Warm greetings
It would seem that the similarities between the old
"Hit" for the computer ZX-Spectrum
~ Rebelstar ~, played by millions
when the IBM PC had just cut through the first white letters on
black screen, great game ~ Laser Squad ~,
which, incidentally, at the Spectrum looked
even better than IBM, and the recently released "hit" ~ X-COM:
Terror from the Deep ~. A common feature is that all these
games are written by the same people - the company Mythos Games.
If you ask almost any
student who wrote ~ Terror from the
Deep ~, do not hesitate to each answer,
that both her and ~ UFO: Enemy Unknown ~ of course
established a firm "Microprose". And here it is
would be wrong.
"Mikroproza" has done much for the commercial success of these
games, but did not write them. Created as these games are
humble people from the England, in general, a small team that
is always behind the scenes. Today We have one of the few
occasions to talk with them and know how they works.
(C) PC-Format, 1995.
(C) Translation from English,
"Inforkom-Press, 1995.
Mythos Games
Interview with the head of the firm,
Julian Gollop.
Q: You were among the first who have had the game's
strategic and military to computing platform, and have obvious
influence on the development of the genre. And who or what and
as influenced you?
A: We will beat countless
desktop war games and role-playing games such as "Traveller",
"Dungeons and Dragons ". When we created our first
company, and it was called "Red Shift",
really nothing like the market
software was not. After
our first game for the Spectrum
~ RebelStar Raiders ~ we wanted to create a series of strategic
arrangements of desktop strategy games on computers "Spectrum"
and "BBC Micro".
Q: What was the main difficulty for you to work during all
these years?
A: Continuously growing requirements
graphics and design. The need for all time
catch up with new demands and rebuild was for us a sort of
nightmare. Now we are guided in this matter on firm
"Mikroproza" and give them all the graphic design, but we need
to scribe code, which will be compatible with
their graphics and design. But we ourselves begin
engage in drawing, apparently only
after finish our current project.
Q: Do you think your application in
programs of the three-dimensional polygonal graphics could be a
step forward in your projects?
A: I think so! It is now possible acquisition of a large
number of three-dimensional libraries and could try to play
with three-dimensional perspective of first-person
something like Rebelstar, maybe ...
Q: Your program ~ UFO: Enemy Unknown ~,
seems to be done a lot for the
to genre voennostrategicheskih games started
made public.
A: One of the problems of strategy games
the same type that produces SSI, is
very difficult "getting used" in these games.
The interface is hard and confusing and should be
peruse a huge directory before
What will begin to understand something.
Looking for a game that can be included and
immediately start playing. This game is like
~ Warcraft ~ doing it and now we are looking forward to the
game ~ Z ~. However, our firm the moment we are not quite that
way. The general conclusion is that - today a strategic game
needed a radically new level procedures of Artificial
Intelligence.
Q: Could you say a few
words about the project, which now work with?
A: At this point it ~ X-COM 3 ". In
It will be the same three-dimensional isometric
form, although the basic graphics driver, we
rewrite completely - from scratch. "
Now the game works by four artists
from "Mikroprozy - at stations Silicon
Graphics they produced a set of pictures
and sprites.
At this time the battle will take place in
real time, rather than clocks,
as it did in the previous two games. We
also going to significantly expand
communication section of the program - it
will work through a modem or local area
network.
I can not yet speak extensively about the scenario games -
it is still far from completion and will be released no earlier
than next year, but the gist seems to be about the same -
another alien invasion, but not quite. Tell until only that now
the battle will take place on their own soil.
Q: Is there any plans to do something
quite radically new. For example, some three-dimensional
shooter, etc?
A: Oh, no! Although we are looking into
two new directions for themselves. First -
a network game of "online" mode and
second - an interactive movie. Here we
see box for the program, generating
script that generates characters and stores it all in the form
of pseudo-random scenario. We think that instead of create the
script, you should try to create an environment in which the
user himself will control how the script develops. But this is
a matter for the future.
- - -
Softografiya
1983 Rebelstar Raiders
1984 Chaos
1986 Rebelstar
1988 Laser Squad
1988 Lords of Chaos
1994 UFO: Enemy Unknown
1995 X-COM: Terror from the Deep
