Sam Lake

[Craig]

Hello people, I'm Craig formerly of "Lazarii" fame if any of you remember a year ago when Max came out, I was here. Been a while. Anyway, just completed it again, it is still the best action game on PC, but I have a question. will Sam Lake be returning for Max Payne 2 as writer, or will there be a new writer, and what else has he worked on before? It certainly would be nice if Remedy did a Deus Ex 2 by getting another writer to work WITH Lake because that would bring a more rounded plot in and maybe one twice as long.

Cheers,
Craig

[Darkreaver]

I don't see why he shouldn't come back for Max Payne 2, after all he did a remarkable jod in the first one.Personally I don't think they should get anyone else because it will screw up the story.Sam lake started it and he will finish it.

[Craig]

See, I'd be very happy if he returned, but i'd be even more happy if they got another writer to back him up because two seperate minds can create one exceptional thing and this is one of the reasons the story in DX2 will be much more better than the first.

[Darkreaver]

I haven't read any thing on DX2 so I can't comment,but when there are two writers yes you can get some good ideas but it might also create complications,things in MP2 that wouldn't stick with MP,that's my opinion but I couldn't be wrong.

[SkavenRMD]

Confirmed: Sam Lake is writing the plot for Max Payne 2 as well.

(and boy you're in for a real treat images/icons/wink.gif ) <--- *way* too obvious sales pitch

[Co11]

haha, Skaven is teh funnay!

[Craig]

Ah cheers Skaven, you've made my day. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out. If it can be revealed, what stage is the writing at? Is it complete, is the script done yet? Will it be written along with the game* too so it is quicker?

*When is MP2 actually scheduled for release?

[Maddieman]

and boy you're in for a real treat <font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">A different colour hawaii shirt, maybe? images/icons/grin.gif

[The Baskinator]

... or no shirt. *snicker* images/icons/grin.gif

[Co11]

/me shudders

[Kev_Hectic]

Maybe a Tattoo of a hawaii shirt?

[The Baskinator]

Originally posted by Co11:
/me shudders<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Well, truthfully, if anybody should be taking off their shirt...it should be you, baby. *growl* images/icons/grin.gif

I have a hawaiian shirt that looks a lot like one Sam has... Well, actually my brother has it. (No, it's not the red shirt.)

[ 08-29-2002, 04:06 AM: Message edited by: The Baskinator ]

[Maddieman]

I have a hawaiian shirt that looks a lot like one Sam has... <font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Since seeing Sam 'model' that shirt, I can't count the number of times I've seen it in the high street stores.

[SkavenRMD]

Oops, sorry for the delay...

Well no, I can't give any release date details, progress bars or such, but anyway, the plot is written a bit ahead of actual implementation, things are planned, story details worked out, then the level designers start creating sketch versions of the levels. And if they need changes for the story, they are made to the story. All in all, it's a really continuous two-way process.

However, yes: the plot is written before the levels are designed. Not the other way around, like some developers seem to do ("OK, the game is now finished. Oh yeah, we need some kind of story...")

However, at some point the script has to be finalized and nailed down, so that the voice actors can start performing it. There isn't much room for changes at that point, since studio sessions can't be arranged over and over again at a whim.

[Craig]

Thanks for explaining that, Skaven. See, I've never actually quite understood how someone would go about writing the story for a game. I alway's thought "Well do they write up to a certain point then say "Level Begins" and then it goes to the developers?" I'm going to be co-writing a game with a Swedish bloke called Thomas Sebastian Berge in the coming months, as he really is trying to pull an id Software*. It is just that I've never written a game script, I've done screenplays, comic scrits, stories, and I'm a reviewer for a website too, it is just I never understood how we would write the story together to go into a game.

*He and some of his friends are building their own engine using OpenGL from scratch, and they're going to do some "Resident Evil" tech demos which I'm writing the stories for too. Should be good.

[SkavenRMD]

Not only the stuff between the levels, Sam Lake also writes the basis for what happens inside them. The level designers work out the exact gameplay / interactivity details, but Sam gives them the outlines to work along.

[Cathome]

Now I can not worry about MP2.

[Craig]

So he actually writes: Max starts the level near some trash cans. He has to make his way across the wide road, with road blocks on either side but there are two snipers hidden behind seperate dustbins on either side of the road ?

Is there any way you could post an example of how a "script-t-game" piece would look on paper from Max 1?

[Co11]

Sam writes too much.. images/icons/smile.gif

and I'm thankful for that. why isn't he on the boards?

[sawn_off]

So Baskin stays out of the histeria wards.