QWTF Chronicles

Summary of Threading the Needle: The Making of Quake Team Fortress

This page summarizes Threading the Needle: The Making of Quake Team Fortress, a long (15,000 words) interview with Team Fortress developers Robin Walker, John Cook, and Ian Caughley that appeared on Shacknews on 16 Mar 2018.

• In 1992, Wolfenstein 3D was released, and John Carmack allowed developers to license its technology.
• Apogee, among other companies, secured a license and created games like Blake Stone and Rise of the Triad.
• The release of Doom in 1993 sparked interest in its engine, known as id Tech 1, resulting in many "Doom clones."
• Quake was previewed in June 1996, generating excitement for its advanced technology and gameplay features.
• Australian players John Cook, Ian Caughley, and Robin Walker saw the potential of Quake's scripting language, QuakeC, for creating modifications.
• They developed a mod called Team Fortress, initially aiming to modify Quake's deathmatch gameplay.
• Quake and QuakeC allowed for advanced user-created hacks and custom maps.
• Robin Walker and John Cook had a shared passion for games and programming, growing up in the same town and attending school together.
• Robin started working as a programmer while John continued his studies but dropped out to focus on Team Fortress.
• They were active in the Quake clan scene, participating in tournaments and playing competitively.
• They organized LAN parties and played games like Quake and Duke Nukem 3D, exploring their versatility and combat mechanics.
• The release of Quake sparked their interest, and they became involved in the Quake community, even helping run tournaments at a local cyber cafe.
• They were excited about QuakeC's moddability and saw the potential to create team-versus-team gameplay.
• Their mod, Team Fortress, offered a new and ambitious take on Quake, going beyond simple modifications.
• They were influenced by their earlier experiences with games like Doom and board games, as well as their programming skills.
• Their passion for problem-solving and coding made the development process enjoyable for them.
• The small Australian Quake community fostered close relationships among players, and they played an active role in it.
• They recognized the limitations of dial-up internet for multiplayer games and organized LAN parties for a more enjoyable gaming experience.
• Their interest in Quake extended beyond its graphics to the game's design and technology updates.
• Quake's moddability and the introduction of QuakeC fueled their desire to create the team-versus-team game they envisioned.
• The developers of Quake's Team Fortress mode, Robin Walker, John Cook, and Ian Caughley, had a game plan before the release of Quake and its toolset.
• They were inspired by a Doom map called Fortress, which had a team-oriented gameplay element and a choice of loadouts.
• The team decided to design Team Fortress as a team-based version of the Doom Fortress map.
• Initially, Team Fortress was pure deathmatch, but the scope of the game grew over time.
• The early classes in Team Fortress were based on existing Quake weapons, with some tweaks and adjustments.
• The Heavy Weapons Guy and his assault cannon were inspired by the movie Predator.
• The classes in Team Fortress were divided based on different play styles and abilities, with the Soldier being the class suited for deathmatch gameplay.
• The team drew inspiration from various sources, including Dungeons & Dragons and other multiplayer games like Hexen and Syndicate.
• They wanted to create a game that accommodated different play styles and skill levels, which led them to incorporate class-based gameplay mechanics.
• Feedback from players and the influence of other mods and techniques played a role in the development of Team Fortress.
• The Pyro class was added to assist players with slow network connections and had unique gameplay mechanics with the flamethrower weapon.
• The team faced challenges with performance and gameplay balance when implementing area denial mechanics for the Pyro class.
• The development process involved experimenting with Quake's capabilities, understanding limitations, and working within them to create the best gameplay experience.
• The design of Team Fortress aimed to create a sense of teamwork and optimization within a multiplayer setting where players often prioritize their individual goals.
• The developers had a shallow understanding of teamwork but included obvious elements like a combat medic class to encourage players to care about each other.
• Developing multiplayer games involves the challenge of getting a group of individuals to work together as a team while considering player tendencies and limitations.
• The Team Fortress series includes Team Fortress, Team Fortress Classic, and Team Fortress 2, with the iconic scene of red and blue teams fighting to capture flags being synonymous with the game since 1996.
• The map "2fort" played a significant role in the development of Team Fortress. It was one of the earliest maps and was designed by John Cook. The map was well-designed, offering different areas suited for different classes and allowing for various strategies.
• The relationship between the Capture the Flag (CTF) mode and the 2fort map was symbiotic. The game and the map were developed simultaneously, with each influencing and shaping the other. The map became the foundation for Team Fortress's gameplay and was popular among players.
• The implementation of the CTF mode in Team Fortress was not initially planned. The developers wanted to create a mode that supported the type of gameplay players desired, and the idea of flags came from the map creator David "Zoid" Kirsch, who had also developed the Threewave CTF mod for Quake.
• The popularity of CTF in Team Fortress exceeded that of Threewave CTF. Through data collected from Quake servers, it was discovered that more people were playing Team Fortress than Quake itself, solidifying the belief that the game had potential to succeed professionally.
• The versatility of CTF mode in QuakeC programming presented challenges. Different maps could have subtly different rules due to the freedom given to level designers. Robin Walker worked on creating a map system that allowed designers to have more control over the gameplay, resulting in variations like The Rock.
• The map objectives in Team Fortress were programmable by the map makers using Robin Walker's toolkit. This expanded the modding possibilities, enabling map builders with little coding experience to create different game modes within Team Fortress.
• The development of Team Fortress was a collaborative effort among the modding community. Feedback from LAN parties and online interactions with players played a crucial role in shaping the game. Walker and Cook alternated coding responsibilities, and contributions from other community members improved the game's art and overall look.
• The developers initially released Team Fortress without much fanfare, making it available on cdrom.com and distributing it through FTP directories. The initial release featured five classes and used weapons from Quake. It gained attention and updates were made based on player feedback.
• The early versions of Team Fortress were played on Quake deathmatch maps since there were no dedicated CTF maps. The development process was organic, with updates being released based on player demand, leading to the creation of a website to host the game. The developers were initially focused on their LAN party group as core players and playtesters.
• John Cook and Robin Walker became proficient in game design and QuakeC programming as the game grew in popularity.
• The Engineer class was added later in the development cycle, with inspiration drawn from games like Command & Conquer and the desire to create a class accessible to non-hardcore FPS players.
• The Engineer's abilities, such as building structures like the dispenser and sentry gun, added new dimensions to map design and game balance.
•The Spy class was inspired by a bug in the game where players appeared as members of the opposing team. This led to the idea of a class that could disguise itself as any other class.
• Balancing the game became easier with the rise of internet play, as the developers could observe how players interacted with the game and make appropriate changes.
• The team received support and donations from the community, which motivated them to continue working on Team Fortress and explore further opportunities.
• Ian Caughley, a mutual friend, suggested the idea of starting a game development company, which eventually led to the founding of Team Fortress Software.
• Valve, impressed by Team Fortress and recognizing the potential of mods, invited Cook and Walker to join them in Seattle to work on the Half-Life multiplayer modes and explore the possibility of developing Team Fortress 2 using the Quake 2 and Half-Life engines.
• The trio of Cook, Walker, and Caughley collaborated with Valve for three months, working on porting Team Fortress 2 and building connections with publishers and lawyers.
• Gabe Newell, the co-founder of Valve, discussed the future of Team Fortress and envisioned it as an eSports game, with arenas filled with cheering spectators.
• The experience at Valve was positive, and the team was excited about the opportunities ahead, although they felt uncertain about monetization strategies.
• The collaboration with Valve and the exposure to the game industry opened up new possibilities for the team, but they also realized the challenges they would face if Valve hadn't acquired them.

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