boot went to Paris, France to talk with the man in charge of making the first MMX game, a full-screen, high-adrenaline, futuristic racing game. POD will be bundled with the first MMX systems next spring as a demonstration of the MMX instruction set's power. While the neo-classical graphics moving at 30-plus frames per second, realistic light and shadows, and high-frequency music clearly demonstrate what MMX is capable of, it's the raw speed of the game that will feel different to the users that crank the throtte. The man behind the wheel of this hot rod game with MMX under the hood is Fabrice Valay.
boot: Is MMX going to cause a revolution?
Valay: For sure. It brings something really new. The SIMD (simple instruction multiple data) processing means the computer is able to do many things at the same time; and for developers this means that we're able to display eight times the amount of elements. In terms of what's displayed, it is really a big difference.
boot: Motorola says MMX does nothing for games.
Valay: Do they know anything about games? or MMX technology? I can show you POD on a Pentium and I can show you POD on an MMX and you'll have the answer.
boot: Are there games that just won't benefit from MMX?
Valay: All the games that do not use a lot of the CPU; those that do not consume a lot of power from the engine; they will not benefit from it. But then again, a good game does not necessarily need more power. POD is using a lot of the machine's power and it exploits the MMX chip. And that's where the revolution will come from.
boot: Tell us about POD.
Valay: It's a picturesque racing game. You can play with up to 8 human players at the same time or against the computer. The way you're able to master your car, master your track allows you to win. There is no confusion in this game; it is only a racing game. Another thing unique about the game is that goes very, very fast in high resolution at 30 frames per second on any MMX machine. From what I've seen on the PC, this is the most amazing racing in terms of speed and behavior. The main idea was making it as fast as possible in the game play. We've been studying every game in the world; all the production values; all the behavior like in Mario Cart: the way you control the car, the gravity; or in Ridge Racer: the streets and the tracks. We tried to understand everything that makes a great game and figure out what was the best combination. You must know the car and the track, and understand how the car works. If you beat somebody, you'll not only be a better driver than he is, you'll be smarter. I can outsmart you by choosing better settings. You can train, but you 'll never beat me because I'm smarter. The idea of fighting between the racers is very strong in this game.
boot: Is that why everyone at the trade shows is talking about this game?
Valay: I think so. We had two or three screens running only one game, which is nothing compared to big companies like Nintendo or EA. People were amazed only by the technology. But you cannot rely on the technology, it must be something more. It must be more than just a cool demonstration of what he MMX can do. We think right now everyone's talking about how [MMX] is a very good technology and tomorrow they will speak about [POD] as a very good game. Instead of just having a good product, we're going to have a hit, maybe a mega-hit. I know that if I have a good core technology product, it will be a hit, because in this industry everything with good technology was a hit. But in order to have a mega-hit like Doom, War Craft II, or Duke Nukem 3D, you need much more than that. You need to be very good in terms of technology and gameplay.
boot: How different is programming for MMX instead of standard Pentium? Was your team coming back to you and saying, "This is a nightmare."
Valay: It was easier, through the cooperation we had with Intel, because were able to work with their MMX people directly. We coded the 3D engine and let them (Intel) explain how to exploit the chip. I think that it's even easier because of the multiple data structure. The MMX chip understands what you want to do.
boot: Was Intel a partner, over-seer, consultant? How would you describe your relationship with them?
Valay: They were much more partners. We have similar goals. They have a very good product and they want to sell it. We have a very good game and we want to sell it. To demonstrate a very good machine, you need games that show what it can do. We have been working together on many aspects of the game and technology. It's a question of helping each other.
boot: How would you sum up MMX's advantages, in terms of programming?
Valay: The MMX is very useful for mainly three different effects. One is 3D optimization, because it allows corrections not possible on a normal Pentium. On a [non-MMX] Pentium, you see distortion. Second, because [MMX-based machines] are more powerful, we save the CPU's time for other things like artificial intelligence. In POD, you never see two races alike because the AI is open ended. It can adapt to the way you drive. In some racing games, if you start a game at the very left of the track and no one will every bother you. In our game this is not possible. You never know how they are going to come at you. This is the power of MMX. Finally, the sound. We're doing a lot of complex calculations thanks to MMX. We can have an infinite number of voices which was not possible before. There were 32 voices mixed together to create a realistic engine sound. You can feel it. For example, even if you don't see the other car, you'll know by what you hear that you've been passed.
boot: POD will be available for both MMX-enhanced and standard Pentium machines. Is the MMX version the same as the Pentium? Is it a different SKU?
Valay: No, it's two different programs, on two different discs, and two different packages. The Pentium version will not be as rich as the MMX one. The background in the Pentium will be lacking. You will not have the same frame rate. But you can change the size of the screen to adapt it. We don't want to sacrifice gameplay for anything. The main thing racing needs is to be very fast. Of course it needs to be beautiful, too. So for the Pentium version, we had to make some choices.
boot: Was it a headache to make two versions at once?
