Adam Foster Interview: Part One

[Ennui]

Halflife2.net recently got the chance to ask Adam Foster, who has produced the fantastic episodic mod Minerva, a few questions.

An excerpt:

Halflife2.net: How did you get started on mapping?[br]
Adam Foster: A long time ago as a small child, I’d draw maps and plans for stories I was writing. I guess I had that mapper bug from a very early age - I’ve got careful, highly detailed plans for islands, buildings and machines stashed away somewhere, and moving it to a computer was the only sensible step.

Check out the interview right here and be sure to download and play Minerva if you haven't already, and stick around, because Part II of the interview will follow this up soon.

 

[Asknoone]

And stick around, because Part II of the interview will follow this up soon.

Hah, when I get round to writing up the questions. D:

 

[Hugh_Jazz]

Awesome. Minerva is one excellent mod. Makes me wanna learn Greek mythology..

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Hah, when I get round to writing up the questions. D:

So you're not going to get someone else to do it this time?

 

[Asknoone]

Foul play Pi!

 

[Ennui]

Hey, be fair, Pi! He wrote one!

 

[Sulkdodds]

I think I should scan in some of the stuff I wrote - for instance, somewhere there’s a disturbingly accurate version of Harry Potter I created, a decade or more before the first Harry Potter book was written.

I totally emphasize. I thought of like, everything before it was stolen from my mind by hollywood executives. I can't think of any examples right now, but I'll remember some soon.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Empathise?

 

[Sulkdodds]

Both!

 

[Reginald]

That was one of the best developer interviews I've read. I partly stuck with it because I am utterly enthralled by MINERVA but also because HL2.net always seems to ask the right questions. I hope Mr Foster does indeed make the snowy City because that would be so awesome. Even if there was no combat I would just walk around and be happy.

Actually... I totally think that would be an awesome mod for HL2. A game set in a snowy City under Combine opression, but rather than shooting and stuff there would be puzzles and an ultimate story to solve your way through. Like a point and click adventure. But if you do something wrong the Combine would smack you to death with their stun batons.

*copyrights and talks to Adam Foster*

 

[UltimaApocalypse]

Awesome. Hope we get to see Minerva 3 soon

 

[Kadayi]

Cool stuff, does the guy work in games as a profession? And how come given Minervas popularity and cool level design Valve haven't snatched him up with the offer of phat loot, a cool office and some big assed mac monitors to play with?

 

[Ennui]

I don't think he works for a game company at this point, I'd be thoroughly unsuprised if Valve hired him (or has already offered to) because he's not only proven himself to be a fantastic level designer, but I know he's been up to Valve before.

 

[Asknoone]

He recently visited Valve to play Episode 1 and to chat with Valve people.

 

[Crispy]

Fun interview. I enjoyed it a lot (mainly because I'm a bit of a Foster fanboy). In fact I'm going to download Someplace Else right now and give it a whirl.

 

[Reginald]

Fun interview. I enjoyed it a lot (mainly because I'm a bit of a Foster fanboy). In fact I'm going to download Someplace Else right now and give it a whirl.

You call yourself a fanboy and yet haven't played that? :O

 

[kupocake]

I don't think he works for a game company at this point, I'd be thoroughly unsuprised if Valve hired him (or has already offered to) because he's not only proven himself to be a fantastic level designer, but I know he's been up to Valve before.

Ssshhh... if someone talent scouts him, we won't get more Minerva! :O

 

[Nu Zalem]

Very good interview. I'm also hoping to see not only a third Minerva, but many more projects being done by Adam Foster.

 

[Anus.Face]

Cool stuff, does the guy work in games as a profession? And how come given Minervas popularity and cool level design Valve haven't snatched him up with the offer of phat loot, a cool office and some big assed mac monitors to play with?

Maybe because Valve already has a solid team of professionals AT LEAST as good as this guy, and there's more to business than hiring every bit of talent around? There seems to be this myth floating around that htese game companies pick up anyone and everyone that displays any talent whatsoever - if that were true, these game companies would have wage bills the size of India's GDP.

 

[Crispy]

You call yourself a fanboy and yet haven't played that? :O

Yeah, I know :x

I was so ashamed after reading how he still considers it his crowning achievement I just had to boot up HL and see what I'd been missing.

 

[Cargo Cult]

... and stick around, because Part II of the interview will follow this up soon.

It might be up faster if you sent me some questions... ;-)

 

[Kadayi]

Maybe because Valve already has a solid team of professionals AT LEAST as good as this guy, and there's more to business than hiring every bit of talent around? There seems to be this myth floating around that htese game companies pick up anyone and everyone that displays any talent whatsoever - if that were true, these game companies would have wage bills the size of India's GDP.

Where do you think Valves present mappers came from? Out of a box from mappers R us? Or do you think perhaps they made their name in the quake/doom mapping scene and got hired accordingly? As for money, I don't think Valve are short of a buck of two when it comes to considering potential employees.

 

[Asknoone]

It might be up faster if you sent me some questions... ;-)

I'm still writing them.

 

[Crispy]

Finished Someplace Else. I had no idea it was just the one map. It was a fun map, though.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Wuzgud wannit?

And now: according to Adam there's something in it that's "in plain sight" which explains a lot about the story of Minerva. The truth is out there!

 

[DieH@rd]

Someplace Else is THE best map for HL1. I worship this man...

 

[prob101]

Where's part 2?