Starcraft2Forum.org Interview with Project Revolution

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As part of our continuing series of interviews here at StarCraft2Forum.org, I recently sat down with Martin Press of Snowflake Entertainment (the developers of the infamous Project Revolution StarCraft mod for WC3) to discuss his abandoned project and the prospects looking forward to StarCraft 2. We discussed quite a bit surrounding the nature of modifications in PC gaming and also what features he wanted to see from StarCraft 2. [/font] I also asked him about future plans from Snowflake and how modifications are important to the game industry! Hope you enjoy it! As always, if you have a suggestion of who we should interview next drop me a line in our Contact Us form!

1. Could you describe the Project Revolution Mod and what prompted you to create the mod?

If I could describe it in one word it would be “ambitious.” The quality of the textures and models used within the mod are by far some of the highest seen for the WC3 Engine. Two things prompted us to make the mod. First and foremost no sequel was in sight for StarCraft and we wanted to play the classic game at a resolution higher than 800x600. Secondly it was a challenge to faithfully re-create the gameplay and art.

2. Did you feel that Blizzard and the WC3 development team were supportive of your endeavor? Did they help? Did they hinder you?

They neither hindered nor helped us. Scott however did meet with them at last year’s BlizzCon and they were very impressed.

3. Do you think it's important and necessary for game developers to support user modifications of their game? Would players mod whether it's supported or not or would they choose another platform?

It is certainly not necessary but it helps. Warcraft III modding was not initially supported at all and only recently received a little support. If the mod is decent I feel people will play it if it’s supported or not.

4. Some game developers often draw on ideas found in popular modifications of their games for their next title (Counter-Strike, Team Fortress), do you think there are possibilities for licensing of a similar type with Blizzard Entertainment? What would be good incentives for these types of modifications?

It is certainly possible, Tower defense maps were created by Blizzard from the positive response of mods in StarCraft and WarCraft III. If the quality is there I can see Blizzard licensing. Contests with a real prize would be a great incentive.

5. What kind of support would you want from a game developer if you were to produce another mod?

Coding wise exposing large amount of the low level API is a large plus. Many things done in PR could have been greatly simplified if simple things were exposed, such as the damage dealing system. On the art side, the art tools used in creating the game must be provided. I remember before the Art Tools were released, the MDX modeling format could not be produced exactly by any plug-ins for 3D MAX. Lastly, the mods should be made easy to distribute. The MPQ format that Blizzard uses still has a way to go for this.

6. Do you think it would be possible for Blizzard to provide these resources while still preserving their games and not allowing easy game exploits, like hacks? Do you think Blizzard should provide financial support?

That is a tricky subject. By not exposing low level API they force modders to reverse engineer the game itself, thus finding holes. However if they expose to much they risk the same thing. Some API, such as, their battle.net protocols should never be exposed.

7. What was your greatest challenge in creating the Project Revolution mod (aside from the last brick wall that led to its end)?

It would have to be the underlying memory subsystem of the mod. PR Has a C++ and assembly back end that allows for dynamic memory allocation on the heap in Jass. It is dynamically injected into the game.dll on runtime.

8. Why (in laments terms) was the game.dll file so hard to modify? You would have basically had to re-coded the entire file, is this correct? What was the deciding factor to give up?

The game.dll (or dynamic linking library) is the game engine itself in raw binary. Reverse engineering some sections of it to inject our own code took ages. To do what we wanted in PR we would have needed the raw C/C++ code of the game. The pathing and order algorithm used was terrible. It limited the number of issued orders on screen. Such a limitmade any Zerg player at a large disadvantage.

9. Some describe game modders as "rebels against the code." Do you think modification is a response to the restraint applied to players in some games or is it a curiosity to see what can be done?

I could not state it better myself. Modding is about creating new game play and pushing the limits of the engine beyond what the developers originally intended. When performed correctly, modding is turning a game that you have played a thousand times and playing it again like it is brand new. With modding the possibilities are endless.

10. Do you have any plans to continue with Project Revolution? Do you plan to use some of the models and code that you've worked so hard on to create a StarCraft mod similar to Project Revolution using the new SC2 graphics engine?

Snowflake has no plans at this time to create a PR2 on SC2. However, if the game does not live up to the classic SC I am sure someone will create. I would be willing to work with such a team if the talent is there.

11. Would you consider producing an original StarCraft mod using the models you created for PR?

For Starcraft II we would never use the models you saw in PR simply because with a new engine they would be much better. Normal mapping and higher polygon count models would be used.

9. What's your favorite development aspect of StarCraft 2? Favorite new unit?

My favorite aspect would be the higher resolution and true 3D nature of the game play. I really don’t have a favorite new unit. You have to remember you’re talking to a member of a group who refused to add new units or mechanics when it was easily possible. My ideal SC2 would just be a face lift with just a few extra units to enhance existing game play.

10. What would you like to see in StarCraft 2 as far as supporting user mods? Do you think Blizzard is heading in the right direction as far as supporting these user created mods?

Documentation on all file formats used by the engine would be a huge plus. It took years for the MDX format of WarCraft III to be fully understood from reverse engineering. It is hard to tell if Blizzard is heading in the right direction without seeing what tools the game will provide. Hopefully some of the deficiencies that were in WarCraft III will be addressed.

14. Again, could this information (specifically the game engine editing guidelines) be released while preserving Blizzard's right to the material?

I feel that Blizzard's rights are protected even with a release of file format specifications.The only aspect of the game that needs protecting is the raw code of the engine to prevent free clones.

 

You broke the forumz O_O


Anyways, cool interview. I wonder how long it'll take for mods to come out for SC II, as they add a nice amount of repeatability.

 

wth?

wasn't it cancelle because they couldn't code the zerg?

 

Yup. I was just interviewing him about modifications. Read the damn interview, son!

Also, guys, please dig this: http://digg.com/pc_games/StarCraft_2_Forum_Interview_with_Project_Revolution

Also, stumble it please!

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they basically started coming out near-immediately. There's so much that can be done with it now, and just as some people would start with campaigns, some others with multiplayer and other with designing their own maps, etc, I'm sure there'll be people who start with making some mods. It's just all about what everyone enjoys.

At the very least, new unit skins'll be released, like, instantly. There'll always be people who don't like Blizzard's models.