Avault Developer's Chat
Avault invited some of the Shogo team members to a developer's chat on IRC, attended
by around 100 fans. We've editited the original ASCII version a little and grouped it by questions that
were answered. Handles starting with 'AV' are Avault folks, replies by Monolith are in yellow.
Monolith employees present were John Jack (lith-JohnJ, project manager), Craig Hubbard (lith-craig, lead designer),
Brian Goble (Scorpio_Lith, coder) and Nathan Hendrickson (Lith_Nate, level/game design).
IRC Log
<AV-Brian> Okay everyone, welcome to the Shogo Chat!
<AV-Brian> The channel is now moderated. To ask a question, just message one of the AV ops and we'll pass it along so we can get as many questions answered as possible.
<AV-Rex> We'll probably go unmoderated towards the end if you all behave. :)
<lith-JohnJ> Hey, anyone want to see a dreamcast version of Shogo?
<lith-craig> I do.
<AV-Chris> <florist> A: YES YES YES YES give me DC version
<AV-Chris> More on the Dreamcast version question - won't we be near many more newer things by the time you would be able to port the game over...Couln't that time&money; be spent on another PC title that? Unreal is coming out for the DC, and it will be old news when it does! comments?
<AV-Chris> depends...not if the money spent on the DC version could be spent towards a new PC version
<AV-Brian> <AIC> ports to dreamcast may be old news for PC users but the console audience is much larger than the PC gaming one
<AV-Emil> From Q: How well will Shogo perform on a Riva TNT board?
<Scorpio_Lith> kicks ass on TNT! (well, that's what I heard at least)
<lith-JohnJ> Shogo rocks on the TNT!
<Scorpio_Lith> played Blood2 through GameSpy today. :)
<AV-Brian> <[A3D]Steveo> My question is when will the fix for the Panther XL Joysticks be out ???
<Scorpio_Lith> First patch
<AV-Emil> From MVP: What kind of 3D sound support can we expect in LithTech games?
<Scorpio_Lith> Those joysticks are pretty intense
<Scorpio_Lith> there's like a laser light coming out of the trackball!
<lith-JohnJ> We're working on Creative EAX support right now.
<AV-Rex> florist> anything ya can say about whats up with usb mice?
<Scorpio_Lith> We're working with Microsoft on the USB mice problem too...
<AV-Emil> Which specific anime movies/shows inspired Shogo? Whose idea was it to go anime?
<lith-craig> Emil: lots of stuff. Patlabor, Venus Wars, Macross, Ghost in the Shell, Evangelion, Bubblegum Crisis, Gunsmith Cats, etc. Pretty much everything we've seen. :)
<AV-Chris> Darkband Q: Will Lithtech support any of the AMD 3D Now technology?
<lith-JohnJ> LithTech will support AMD 3D now. It will be in a Shogo patch.
<AV-Chris> Q: <Chris> Where are you on the network multiplayer internet patch? What can people expect performance wise?
<Scorpio_Lith> Dussault and $ have been working hard on the internet stuff and making some great progress...
<lith-JohnJ> The multiplayer internet patch is going well.
<AV-Jason> <Hari_Kari> I realize the game isn't out yet, but are there any plans for an expansion pack?
<Scorpio_Lith> There's already an official Shogo add-on in development! :)
<AV-Emil> Is it true Monolith is working on a Lithtech version of Claw?
<AV-Rex> <ReyWing> what's next for Monolith after Blood 2?
<Scorpio_Lith> We have a prototype for a Claw 3D game that uses LithTech. It's a little dusty... :)
<AV-Chris> <Monitor> Q: What game are the Monolith personnel looking forward to playing the most?
<Scorpio_Lith> This new game, called "Sleep"
<Lith_Nate> Tiberian sun
<Lith_Nate> Half LIfe
<Scorpio_Lith> Oh wait, there's that one called "Relax" that I heard about
<lith-JohnJ> Diablo2
<Scorpio_Lith> Diablo2 would be nice. :)
<lith-craig> Chris: Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid
<lith-craig> FFVIII
<AV-Emil> <Skill> Does the LithTech engine use a skeletal system like Messiah, or just normal models like Quake?
<lith-JohnJ> Skill--both
<AV-Brian> <Phire-> Question, Will SHOGO ever support Glide? and will Multiplayer be improved, multiplayer is a very big factor especially in 1st person games as this.
<lith-JohnJ> Phire--we're working on a multiplayer point release right now. Things are looking pretty good for a release within the next 4-6 weeks
<Scorpio_Lith> If flawless internet performance was easy, everyone would be doing it... :)
<Scorpio_Lith> We are busting our bunz to make Shogo even better every day. I think a glide.ren is a possibility...
<AV-Rex> <VooDoo> Will the Lithtech engine have differences between Shogo and Blood 2?
<lith-craig> Voodoo: not really. Nothing perceptible, anyway. But the games look and feel totally different. :)
<AV-Chris> <Chris> Q: Why are game companies releasing games that have such poor Internet performance and then have to be patched, such as Unreal and Shogo? Does this concern anyone else?
