Author of the exciting Quake2 levels "Exterior Infiltration" and "Heroic Bloodshed", Marty explains the inspiration behind his most cunning work. 
 
Real Life I am 24 years old and live in Australia. I reside in a property in the hills in Gippsland that has a lot of nature, wildlife etc. Its peaceful. I am looking forward to start working for Zero Gravity Entertainment who are based in Adelaide Australia. They designed the popular X-Men TC'. 
 

I always say the 'last map I did' coz thats the one im excited about at da time.  

  
 H e o r i c   B l o o d s h e d 
 
Inspiration comes from lots of things. The levels in Quake2 are great inspiration. Seeing a structure or architecture whilst out and about. Films and artwork. I dont usually 'dream' architecture as some authors do, gameplay results from dreams. ie running through my levels whilst sleeping. When creating a level I try and make it fun! Coz dats the most important thing to me, I want to make the player say "cool!" a lot. It has to feel like a real place. Linearity and flow is important. I want to nudge the player on a set path I have created and make him stop every now and again to explore. Backtracking sucks, I hate it :] Getting lost sucks. I want to choreograph the action, and at the same time create the illusion that the player is exploring a real place. I like to "push" the Quake2 engine. It doesn't allow for 'scripted events' but I try to make some special effects.  I put things in a level I want to do. I want to eject from my ship with shit flying everywhere. If I shoot a guard I want the glass behind him to shatter like a John Woo movie, so I set up some triggers. If I stumble across a weapons laboratory where Brains have just designed and built the BFG, I want a Strogg to blow himself to shit while he is working on something. Fun and realism is the key (have I mentioned that?) Tease the player by showing them their goal,(inaccessable) and then send them off on a mission to obtain it. Example, a key or exit in plain view but no way to get to it. Make  the same areas accessible at different heights and different entry points. I want to put more puzzles in my levels so people will use their brains :D  
  
I only check out the SPQ sites thus most of the levels I check out are pretty cool. The guy that did "Craters Edge" (I am sorry I dont know the name) was great, YooShin Yang does some cool stuff. Likka Kerenan (I love the way he uses the textures in totally different ways) and Matt Sefton (Precision design technique and perfection akin to a surgeons scalpel, is that the right analogy?) As long as a level is fun thats all i care about. 

Quake IIWhen I loaded up Quake2 I was pretty excited. Radio chatter, explosions, overhead ships, my pod crashed through the roof and a pumping soundtrack. I was pretty immersed. I loved the ambiance. I loved all the new marine death animation's compared to the demo ID released. I loved the gorgeous varied architecture and colourful textures. The enemies are pretty warped, especially the bosses. The guys over at ID are disturbed *grin* One thing I dont like is the fact that all the enemies have the same "gibs". ID Software have totally redefined the word 'replayability' with their games. 

>From a level designers viewpoint I felt like a kid with a new toy, coloured lighting, rotating brushes, explosions, etc. A day after I purchased Quake2, I was editing it using the limited Worldcraft patch thingy.
       M a r t y   H o w e

I use Worldcraft. I love it because I can go so fast and all the features are in front of me. I didn't give in to the urge to move to QERadiant when the WC patch wasn't forthcoming. P133 with 72 megs of Ram and a 3DFX card. 

I am a huge fan of Hong Kong action director John Woo. His last Hollywood film was Face/Off. His HK films such as The Killer, Hard Boiled and Bullet in the Head are truly stunning works of art. I cant put into words the feeling I get when I watch them. Im a  Star Wars nut as well. Music and seeing live bands I also enjoy. 

Blues News  is my start page. I check out the level review sites, some news sites, particular upcoming game sites like Unreal nation and Blood2.com for example. Some Hong Kong action movie pages, including HK actor Chow Yun Fat. I am a regular to the alt.asian.movies newsgroup where I can find other fans of John Woo and Chow Yun Fat. Also alt.quake.editing. IRC on occasion in the #Worldcraft channel.  

Half way through another 3 level unit containing a Prison ship, Execution Facility and a Hangar. *evil smile* 

 

E x t e r i o r   I n f i l t r a t i o n

Thanx for the interview i feel like a rock star. Ok um, I think the whole Internet gaming community is great. The Quake, editing and level design community in general and everything related. Everybody is so cool and helpful and it makes me feel not so lonely.  

~Marty Howe - May 5, 1998 
 
 
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