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        <h1><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><i><a href="../../index.html">loonygames</a><br>
          <font size="1">a <a href="http://www.bluesnews.com">blue's news</a> 
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<p>&nbsp;</p>Vol. 
                2, Issue 3<br>
                November 22, 1999<br>
                </b>
              <b> 
                </b>
               
                <b><i>Kicking 

                  Back with a Bear</i></b></p>
                An 
                  interview by Russell &quot;RadPipe&quot; 
                  Lauzon</p>
              
              

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               <i>In 
                the fall of '98, Barrett Alexander quietly packed up his belongings 
                and slipped out the doors of id Software. It wouldn't be the last 
                time the ex-military turned-biz guy set foot in the big black 
                office building in Mesquite Texas, home of id, but it would be 
                the last time as an id employee. What is he up to now, and why 
                does he still work in the same building? Read on, dear gamer.</i></p>
              </p>
              </p>
              <b>Your 
                departure from id Software was so quiet, I missed it. Why did 
                you leave and what have you been up to since?</b></p>
              </p>
              Well, 
                to be completely honest, I was fired. I'm sure as hell man enough 
                to admit the truth, and I'm definitely not going to tell the public 
                anything but. We all make mistakes and I was terribly unhappy 
                and was unable to pursue new opportunities as much as I would 
                have liked. I suspect they saw the dramatic drop in my attitude 
                and thus my work and decided to let me go at that point. I'm really 
                glad they did. Aggressive people need to grow their responsibilities, 
                learn, advance, and are driven to achieve. When those opportunities 
                are unavailable, it's time for a change. My time had come.</p>
              </p>
              I essentially 
                have been up to waiting for my dream job to come available, and 
                here I am.</p>

              </p>
              <b>A little 
                background: you were a marine once, a long time ago, and you've 
                also done a stint in computerized home security (or so I've been 
                told). What skills, that you've learned through these experiences 
                (or others), helps you most with your role as CEO?</b></p>
              </p>
              This is 
                a great question. I'm very proud of having been a Marine, and 
                attribute a lot of my strength to such. Without a doubt, I would 
                have to say that my ability to not get 'rattled' under pressure 
                is the key to many business dealings. When things get hot, or 
                someone is putting pressure on you, it is great to be able to 
                say in your mind &quot;I've been yelled at by the very best, and 
                you're not it!&quot; - I am not intimidated by anyone in business. 
                </p>
              </p>
              I also 
                have a sense of knowing that there is nothing, other than myself, 
                that can inhibit me from accomplishing any goal I set for myself.</p>
              </p>
              <b>Does 
                it feel a little strange dealing with id Software from the opposite 
                view now? Do you feel that you have an inside track when you talk 
                to them?</b></p>
              </p>
              I really 
                have had very few, if any, dealings with id since being at Rogue.</p>
              </p>
              I feel 
                a little weird being down the hall from them, but as far as having 
                any advantage when talking to them, not really. I definitely know 
                why they do what they do, and I certainly know what to expect 
                and how I think they would react to certain situations. But, they're 
                still id Software, and that means they'll pretty much lead the 
                way in most situations, regardless of whether or not someone has 
                'the inside track'.</p>
              </p>
              <b>You 
                and [head of Rogue Entertainment] Jim Molinets have been friends 
                for a long time now. How did he approach you about working for 
                Rogue? (And why the heck did he take so long in offering you a 
                job?)</b></p>
              </p>
              You are 
                correct, Jim and I, over the past few years, have become great 
                friends. Actually, we had discussed this opportunity many times. 
                Back then, however, Rogue was a very small tight group, unable 
                to accommodate new faces. I think the experience I gained from 
                the time we first spoke about it, to the point at which I started 
                with Rogue was absolutely invaluable (which by the way was part 
                time from my house in December of '98). I worked in numerous business 

                situations at id and especially after leaving id, that contributed 
                to my overall experience level and also granted me the opportunity 
                to see if business was truly the direction I wanted to take in 
                my career. I must admit that being Rogue's 'Biz Guy', is unequivocally, 
                where I want to be, doing what I want to do. So it really was 
                all a matter of timing.</p>
            
