Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
Title: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
Interview with Michael Raymond-Judy, Game Design Manager, Raven Soft, about Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
Interview Review by Al Giovetti
Price: about $40
Genre: Action (basically a "mission disk" add-on for Hexen)
Release: it's already out
Developer: Raven Software
Producer: id Software
Publisher: GT
Phone: (608) 833-5791 (Raven Software)
Web site: http://www.ravensoft.com
Requirements: Full version of Hexen already installed, 5 mb disk space

Al Giovetti: Hi Mike, what is cooking? Thanks for having us here and lets get going on this thing, I know you want to get back to designing games.

Michael Raymond-Judy: Nice to have you here with us. I really appreciate your giving me time to talk to your audience like this. Thanks for talking with me.

AG: What about the history behind the product?

MR: Deathkings is the add-on to Hexen, which is the sequel to Heretic.

AG: Tell us something about the plot?

MR: Basically a follow-up to Hexen, the story is that after defeating his own masters (Traductus, Melenkir and Zedek) as well as the second Serpent Rider, Korax, the player is banished to the Realm of the Dead, where he must now defeat his former masters again (actually their undead versions) in order to escape.

AG: Puzzles: Are there any puzzles or activities? What types are there (i.e.treasure hunt)? How many and under what circumstances?

MR: Most of the original puzzle items (keys, books, skulls etc.) are re-used in the sequel, but the puzzles are different. Also some of the puzzles are more complex, since it is assumed that anyone playing the sequel will have honed their skills in the original game and will be better at solving them. Still, most puzzles consist primarily of retrieving artifacts to use them in the appropriate location, or throwing the correct switches, or killing a certain number of monsters.

AG: What about the graphics, their resolutions and number of colors?

MR: Same as the original, 320x200 pixels and 256 colors

AG: How were the graphics done? Did you use 3D Studio or Silicon Graphics?

MR: 3D Studio was used for modeling and animation and various paint programs for touchup.

AG: What are the graphics like? What style?

MR: They are done in the same fantasy style as seen in Hexen and Heretic.

AG: Are the graphics three dimensional or two dimensional?

MR: We did the models are 3d but then converted them to 2d sprites.

AG: Can you tell us anything about the animation? Do you have any full motion video?

MR: Nope, we did not have any full motion video and the animation was the same as, unchanged from Hexen and Heretic.

AG: How many chapters, missions, planes, weapons, vehicles, characters, races, professions, protagonists, karate moves, minutes and hours, pictures, songs, or other features did you put into the product?

MR: We added 3 new hubs (total of 20 new levels) plus 5 additional death-match-only levels.

AG: Can you make comparisons: similar products giving us examples of why yours is better, different, etc.?

MR: The game is pretty much like Shadow of the Serpent Riders was to Heretic; we took what we had learned in the original and made the best levels, puzzles and most elaborate scripts we could create.

AG: How and where is music used in the game? What style or styles of music is it? If its an original composition or arrangement, who did it? What was the purpose of the music, how does it enhance the product? How many music pieces are there and what is the length of each piece?

MR: The music is the same music and sound effects as in Hexen. The music and sound effects were all done in-house by Kevin Schilder.

AG: What about the multi-player aspects of the game, including iInternet, null modem (direct serial connect), phone modem, network, restrictions on the type of network? Can you play the scenario or career mode with the multi-player modes. Are there special things you can do over the network? What modes are available (i.e. Competition, head-to-head, cooperative)?

MR: Again same as Hexen; not sure if DK made it to DWANGO or not but Hexen did.

AG: Are there any articles you are aware of by other magazines or internet sites.

MR: I've seen a few small reviews (typical of what add-ons get) but nothing special on DK itself.

AG: Well that is about all the time we have. Thanks for being with us.

MR: I hope this helped and thanks for the opportunity to talk to your audience. _____________________

Michael Raymond-Judy
Game Design Manager
Raven Software _____________________