ...oh wait, add-on
<levelord> ...sorry
<levelord> ...no plans, but I wouldn't be suprised
<BaDmAn> np ;)
<BaDmAn> Okay.
<levelord> we'll be "expanding" soon. me thinks, doing add-ons and II's and such ;)
<Doh> You said before that fitting levels to a theme (like in singleplayer) requires prethought...so wouldn't your forte be in multiplayer levels?
<levelord> Doh: I AM deathmatch! ... ;)
<levelord> ...seriously, I love DM levels, they are the best because I can do all the aesthetics and not worry about anything else
<levelord> ...if I had my way, I'd do 6 DM levels for every 1 singleplayer
<Doh> so can we expect some great multiplayer levels coming from you soon? :)
<levelord> Doh: yes sir ;)
<BaDmAn> For SiN?
<BaDmAn> or Q3?
<levelord> can't say yet ;)
<Fatigued{KEA}> sum1 that wants to remain annonymous wants to know what FAKK2 is
<levelord> what FAKK2 is? ...tell the anon fuck to "FAKK off!"
<Karnatos> levelord: Got any games you are just dying to check out?
<levelord> Karn: no! ...it's like asking a dude at the pizzeria what kind of topping he's looking forward to when he goes home ;)
<levelord> ...seriously, I've been too out-of-touch lately
<BaDmAn> <TFA|Swoop> levelord, are you going to have "hidden passageways", that say things like in Duke Nukem.. I just love finding that stuff
<levelord> Swoop: we're trying,, not too many designers do that anymore ;(
<Karnatos> levelord: Ok, got this Q from a buddy on the phone "Ask that freak what he spends more time thinking about every day 1) sex 2) dope 3) work"
<levelord> Karn: Sex, drugs, rock-and-roll, ...it's not just a saying ;)
<BaDmAn> <Fatigued{KEA}> levelord: on FAKK, would it be harder to design CS type mod that they made for HalfLife, or easier? or bout the same?
<levelord> Fat: not sure, most of that will have to do with the level design, the code for multi and coop are there, we just focused on singleplayer, answer = this is Q3 with a little touch-up from the boys at Ritual
<Frightener> levelord: What do you think of Max Payne compared to FAKK2?
<levelord> Fright: I just had the pleasure of seeing Max payne at E3, I was envious, it's not a good question because they will both have such a different feel to them
<Fatigued{KEA}> «20:46» <FreaK_BrutheR> right i must go to my cot.....one last one before i go.....how long would it take you to complete...i mean really complete a level from scratch?
<levelord> Freak: about 4-8 weeks
<bass2496> levelord: Obviously the game is hella editable for the average user. What about for the hardcore mod-maker? Will a coder be able to do a full on TC with SP and/or MP capabilities?
<levelord> bass: absolutely! you'll be able to do anything, again, it's the Q3 engine
<bass2496> I know, but I have seen games where, in order to make editing newbie-friendly, a lot of control was taken away. But I have to remember that this is Ritual!
<levelord> bass: you will have control on multiple levels, actual in-game menus to do everything except actual geometry, down to the code/script level
<wRynn> levelord: have the voices been replaced in fakk2? :)
<levelord> final voices are still not in
<levelord> ...I hear voices, though
<levelord> ...like that fucking dog next door!
<bass2496> levelord: Did you ever do any programming? What was your computer experience before level editing?
<levelord> programming? got an engineering degree in it from UCLA, ...that's why I know enough never to be a bit jocket ever again!
<levelord> ...low-lifes!
<Karnatos> levelord: I was reading somewhere recently that I'll be able to defend and attack simultaneously in FAKK2? To what extent?
<levelord> Karn: yes, yes, big time combat moves in FAKK2, two-handed fighting with dual attack weapons or one defending and one attack weapon
<wRynn> levelord: is the weapons list finalized or are things still being added in/removed
<levelord> wRynn: weapons are final ;)
<levelord> ...most everything is final other than tweak changes
<bass2496> levelord: Who is more badass? Julie or Blade?
<levelord> bass: we need to define "bad" first ;)
<ninken> Hey Levelord will Julie tits bounce when she jumps ? :D
<levelord> nink: of course!
<levelord> ...silly fuck
<Redwood> m'lord: when will there be FAKK2 shirts? We need ones that are even cooler than the Sin ones
<levelord> it's so bad, Redwood, that I had to make my own FAKK T-shirt!
<BaDmAn> <SLY> levelord: What game do you play on your free time? Although you have very little free time it seems, what game do you prefer to play online for your own entertainment?
<levelord> Sly: the one and only for 2 years running now... ...Age of Empires, the first one
<wRynn> real geometry in skybox, discuss.....
<levelord> skyboxes rock!
<levelord> ...Pat "Don't Phook with MY system!" Hook taught me them just this week
<levelord> Pat is a fucking god, that little youthful bastard
<LeftE> a dual question, heheh <NukeDukem> ask him if his next game will have metallic attax frogs <shirow> ask him if it will feature frogs and dragonflies
<levelord> frogs? that's actually my medium
<levelord> ...I like frogs, but I'd never put them in a game, ...out of respect, you know?
<levelord> ya, I do have to crash
<levelord> ...later
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