            <br><br>
              <b>What's 
                the best least-known thing about Jim Molinets?</b></p>
              </p>
              Ha, aside 
                from being the most entertaining person to be around that I know, 
                I would definitely have to say that even though Jim is on the 
                'Artistic' side of the business, he actually has a great deal 
                more common sense than most people I know. This definitely contributes 
                to a keen understanding of a vast number of topics, from game 
                design to business and beyond. His sense of reasoning (I know 
                you asked for the 'thing' not 'things' but this seems to tie in) 
                is astounding. He is able to understand and foresee potential 
                problems in all sorts of situations. He is terribly sharp. You 
                said 'least' known, and after typing all that I thought to myself, 
                &quot;ya know, everyone might know that about Jim already&quot;. 
                If they didn't, they do now.</p>
              </p>
              <b>What 
                are your duties at Rogue? Mainly biz? Did you help during negotiations 
                for the Alice project?</b></p>
              </p>
              Well, 
                during Rogue's current growth phase, my duties are greatly varied. 
                I handle everything that is not directly related to game development. 
                My primary role here is to conduct all of the company business, 
                including the day to day operations, as well as looking ahead 
                for new opportunities. My responsibilities also include a lot 
                the things similar to what I did at id, like dealing with outside 
                entities, including PR and items of that nature. I definitely 
                had a role in the Alice negotiations, especially the contract 
                nitty gritty. However, I was (actually, we all were) amazed at 
                how straight forward EA was and how easy it is to deal with them. 
                So far they have been outstanding to work with and we only see 
                this fledgling relationship strengthening.</p>
              </p>
              <b>How 
                does the environment at Rogue differ from the environment at id?</b></p>
              </p>
              I'm not 
                going to make comparisons. However, the exceptional qualities 
                I see in Rogue are:</p>
              </p>
              1. The 
                TEAM environment. It's amazing, everyone has input, and your opinion 
                is treated as if there is an ounce of validity prior to it being 
                'shot down'! No, really, even me, Mr. Biz guy, gets to sit in 
                on design meetings. Everyone is treated equally, period, and there 
                is no replacement for that when running a business.</p>
              </p>
              2. Belief 
                in the individuals that create the team. Rogue stands behind all 
                of their employees. In my case, giving me the freedom to go out, 
                make a decision, and then have them stand behind it. Not every 
                decision is going to be perfect, I'm human (hey, like I said, 
                I like to be honest). However, they trust that I have enough sense 
                (and understanding of direction for the company) that if I make 
                a poor decision, it won't impact the business so badly that it 
                matters. It's great to work for people who believe and trust in 
                you.</p>
              </p>
              <b>Will 
                Rogue be looking to fill in some ranks for the Alice project? 
                </b></p>
              </p>
              Absolutely. 
                We expect to be up to 15 or 16 people in the next few months. 
                In particular we need, well, pretty much all facets of game design; 
                Programmers, 3D Artists (especially good game character animators), 
                and Level Designers. You can visit our web site at:</p>
              </p>
              http://www.rogue-ent.com/jobindex.html</p>
              </p>
              We haven't 
                currently posted all the positions we need filled, but over the 
                next couple of weeks you should see details on more openings. 
                If there are experienced developers (I emphasize 'experienced') 
                out there that are ready to make a move, we truly are looking 
                for all positions, so, drop me an email.</p>
              </p>
              <b>Rogue 
                Entertainment is a low-key company that drifts along in the background 
                yet consistently produces great work. What do you attribute Rogue's 
                continuing success to?</b></p>
              </p>
              Hard work 
                and focus! Even though this is an extraordinarily unique industry 
                where there is a lot of fun to be had, it's still a business and 
                should be treated as such. Rogue has always kept their proverbial 
                'nose to the grindstone', taken care of business first, and played 
                second. This is what intrigues me the most about Rogue. They have 
                built a solid foundation for the company, which will allow Rogue 
                to flourish where others would fail. Essentially, many of the 
                normal mistakes, pitfalls and learning curves have already been 
                experienced. In particular, related to the Alice project, we are 
                definitely ready for prime time again. Rogue knows how the gaming 
                industry works and what it takes to get an incredible game done, 
                and done on time.</p>
              </p>
              <b>How 
                will Rogue be tackling the task of communication with the Redwood 
                City team? Will EA be sending someone out to Rogue to help? Who's 
                your point person at EA?</b></p>
              </p>
              Essentially 
                we're in direct contact with American McGee at all times. His 
                role as the title's Director allows EA and Rogue to work together 
                to craft a new benchmark in gaming. He visits periodically, to 
                keep track of the progress and to get input from the team here, 
                while we continue along working with Jim, our internal producer, 
                to make Alice up to our combined standards of quality. EA and 
                American have entrusted a lot of faith in us.</p>
              </p>
              <b>What 
                freedoms will you have in the design/development of Alice, or 
                is it pretty much locked up? What stage is the design currently 
                at?</b></p>
              </p>
              American 
                and EA have been amazingly open minded from the beginning. They 
                have asked for input from day one and are always ready to listen 
                to new ideas, even as we progress through the development cycle. 
                As far as the current stage of development goes, it's EA's place 
                to talk about that :)</p>
              </p>
              <b>How 
                will making a 3rd-person game change the way Rogue usually develops?</b></p>
              </p>
              Well, 
                I think the best answer to this question would be, &quot;looks 
                like it's time for an interview with Jim Molinets, Rogue's resident 
                producer type&quot; :)</p>
              </p>
              <b>What's 
                the strangest thing that's happened to you in the last week?</b></p>
              </p>
              Ha, someone 
                from a gaming site asked me to do an interview ;)</p>
              </p>
              <b>Thanks, 
                Barrett!</b></p>
              </p>
              <i>- 
                Russell &quot;RadPipe&quot; Lauzon is some guy who just walked 
                into the loonygames office and started calling himself Features 
                Editor. The position wasn't filled so we kept him.</i></p>
            
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<p><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2">Credits: Print CGI is 
  &copy; 2000 <a href="http://www.square8.com">Square Eight</a>. Used with permission. 
  Article is &copy; 2000 its original author. All other content is &copy; 2000 
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