<lith-JohnJ> Chris--obviously, this is something that we try to avoid if possible. There are so many components in a 3DS though.
<Scorpio_Lith> Check out jason hall's plan file (http://plans.lith.com) for more info on the internet stuff... :)
<AV-Emil> <ReyWing> Has Shogo been tested on the NextGen PowerVR chips?
<lith-JohnJ> ReyWing--we're waiting on our PVR boards (maybe someone from NEC will see this ;)
<AV-Chris> <crispy> Q: Any other forseeable patches besides the point INternet patch?
<lith-JohnJ> Crispy--potentially...but we're trying to get as much as possible into the PR patch
<AV-Emil> <Dead Regime> Any plans on licensing out the LithTech engine?
<lith-JohnJ> Dead--yep...we're working with several developers and publishers on licensing LT--no "official" info yet, though.
<AV-Chris> <Darkband> Q: What was the development time in making Lithtech? How long afterwards was Shogo completed?
<lith-JohnJ> --tech and Shogo took about 30 months to develop
<lith-JohnJ> Both LT and Shogo were developed at the same time, so it's difficult to determine how long either one took individually
<AV-Chris> <Voodoo> Q I read in a recent mag that you all said that Lithtech was the most advanced engine, Why?
<lith-JohnJ> Voodoo--bc Monolith made it!
<Scorpio_Lith> it's too advanced to even explain. :)
<AV-Emil> <Monitor> What kind of music do you guys listen to? Please don't tell me your the "70s and 80s rock bands ruled" sort
<lith-JohnJ> 80's glam rock
<Scorpio_Lith> it's all classical in engineering.
<lith-craig> monitor: caberet, mostly. Some death metal. Commercial jingles. The usual stuff. ;)
<lith-JohnJ> oh, I forgot--POLKA POLKA POLKA
<AV-Brian> <Arteris> Question: How easy will it be for level designers to include animated cutscenes like the ones shown in the demo of Shogo?
<lith-craig> arteris: it's pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it.
<AV-Brian> <VooDoo> What system requirements will Blood 2 have?
<Scorpio_Lith> Same as Shogo... :)
<AV-Chris> <Shongo> Q: what part of the game does Monolith feel is the most important in game design, single player or multi?
<lith-craig> shongo: we like both equally. :)
<Scorpio_Lith> For me, playing Shogo single player, I couldn't stop playing because I kept wanting to see more of the story unfold...
<AV-Emil> <forrestal> I noticed the Shogo demo seemed a bit dark. Can the LithTech engine rival Unreal in color?
<lith-craig> forrestal: you may have to adjust your card's gamma settings :)
<Scorpio_Lith> Not all cards support the gamma stuff in Direct3D properly (unfortunately)
<AV-Chris> <Crispy> Q: Are you all planning on doing anymore anime games, perhaps one with a license?
<lith-craig> crispy: another anime game is fairly likely. A license isn't. :)
<AV-Chris> <Lorduss> Q: What is your favorite part of playing Shogo?
<lith-JohnJ> Lorduss--the fact that it's done.
<lith-craig> lorduss: the weapons and stepping on foot soldiers
<Scorpio_Lith> the story in Shogo is incredible IMHO... :)
<AV-Brian> <ReyWing> Q: How many transformations can we provide a mech with? Will it handle 3 modes for Valkyries?
<lith-craig> reywing: you could do it but it would require some engineering
<AV-Chris> <missionyrd> Q: What mods do you invision being created for Shogo, what is possible?
<lith-craig> missionyrd: mecha vs. foot soldiers, hopefully
<AV-Brian> <Phire-> Question: If a specific card happens to have extra texture memory, will Shogo use it automaticly since its direct3D?
<lith-JohnJ> Phire--yep--it'll use it
<AV-Rex> <mvp> I understand that an EAX patch is forthcoming. What about A3D? Is there CURRENTLY support for DirectSound3D in Lithtech?
<lith-JohnJ> We're working on DS3D support along with EAX support. Hopefully A3D after EAX.
<AV-Chris> <Kornboy> Q: Isnt it true that any Lithtech game (using the engine) can use Mods/weapons/textures ect from another Lithtech game. So you could transfer A blood 2 weapon to Shogo etc?
<lith-craig> kornboy: the model and texture would transfer right over, but you'd need to do some coding to get it to work
<AV-Chris> <Crispy> Q: What made you break the agreement with Microsoft half way through?
<lith-JohnJ> Crispy--hmmm. If I say anything about that people will come over and kill us.
<AV-Brian> <Evil_Ned> Q. will the spongey mouse control be fixed? it feels like m_filter
<lith-craig> evil_ned: adjust "smoothness". That controls the inputrate
<AV-Rex> its in the control setup
<Scorpio_Lith> turn it down to make it more "quake-like"
<Scorpio_Lith> you can change the mouse sensitivity/smoothness/responsiveness
<AV-Brian> <CrazyIvan> what kinda educational backgrounds do you have?
