Q: Why have you decided to choose the Acknex engine as your main development tool?
A:  I settled on Conitec 's engine due to its ease of use, powerful scripting abilities and flexibilities. Its nice having the option to switch from first person games, isometric, 3rd person and even arcade or platform
style games without having to change development environments.
 

Q: I have visited your site and I'm impressed: you have finished 3 titles in one year! How is this possible?
A: Well, actually that's incorrect. I have two other titles that are finished but not released. Since some of them are smaller titles the development time is rather short, this allows us to create several smaller games to supplement the development time of the major projects. Though I wouldn't suggest that newer users try this as it's hard enough to complete one project.
 

Q: I see that you're planning new titles; which one will be the first and what type of game will it be?
A: I actually have several titles in varied stages of development, though the main project right now is Gun Runner 2, a follow up to Gun Runner, which took 6th place in the Fall contest. The storyline will closely follow the original, though it is being completely rewritten and will be more of an RPG style game and more 3D based, not as many 2d panels. I am hoping to release it near the end of September.
 

Q: What tools are you using for models, sounds and textures?
A: Models have been our biggest problem to date, I don't have a modeler working on the team at this time so we are limited to model packs and freeware models. Though I have been getting help from some of the other Gamestudio users, such as Realspawn whom I worked with on one of the smaller games called Greedy Crocs, a kind of Hungry Hippos take off.
 

Q: Is Xing Interactive a publisher that you would recommend to the others? Why?
A: To be completely honest, I'm not very happy with Xing at this time and I am currently looking into other publishers for upcoming titles.
 

Q: What feature would you like to see implemented in the near future?
A: My two biggest concerns right now are the terrains and shadows. The terrains did make a big leap forward with the implementation of the detail maps in the latest beta version, but they still seem to need improvement when scaling. I feel that shadows need to be improved to keep up with some of the newer games and even other engines on the market. The main objective for me would be to at least get dynamic shadows that can be cast on walls, then later expand it to multiple light source shadows.
 

Q: Do you plan to expand your team?
A: Yes, I have been looking for a modeler and a level designer. There seems to be a lack of truly dedicated people that will actually see a project through to the end. I am always willing to give people a try, but I expect people to do what they say they will do in a reasonable amount of time. And, being that this is a business for me I have no qualms about kicking people off the team.
 

Q: How many portals do you recommend for a "normal" level?
A: You know, I've seen a lot of discussion about this on the forum. Some people say 5,000 or less, others say going up to 10,000 isn't a problem. Personally, I don't have a single figure I use. I think it all depends on
the level and style of game you are doing. For example, if you are doing a wide open outdoor level you might run into framerate problems with less than 5,000 portals (depending on your level of details on your models), but if you are doing an isometric level, using a small clip range you can easily add a lot more portals and get a very good framerate. So, I think this would depend on the style of game you are going for.
 

Q: Will you continue to use the Acknex engine for your future titles?
A: Yes, so far we have no plans to move away from this engine. Once we want to do something that this engine can't do, then we will look seriously into changing.
 

Q: Do you have a few tips for the beginners?
A: My best advice is to find a project that sounds good to you and stick with it. I do know how hard this can be. It seems like you can start a project thinking this is the best idea you ever had. But, once you get going
another idea comes to you and it seems a lot better. This cycle will continue, trust me I know. This is the hardest part of game creation, finishing. And even with 5 completed titles it doesn't get any easier.
 

Thank you, Brandon.