Alex Mayberry
October 09, 2018 on pastebin.com/W3i8jiGW
A = Alex Mayberry (Level Design)
Q = Pika Commando
Q: Dr. Sleep (John Anderson) said he made the final two levels (Crystal Palace) for Kingpin, but he's not included anywhere in the credits. Why is that? Are there more level designers who worked on Kingpin but aren't credited?
A: To my knowledge, John Anderson never completed any levels that actually went into the game. I can't say for sure though, as I was working from home for the final 9 months of Kingpin, and I left Xatrix after the game shipped.
Q: Which levels were you responsible for?
A: I did all the Skid Row levels, as well as all the deathmatch maps.
Q: As for the other 3 level designers, do you know which levels/episode they did?
A: I don't really recall which levels the others created. I know Mal did some of the industrial maps. And I think Aaron create a train station level. Beyond that, I don't really remember.
Q: Were there any significant levels that did not make it to release?
A: I think some of the end levels didn't make it in because they were too high poly or weren't technically sound. They were either scrapped, rebuilt, or got turned into multiplayer maps.
Q: Do you still have any development files from Kingpin? Map sources, level notes, things like that.
A: Maybe in a box somewhere. Nothing significantly interesting though. What we shipped was not the game we originally set out to make. It was changed during development, and Xatrix wasn't very detailed when it came to design documentation.
Q: I heard Drew Markham planned for it to be more of an open-world style strategy FPS with more hubs, like what Skidrow represented. Why the change in direction?
A: It was originally intended to be an alternate universe science fiction game similar in style to the movie Blade Runner. Several months into development, Drew signed Cypress Hill to do the music, and then changed the theme to be more "gangsta" because the game didn't "match the music style."
Q: Do you know where I can contact Drew Markham?
A: I have no idea where Drew is. It's been many years since anyone has heard from him. I've not personally spoken to him since Kingpin shipped. There may be some interviews out there where I mention this incident, but I've never directly attributed it to Kingpin. But the story of how I was directed to change our levels to better match the music is one that I've told before as an example of crazy things I've seen in this business.
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