An interview with Dave Reed, creator, designer, and mastermind behind the opus in progress known only as "Mystik Tank".

ARTech

Okay. Let's start this off at the beginning, the obvious falsity, and work our way up. Is texture mapping impossible on the Amiga?

davereed

Impossible is a funny word. Such techniques are possible on any machine with enough memory to support textures.

ARTech

Okay, so what does the Amiga architecture present as difficulties when trying to build a texture mapping algorithm?

davereed

As many people mention, it does take more work to do this kind of pixel by pixel handling with a Planar chip set; though, with faster machines, texture mapping still works well. It's often a matter of money.

davereed

People in the PC market often will buy the highest and most powerful machine they can get their hands on for a game.

ARTech

So, what kind of Amiga can honestly be expected to do texture mapping well?

davereed

Any machine with the Mhz to push it. If the standard was the 040 processor, texture mapping would hardly be an issue.

ARTech

So a good texture mapping algorithm on the Amiga is 100% reliant on the speed of the main CPU, then?

davereed

Done the easy way, yes. Done the smart way, no.

ARTech

So, what kind of algorithms are being used, by and large? Are we still following in the footsteps of DOOM, or have the algorithms become more complex?

davereed

To tell the truth, some algorithms have gone past Doom, at a price of speed, no less.

ARTech

What kinds of algorithms are the easy way, and which ones fall under the "smart" category? Is there still a use for the Amiga chipset in the advanced algorithms that texture mapping presents?

davereed

Well, hard for me to say. I don't handle the technical aspect of these things too much.

davereed

You can actually get some nice results by using some of the cycles in the Custom Chips, but lots of people worry about making something too custom chip dependant.

ARTech

Do you?

davereed

Basically, I handle the game design and ideas behind it, but the coders do most of the techie stuff.

ARTech

I see. How many coders do you have working on your engine, then? And how many man hours have been spent in the design phase?

davereed

Okay, one question at a time. (ARTech smiles.)

davereed

Right now, there are 2 coders working on the main game engine. The main engine is a 2 part series.

davereed

The design phase has been long. too long. I mean, too long, for it is very hard to get help when you aren't well known.

ARTech

What kind of help have you needed?

davereed

It took me 2 1/2 years just to get a team that has stuck together.

davereed

I used to try joining people who started groups, but they often fell apart. (room fades in one of those wavy wipes into a dream sequence)

davereed

About 5 years ago, I bagen writing fantasy stories. They were not simply fantasy stories, but they were somewhat of an autobiography of myself.

davereed

I wrote them, initially, for self-illumination. Something to help me (perhaps) grow wiser in the ways of life (so to speak). I just never liked to write about myself.

davereed

After a couple of years and Wolfenstein 3D was released (also, after 3 stories I wrote, based on the same planet), I had an Idea for a game.

ARTech

Idea with a capitol I, it seems. (ARTech smiles.)

davereed

Yes, a capital I.

davereed

A futuristic game to take place many years, after these stories had taken place. Now, I can really say that this may be the first game designed with 5 years of storywork behind it that hasn't already been made a series, or a movie, or something.

davereed

Well, Wolf 3d awakened the memories of the fun Atari 3D arcades i used to play. I've played nearly all the arcades, ever since the Pacman era.

ARTech

So did I. Long gone are the days of typing in programs from Compute!, though.

davereed

Heh. I remember typing in programs from Compute!

ARTech

I've found that there are few programmers that don't remember typing in programs from Compute! (ARTech smiles.)

davereed

I started to design my dream game.

ARTech

Tell me about the dream game. (no, not you, Usul.)

davereed

Well, I started on developing the idea of a game that mixed the 3d Atari Arcades (With things coming at you from all around), the environment from the movie Tron, and the kind of Magic system from an RPG.

ARTech

Sounds like quite the dream. (the earth shakes and splits as IRC undergoes one of the hundreds of netsplits that rock its foundation daily)

davereed

The Old arcades also didn't mind doing a split screen idea, with more than 1 perspective.

davereed

Often a double perspective, for 2 people to hack around.

davereed

What the double display is used for in my game, I'm not sure I can say, at the moment.

davereed

But lets just say that Tanks are often not controlled by 1 person.

ARTech

Okay. So, we come back to the design, then; have your programmers asked you to scale down your vision of the game?

davereed

One has, the other is doing another game which also does some pushing of its own.

davereed

Me. I don't ask to scale things down. We take things one thing at a time and just keep adding, till it reaches what it is supposed to do. Then we talk scaling.

davereed

To make an ok game, you code simply thinking that we have to cut this and this out.

davereed

To make a game that truly is innovative, you've got to simply code for what you'd like to have, and then once the game is there, see what you can do to it.

ARTech

Do you think that the problems you had trying to get programmers to work with you are in any way symbolic of the general attitudes of the Amiga development community?

davereed

Some of them, were mainly problems between themselves.

davereed

The idea that the Amiga has some effect in the difficulty of finding anybody is true.

davereed

That's why Origin took off so easily.

davereed

The other people weren't working for me, but I was coming in as a musician, trying to break some known ground. To establish myself so that I could be in a position to make the game a reality with that group.

davereed

Scratch Musician. Composer is the better name.

ARTech

I've had people say that while the users seemed to have a strong vision of the Amiga, somewhere along the line, the programmers lose it. Do you feel that has any truth? Is something disillusioning our development community causing them to lose the vigor they held as users?

davereed

Fear is the answer to your question.

ARTech

Very Kosh-ish of you. So, you think that it's the times we live in, then, and not a general attitude.

davereed

Origin, in the PC market coded for the biggest machines with games that were spectacular enough to get people to upgrade.

davereed

Many programmers in the Amiga market are afraid to do what Origin did because they aren't sure of Amiga users will upgrade for a new and spectacular game, such as in the PC market.

davereed

Years ago, I believed Amiga users would. I still do.

davereed

Not that the Ami scene is the only thing I plan to code for. But to push the market for faster processors, I'm all for it.

ARTech

What kind of requirements, then, can users expect your dream game to have? 030? 040? Graphics card? ECS or AGA?

davereed

As for the first project, mainly what is needed is 2 megs and for the speed a nice 030. Graphics is not dependant.

ARTech

And the second?

davereed

The second should be the same, based on the same engine.

davereed

I do have something in the platform genre working up, on paper. I've even started some of the soundtrack for that one, but that would be AGA.

ARTech

What kinds of problems have you had designing an engine that is both depth and hardware independent? What kinds of things have you done to make sure that the hardware is used to its potential?

davereed

Well, with chunky to planar conversion, there isn't an AGA hardware specialty that is needed. But Magical spell effects are nice with custom chips. There is also some other things such as transparencies, etc....

davereed

Take Black crypt for instance.

ARTech

Please do. I never had the opportunity to play the game.

davereed

Black Crypt really doesn't need a whole lot in the custom chips, but the magical effects use the blitter nicely.

davereed

When you play around with what you can do with a plane in planar graphics, they can do some fun things without the CPU.

ARTech

What kinds of things can be done with the planar graphics system that you feel are the best examples of that statement?

davereed

One of the things I like about Amiga's custom chips, in particular, is the transparent copper runs.

davereed

It is done in some euro demos, but also in Black Crypt (Yep, there's that word again).

davereed

In BC, there are various magical barriers which you can see through, but have their own colors which cycle in a particular direction. (Half transparent walls).

davereed

They don't have to be walls, however. Imagine, using something that cycles in a direction to refract or reflect light.

davereed

Just an idea.

ARTech

Fascinating.

davereed

Well, BC doesn't shoot off light. I was just taking it to a possible conclusion, could make a neat idea of something to bounce things off (i.e. lasers possibly?)

davereed

We are coding the stuff as system friendly as possible. I.E. no real poking around. There are some things in which the graphics are real easily ported between the two sides.

davereed

For the first versions, the game will need the custom chips.

ARTech

What happens when the custom chips are gone? Do you then rely on the CPU to do what the chips would have done, or do you simply leave the feature out?

davereed

Under RTG, most machines will be powerful enough to do the same things without them.

ARTech

So you plan on releasing a version of the game for each "platform" then; such as ECS, AGA, and RTG-boards?

davereed

The engine already supports ECS and AGA. RTG boards are an option, only needing to redirect some thing.

ARTech

How have your programmers reacted to the demands your dream game has placed upon them? How do they feel about the project?

ARTech

(one would hope that they are ecstatic, and honored, but you know how programmers can be.)

davereed

They keep telling me about how big and well-done the storyline is. They see a neat idea, but I know they aren't sure about how it is until they have a tangible product ready.

davereed

Perhaps they make think I'm a bit looney, especially that I wanted a combination texture mapper and polygon system put into the engine. I.e. a double engine.

ARTech

Sounds like a good idea to me, though.

davereed

It'll work. Years after I came up with that idea, Team 17 is now working on 3D Off Road, which does this.

davereed

Imagine, if I could've gotten the team as early as I wanted. I would've had the game ready before Doom was ever released to the public eye. :)

davereed

The game is nothing like Doom, in game play, but people will see texture-mapping and immediately classify it.

ARTech

I know that you and your team work over the internet; how has that helped or hindered productivity, and what has it done to the communication between design and coding phases?

davereed

The design definitely gets hindered by internet, but mostly by not having a mailing list.

davereed

Things seem to be moving along, however, mainly since I come on here and mail so often.

ARTech

So you feel that for proper development, the minimum requirement for productivity would be a mailing list.

davereed

I basically try to maintain a daily presence, here. If anything comes through, I relay it.

davereed

I also try to ask questions and so forth,

ARTech

Have you found productivity within the constrained walls of IRC?

davereed

Funny enough. Dave Bryson and I are the only ones with IRC access. At least, the only ones I've seen on IRC.

ARTech

Has it been useful?

davereed

IRC. Hmm. It's been useful for my general Amiga stuff, but not much for the game.

ARTech

Mostly email, then.

davereed

Heh. my project has been all email and/or ftp.

davereed

The design ofthe game is big. The tmapping only makes a tiny part of the game.

davereed

I had originally designed the game without any texture mapping, but Tomwoof insisted that I do it.

ARTech

How many people, total, are involved in creating various elements of the game?

davereed

I can say around 5, at the moment. Two for the engine, two others for the Cartoon stuff.

davereed

There are other people doing voices and stuff, but the voices come last in the animation process. That, is the fun part!!

davereed

Basically, the people speak into a microphone as they watch the character's mouth move.

ARTech

Wow. :)

ARTech

Is there anything you'd like to say to anyone who, like you, wakes one morning with one of those Ideas for a game?

davereed

Heh. No one can wake up one morning and make a game.

ARTech

Yes, but is that what you want to SAY to them. :)

davereed

Nah!

ARTech

What would you say, then?

davereed

All I can say is: If you have an idea that you REALLY want to express. Write it down and don't ever, ever, *EVER* give up.

davereed

Did I mention to never give up??

davereed

I can't say that more than enough.

davereed

I'm not pushing this game to simply make a neat game. I have to finish this. There's a huge message behind it and all of the stories I will probably have published when the game is released.

ARTech

Thanks, Dave. Now's the part where you give us your contact information, so that anyone who thinks you're a god can write and worship you.

davereed

Heh. Worship is the last thing I want.

ARTech

I'm sure all of the parents whose nobility many computer games seem to offend will be appeased by that statement alone. :)

davereed

That's the funny part about my game. It couldn't be considered either super violent or super cute.

davereed

And I never like to be seen as higher than anybody else. But my main email address is davereed@wam.umd.edu

ARTech

davereed: Do you have a working or final title for the name of your game?

davereed

Yes, the name is Mystik Tank (Spelled correctly for the title)

davereed

It's a funny name, but it fits the description, once you know the storyline. It's also not simply about the Tank. :)

ARTech

Thanks, dave. And, of course, you're free to close with any final comments.

davereed

Ok. I actually do have a comment.

davereed

Basically, it is for developers, no matter what platform they are on.

davereed

when you come up with an idea, think first about what it can do, not how small you can make it. Tone it down later, not before. Otherwise, you never know what you could've missed.

davereed

The programmers who do this will always come out on top.

davereed

And the funny thing, they'd think it was like taking candy from a baby. Not to condone the stealing from babies. (davereed smiles.)

ARTech

Sounds like good advice. Not the candy from babies, of course. :) (ARTech smiles.)

ARTech

Thanks for your large chunk of time. :)

davereed

No problem.