2004-06 Melv May: Interview with a Torque Master

Interview with a Torque Master
Melv May is well known in the community for his fx-Improvements, many of which can be seen in action in the Torque Demo. Read on to learn more about Melv's endeavors, past and present, as well as some excellent advice for those just starting their exploration of game development. Without further ado; the interview:

GarageGames: What do you do for your day job, what led you there?
Melvyn May: I'm the Lead Software Engineer for a company called 3DX-Ray in the UK. A number of years ago I created a software company and I was doing some work for 3DX-Ray at a time when my company was struggling. They liked my work and knew the fact that my company was struggling so they offered me a job. There I get to play with all sorts of cutting-edge technologies with the added bonus that I also get to play with X-Rays and other radiations - sweet! The core idea behind all of our technologies is that they're all 3D. Here's an example of the worlds first 3D XRay carry-on baggage inspection unit for airports that is undergoing a very high-profile trial at Heathrow airport in London. (BBC Article and Product Information) I was one of the original four people from the start-up company and we've now grown to nearly 20 people in a very short period, a lot of which are PhDs. It's a very easy going atmosphere at work and I enjoy it immensely (just in-case the boss is watching)

GG: When did you get interested in independent game development?
MM: Well computing and game development was from a very early age but the idea of doing a real independent title was only a couple of years ago. I always remember when I first got access to a computer, a Commodore PET! I amazed my teachers with what I could do and before you know it, I was running the computer-club, showing the teachers how to write assembly and trying to get involved in any computer related projects that were going. It wasn't until I got my ZX-81/ZX-Spectrum that I got excited about the idea of doing game development. I probably then spent 15 years creating doing personal projects developing different genre games just to prove that I could do it. I think that's what my primary drive is; not just understanding what things do but how and why they do it and the TGE has offered me a chance to 'gaze into the looking-glass' of the higher-tech

GG: You were one of the first, and have continued to be one of the most active Torque contributors with your FX improvements. What were some of your discoveries about the powers and limitations of Torque as you developed these add-ons?
MM: Well, as with any system I've studied, I start with the most innocuous part of the code and preferably the most visual aspect and work my way back. This was the GUI system with the TGE and after many hours of tinkering around, I finally discovered how they work from top to bottom. I then quickly moved onto more complex areas such as the scene graph and the networking. Being an avid bookworm, I was delighted to see powerful algorithms from those books not only implemented but working together as one cohesive unit. This was very important for me as reading and implementing algorithms is only half the story, the rest is seeing more compound code; for me that justified any amount of money, never mind only $100. It's difficult to talk specifically of capability and limitations of the TGE without getting too technical (and even more verbose) but on a higher level, I believe the power of the TGE is exactly what it says on the tin; a full AAA engine for $100. I think the only limitations are the ones from the people developing with it. Yeah sure, I've heard people say that documentation is not that great and in some ways I'd agree but look at the TGE now and look at it a year ago; the same product? I don't think so.

GG: Tell us a little about your current project.
MM: Strategem is a multiplayer strategy game for up to eight players, 7 of which can by AI. The game is situated on a 16x16 board and each player controls a single avatar. Each avatar has a tome (book of spells) that they can use to create entities (board creatures) or powers (general effects). The dynamic of the game is simple, be the last man standing. If you avatar gets killed, all your entities/powers are destroyed and you are demoted to watching the rest of the game with no input. Each entity has unique capabilities for attack and defense. Powers add a level of chaos to the game and produce a wide range of effects both defensive and offensive. That's it, simple rules and simple game play but we believe that is why it becomes very addictive very quickly. The main problem is finding the time to get it all done!

Strategem itself emerged for several reasons. I started getting an urge to put my skills to a real project and not just FX-objects. My friend Craig was also itching to develop a game; Sefton just needed to vent his brain of ideas before it burst and Jordan offered us help from the beginning and his work was very impressive. Strategem was created from a basic desire to make a game that was *absolutely not* a FPS and to put at least one completed title behind us before we croak!

We also wanted to prove that the engine was capable of doing different styles of games so we chose a turn-based game which we thought was a radical step. The biggest problem we had here was the perception that turn-based games are slow and dull and perhaps historically most have been. The initial idea was humble and easily achievable but soon after this we decided that all we'll end up creating was another slow and dull turn-based game so we raised the stakes and also the development time. We sat down and spent so much time going through the basic game ideas that would provide not only strategy but also plenty of opportunity for fx-eye-candy. We'll, 18 monthson and we're still at it and it's really come together wonderfully but not without problems. At the moment, it's on hold because I'm expecting a baby in 8-10 weeks and I'm *really* busy!
Strategem Snapshot, Strategem Project Page

GG: Any advice for other indie developers?
MM: Let me humbly share what little advice I've got to all budding indie developers:

"Prototype, Prototype, Prototype!" - As early as possible think about the things that are going to be a pain and prototype them. Be honest with yourself and don't pretend that you'll spontaneously work out how to do something further down the line because if you can't then...

"Game or Demo?" - Be honest! Do you really intend to make a game or a technology demo? Do you want to see people playing the game or do you just want a buzz from showing pretty graphics? Either are noble goals but answer honestly and you'll save a lot of time and disappointment."Hard Stuff" - Do as much of the hard stuff first and test how cohesive your team is. You don't want to find this out in 6-12 months time when things get difficult.

"CC" - Don't send individual emails to individual members without CC'ing everyone on the team, no matter how irrelevant they may be to them. Setup a distribution list and simply send to that and remember that your project may fail without adequate team communication or perception of progress.

"Keep Alive" - Similar note to "CC" but important; send out emails regularly even if you don't have anything to say, just say "well done people, lets keep going..."

"Dark Period" - Find the "nice-guy" on the project and see if they are prepared to be the team motivator for the bad times that will definitely come.

"Sleepers" - Don't limit your resource to a few team members. Try to generate some sleepers e.g. people in the community who'll help you in times of need but aren't officially part of the team. Use the IRC, try to answer questions posted on the forums professionally, help where you can and the community will recognized this and provide you more help than you'll imagine.

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