Easily install and launch Quake maps with the cross-platform An Interview with Scampie
- Search for Scampie's Singleplayer maps at Quaddicted.
Could you briefly introduce yourself (age, location…) and tell us when you were most active in the Q1 community?
I am Scampie, the world's greatest level designer, shrimp, and all around nice guy. While my skills are ageless, I am in fact 25 years old. I've been a mapper since Q1 came out in '96, but didn't really get involved with the community until Quake 2 came about. I currently live in Madison, WI, USA, where I am employed by Big Rooster Software.
How did you get involved in the community?
I really liked the maps headshot and ztn were making back in the day, and checked their sites every few days hoping for news on their new stuff. One day, headshot posted about QBoard, a level design message board he had made, and I was hooked.
What Q1 contributions are you best-known for? Which of your works is your personal favorite?
I guess scampdm5: self-righteous suicide is my 'good' Q1 map, but I'd say I'm likely best known for running weekly speedmapping events every week a few years ago. I've only actually properly released 3 deathmatch levels for Q1, the bulk of my work being Q3 stuff, as well as a shit ton of unreleased and unfinished stuff.
Er… but to be honest, I'm likely best known for the fact that I weaseled my way into being owner of #terrafusion, as well as moderator at the past few message boards. Not sure if these count as contributions though… :)
What was your initial motivation to work for Quake?
Quake was THE game back when I started out, and something really excited me back then to find out that there were all these mods and skins and etc stuff people were making for the game. Mapping was just the easiest to get into and do well at with little actual skill to start off with (Skinning required art skill, modding needed programming skill).
Do you still have a website/links where we could check out/rediscover your stuff?
No.
What are your best memories about this community?
I forget.
Are you still playing Quake? Are you still trying out mods, maps and engines?
I load up some of the new maps whenever something comes out that interests me, but that's about it.
Have there been other games you have been playing a lot since you left the community (if you did)?
Team Fortress 2
How would you describe the Q1 community right now? Is there any contribution that really impressed you in the last couple of years?
A few handfuls of guys doing their own thing, and a bunch of message board and irc chatters endlessly going on about dongs. Several good maps have been released, but that's about it.
How do you picture the future of the community? Do you (objectively) think that people will still be modding/mapping for it in, say, 10 years from now?
Q1 community? I'm sure a couple people will continue mapping. Heck, Quake is like 12 years old now, and still going.
As far as the mapping/modding community at a whole, I'm afraid. Valve seems to be the only developer specifically catering to us, while the rest of the industry is jerking off to making games that require months of work and teams of people to create any content, as well as games without any modding features that they'll use to microtransaction all their player's money away for content the community used to make for free. And this isn't just a fear for those of us who love the hobby. The games industry will hurt from this, as all the best talent in the industry has always come from guys who do their own thing in their basement.
I suspect in 10 years we'll either see the death of modding as a whole, or, a new bright generation of modders on a new generation of games.
Your #1 secret special ingredient to a good map (imagine a newbie asking for your advice)?
Crates, Lasers, Explosions. The combination of these elements are the basis of any good map, no matter what the engine or gameplay.
What is the question you would have like to be asked (but weren't), how would you have answered it and how pissed are you for me not thinking about it?
Did you waste a lot of time answering these questions?
Yes. Yes I did.
And no I'm not pissed. <3