So today I had the pleasure of chatting with Michael Bok of The Zod Engine via google talk. This is the most fun I've had chatting to developer so far (mainly because it was live and not via email, not to say the others haven't been awesome).
Part 1, part 2 after the break
Interview
GOL: I will start off easy on you...Okay so the first question to get us started, let's have a little introduction shall we, so introduce yourself, who exactly are you?
MB: My name is Michael Bok and I am the owner of Nighsoft which is currently a game cloning company. I have been cloning games since I was 15 with my first game being a clone of Diaspora which was one of the first free MMORPGs. Other then that I have a career in computer science and computer engineering.
MB: Correction, diaspora was one of the first free space mmorpgs
GOL: Interesting, so how exactly did you get into programming?
MB: Well my father introduced me to the computer and games with the 386 and games like commander keen and wolfenstein 3d. Maybe 3 or so years after that I knew I wanted to challenge myself with something and was fascinated with programs so I did what I could to start learning. My original thought was that I would get into math or engineering though but at the time since my parents wouldn't be able to buy me all the things that would be needed to make that interesting I saw programming as the thing with the most returns for the money.
MB: I started programming probably when I was 11 with the BASIC language. Also I feel that making maps for games like quake and red alert were very much along the same path way.
GOL: I see I'm not alone on the red alert map making then, I also have quite fond memories of that! It's good to see your parents encouraged it!
MB: Actually they'd go to the basement to flip the circuit breaker on me. That or have me do any chore they could think of if I sat down.
GOL: haha that sounds familiar unfortunately
MB: My parents never supported me as a programmer until after I got my first job after college (the internships didn't seem to count for some reason).
GOL: Yeah parents tend to see the light when the money comes in...
MB: Well back then it wasn't as socially accepted as it is now. Now it's the opposite.
GOL: So I have been reading up on Nightsoft (I didn't realise you ran it yourself until just now), are you hoping to one day make it into a fully fledged games development house?
MB: Well I am in india right now where I can get programmers for $200 to $500 per month so if it was ever going to become a game development house it would be now. I could see Nighsoft becoming something more like an outsourcing company that takes on a few game projects here and there.
MB: Sadly I am losing faith in game development as a good likely avenue for money generation. My belief is that the market is simply over saturated with games and it's only getting worse.
GOL: Yeah there can be good money in outsourcing, since you have experience with Linux as well. Maybe some sort of game porter, but hey just an idea.
GOL: Well for our sake I hope you keep bringing us some awesome classic titles to Linux!
MB: Knowing linux and c/c++ has been a great combination for me and I recommend it for any aspiring computer scientists. Also I do feel that it is very important to make more games available for linux.
GOL: Yeah that's very true, wise words.
GOL: So tell us a little bit about Z (for the younger generation)
MB: Z came out during the age where games were coming out on the new CDs and the internet was more less just beginning to be used.
MB: Which meant the means in which you went about acquiring and learning about new games was different. I got the Z demo from a PC Gamer magazine.
MB: Z came out around the same time as command and conquer which was an incredible break through for games at the time.
GOL: Yeah that was some serious competition!
MB: A lot of people remember it as the not as popular version of command and conquer
GOL: It's a shame as it was a very different type of game
MB: So Z was one of the first RTS games as we know it and has a play style most similar to company of heroes
MB: Even though there was a sequel to Z it was not a proper sequel like command and conquer got
MB: Z 2 went 3D and did not manage to be very attractive at it like the original was. Where as C&C red alert used the exact same engine with better resolution support and internet play. While the original command and conquer also got upgraded for internet play.
MB: The original Z came very late for internet multiplayer support and even then did not have a central lobby server. This and a few other game design holes have been what have really driven some people mad to revive Z. As it was a comparable game and only needed some minor upgrades.
Part 2 is in the comments/replies. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Part 1, part 2 after the break
Interview
GOL: I will start off easy on you...Okay so the first question to get us started, let's have a little introduction shall we, so introduce yourself, who exactly are you?
MB: My name is Michael Bok and I am the owner of Nighsoft which is currently a game cloning company. I have been cloning games since I was 15 with my first game being a clone of Diaspora which was one of the first free MMORPGs. Other then that I have a career in computer science and computer engineering.
MB: Correction, diaspora was one of the first free space mmorpgs
GOL: Interesting, so how exactly did you get into programming?
MB: Well my father introduced me to the computer and games with the 386 and games like commander keen and wolfenstein 3d. Maybe 3 or so years after that I knew I wanted to challenge myself with something and was fascinated with programs so I did what I could to start learning. My original thought was that I would get into math or engineering though but at the time since my parents wouldn't be able to buy me all the things that would be needed to make that interesting I saw programming as the thing with the most returns for the money.
