On-Line #71 02 февраля 1997

Интервью

Interview - Interview with Vyacheslav Mednonogovym (Copper Feet).

                INTERVIEWS


(C) OLDMAN


   Present to your attention an interview with Vyacheslav 
Mednonogovym, also known under the pseudonym COPPER FEET, 
author of UFO 1 and UFOs 2 of the best games created for the 
Spectrum. However, it is my view ... Listen to what others 
might say ... 

Victor Moskalev (MAGIC SOFT): "This man saved Spectrum - thanks 
to his Speccy games is not only alive, but remained the 
computer, where you can work and earn money. "


Yuri Matveyev (STEP): "Good for you. All."

ROM / SEAMANS "Ickrenne - he is the strongest geymmeyker in the 
country." 


   ... So, opinions began to be repeated - we go to the very 
interview. 



(?) Begin with the formal questions: how old are you?

(!) Twenty-six, behind the Institute and the army.

(?) Marital status?

(!) Is still single.

(?) Technical Support singles dvadtsatishestiletnego game
    maker?

(!) Pentagon 128 (it can be seen on Inla:) and Pentium

    (75/16m/HDD: 340m +1280 m / SB / CD / B / W scanner / 
printer HP LJ5L). 

    Still have 48 and 128 Spectrum, but I do not use (left

    since the program recording on tape).

(?) