Natural Selection Mod for Half-Life HiveMind Interview feature

[page=Introduction]
Here I interview Karl, creator of the amazing Hivemind Metamod Plugin for Natural Selection. You can check HiveMind out by visiting the mod profile or the official website.

Brad: Tell us a little about yourself.

Karl: Well, I've been gaming for the last two years, I know quite a bit about the Half-Life engine, and am interested in sci-fi movies and the like (Example, Aliens). I spend most of my spare time coding or talking with friends on MSN Messenger, and know how to 'map' as the community calls it.

Brad: What made you create Hivemind?

Karl: Well, when I first found out about Natural Selection, I was thrilled. It sounded like a great gaming experience. However, the fact that I had NO internet connection meant that I had to use bots. I found that WhichBots were quite bugged and I wanted to create my own Natural Selection AI. The end result today is HiveMind.

Brad: What are the big features of Hivemind that you want to point out?

Karl: The main feature is that HiveMind don't use configurations or behavioral processors which cause some unusual behavior in WhichBot (IE: Gorge bots not wanting to go out of the hive, looping in circles, etc) and the fact that HiveMind are quite effective navigating as well.

Brad: So would you say your bot is the best you can find for Natural Selection?

Karl: I wouldn’t jump ahead there, Brad. I'd rather let the community decide rather than make assumptions myself.

Brad: Do the bots work for marines as well?

Karl: No, I could make them for marines, but I choose not to. Mainly because of personal preference, but marines can prove to be difficult to code, and the name 'HiveMind' would need to be changed as 'HiveMind' gives off the idea that it is for the alien team.

Brad: Yes I see what you mean. Thanks for enlightening us in that area. So what plans do you have for Hivemind in the future?

Karl: Well, the main ideas I will always have are fixing every single bug I possibly can, and supporting the latest version of Natural Selection. I have had some suggestions from users such as one by the name of "Frogger", who suggested integrating lift support. But we'll just wait and see.

Brad: Since Half-Life 2 will be released in a matter of weeks and a Natural Selection mod for the Source Engine is in the works. Do you plan on making "hivemind" for that too?
Karl: Actually Brad, the issue of Natural Selection on the source engine is still being contemplated with the developers; I'm not going to jump ahead. However, if one such version does exist, I will certainly develop a version for the source engine.

Brad: Are you in need of any help?

Karl: Not really Brad. I could use maybe another tester or two, but nothing urgent. Since the only real positions that need filling are the coder and waypointer position, which are happily occupied by me, I see no real need.

Brad: In case any Hivemind fans want to get a hold of you, what are the best ways of contacting you?

Karl: Of course, being in the digital world, the best way is always going to be e-mail. My current emails are 'modchaoscontrol@hotmail.com' and 'modchaoscontrol@gmail.com'. If anyone is to contact me, I would suggest emailing it to the hotmail e-mail, as I rarely check my gmail account. The hotmail account also doubles as an MSN Messenger account, so I can be contacted that way, or of course posts on the HiveMind forums.

Brad: Do you have any final words?

Karl: Well, I'd like to thank you for interviewing myself, and I'd like to thank the Natural Selection community for their support. If you have ANY queries or questions please contact me. I'd be glad to help you.

Thanks again Karl. It has been a pleasure interviewing you.