MB: I started programming probably when I was 11 with the BASIC language. Also I feel that making maps for games like quake and red alert were very much along the same path way.
GOL: I see I'm not alone on the red alert map making then, I also have quite fond memories of that! It's good to see your parents encouraged it!
MB: Actually they'd go to the basement to flip the circuit breaker on me. That or have me do any chore they could think of if I sat down.
GOL: haha that sounds familiar unfortunately
MB: My parents never supported me as a programmer until after I got my first job after college (the internships didn't seem to count for some reason).
GOL: Yeah parents tend to see the light when the money comes in...
MB: Well back then it wasn't as socially accepted as it is now. Now it's the opposite.
GOL: So I have been reading up on Nightsoft (I didn't realise you ran it yourself until just now), are you hoping to one day make it into a fully fledged games development house?
MB: Well I am in india right now where I can get programmers for $200 to $500 per month so if it was ever going to become a game development house it would be now. I could see Nighsoft becoming something more like an outsourcing company that takes on a few game projects here and there.
MB: Sadly I am losing faith in game development as a good likely avenue for money generation. My belief is that the market is simply over saturated with games and it's only getting worse.
GOL: Yeah there can be good money in outsourcing, since you have experience with Linux as well. Maybe some sort of game porter, but hey just an idea.
GOL: Well for our sake I hope you keep bringing us some awesome classic titles to Linux!
MB: Knowing linux and c/c++ has been a great combination for me and I recommend it for any aspiring computer scientists. Also I do feel that it is very important to make more games available for linux.
GOL: Yeah that's very true, wise words.
GOL: So tell us a little bit about Z (for the younger generation)
MB: Z came out during the age where games were coming out on the new CDs and the internet was more less just beginning to be used.
MB: Which meant the means in which you went about acquiring and learning about new games was different. I got the Z demo from a PC Gamer magazine.
MB: Z came out around the same time as command and conquer which was an incredible break through for games at the time.
GOL: Yeah that was some serious competition!
MB: A lot of people remember it as the not as popular version of command and conquer
GOL: It's a shame as it was a very different type of game
MB: So Z was one of the first RTS games as we know it and has a play style most similar to company of heroes
MB: Even though there was a sequel to Z it was not a proper sequel like command and conquer got
MB: Z 2 went 3D and did not manage to be very attractive at it like the original was. Where as C&C red alert used the exact same engine with better resolution support and internet play. While the original command and conquer also got upgraded for internet play.
MB: The original Z came very late for internet multiplayer support and even then did not have a central lobby server. This and a few other game design holes have been what have really driven some people mad to revive Z. As it was a comparable game and only needed some minor upgrades.
Part 2 is in the comments/replies. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Part 2
GOL: Was it those game design holes that actually led you to remake Z yourself into the Zod Engine?
MB: Yes, The goals for the Zod Engine were foremost to be multiplayer driven and cross platform. After that we hoped to break as many boundaries as possible with the engine such and any resolution support, team play, and hopefully scriptable campaigns much like Starcraft.
GOL: Sounds awesome, so are you planning full single player compatibility with the original game, or will you let the community do them via the scriptable system?
MB: Well the original single player really was just a series of levels played out much like a 1v1 red alert skirmish. So that is already finished.
GOL: What would you say are the main improvements over the original game as it stands right now?
MB: Well the main unique feature which we have is the ability to enter and leave a game at any time. At the moment the features which stand out from the original however are the ease of starting a multiplayer game, the ability to have more then one bot per game, being able to replay single player maps as multiplayer maps, new gui, much more improved control system, a map editor, open source, and the ability to tweak any of the unit stats with an easy to read script file. I'm sure there are more I am forgetting...
GOL: Some pretty hefty improvements there, the multiplayer is a very welcome aspect which hopefully a lot of people are taking advantage of!
MB: Actually it seems that most people are mainly interested in single player play. A lot of people who play on our main multiplayer server tend to get discouraged from losing very easily. I believe a lot of people have mixed expectations when they play the game and some might be looking at it as just a modern OS supported version of the original which it is much more than.
A little video to break up the text:
View video on youtube.com
GOL: Anything exciting on the roadmap for future releases?
MB: Well for future releases, aside from ironing out a few of the differences between the original and our remake, some of the bigger possible features would be scriptable campaigns, fog of war, more strategic elements such as the ability to upgrade factories and fortresses and the ability to do team wide upgrades in damage etc.
MB: Also another big idea I've had to to swap all of the unit sprites with small simple 3d models where the original color palette is used for the textures.
