You noted in your post to Usenet that FAKK2 should be out in the "fairly
near future." Can you extrapolate on whether this is a matter of days or
weeks? Did it just get into the production process?
They started manufacturing the CDs on Tuesday. I try to leave this
end of the business to others and focus on actual development, so
you'll have to ask those others. Take 2 and Gathering have amazed me
in the past with how fast they can get things on shelves, so
hopefully not too long.
Your comments also make it sound like the multiplayer patch won't make it in the boxed version of Mac FAKK2. Do you have any word from Ritual on an ETA for this patch?
The multiplayer patch isn't out for anyone yet! I'm still in close
communication with Ritual right now, so when it's out for the PC the
Mac version shouldn't be too far behind. A simultaneous release might
even be a possibility.
Will future support for FAKK2 possibly include an OS X version? Have you spoken with id or OmniGroup about getting the code from the OS X version of Quake 3? If it's possible, do you have any sort of timeline when it may happen?
I have all the Q3 code, but right now, in the BSD and Carbon sides of
the public beta, there are a lot of game-specific areas like full
screen graphics and direct access to input devices that just aren't
quite there yet, so classic is still the best place for games. If the
multiplayer aspect takes off and there's a strong community when
MacOS X is final, it might be something that could be explored, but
it's too early to be thinking about that.
Is there any tension at Contraband regarding your departure? Was the decision a personal one or strictly professional?
Well, anyone who reads my comments has probably figured out that I'm
very passionate about what I'm doing, so nothing about game
development is strictly professional or strictly personal for me.
What I can say is that right now, Contraband Entertainment, Inc.
doesn't have the right resources and connections to pull off the kind
of top-level original development that I want to be involved in, but
I and the rest of the group are very good friends and we want to work
together in the future -- just maybe under a somewhat different
business structure.
Do you plan on staying active in the Mac community, or is FAKK2 your
farewell?
I don't expect to work on any Mac-only projects in the foreseeable
future, but as far as future projects are concerned I believe
strongly in cross-platform development. A modular, portable
architecture almost always leads to better, more stable code, even if
you ultimately only plan to ship for one platform. Right now my
priority is working on original games that are fun to play, not games
that are for the PC or Mac or Dreamcast or whatever. If the
opportunity to ship the next project I work on as a cross-platform
title is there, both in terms of publisher interest and in PowerPC
performance, then I'd like us to try to do Mac and maybe even Linux
versions simultaneously in-house.
A huge thanks to Andrew for his prompt, informative answers. This is great news for gamers excited to play FAKK2, though a bit sad to see such a competent programmer leave the Mac-first scene. Stay tuned to IMG for more info on FAKK2 as it nears release.
