Galactix Interview feature

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modDB.com For those non Quake playing fools out in the world. State your real name, job, place where you are from and age!

Name: Dan Hale
Job: Well.. student. I'm studying for computer programming.. maybe. :P
From: Utah, USA
Age: 20

modDB.com Galactix was thought up when? What inspired you? Is the mod like another game or mod in your opinion?

Well, when I released Jeht there was this incredible flurry of nothing at all. No feedback, no interest, few downloads, and only one insult. Really now, if people won't even take the time to insult your mod, you know you've hit the bottom. :)

So I decided that, though Deathmatch mods like Jeht were great, I'd probably better change my focus. So I floated around for a while, mostly helping other people with their mods.

Then I played FrikaC's brilliant Snowed mini-mod and something clicked... Why not make an overhead space mod? I liked the idea, and for some strange reason it seemed both possible and feasible (I later found out that I was hypoglycemic and hadn't eaten for a while, so that explains a lot).

So, I set to work, using the very well-written Snowed source. The mod just kinda evolved from there. I don't think there are much of any other mods like it. I tried to have a few elements of other successful games, like Raptor, Kiloblaster, etc., but I also wanted to keep it original, and simple. It started out as a minimod, remember, not a Total Conversion. :)

It's amazing how far I've come, for a mod that started out as Roids, then became Snowed, was then used for Galactix, and was later used as a base for Battle Mech. :)

modDB.com How long have you been working on Galactix?

I don't even remember last week very well. Long Term/Short Term memory loss wreaks havoc on a programmer, if you've ever wanted to know. :)

Well... I'd have to say about... umm... a year? Less? Ask FrikaC or Cheapalert, they may know.

modDB.com Describe the best feature in the mod in your opinion? What should the person look for that they might miss?

I don't know, but if I was wedged in a corner with a hot poker in my face (not that I want to repeat that incident), I'd settle with the weapons variety. The player can choose from 3 very different ships, each with different attack styles (one of them relies almost exclusively on missiles). The enemies also have a huge variety of attacks, which usually makes it
quite hellish for the player. >:)

The way I displayed the points for kills is also very interesting, but also very technical (and thus boring). The really interesting feature is something only programmers would care about. It has to do with the very simple solution I had to making enemy bullets not hurt other enemies or asteroids, but still hurt the player. I think it's pretty good since I didn't use an engine mod for it at all.

modDB.com Describe the weapons and what the weapon you will use the most and why? Or the firepower of the ship you fly?

I'm quite fond of Ship C, the missile class. It's main attack sucks (you'll rarely kill anything with it), but if you can get your hands on a few missile upgrades, wow. I also love how the missile effects turned out with that ship. Nothing beats a huge swarm of striker missiles bearing down on your enemies.

I also like Ship A's final attack. I put a lot of work creating the graphics for it (as I'm not a very artistic person and had only MSPaint at my disposal...), and I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. I'm sad I never got Ship B's attacks quite how I wanted them. :(

modDB.com How is the damage system in Galactix ?

The player is basically expected to take hits. In fact, he's gonna get beat up a LOT! The enemy attacks and placements are entirely random (and thus, there are no pockets or escape routes specifically programmed in), and the player has next to no chance of never taking any damage, so he has to rely on health items a lot.

modDB.com Gameplays? How will this work in a mod like this?

The basic point of the mod is to get points so you can have the high score. If you lose all 3 lives, you start over again but still get the high score if you're high enough. But if you make it all the way to the end of the level, every life you have remaining gives you bonus points, so it's worth
holding out to the end.

I wanted to keep the mod fairly simple, so it would actually finish, and thus didn't add anything else to it. I didn't even get to add boss fights. :(

modDB.com Any other projects your working on?

Galactix is actually the middle child, and has suffered from serious repeated neglect as a result (its emotional scars are just terrible). Jeht is at the very bottom and has gotten almost no attention. The recent release was a far cry from what I wanted to have in my favorite little deathmatch mod.
My main project is Battle Mech, which is probably the best mod I've ever made. You get to pilot a mech around a
level, looking at it from above. You can pick up a weapon to use it against enemies (there are about 20 or so weapons so far), and you can get various other items like shields, health, etc. From there it's pure deathmatch, something that's gone way under-appreciated in the past. It also has CTF,
Infiltration, and Rambo Match. It has a very arcade-ish feel to it. If you like Galactix, there's a good chance you'll like Battle Mech too. And there's always the little side projects that live and die in a single day, like gnats but less substantial. Right now I've been toying with an idea we've been discussing at the I3d forums (forums.inside.com) for a mod where a team of soldiers and mechs has to hunt down an invisible demon in the dark. Interesting, but let's hope it gets finished. Or started. ;)

I also have a ton of unfinished, abandoned, or less popular projects at my site (http://static.condemned.com), such as Quake-e-mon (pokemon gone wrong), Best of the Void (a deathmatch mod with some really good game options), and Quake Tactics (my attempt at Final Fantasy Tactics for Quake). I keep promising myself to jump-start these projects again, but I get so busy. I blame Battle Mech, and fairies.

modDB.com Please tell me this is in the Qexpo? If so how's that coming along?

Yea, Galactix, Battle Mech, Jeht, and my cheesy Soldat remake are all soaking up attention at my QExpo booth (www.qexpo.com/booths/Wazat/). Galactix is released now, and Battle Mech will have its moment of glory on the 12th of July. And on a side note: As I wander from booth to booth, I find myself very delighted with the way QExpo has turned out! My mods are getting a huge amount of attention. Makes me wish it happened more often, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Slap The Idiot day!

modDB.com What mods do you like?

I'm actually not too fond of most deathmatch mods that just replace a few weapons or add something, which is kind of hypocritical since Jeht is kind of a deathmatch mod (my standing argument is that it's a *good* dm mod but
nobody listens. *grin* ). I like mods that change the game quite a bit, or add a very useful feature or gameplay quirk that really catches my interest. Some good mods I can think of just now, off the top of my head:

Quake:
My mods: Jeht, Battle Mech, and Galactix (of course, I actually play my own mods :D ).

Snowed
Jaws
AirQuake (a really impressive TC for its time)
Hurried Descent
Striker
Frikbot and Omicron Bot
Prydon Gate
Ground Combat Vehicle

hmm... I guess I can't think of anything else. I'm gonna have a lot of people mad at me for not remembering their mods... :) And I can't remember anything for any other games. Crazy...I just bought UT2003, and I think my fav mod will be whatever one replaces the announcer and player voices with something... umm... good. :) I also like a lot of the player models out there (especially mechs and reptilian creatures).

I also like the game Soldat, which I thank Cheapalert extensively for pointing out to me. It's got solid gameplay and Quake's deathmatch feel, and a bunch of game modes right out of the box that keep it interesting and fun. It's not a mod, but it sure does a good job of raising the bar.

modDB.com Final thoughts:

Well, it's been a blast making Galactix. I really wish I'd done more for these mods (and in Battle Mech's case, I have 2 days to do a lot!), but I'm actually quite pleased with how they've turned out. And I really hope people enjoy them thoroughly.