MB: I believe this would be a very simple conversion especially consider the engine already supports opengl.
MB: There are also ideas of doing things such as adding another layer above the rts engine where you go from planet to planet conquering a universe.
MB: However for that no one has really brought the whole idea down to something that can really be played and programmed.
GOL: Sound similair to Planet wars from Spring RTS (And previously Total Annihilation)
GOL: So apart from Z any other favourite bitmap brothers games? Personally I remember playing The Chaos Engine on the Amiga!
MB: I've never played any of their other games. But when I look at comments for the Z rerelease they are making for the iphone and ipad I see a lot of people asking for a Chaos Engine rerelease which from my understanding is being done by another company right now.
GOL: Are you planning anymore oldschool remakes?
MB: I would really love to remake the game Constructor. A few other games would be death rally and gangsters.
MB: However I don't think I would make a direct remake of gangsters as I could probably come up with a much better game with the graphics and idea.
GOL: I had that game on the Playstation, was very good, would love to see a remake of it!
MB: Ya constructor is another game i feel came out slightly before it's time and really only needed a few upgrades to make it a particularly awesome game. I have been trying to get in contact with someone I have found who has hacked the assets for that game but he has never responded yet.
GOL: Sounds good, keep me posted on that one!
GOL: Well that concludes the main part of the interview, just a few other smaller questions now :)
GOL: Something that has been burning in my mind since we talked a bit about Linux earlier, What is your operating system of choice and why?
MB: The gentoo distribution is probably my OS of choice however I have come to learn that the visual studio development kit is superior to a linux environment development scenario so I have been spending most of my time in windows again.
MB: I also want to mention that considering the Zod Engine is not my first remake I've noticed some particular things about it's community. The most striking thing is how many professionals follow it. The other is how many others wanted to remake it themselves.
MB: I was not actually the first to attempt to remake it. From what I can tell I am at least the 4th. One person even spent over $100k in a bitmap brothers licensed remake.
GOL: Sounds like someone who is either really that dedicated...or just has too much spare money :D
GOL: Any favourite open source games at the moment?
MB: I don't actually play games anymore but I do try to follow other similar open source remakes such and openra to see what tricks and features they are using to get the community more interested. There are a lot of complications with trying to get people interested in actually actively playing a remake. It is quite a science of it's own which is most parallel with general game design theories.
MB: I do try to put a commercial spin on my remakes even though they are open source which causes me to work towards commercial quality output and a scientific study of the players and their experience etc. Which is by far the most unique thing about my efforts.
MB: However with the bitmap brothers "unabandoning" Z things have become complicated in that department. I have also seen Death Rally unabandoned in the same way, and technically Constructor still makes sales as it is.
MB: I can't get openra to run on my computer sadly, their graphics requirements are too strick. I think there is a lot I could teach them.
GOL: Well that's it for the questions I have
GOL: This has been the most fun and informative interview I have done so far, but shhh don't tell anyone...;)
MB: haha =) Cool, ya when it comes to projects like this I don't see many other people who do it solo.
MB: So I've experienced a lot more
GOL: Any notes you would like to end on for GOL's readers?
MB: I dunno maybe that open source game projects are very huge things not ment for small teams working together for free. If you see a game or project you are genuinely interested in you need to at least express your interest. If you play or plan to play then you should either donate your time or a few bucks because those developers give up portions of their lifes and a second job or part time masters etc to do these kinds of things.
MB: I could also say a lot on where I see the game industry going and how open source games and open source remakes fit into that but thats a bit more detailed.
MB: When you try to make a game make money you are forced to see how things are really working.
Will put up a few pictures later :)
Remember if you want to be interviewed PM me via the forum or email myself at liamdawe [at] gmail dot com
GOL: Was it those game design holes that actually led you to remake Z yourself into the Zod Engine?
MB: Yes, The goals for the Zod Engine were foremost to be multiplayer driven and cross platform. After that we hoped to break as many boundaries as possible with the engine such and any resolution support, team play, and hopefully scriptable campaigns much like Starcraft.
GOL: Sounds awesome, so are you planning full single player compatibility with the original game, or will you let the community do them via the scriptable system?
MB: Well the original single player really was just a series of levels played out much like a 1v1 red alert skirmish. So that is already finished.
GOL: What would you say are the main improvements over the original game as it stands right now?
MB: Well the main unique feature which we have is the ability to enter and leave a game at any time. At the moment the features which stand out from the original however are the ease of starting a multiplayer game, the ability to have more then one bot per game, being able to replay single player maps as multiplayer maps, new gui, much more improved control system, a map editor, open source, and the ability to tweak any of the unit stats with an easy to read script file. I'm sure there are more I am forgetting...
