Dan Koppel 1999

6 December 1999 on www.gamedesign.net
A = Dan Koppel aka Daniel Koppel (Technical Lead and Senior Level Design)
Q = ?, RUST

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself, and the company you work for.

A: Dan Koppel, Senior Level Designer and Technical Coordinator here at Xatrix Entertainment. One of those lucky few that gets to work on Kingpin.

Q: In what ways do you think that Kingpin map design will interest the mapping community?

A: First and foremost it's going to be a great game … The world of Kingpin will have plenty of possibilities, many of which will not be explored. This leaves a whole slew of things for amateur developers to build. Also the textures are great and they are true 24 bit, plus people can build cool real-world stuff.

Q: Are there plans to release the editor with Kingpin?

A: Yes. The current plan is to ship the editor with the game. We have been working closely with Robert Duffy from the beginning so many of the features we use are already in the public build of QERadiant. The version that should ship with the game will work just like the current version plus we have added some great Kingpin specific features.

Q: What do you think the learning curve on Kingpin level design will be?

A: Level design in it's essence is just like quake2 … We've worked long and hard at perfecting the look and feel of the game plus we have a number of added features that will truly excite the level design community such as coronas, ai scripting, lighting of models, etc. So I would say that anyone who has built a level for a current quake based game should have no problem making a level for kingpin … but mastering Kingpin level design will take plenty of effort.

Q: Does Xatrix have any plans to support the editing community?

A: Of course! We all started as amateurs and feel strongly about giving back to the community.

Q: What does Kingpin offer level designers that other Quake 2 engine-based games do not?

A: If I told you now they (everyone else here) would have to burn me to crispies with our flamethrower and jump on my ashes until they blow away in the wind. ;)

Q: Any new entities that you would like to introduce us to?

A: You will see all of our new stuff when the game ships until then enjoy the screenshots and save up your money. (Don't buy beer for a couple of weekends … It will be worth it. ;)

Of course, the demo will give everyone a look at some of the cool new stuff...

Q: In what ways does Kingpin level design differ from your previous work on Q2MP1: The Reckoning?

A: Let's see … Quake2: Sci-fi on a red planet. Kingpin: Altered reality "PC noir" in a gang-ruled urban city. (Sorta half Brazil - half Goodfellas) Do I need to say apples and oranges?

Q: Of the upcoming crop of 3D Shooter games, other then Kingpin, would you most be interested in doing a bit of editing with?

A: Duh … Quake3 of course. Any improvements that John Carmack does to the quake engine gives me fits. ;) I love those curved surfaces. (Oooh curved surfaces….)

Q: Are there any people in the community that you would like to thank?

A: There are plenty of people who helped me get to where I am today but the short list would include: Luke 'weasl' Whiteside, Matt Sefton, crash, and Alex 'aldawg' Mayberry

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