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G A M E S L I C E : Behind the Scenes of the Game Industry
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An Interview With Mark Randel, President of Terminal Reality
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Racing games used to be nothing special. You know the drill: A few sporty cars, a wad of racing tracks, and a dash of obstacles on the course were the perfect recipe for instant sales in the early 90s. However, as of late the racing simulation market has moved more towards the realism of Flight Simulators, while trying to keep the gameplay quick and immersive. For years, developers have struggled to balance realism with real enjoyment. With CART Precision Racing and Monster Truck Madness, Lewisville, Texas based Terminal Reality has made their mark and upped the ante on racing games on the PC.
Perhaps no better example of their game design philosophy is their latest game, the sequel to Monster Truck Madness, due out in early May. The aptly titled Monster Truck Madness 2 sports a totally new 3D engine, dubbed Photex2, which makes the game a visual tour de force, with lens flares, reflective water, volumetric headlights on the trucks, and a fully interactive racing environment. Users with 3D accelerator cards will be dazzled by the visual pumped out by the game, making even the Instant Replay mode a treat to play with for hours on end.
With the graphics blowing away any of the competition, Terminal Reality has also concentrated on making the racing game more fun to play. Using a license from the WCW, there are trucks to drive with Hollywood Hogan and Sting decals plastered all over them, as well as a new Wrestling inspired multiplayer mode entitled "Summit Rumble." Toss in interactive elements of the environment including the ability to go underwater and destroy pylons and other obstacles, and all of the sudden Monster Truck Madness 2 feels more like a realistic action game than a complicated simulation product.
We recently had a chance to catch up with TRI's Mark Randel, who told us about what to expect in the game, and what Terminal Reality has planned for the immediate future with the Gathering of Developers, their new publisher.
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What Monster Truck Madness 2 offers over its predecesor
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<I>Why build a sequel to the first Monster Truck Madness? In other words, if I bought the first game, why would I want to invest in this one?</I>
It's simple: If you had a good time with the first game, you'll have a great time with the second game. We have twelve all new single player tracks, and three new multiplayer tracks. Better frame rates and excellent graphics add to the whole experience.
<I>Mark, tell us a bit about the Photex 2 technology that is being used for Monster Truck Madness 2. Besides a visual improvement, can we expect the gameplay to improve thanks to this updated technology?</I>
Gameplay is more realistic. You leave nice tread marks in the dirt. Driving in -- and under -- water is a new gameplay element. And of course, the weather is improved with Photex 2, allowing for nine different weather effects on each track. Therefore, rain and snow make driving more slick; night and fog make for different visibility -- you just have to love that dusk sky!
<I>Photex 2 is geared toward 3D accelerator cards. For those users who don't own a 3D card, is MTM2 going to be relatively unspectacular?</I>
MTM2 will still have the photographic look with or without acceleration. Without a 3D card, believe it or not, you'll get better color definition. 3D cards use 5/5/5 textures. While software rendering uses 6/6/6 or 8/8/8, depending on what your video card supports. So, the colors actually do look better under software. The frame rate is faster for MTM2 than it was under the first game, if you enjoyed the first under software, you'll enjoy the sequel even more.
<I>Forgive my ignorance, but what is a 5/5/5 texture and what makes an 8/8/8 texture set better?</I>
5/5/5 means 5 bits of precision for red/green/blue. That washes out colors. 6/6/6 is better, because you have an extra bit of color. 8/8/8 is the best, because that is a 16.7 million "true color" image, which is how we store each and every texture in the game. This is something that no other game engine does. We store every texture in AGP high detail in 24 bit true color with our proprietary 3:1 almost perfect compression. If a 3D card comes out within the life span of the game that can ever support this mode, we can make a quick .DLL patch and put it on our website. When Glide 3.0 ships (for 3DFX chipsets), we can use 6/6/6 mode on Voodoo2 to make it look superior to any other 3D card.
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The multiplayer feature in the game, Summit Rumble,and real-time voice taunting in the game.
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<I>Another technological innovation I've read about is the ability to use a microphone to speak between players in mutliplayer. Will this be available to 28.8 modem users?</I>
Yes! The compression is 50:1 so that you can use it on your home modem for head to head chat during a game.
<I>You are using a license from the WCW for the Monster Trucks. Why should this matter to gamers? Obviously such a license costs a significant sum of money, yet does it really improve gameplay?</I>
For the multiplayer "Summit Rumble" wrestling feature, you just need those professional wrestlers. Incidentally, I love WCW Monday Nitro on TNT. It's great entertainment, and goes hand in hand with the flavor of the game. Did you watch Sting take on the entire NWO single handedly a few weeks ago? Classic! Plus, these are trucks that are on the circuit already.
