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Jon Zuk: I'd say that we had to push every department pretty hard on this game. For animation, we have 20 weapons, and 10 3000 poly character types as well as 16000 frames of animation (just in the male). For art, we have 100 characters, 9 locations, 1024x1024 textures, and a new effects system. For programmers, we have Ghoul2, ConfusEd, a new weapon system, a new AI system, and much more. Then, the designers have to take all of this new stuff, and make fun and engaging levels.
SL: How has Raven Software's previous experience with the Quake III Engine helped you push the limits with SoF2?
Jon Zuk: From Elite Force, we pretty much knew what Quake III could do, but we didn't push the technology much further because we were making the game while the engine was still being written. After finishing EF, we looked at all it had to offer, then decided what would need to be different to make SoF2 work. To say we pushed the limits is putting it mildly. We've pretty much taken those limits, threw them over our shoulder, and kept moving forward. There is much more new code in there now than original Q3 code.
SL: Could you please describe how the dynamic music is used to contribute to the game's atmosphere?
Jon Zuk: The main thing it does is let you know that you're now in combat. Depending on the area, the change is sometimes subtle. But it kind of pumps up the feeling of danger when in combat, and feels more expository when you are just looking around. I think we'll do much more with dynamic music in the future.
SL: What kind of resolutions and detail levels are we looking at for standard P3/Athlon 700 system with 128 MB of RAM and a GeForce2?
Jon Zuk: That's still in the works as we tweak performance. I think that kind of setup is going to be just around mid-range. We have a range from a P2-450, TNT2, 128MB of RAM to P4-2Ghz, GeForce 4Ti, 512MB of RAM. Since we have so much range to work in, we have to work very hard on scalability per system. The game is only going to be able to look its best on a fairly high end machine and we have to sometimes spare visual quality for performance. We can make the game look great on any system, it just won't run!
SL: How has the ARIOCHE terrain system allowed you to do greater things with maps in the game?
Jon Zuk: In single player, we didn't do too much with it, although there are a couple of levels. We utilize it most heavily in RMG maps. We have some ideas for greater utilization in the future, but the main plus behind it is the size of level we can do.
SL: Do you think that parental controls in SoF2 will bring the game to a much younger audience?
Jon Zuk: We're not trying to do that. This game is meant for mature audiences. However, there are parents who will just buy the game for their child no matter what. We are hoping that they will act responsibly and lock out content that is not appropriate for them. With that said though, if I had a 15 year old, I wouldn't let them play it. It is an adult game for adults.
SL: Are there other games that inspired you during the development of SoF2?
Jon Zuk: Everyone on the team plays games, so inspiration is drawn from everything. We look at all the current FPS games, but we use adventure games, RPGs, and even sports games. We have moving eyes, which were first seen in Madden 2001!
SL: Well, it's getting down to the wire. Do you wish that you had more time or are you glad that it's going out to the public to be seen?
Jon Zuk: Any developer that tells you he doesn't want more time is lying. There is always something that can be changed or improved upon as the technology for the game finishes. But this is a business and we have to put it out there sometime so we can make some money. Overall though, we're really proud of all the stuff we've accomplished. We actually have 3 separate games, SP, MP, and RMG, all in one box.
SL: Would SoF2 have been created without the continuing relationship with John Mullins?
Jon Zuk: I can't really answer that. If John had decided he didn't want to be involved, there would probably have still been a sequel, but I don't know for sure. However, he is involved, he's been a great help, and we hope to work with him more in the future.
SL: Do you ever just sit around and listen to his stories as if it were a campfire?
Jon Zuk: You bet we do. Last time he came out, everytime we went out to lunch or dinner, he had a story to tell. This was also after the whole September 11th tragedy so he was able to share some insight about Afghanistan, having been there before.
SL: What have you done to make SoF2 appeal to those wanting to make mods?
Jon Zuk: We worked very hard to externalize many parts of the game. This was done with the intent of making the art and design work flow easier, and making it open to mods. Even if we never release one bit of documentation, experienced modders should be able delve in and mod weapons, characters, skins, ammo, RMG missions, MP game types, scripting, models, and probably some more stuff I'm forgetting about.
SL: Once again, thank you very much for your time and good luck during the rest of development. We can't wait!
Jon Zuk: Thanks for the great questions!
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