GOL: Some pretty hefty improvements there, the multiplayer is a very welcome aspect which hopefully a lot of people are taking advantage of!
MB: Actually it seems that most people are mainly interested in single player play. A lot of people who play on our main multiplayer server tend to get discouraged from losing very easily. I believe a lot of people have mixed expectations when they play the game and some might be looking at it as just a modern OS supported version of the original which it is much more than.
A little video to break up the text:
View video on youtube.com
GOL: Anything exciting on the roadmap for future releases?
MB: Well for future releases, aside from ironing out a few of the differences between the original and our remake, some of the bigger possible features would be scriptable campaigns, fog of war, more strategic elements such as the ability to upgrade factories and fortresses and the ability to do team wide upgrades in damage etc.
MB: Also another big idea I've had to to swap all of the unit sprites with small simple 3d models where the original color palette is used for the textures.
MB: I believe this would be a very simple conversion especially consider the engine already supports opengl.
MB: There are also ideas of doing things such as adding another layer above the rts engine where you go from planet to planet conquering a universe.
MB: However for that no one has really brought the whole idea down to something that can really be played and programmed.
GOL: Sound similair to Planet wars from Spring RTS (And previously Total Annihilation)
GOL: So apart from Z any other favourite bitmap brothers games? Personally I remember playing The Chaos Engine on the Amiga!
MB: I've never played any of their other games. But when I look at comments for the Z rerelease they are making for the iphone and ipad I see a lot of people asking for a Chaos Engine rerelease which from my understanding is being done by another company right now.
GOL: Are you planning anymore oldschool remakes?
MB: I would really love to remake the game Constructor. A few other games would be death rally and gangsters.
MB: However I don't think I would make a direct remake of gangsters as I could probably come up with a much better game with the graphics and idea.
GOL: I had that game on the Playstation, was very good, would love to see a remake of it!
MB: Ya constructor is another game i feel came out slightly before it's time and really only needed a few upgrades to make it a particularly awesome game. I have been trying to get in contact with someone I have found who has hacked the assets for that game but he has never responded yet.
GOL: Sounds good, keep me posted on that one!
GOL: Well that concludes the main part of the interview, just a few other smaller questions now :)
GOL: Something that has been burning in my mind since we talked a bit about Linux earlier, What is your operating system of choice and why?
MB: The gentoo distribution is probably my OS of choice however I have come to learn that the visual studio development kit is superior to a linux environment development scenario so I have been spending most of my time in windows again.
MB: I also want to mention that considering the Zod Engine is not my first remake I've noticed some particular things about it's community. The most striking thing is how many professionals follow it. The other is how many others wanted to remake it themselves.
MB: I was not actually the first to attempt to remake it. From what I can tell I am at least the 4th. One person even spent over $100k in a bitmap brothers licensed remake.
GOL: Sounds like someone who is either really that dedicated...or just has too much spare money :D
GOL: Any favourite open source games at the moment?
MB: I don't actually play games anymore but I do try to follow other similar open source remakes such and openra to see what tricks and features they are using to get the community more interested. There are a lot of complications with trying to get people interested in actually actively playing a remake. It is quite a science of it's own which is most parallel with general game design theories.
MB: I do try to put a commercial spin on my remakes even though they are open source which causes me to work towards commercial quality output and a scientific study of the players and their experience etc. Which is by far the most unique thing about my efforts.
MB: However with the bitmap brothers "unabandoning" Z things have become complicated in that department. I have also seen Death Rally unabandoned in the same way, and technically Constructor still makes sales as it is.
MB: I can't get openra to run on my computer sadly, their graphics requirements are too strick. I think there is a lot I could teach them.
GOL: Well that's it for the questions I have
GOL: This has been the most fun and informative interview I have done so far, but shhh don't tell anyone...;)
MB: haha =) Cool, ya when it comes to projects like this I don't see many other people who do it solo.
MB: So I've experienced a lot more
GOL: Any notes you would like to end on for GOL's readers?
MB: I dunno maybe that open source game projects are very huge things not ment for small teams working together for free. If you see a game or project you are genuinely interested in you need to at least express your interest. If you play or plan to play then you should either donate your time or a few bucks because those developers give up portions of their lifes and a second job or part time masters etc to do these kinds of things.
MB: I could also say a lot on where I see the game industry going and how open source games and open source remakes fit into that but thats a bit more detailed.
MB: When you try to make a game make money you are forced to see how things are really working.
Will put up a few pictures later :)
Remember if you want to be interviewed PM me via the forum or email myself at liamdawe [at] gmail dot com
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