<I>I know multiplayer in racing games is often somewhat unspectacular, ending up being a simple race around the track. I know you plan to change this with the Summit Rumble. Tell us a bit more about the goal of this type of game.</I>
Summit Rumble could be called "King of the Hill." The object is to race to the top of an object in each of the three levels and stay in a marked area longer than anyone else. Rumbles are the closest thing to WCW action inside the ring. Hard hitting and a cheap shot here or there are the only way to ensure victory.
<I>All of TRI's products have somehow involved vehicles - an Indycar, a monster truck, or a spaceship. Why do you have this concentration on vehicular-based games? Can we expect the Photex 2 engine to appear in other types of games, such as a first person foot-based game? Any plans for such a game?</I>
Well, all of the games we do at TRI involve a simulation. However, we could be working on a "human" or "realistic person" simulator &winks&.& But we won't do another clone of that first person 3D action game genre.
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Will the Photex 2 engine be licensed?What is Mark's usual daily schedule?
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<I>With Photex 2 being such a hot piece of technology, are you going to be licensing the engine to third parties? Any news on this front as of yet?</I>
We've talked to some major developers, but no new news yet!
<I>Tell us a bit about the tracks in MTM2 and some of the unique features of the game which it stand out from any other product coming out this Spring. In other words, tell us why we should be looking forward to the game.</I>
Well, there is a lot of hidden stuff. We've been just playtesting and tweaking the game, and still can't get enough of single or multiplayer play. It's so much fun. Get ready for the best ground based sim to come out of our doors yet, and I do mean yet.
<I>Mark, you've had an interesting history working in the game industry, with previous experience at BAO working on the Flight Simulator line of products. Is it more fun to make a game like MTM2? Why or why not?</I>
It is definitely more fun to make MTM2. When you don't have to be 100% realistic, it opens up a lot more doors. You can alter the scale of stuff a bit, and make things do stuff that they couldn't do in real life. Nobody would race a Monster Truck in real life like we do in the game, but if they did, and were indestructible, then they would behave pretty darn close to how the game does.
<I>Does it bother you that a game like Monster Truck Madness is known more as a Microsoft product than a TRI product, when it is really your company that developed the game? Some would suggest that this is the reason why your company decided to sign with the Gathering of Developers, to ensure you received more exposure.</I>
Of course it bothers us. But we are not out to glorify ourselves either. We just want credit where credit is due. I've written the 3D engine for every 3D game Microsoft ever shipped.
<I>Finally, describe your typical day to us. When do you wake up, and how late do you stay at the office?</I>
TRI opens at 8:30am, I expect everyone to be in by 9:00 in the morning. Yes, most game programmers don't come in until the afternoon, but I like to think of us a group of engineers, not programmers. I usually stay until 7:30 or 8:00 pm.
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20 quick questions about Terminal Reality and Mark's personality.
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<I>The best thing about working at TRI is...</I>
Working with a group of people that all strive for the best in cutting edge technology. And 25 cent Cokes!
<I>The worst thing about working at TRI is...</I>
Not enough hours in the day.
<I>The one thing I really wanted to add to MTM2, but couldn't because of technology limitations was..</I>
DirectX6 support.
<I>The only job that I could think of that would be more fun than what I doing now is...</I>
Being a Playboy photographer.
<I>The last game I played from start to finish was...</I>
Resident Evil 2
<I>The last game I played and said, "Wow, I wish we could have developed that," was...</I>
None, actually. I think we could have developed anything out there that I've ever seen.
<I>One game I would like to take off my resume is...</I>
I'm proud of every game I've shipped.
<I>In 20 years, I want Monster Truck Madness 2 to be remembered as...</I>
As fondly as I remember any great old Apple ][ game.
<I>Here's an SAT question for you: MTM2::MTM1 = What::What?</I>
Filet Mignon::Hamburger
<I>I think the largest mistake that a developer can make in designing a game is...</I>
Picking the wrong publisher.
<I>If you met me on a street corner, you'd probably think I was...</I>
Nobody in particular.
<I>Every day when I drive into work I feel...</I>
I will improve what I worked on the day before.
<I>The biggest misconception about TRI is...</I>
That we are a part of Microsoft Corporation.
<I>The trait I most admire in people is...</I>
Integrity.
<I>The trait I most despise in people is...</I>
Lack of integrity.
<I>When I was growing up, my idols were...</I>
Eddie Van Halen.
<I>If I weren't doing what I am now, I would be...</I>
6 feet under.
<I>Driving a monster truck is just like...</I>
Your own truck, just a little more fun. &grin& However, it does get worse mpg.
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G A M E S L I C E : Behind the Scenes of the Game Industry
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