BetaBites
Interview with Randy Chase |
by Penelope (9/27/98) |
BB: Can we get a bio of Randy the man, the programmer, the visionary? ;) RC: By profession, I'm a journalist. I've been covering the computer industry since the dark ages. (This dates me a bit, but I remember the Vic-20 and the launch of the Commodore 64. I even remember when most games - those few that were available - were sold in zip-lock baggies.) In the early 80's, I published and edited the "The Guide for Computer Living." The Guide was something of an alternative cult publication in the infantile world of computers, providing an irreverent and alternative look at the technology. Dedicating a complete issue in 1984 to the subject of sex and computers and featuring Dr. Timothy Leary as a regular columnist, The Guide has a well-earned reputation as a off-beat and unpredictable alternative to the more traditional magazines (like Compute!). I also was involved in the early days of on-line communication, hosting the first national on-line talk shows in 1983 on PlayNet - the precursor to Quantum Link (which eventually evolved into America On-Line). Over the years I've worked for a wide variety of magazines and publications, and have done technical writing and consulting for a variety of industry leaders. (Clients over the years have included McGraw-Hill, Atari, WordPerfect, CinePlay Interactive, Quantum Link and Sierra On-Line.) My current partnership with the World Opponent Network was a natural evolution of personal relationships built over the years when I wrote for Sierra's InterAction magazine and wrote the manual for the original version of FrontPage Sports Baseball. When S.S.I. announced that they were discontinuing "President Elect," on of my favorite games ever released for the Commodore 64, I combined my fascination with the game industry with my love of politics by filling that market niche with my first game in 1991. The success of "Power Politics" lead to an offer by Mindscape to collaborate with Garry Trudeau on "The Doonesbury Election Game," a humorous, but realistic simulation of the 1996 election campaign. My political simulations have been used at a variety of Universities, including Vanderbilt and George Washington University. National wire services and other media have printed election predictions based on my games in both the '92 and '96 campaigns. While my current focus is on the pending release of Spirit Wars, I do
have several other products in the works. We begin development this winter on the next
political title, and we'll be announcing our second on-line title before Christmas. BB: At one point, you had mentioned to me that you used to program accounting packages. How did you get into doing games? RC: Well, actually I never programmed any accounting software. I don't think I have the patience to do that. I did however, manage a company that developed and published business applications and during that time I designed and managed the development of accounting packages. I did my first game (Power Politics) during that period as a side project. BB: How was Spirit Wars born? What was the spark or the impetus that drove you to make it? RC: I
don't think I can say that there was any specific spark or starting point for the game.
Instead, it was a gradual evolution that originated from a fascination with the design
paradigm introduced by collectable trading card games. As a long time student of high-tech
entertainment, I considered this to be a breakthrough concept in fundamental design.
However, the more I played these various card games with my son, the more I realized that
while they introduced some interesting concepts, they failed to deliver a gaming
experience that would ever be able to transcend the "card shop" hard-core gaming
crowd. One of our goals was to create a game that had the addictive playing appeal of this
dynamic expanding design model, but that was simplified into a more accessible format that
could appeal to a greater cross-section of the gaming community. Market research kept
bringing me back to the realization that the traditional board game was the most
comfortably familiar game design for the vast majority of people. That conclusion was the
premise for the earliest version of Spirit Wars that my son and I began designing over
three years ago. The original game was played on hand drawn maps on a white board and used
a playing pieces defined on 3x5 cards. BB: Why did you decide on the classical art/literature approach to the game? That seems very inconsistent with today's game offerings. RC: That was an aspect of the game that slowly evolved over the last couple of years. Originally, I started reviewing classical art looking for examples of looks and styles that would enhance the game design. Eventually, it seemed like a natural decision to just use this available treasury of fine art. One of the key design philosophies of my political simulations has been to create entertaining playing experiences that challenge the player to change the way they think about the world around them. Obviously this isn't as applicable to a strategy game like Spirit Wars as it is to a realistic political simulation. However, the use of fine art and classical literature is a small way to remind people that there is a fascinating and stimulating world beyond the limited scope of our computer monitors. BB: Do you play Quake/QuakeII/any FPS? Why or why not? RC: As a working journalist (I still write a weekly software column for the Portland Oregonian), I play enough of these style games to keep in touch with what is happening in the marketplace. However, my personal preference leans towards games that aren't dependent upon reflexes and coordination, but tend to stimulate thought and encourage quiet contemplation. What do I play for fun (as opposed to what I play to write about)? Age of Empires is a great game. All of the Sierra sports titles have occupied space on my hard drive for years. Civilization is one of the greatest game designs we've ever seen (but then, I consider most of Sid's games to be classics). Other recent titles that come to mind that have kept me up at night: Settlers II, Warlords, Jagged Alliance and Theme Hospital. BB: What is the expected pricing structure for the game? RC: First, we want to remind everyone that the full set of playing features will be available in the free version offered exclusively at the World Opponent Network. The differences between the two versions aren't in the "in game" features or functionality, but in the extra "non playing" enhancements and social atmosphere surrounding the game. We will offer several options designed to allow consumers to select the financial option that best fits matches their preferences. A one-year subscription will be $65. A three-month subscription will be $25 and a six-month subscription $40. Players opting for a month-to-month option (recurring billing) can so for $8.95 per month. We feel this provides a variety of options for the player, but still meets our original goal of delivering a year of unlimited play for roughly the cost of a new computer or video game.
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