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By Jeh & LadyICE
Published December 1st, 2000
http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View964e.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=56
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Jeh and LadyICE were present in a recent VE chat with the creators of Gunman Chronicles, Rewolf Software! Although we didn't host the chat, our good
friend Apache over at Voodoo Extreme, gave us permission to post the log of the event!

<XQ> <Frightener> Are there any plans to implement Parametric Animation in a future patch?

<Cannel> Thats unknown at this time.
<HerbF> No. That animation system isnt as useful as you'd think for a single-player game
<Cannel> Our multplayer component is still so deep in development and design that its hard to say how useful it would be, but if it is, we will be talking with Valve about the possibilities.
<Lando_> well i talked to the Valve guys when we where there. Its alot of work but it looks good in the end.

<XQ> <eskimoJOKER> Having been a part of a couple mod teams myself, I found it hard in many aspects organization and development wise. Would you consider making a Chronicle, if you will, of your Development of Gunman describing your development obsticles and how you delt with them for the Mod community?

Thats a good idea.
<soulsounds> I think he wants a Game Developer Post-Mortem
<_PUG_> i think a lot hangs on how dedicated everyone is to the mod. how willin gpeople are to work the hours and stay with it
<HerbF> Yeah. It would take a while to write that one up.
<_PUG_> ages
<CyberaciD> Yeah - I think we have achieved an amazing thing... I mean making a GOOD game in a well funded studio is hard enough... 
<Cannel> I am willing. ; )
<Cannel> I would love to share in greater detail than is possible here in chat how we managed as we did.
<_PUG_> programmers like typing miles of text canal :P
<CyberaciD> yeah... 
<soulsounds> haha
<Cannel> It wasn't easy. And we went though a lot of people.
<CyberaciD> arf arf PUG
<Cannel> Thats the basic part.
<_PUG_> heh
<CyberaciD> hehe.
<Cannel> Over time, we probably have had over 100 people working with Rewolf. Very few stuck around long enough for a variety of reasons.
<Cannel> So .. those who did finished. 
<soulsounds> couldn't stand the stellar salaries :)
<_PUG_> yup like basements 
<HerbF> 100 is a bit high probably. :o)
<Cannel> Its all about finding dedicated people willing to work at something for a long time and willing to trust others.
<Cannel> How many sound guys Herb?
<CyberaciD> Yeah - I found it very hard to keep up with school, I think a few people dropped out of college...
<Cannel> Heh. Yeah.
<_PUG_> or moved all over the globe :P

<XQ> <Butters> how old are you all?

<tom[gunman]> 21
<Cannel> I am 20.
<hostage> 19
Twenty
<CyberaciD> I'm 16
<_PUG_> heh
<_PUG_> 23
<HerbF> almost 29
<CyberaciD> I'm the baby.
<soulsounds> anyone tells mine gets shot
<CyberaciD> hehehhe.
<HerbF> SS is an old fart
<Lando_> 20
<Cannel> Come on SS, admit it. ;)
<_PUG_> herbs anchient SS is dead
<CyberaciD> the scary thing SS, is that your not joking :o)
<_PUG_> lol
<soulsounds> you're are all deathmatch fodder to me
<CyberaciD> arf arf.
<Lando_> well 19 but 20 in a month 
<Cannel> Another fair question is where is everyone here from.
<Lando_> hehe
<Cannel> Castro Valley California
<_PUG_> you meen originaly or right now? :)
<CyberaciD> Surrey - UK 
<soulsounds> yeah with pug and lando that's a long list
<_PUG_> yeah
<CyberaciD> hehe.
<tom[gunman]> Slovenia / Europe :)
<CyberaciD> just say Earth.
<HerbF> Utah
<Lando_> yup we have globe trotted like crazy
<_PUG_> yeah
<CyberaciD> I remember how ICQ always got messed up with Lando hehe... because he was on a BOAT. 

<XQ> <DarkSea> Question: When you knew Gunman: Chronicles would go commercial, what new features did you add to the game to spice things up?

