Useless yet interesting gaming facts

Carlos' Bitch1 · Feb 17, 2011

I just found out that David R. Watson, the real life Iolo Fitzowen of Ultima fame (also composed 'Stones', one of the Ultima songs) was the main tester on all the levels in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He was also a lead designer in X-Com: Apocalypse (not a good look).

Does anyone else have any other entirely useless yet interesting gaming trivia?

commie · Feb 17, 2011

Can you believe that Fallout 3 is considered by its makers to be a sequel to Fallout 1 and 2?

Gord · Feb 17, 2011

Ah, yes commie, nice hat.

Back to topic.
Well known fact: Guido Henkel, one of the guys behind the Realms of Arkania series was also producer of PS:T.

Also, if you can understand german, you might find this interview interesting:
http://nlt-hilfe.crystals-dsa-foren.de/page.php?216[/url]

FatCat · Feb 17, 2011

commie said:
Can you believe that Fallout 3 is considered by its makers to be a sequel to Fallout 1 and 2?

Because it is a sequel

sgc_meltdown · Feb 17, 2011

Stephen Barcia, credited lead designer of seminal turn based strategy game Master of Magic, has somewhat recently in 2008 received the far more prestigious credit of executive producer on seminated racing simulation game Need for Speed undercover.
:thumbsup:

commie · Feb 17, 2011

sgc_meltdown said:
Stephen Barcia, credited lead designer of seminal turn based strategy game Master of Magic, has somewhat recently in 2008 received the far more prestigious credit of executive producer on seminated racing simulation game Need for Speed undercover.

Shit like this makes me sad. Please stop......

ElectricOtter · Feb 17, 2011

Gabe Newell was part of the team at Microsoft that made Doom95.

Ermm · Feb 17, 2011

About Beyond Good and Evil (from wiki)

The game was also shortened by removing long periods of exploration due to Ancel's dislike of this aspect of gameplay in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The development team was "demoralized" by the changes, with Ancel commenting that the finished game resembled a sequel more than a reworking Prior to release, playable previews of the game were offered in movie theaters.

Also, first version of Resident Evil 2, before it was scrapped around 80% of completion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXnymHTvHrE

Since then it has even a fanbase (and a devoted forum), to try and track it down. They almost suceeded....almost.

sgc_meltdown · Feb 17, 2011

commie said:
Shit like this makes me sad. Please stop......

Ho! "More you magnificent fellow I am enjoying this" you say? How can I refuse?

Ian Currie, designer of popular squad tactical combat games Jagged Alliance 1 and 2, has recently been involved in the following classics since Wizardry 8 (2001):

'Legacy Team': Star Trek Legacy (2006), Bethesda Softworks LLC
'Core Team': Empire Earth III (2007), Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Design Director: Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited (2009), Atari, Inc.

Adam Pletcher, designer of dead space combat flightsim Descent Freespace 1 and 2, has recently been involved in three games as well since the latter:

Lead Artist, Additional Design: Summoner (2000), THQ Inc.
Lead Artist: Red Faction (2001), THQ Inc
Lead Technical Artist: Saints Row (2006), THQ Inc.

SCO · Feb 17, 2011

You don't you drive the dagger deep and tell us what Boyarsky is doing now?
Oh, lol diablows.

Virtual Vice · Feb 17, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Smart

Hey, its trivia too right?

Snip:

"In an interview which was featured on the cover page of Computer Gaming World, Smart said of his online persona: "Sometimes when I get online, and it's quiet, and I see something that attracts my attention, I'll post just to piss these guys off. That's why I do it. Because I'm in a good mood that day, I go in there and I start trouble." Computer Games Magazine wrote that "Over time, his reputation as an online defender of his games and unabashed pistol-whipper of his enemies overshadows the games themselves."

:salute:

sgc_meltdown · Feb 17, 2011

Julian Gollop, creator of the turn based variant of the XCOM fps. Let's see what he's up to now, that genius.

Designer: Chessmaster LIVE (2008), Ubisoft Entertainment SA

Oh. Xbox live arcade, eh? That's where the strategy fans are these days.

Also, Thief fans may be pleased to know that the logo for the upcoming game has a clever twist in the design.
http://images.wikia.com/thief/images/5/ ... lpaper.jpg

Why more game titles don't do this I really don't know.

Sean Vesce, lead designer of pre-emptive armored core clone Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat. If you asked me then I'd say this virtuoso of clanky giant robot combat would be destined for great things, probably with more robots.

General Manager - Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008), Eidos Interactive Ltd.

Lara Croft fights robots sometimes.

Alright. Let's see what we can find on Myth II: Soulblighter. Okay, project leader went on to make one more game which was Civ 2 multiplayer, one of the two designers didn't go any further and the only one that went on is one Max Hoberman. What glories await this man who surely had at the very least a 50% hand in giving us exploding dwarves?

'Additional Development Support': Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010), Activision Publishing, Inc.

Yes.

Phelot · Feb 17, 2011

Yeah, Tuncer Deniz was a pretty cool guy. He left to work with Macsoft if I'm not mistaken.

sgc_meltdown · Feb 18, 2011

phelot said:
He left to work with Macsoft if I'm not mistaken.

Charity work? That man is a saint.

Lyric Suite · Feb 18, 2011

Brian Reynolds, designer of Civilization II, Alpha Centauri and Rise of Nations, now illustrious lead designers of a Farmville clone. How the mighty have fallen.