Valay: You need to know exactly where you want it to go. It's a question of organization. We worked with different teams. There is a team that makes the engine, then there is a team that adapts sound, then a department that adapts the game to every 3D accelerator card. After that, we had to consider the ways we were going to treat different data. Making a Pentium version and an MMX version was like working for two different platforms.
boot: How long until MMX titles are as common as CD-ROMs?
Valay: It's going to be released in January and Intel predicts big sales in the fall of '97. So at the end of the first quarter, all the people on top of technology will have [an MMX system].
boot: What do you see as the next step after MMX?
Valay: I've heard about the Pentium Pro and MMX technology merging. I'm sure Intel will make them together next year.
boot: Are there things about MMX that you've learned from making this game that you weren't able to incorporate in this project but will use in your next effort?
Valay: When a machine comes out on the market, you do not know what it is really capable of doing. I'm sure you'll be able to do much better things with MMX than we have done right now. Each month we tweak and learn more about the hardware, what needs to be done by the software, and how it all works. I think in two years you'll see really amazing things with MMX.
boot: In the US, different types of games are made in the different regions. On the West coast, for example, they're more like Hollywood productions with big sounds and movie stars. On the east coast there is a lot of attention to interface. And in the south they make shoot-'em-ups. Is there a difference in the games that are made in the different countries and regions of Europe?
Valay: You'll always have the French touch and you can't compete against that (...laughs). But I think there's a big difference between English and French developers. You have a long history of development in England, and people there are moving from one company to another. This is not the story in France. Our goals are very different. First, we're trying to have the best graphics ever. Second, we're trying to have great gameplay. And we do all this because we are looking for a hit.
boot: You seem a little young to be the product leader on something as important as the first game bundled with MMX systems, the definitive demonstration of this new technology. What made Intel feel you were qualified?
Valay: My passion for games. That is the thing. I also know what management means. I'm working hard and I'm playing hard everyday. I really love that. I'm 28 and I'm one of the old guys in this industry. The average age on this team is something like 26. But all of us are passionate people. All the people in this company are gamers, and gamblers. That's what brought me to this company.
When we first started [POD] it was a year and a half before the MMX existed. Everybody knew Intel was developing a new microprocessor, but nobody knew what this computer would be able to do. Until about a year ago, we were developing without any idea of MMX. But we knew computers were able to do so much. And tomorrow they'll do more. Today we are ahead in the industry and we were ahead at E3 because we started with the assumption that the technology would allow us to do more.
boot: You mention the computers of yesterday. What was your first computer?
Valay: I had this old one when I was sixteen, and I don't even remember what it was. I didn't like it because it was only for work and school. The computer I'm using today is a big change from that one. When I got into this industry, it was because I was keen on games... and only games. I'm really in love with every type of game. And the machine didn't matter in the beginning. But if a [new] machine offers you technology and power that the old one did not, it allows you to put more of your dreams into the game. If you know how it works, with every better machine you will have a better game. Yesterday, the games were in 16 colors, today they are in 256, tomorrow they'll be in 65,000 colors, then millions, and they will have more life. If the gameplay follows, we'll have games that we only dream about right now.
boot: We've heard that Duke and Warcraft are your favorite games. What is it about those games that make them your favorites?
Valay: They are action games and they are multiplayer games. They put high quality in every part of the game. I think these two products have reached a certain technical quality and put the requests of the consumers at the top. That is something I like. I first enjoyed playing Duke in single player mode, so I could know the maps and the weapons and learn to behave as Duke. Since that time, I've been playing for hours with friends over a network. I think it's important for new games to give you both. That's what made Doom the best game of the century. It was all new to play with other human beings, and it's like sports because you can bring in your friends.
boot: Have you played Quake?
Valay: Yes. But not as much as Duke... yet. They went a little bit further than Duke. They used real 3D. Right now computers are still not quite strong enough, so the playability is somewhat cut down. But in terms of atmosphere, they went further than Duke. I also think the monsters and characters in Quake are stronger than the ones you find in Duke. I read in an article that pigs with guns are not very realistic. Right now, I still prefer Duke probably because I've played it more. Come back in a month, after we finish POD, and maybe I'll tell which is better.
boot: How will POD take advantage of Internet play?
Valay: Due to long latency times--no matter what the computer's technology is, no matter what the game is--the phone lines themselves are still the big obstacle. We're trying to play through the Internet directly, but we know the latency is still so bad that it's difficult. How much is the player is willing to accept from latency to play against other human players? As a player, I am very happy to play against a machine but no machine can challenge me the way another human being can. Our Web site is going to allow us to download new tracks, new cars, and exhibit your best record, so you can tell everybody in the world that on this track, you are the best.
boot: Hardware seems to be evolving faster than software. Would you agree?
Valay: When I see POD, I think [software developers] is moving very, very fast. A lot of people understand right now that it is real work to make games. For quite a long time, you had teams everywhere in the world who were developing games. But none of them were as proficient as the companies right now. One or two years ago, to be smart was an advantage. Now, everybody is smart and proficient. In the next six months, only the best products and games will be able to leave development.
So, I believe we're going much faster than the hardware right now. And when I say we'll move faster, I mean we'll regain the time we've lost. The two worlds need to go together.