<Scorpio_Lith> I flunked pre-school. :)
<lith-craig> crazyivan: I was trained in the Polish army
<AV-Chris> <McManus> Q: Which mode of play do you all prefer? On-foot, MCA mode etc?
<Scorpio_Lith> MCA, of course. :)
<AV-Brian> <VooDoo> Why have you decided to add the ability to play more than one characters on Blood 2?
<Scorpio_Lith> I think Jay want to expand on the universe of Blood by digging deeper into more than just one character. :)
<Scorpio_Lith> ...or maybe he just though it would be a cool feature to add more work for everyone. :)
<AV-Brian> <Iluvitar> Q: What's the name of that song played in the intro movie? Or was it made inhouse?
<Scorpio_Lith> Our friends over in Japan, over at Takarajimasha, had the intro song made for us... :)
<lith-JohnJ> Negai
<AV-Chris> <Chris> What's the deal with some of the Enemie's AI...(Full version) Is Sanjuro the only one with 20/20 vision? Sometimes even when directly in the line of sight of an enemy they dont do anything. And why can I shoot by an emeny, but if he doesnt see me he wont react. What is being done to correct this?
<lith-craig> chris: it'll be fixed in the first patch
<AV-Brian> <Harlot> What are your feeling of AGP and sidebanding. How important is it for the future and is it necesary for Shogo to shine?
<lith-JohnJ> Harlot--that's a question for MikeD to answer
<AV-Rex> <Fernando> Q:what's your favourite anime series?
<Scorpio_Lith> Is Speed Racer considered an anime series?
<lith-craig> fernando: hard to pick a favorite. I love tons of stuff.
<AV-Chris> <Mcmanus> Q: how soon will the patches for AI and multiplayer be out? for real?
<Scorpio_Lith> By November 15th, possibly sooner...
<AV-Brian> <Arteris> Question: In the demo I've had cases of enemies shooting me THROUGH the corner of a wall, noticed this problem elsewhere yet?
<Scorpio_Lith> They must have had the titanium cased bullets...that's a rare powerup in Shogo... :)
<AV-Brian> <ReyWing> Q: How many modes can we program into a Mech? Is two the limit?
<lith-craig> reywing: no set limit
<AV-Emil> <forrestal> Is Blood 2 still on track for an early November release?
<Lith_Nate> sure
<Scorpio_Lith> We're tired, but we're still on track for Blood2... :)
<AV-Chris> Briareos Q: How many dynamic hit locations are there in Shogo models? Arms legs, head etc...?
<lith-craig> briareos: arms, legs, head, torso, groin...
<lith-JohnJ> Briareous-arms/legs, torso, head
<AV-Brian> <Harlot> The sky is very impressive in Shogo, is a hack like the skybox or some entirely different?
<lith-craig> harlot: it's done with portals and Wes Saulsberry's pimp-ass art :)
<AV-Chris> <Reywing> What factors are there that determine a player scoring a critical hit, and what does a critical hit actually do? 75% damage?
<lith-craig> reywing: it's a random chance. Can't remember the actual percentage--might be 200%. Keep in mind that head shots do double damage and limb shots do half damage.
<AV-Emil> <Fernando> How do you guys feel about game reviews? Does negative press bug you?
<Scorpio_Lith> It only bugs me when it's not justified. Valid complaints can be helpful...we listen and try to learn from our mistakes.
<lith-craig> fernando: not as long as it's fair. :)
<lith-craig> we want to learn and grow from our mistakes--honest, well-reasoned critiques are an essential part of that
<AV-Chris> <Kanos> Q: The in game music and such (intro) appear to be encoded. Is there any way to listen to the soundtrack outside of the game?
<lith-JohnJ> Kanos-you can get mp3 teasers off our site shogo-mad.com
<AV-Brian> <GO-Rebellion> Is Shogo going to have the power for every day level designers to throw up nice levels easily? (Like QEdit did for Quake2)
<lith-JohnJ> Go-we hope so. We're releasing the editor and tools after the patch
<AV-Chris> <footkiller> Q: have you guys played the Half-Life OEM Day One? If so how do you feel your game stacks up?
<lith-craig> I wouldn't really compare Shogo to Half-Life. Half-Life is more of an adventure-style game, whereas Shogo is pretty much a straight up action game.
<Scorpio_Lith> I thought HL was pretty cool. Much different than Shogo. They both look great. HL is slower paced with more "adventure" type of stuff...
<Scorpio_Lith> ...while Shogo has an awesome storyline as well...but more action and high testosterone. :)
<AV-Brian> <Iluvitar> there is no teaser for the intro music :( Any way we can get it outside of the game? :-)
<lith-JohnJ> We're releasing an audio CD of the shogo music soon
(ASCII version of this log file provided by Arteris/Lithtimes)
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