Jaesun · Feb 18, 2011

commie said:
Can you believe that Fallout 3 is considered by its makers to be a sequel to Fallout 1 and 2?

Did you actually watch that video and listen very closely as to what he said about Fallout 3?

Not even the codex could do a troll of fucking epic proportions as Tim Cain did.

commie · Feb 18, 2011

@ sgc_meltdown

FAAARK YOU!!!!! :tears:

From Jagged Alliance 2 to DDO and Empire Earth III?

So sad for so many having to accept ever more degrading standards in order to eat.

On the other hand I have no sympathy for fucking sellouts that are wealthy enough and have an established credibility already to not need to go derp yet still do like Meier, Molyneux, Garriott and the other 'names'.

ortucis · Feb 18, 2011

Here's a fun fact: Warren Spector wanted the inventory and ammo system in DX: Invisible War implemented originally in the first DX.. but he was ignored by the development team in favor of the old style inventory and multiple ammo system.

According to Warren, he is a console gamer first and he wanted the inventory system to be simple and easy for a gamepad, not for a PC control scheme. Of course, his ideas made it into the sequel thanks to the hype behind the project.

Also, Spector changed his tune, last I checked, claiming that he never really liked the changes hated by the fans in the second game, at all.

/ I read it in his developer blog (doesn't exist, was some kind of huge site for developers to post), his own words praising Invisible War changes hated by PC gamers (he is a console gamer, remember that). But yes, that didn't stop him from trying to be a hero years later to the idiots who think he was responsible for the awesome gameplay in the first game.

Destroid · Feb 18, 2011

The more you know, the more it seems great games happen by random chance.

Fowyr · Feb 18, 2011

sgc_meltdown said:
Stephen Barcia, credited lead designer of seminal turn based strategy game Master of Magic, has somewhat recently in 2008 received the far more prestigious credit of executive producer on seminated racing simulation game Need for Speed undercover.

Please stop
:forever alone:

Lyric Suite · Feb 18, 2011

ortucis said:
Here's a fun fact: Warren Spector wanted the inventory and ammo system in DX: Invisible War implemented originally in the first DX.. but he was ignored by the development team in favor of the old style inventory and multiple ammo system.

According to Warren, he is a console gamer first and he wanted the inventory system to be simple and easy for a gamepad, not for a PC control scheme. Of course, his ideas made it into the sequel thanks to the hype behind the project.

Also, Spector changed his tune, last I checked, claiming that he never really liked the changes hated by the fans in the second game, at all.

/ I read it in his developer blog (doesn't exist, was some kind of huge site for developers to post), his own words praising Invisible War changes hated by PC gamers (he is a console gamer, remember that). But yes, that didn't stop him from trying to be a hero years later to the idiots who think he was responsible for the awesome gameplay in the first game.

Spector is a producer, not a developer. His job has always been to bring ambitious project to fruition. I doubt he had much say as to the content of the actual games.

ortucis · Feb 18, 2011

Lyric Suite said:
Spector is a producer, not a developer. His job has always been to bring ambitious project to fruition. I doubt he had much say as to the content of the actual games.

So you are saying that a guy acting as a face of the project in front of the media isn't going to be listened to after the first game he was part of reached the status of.. well "best FPS-RPG ever"? Ever heard of a little project called Epic Mickey and seen the hype generated by his involvement and ideas? Publishers don't ignore the guys who make them money.

Also, he himself claimed the credit for awesome changes he made the team introduce into the world (I am trying to find the blog link but his blog was around time IW was released).

MetalCraze · Feb 18, 2011

best FPS-RPG ever

It didn't. It has nothing RPG about it apart from a few stats.

And yes. However the fact is - DX IW turned out to be shit. Thanks Warren-jew.

Carlos' Bitch1 · Feb 18, 2011

Time for some incline.

Keith Brors, the main mastermind behind the Goldbox engine, and creator of Wizard's Crown, Eternal Dagger, and other oldschool RPG's and Wargames has gone back to his roots, being one of the heads of 2by3 games, creators of hardcore wargames.

http://www.2by3games.com/

http://www.2by3games.com/keith.htm

http://www.mobygames.com/developer/shee ... rId,10203/

Keith, I salute you! :salute:

Let this be a lesson to all; good computer roleplaying games were very much enmeshed with the old wargaming scene, and for a reason; those boys know turn based combat, statistics and so on. Take that part away and you get todays romance simulators.

Carry on.

denizsi · Feb 18, 2011

Al Lowe has been making humourous puzzle games for mobile phones.

sgc_meltdown said:
Julian Gollop, creator of the turn based variant of the XCOM fps. Let's see what he's up to now, that genius.

Designer: Chessmaster LIVE (2008), Ubisoft Entertainment SA

Click to expand...

Oh. Xbox live arcade, eh? That's where the strategy fans are these days.

Gollop is one of the few men with balls to speak his mind despite still being in the industry. He comments under news pieces and posts at various forums every now and then, openly voicing his distaste and frustration for the direction X-Com has been dragged into.

sgc_meltdown said:
Also, Thief fans may be pleased to know that the logo for the upcoming game has a clever twist in the design.
http://images.wikia.com/thief/images/5/ ... lpaper.jpg

Why more game titles don't do this I really don't know.

That was recently announced to have changed back to proper lettering.

Useless yet interesting gaming facts

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