, so I redid that one.
Not that it was real bad (well, bad compared to what I do now) but it just
was completely different from the other stuff. No real theming, although it
was mostly castle stuff. I kinda misplaced that first level so I can't show
you... too bad, since it contained a real cool effect in which half the
level got flooded with nukage. It was called "wells of evil" for a reason :)
Doomworld: Where did the name "Mordeth" come from? How about your backup IRC nick, "Mashadar?"
Mordeth: I'm a great fan of Robert Jordan, who wrote a series of books called "The
Wheel of Time". This fantasy serie absolutely rules everything ever written
in that genre. Anyway, since most of this TC takes place in Hell, I wanted
to choose a name that would reflect that... one of the worst places to be
in "The Wheel of TIme" would be Shadar Logoth but that name is a tad to
long, plus it might give people the impression I was doing a WoT
conversion. So I settled for "Mordeth", which is the name of an evil spirit
trapped in Shadar Logoth... it's nice, short, not very WoT-specific and it
has a ring to it. Mashadar is also taken from WoT and is the embodiment of
the evil still lurking in Shadar Logoth.
Doomworld: You've often been quoted on IRC as saying that EdMap is one of the lamest level editors around. What do you have against it?
Mordeth: Well, because it is that easy to work with, those levels keep on growing
larger and larger until it is way out of control! All editing modes and
stuff are accessible with the press of a button and all... that's way too
easy! Where's the challenge of finding the right button under layers of
menu's ?! Now every newbie can do the stuff I do! That's unfair *snif* !
Other editors take weeks to learn and all that, and are way slower to
handle... this way you can take some time to think about if you *really*
want to have that detail there. Plus you need to pay money for those other
editors in order to work properly... that's a sign of professionalism,
right? Having a freeware editor to crank out freeware wads is just plain
amateurish! Edmap is just... what can I say... now you can't blame your
editor anymore for the stuff you release :(
Doomworld: At first, you promised that Mordeth would only use DEH/BEX and not a source mod. When did you decide that you wanted a source mod?
Mordeth: Hmmm I told I would only use patches in a period when there was still a
flurry of source mod projects, most focused on just a few new features.
TeamTNT hadn't announced their Boom project yet. So I felt I couldn't use a
source port, since there wouldn't be one that contained all the features I
wanted to have. Just one or two new features doesn't justify using a source
port IMO. But when I got involved with the Boom testing program I was
totally blown away by its load of new features... I just had to use it. It
really is an editor's dream come true. And not that long ago I was
approached by my tech support guy Joel Murdoch, who told me he could
customise the Boom engine, adding features that will make Mordeth a better
game.
Doomworld: Having played an early version of an E2 level, I must say that it looks spectacular. Are the other E2 levels just as good?
Mordeth: Of course :)
Doomworld: Has work begun in earnest on E3 yet?
Mordeth: Yes. But progress is less than in the case of E2.
Doomworld: Those of us with long-term memories will remember that you were hired by a company called Playful Minds to make levels. Whatever happened to that?
Mordeth: Hmm I got hired by Playful Minds, signed NDA etc. and was in fact the only
level designer that actually would get payed after release. So I downloaded
the material and editors and started to familiarise myself with this new
stuff. But then I noticed I actually preferred this kind of work over my
regular study. So I got scared and chickened out. That's basically it. Now
I regret stepping out of course... I would have been a nice start in the
industry. Dunno what happened to Playful Minds after that... we didn't keep
in touch. Banjo Software also hired me once to work on HACX but ditched me
almost immediately after signing the NDA because they were going from a
32-level to a 21-level TC.
Doomworld: If you were hired by a big-name company like ION Storm, would you move out west to America?
Mordeth: Yes, immediately. I would get a work permit and what-not and board the
first plane I can possibly get :)
Doomworld: Do you feel that anyone else on your Mordeth team is better at levels than you are?
Mordeth: I don't think I'm the best level designer around.. just kinda 'ok' I hope.
But it's hard to point my finger at someone who is "the best", because
there are so many aspects to designing. Some are the best at detailing
stuff, some create great level lay-outs, others specialise in DM levels. It
all depends on personal taste and even then you have different categories.
Nobody I know is the best in =everything= related to designing, they all
tend to have specialities. With the designers currently in my team I'm
quite sure we can deliver a kick-ass add-on.
Doomworld: Will new enemies be top-quality?
Mordeth: Yes. That's why it is taking so bloody long to finish them :) They not only
look Doomish but they are also 'balanced'... a good combination of
lethality/hitpoints, and fitting with the used theme. I hope I've given
them also some interesting ways to attack.
Doomworld: If you could somehow make one person in the entire world join your Mordeth team, who would it be and why?
Mordeth: Tough question. I'm greatly impressed by the levels in Blood... never
before was there a game with such solid and themed levels. Forget Quake2,
forget Unreal.. you haven't seen a game until you've played Blood :)
According to the credits James Wilson III and Craig Hubbard were the main
designers, with the additional help of Kevin Kilstrom, Nick Newhard and
Terry Hamel. Now, with a more specific credits list I'm certain I would be
able to pick one of those as my favorite author ever. I'd be great I could
make that person join my project, hehe. A more realistic choice would be
David Shaw... I've asked him several times to create some music for the
project, but he doesn't have the time.
Doomworld: Name some of the funnier ideas you got for replacing the invulnerability powerup.
Mordeth: Um, I got this email from someone who suggested a "god mode" bonus - ROFL!
I won't tell who that was, but that must have been the most dumb suggestion
ever made...
Doomworld: What do you do for Doomworld?
Mordeth: Let's see... I maintain the Doomworld Editing Pages and FancyPants, plus I
upload most of the stuff in our public ftp site. Occasionally I do news as
well, which has the added advantage that I can yell at people who overwrite
my updates :)
Doomworld: What would you most like to see in a new Doom port?
Mordeth: O dear... the most practical would be 'complete customizability'. Even with
Boom I'm limited to certain trigger combinations... it would be great if
I'm able to make combinations at will, like shootable light sources: "shoot
this wall and the light setting in that sector lowers to the light setting
of the adjacent one". There are lots of other features I would like to have
as well, but that list can go on and on and on...
Doomworld: Have you ever been forced to use a regular modem and gone out of your mind at the incredible slowness?
Mordeth: Nope. I've always been an ethernet bastard :)
Doomworld: Identify the following phrase: "hot rod."
Mordeth: Slang for "customised car". Be careful when a Doomer says that though...
because "you never know with those Doomers" !! =P
Doomworld: Since you're using Boom, have you gone back and touched up the Mordeth E1 levels?
Mordeth: Yes. I haven't finished that process yet, but I'm working on it whenever I
feel like it. Plus I'm redesigning some aspects of some maps... the things
I would do differently if I design those same levels again..!
Doomworld: What would you rather put in Mordeth: true 3D or good TCP/IP compatibility?
Mordeth: Euh... both..? If I had to choose, I'd go for the TCP/IP option. Doom in
general would be much MUCH more popular if people were able to play agsinst
eachother with the same ease as now in current games.
Mordeth looks to be a great project, and its moderator ain't too bad a guy either. Remember, you can find more info about this project at the Mordeth homepage here.
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