<soulsounds> sound
<CyberaciD> yeah sound was really improved...
<HerbF> We improved the special effects for the weapons quite a lot.
<_PUG_> and lots of fx
<Cannel> For the most part, the games design was complete and didn't change. The quality really improved though.
<soulsounds> I was kidding cyber
<_PUG_> some models were replaced with better ones with new skins
<HerbF> Increased the scripting 
<Cannel> Most of the maps ended up getting redone in the final months
<Cannel> MUCH more scripting.
<_PUG_> yeah lots of map changes
<CyberaciD> I remember - we didn't really have a Sound Guy...
<Lando_> lots and lots more scripting
<CyberaciD> it was just lots of people doing bits and bobs.
<soulsounds> yes we did, blevo did a great job, just ran out of time
<Cannel> And a lot of polish.
<HerbF> We added the tube-queen (onion monster or turkey xenome to everyone else)
<CyberaciD> yeah and Lando reworked just about every model he could lay his hands on hehe...

<XQ> Did you have any reservations about going commercial?

<CableCow> Cyberacid your really only 16?
<CyberaciD> yes 16.
<Butters> how old were you when you starded?
<CyberaciD> 14 when I started.

<Win2kman> You guys releasing an FGD or an SDK or somethingof the sort?
<hostage> I think the FGD is on the Gunman CD
<Win2kman> Really? Where?
ù Win2kman rips out the Gunman CD
<hostage> oh wait it installs
<hostage> look for /gunman/rewolf/halflife.fgd

<Bulk> Grr, when is Gunman out in the UK?
<CyberaciD> Sierra told me GUNMAN would be out EARLY December.
<CyberaciD> in the UK that is.

<_PUG_> it was what we had all hoped of doing from the very beginning
<HerbF> We wanted to go commercial. But it was a BIG responsibility. 

<XQ> <eskimoJOKER> Well, it's pretty amazing that you guys accomplished this! Do you have any thoughts whatsoever what kind of projects you'd like to work on next? Perhaps another space-themed shooter, or Gunman 2?

<Cannel> No reservations, just resolve to work even harder on it to get it done right.
<HerbF> We're working on ideas for another game
<_PUG_> yeah ideas in the works
<Cannel> Right now our focus is on supporting Gunman.
<HerbF> Cannel's right.
<Cannel> Thats definitely whats most importand to us.
<CyberaciD> Yeah we need to see GUNMAN through ...
<CyberaciD> Support it as much as we can - as Valve have done to HL.

<XQ> <Jeh> Having so many people scattered across the globe, it reminds me of Epic when they were developing Unreal. Would you do this again, or would you want everyone in a centralized place for your next project?

<_PUG_> well some of us can't move to a central location
<_PUG_> but we have been lucky to learn how to work online and still get work done
<HerbF> We'll centralize people where we can. Its not easy to pull people in from overseas with all the laws about it
<CyberaciD> Yes...
<CyberaciD> I think we would all like to work in the same building...
<Cannel> Our goal is to centralize as much as we can. Because of how multinational we are, we couldn't fully. We do know now though how much more productive we are as individuals when we are all working together in the same location.
<_PUG_> there may be a few rwolf bases round the globe :)
<Lando_> work visas are like finding lost treasure :)
<_PUG_> lol yeah
<_PUG_> rewolf bases
<CyberaciD> Yeah Pug hehe...
<CyberaciD> I'll be camping at yours for awhile :o)
<_PUG_> heh

<XQ> <Mxx> who do you think if your biggest competition right now?

<soulsounds> consoles
<HerbF> Thats a good question
<_PUG_> yeah consoles
<HerbF> The SIMS hehehe
<_PUG_> the pc market is real small. and the 3d shooter market is one of the very small pieces of that market
<_PUG_> lol the sims
<CyberaciD> I think the X - Box is really going to change things... 
<CyberaciD> arf arf.
<Cannel> There isn't much out right now like Gunman. Its more of a pure action game than say, Hitman. I am not too worried about competition.
<_PUG_> yeah we are more a atraight hop in de stressify yourself action game

<XQ> <LadyICE> Will there be a patch released to fix up some of the little bugs; and if so...about when can we expect it?

<Cannel> We are still looking at issues that we will want to patch. Once we are comfortable with what we have found, we can establish a timeline.
<Cannel> We aren't quite there yet.

<HerbF> Well, goodnight everyone. It was fun seeing such a full room! I've got to go grab dinner and get back to work on the demo stuff. <CyberaciD> :o)
<Lando_> anyway been a nice chat but i have to go CYA all :)
<_PUG_> cya herb
<CyberaciD> hehehe.
<Cannel> And good luck to everone there working on mods. Keep at it; it will be worth it in the end.

<XQ> Thank you to the Rewolf guys