Jim was one of the first people to make a really high quality single player level, House of Desolution. He followed that up with the fabulous Critters. This is his story... :)

Tell us a bit about yourself (like how old you are, where you live, what you do in the 'real' world :)

I'm a 27 year old programmer living near Minneapolis in Minnesota.

Did you edit Doom levels before Quake? If so, which levels did you design?

Yes. None of the Doom maps I designed before Quake are worth mentioning except for the things I did with TeamTNT. I did the 12th map of Evilution in Final Doom. I also did maps 04 and 31 of Icarus and one of the DM maps in Bloodlands. More info on TeamTNT can be found at The TeamTNT Page.

How difficult did you find it to learn Quake editing?

It was pretty hard, but not because of Quake itself. I learned Quake as Jon Mavor wrote Thred, and there weren't any people I could ask questions of. I had to figure a lot of the stuff out myself, and it was very time consuming.

What was the most difficult aspect of it?

Making the transition from Doom's 2D maps to Quake's 3D maps. I'm getting better, but my maps still aren't as 3D as I would like them to be. There is a huge tendancy to develop Doom-like maps in Quake and just use the engine to make nice architecture. This is ok, but the really great maps are those that layer the play over several vertical areas. If you can do this and frequently overlap them, you will have a winner in both gameplay and look/feel.

How much time do you spend editing a week?

Probably 10 hours or so. More if I'm working on a project.

Which Quake editor do you use?

Thred and qED.

What do you think are its best features?

Freedom of movement and grouping. The camera control in Thred is exceptional and easy to use. This is important when you are designing a map because in a 3D model you frequently need to visualize the area you're working on. Having complete freedom of movement around the map assists this a lot.

What features do you think would improve it?

Keyboard shortcuts, and a little more polish. Some of the entities are missing from the entity list for example.

How do you come up with ideas for your levels? Do you plan or sketch them in advance?

I try to come up with a set of goals for the map. Find a key in one part, then open a door to a trap, then whatever. When I have that, I sketch out the first area on graph-paper and start designing. When I get done, I'll start on the next section.

What do you think are the ingredients to make a great Single Player level?

Three things: A goal, a theme, and a good balance between monsters and weapons. With that as a good start, you should also have some secrets, a few traps, and at least one place where the player gets way more ammo than he needs and then gets to clear out an entire room of grunts with it. :)

What is your favourite id map (or maps) in registered Quake?

That's tough to say. There is SO much good architecture in the game that it's very hard to pick out one map and say "I like it!". FWIW, I do have a preference for American's maps.

What is your favourite user created map (or maps)?

I don't see a lot of other maps, but probably "Place of Belonging" is the best one I have seen. That map is truly world-class.

What is your favourite monster :) ?

Gotta be the demon.

What is your least favourite monster :) ?

The fish. They're cool, just not as cool as the rest of the monsters.

What advice would you give to people wanting to build their own Quake levels?

Go to QuakeLab and start reading in the "basics" section. After that, pick an editor and find a tutorial to work with and make about 6 or 7 small maps that you just throw away. Once you have done that, then start working on making bigger maps with a mission.

What are the worst and/or most common errors you have come across while playing user created maps?

People who don't VIS their maps, and people who don't realize until it's too late that Quake doesn't handle huge open areas very well. These maps will play slow and just aren't fun.

Who is your favourite id level designer (hint: you can choose people who have left the company :)?

Heh, I actually rode in Romero's Ferrari with him once. He's a very cool guy, but I have to say that I like American's stuff a bit more. American spent a fair amount of time answering questions for me when I was learning Quake and has a keen insight into the things that are important in level design (When you add light, make sure you show where the light is coming from!).

Where do you go on the internet for Quake editing help and information and Quake news in general?

For Quake news, I go to Blue's News. Who doesn't? ;)

How did you publicise the release of your last level?

I posted it on the Thred webpage (one of the benefits of running the site), uploaded it to ftp.cdrom.com, and sent an e-mail to the webmasters of all of the "Single Play Quake" sites that are listed in SlipGate.

Did you get a lot of e-mail response?

Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

Finally, what features would you like to see in Quake 2?

Mostly stuff that is in the radiosity stuff Carmack did. The ability to associate a brush with a light so the whole brush casts light. Also, skys that cast parallel light down onto the ground, and reflecting light.

Jim, thanks for your time!

Interview © Matt Sefton and Jim Lowell, 1997.