EMPOWERING THE
LEVEL EDITOR
Copyright 2001 www.tombraiderchronicles.com
[ January 19th 2001 ]
Following
the release of the Chronicles Level Editor Tutorial
Section, designer and creative developer Dale
Rickert stops by to talk about CORE's greatest
gift to it's loyal fans - The Chronicles Level
Editor
The latest
edition to our media team, 56-year old Dale Rickert,
a former Vietnam veteran now involved in computerized
graphics and residing in Cheney, Washington with
wife Teresa and son Joshua, first met Lara way
back in the Bartolli days of Tomb Raider II, where
he began writing walkthroughs for the adventure
series while nurturing an inquisitive fascination
for computer programming.
We quizzed
Dale on the motivation behind Eidos Interactives
phenomenally successful adventure series....
The Tomb
Raider series...why do you think it has captured
your imagination and what makes it compelling?
I think
that the one main feature that hooked me was the
camera angle. In all of the other games that I’ve
seen my son play on his Nintendo, you don’t get
to see the hero. It makes you feel like you’re
a camera and not an active participant. Half of
the fun with Tomb Raider is watching Lara perform.
I think that’s why there’s such a strong Lara
Croft following. Also, the engine for the game
is outstanding. I’ve always been impressed with
the real look and feel of the animations.
Regarding
the Level Editor, do you think Core should have
released what is essentially the source code to
their Tomb Raider Series?
Not unless
they were going to completely abandon the Tomb
Raider game. I was actually amazed when I first
opened Chronicles and found the Level Editor.
I think that’s a step in the right direction,
but to release the complete source code would
be asking others to do what they should be doing.
Do you
think the genre would have continued without the
release of the editor?
I think
that would have depended on how creative they
were in their new releases. It’s like sequels
to movies each one has to be bigger and better.
Releasing the editor in a sense makes everyone
who uses it "junior promoters" of their games
without having to put them on salary, thus that
was a wise decision.
What
do you think is the future of the level editor?
If it
just remained as it exists right now I think it
would fizzle out in a matter of months. I say
that because of how limited it is in what you
have available for objects. The wads for each
level don’t really have a lot to choose from.
I like the way TR III levels gave you the choice
of Pistols, Shotgun, Desert Eagle, Uzi, Grenade
Launcher, Rocket Launcher, and Harpoon Gun. I
think one of the key features that makes the game
interesting is the movable boxes. Being able to
push in wall sections in search of new rooms and/or
secrets is a real strong point that is currently
not available in any of the Editor levels. My
hope is that there will be enough interest in
the Editor to where they will recognize how advantageous
it would be to not only enhance it, but also to
support it.
Where
do you see Lara in five years time?
I certainly
hope that Von Croy manages to find her alive.
It doesn’t make sense to shoot the goose that
lays the golden eggs. I suspect that Lara will
eventually emerge unscathed and ready for her
next adventure. Perhaps she had to abandon her
backpack in order to crawl out of her would be
tomb? I think they’re going to see a really big
boost in both interest and sales with the release
of the movie. If I had to make a prediction, I’d
have to say that tying the release of the movie
with the release of a new game that brings Lara
out of her tomb would make a lot of sense and
money. Five years from now is difficult to predict.
I suspect with the new technology coming along,
Lara will be looking better than ever.
Will
you be watching Tomb Raider the movie, and what
do you think of the casting decisions?
Wild
horses couldn’t keep me from going to see it.
My son and I will be at the front of the line
to purchase it when it’s released on video. When
I heard that Angelina Jolie was playing the part
of Lara, I was a little surprised, but only because
I wasn’t that familiar with her. After seeing
her history I felt that they had made a wise decision.
I think it’s great that her real father is part
of it as well. Father-daughter teams always seem
to do well. I think that one of the great movies
is the one where Hayley Mills starred with her
father John Mills in "The Chalk Garden."
Do you
think that Eidos was right to sell the movie rights
to Paramount?
I’m not
very well educated on the pros and cons of a decision
like that. I’ve always been a strong believer
that you should confine yourself to doing what
you do best. Since Eidos isn’t in the business
of producing movies, they’re compelled to let
a major studio make it. I don’t think any studio
would invest the necessary monies to make the
movie in the way it should be made without having
the rights to it.
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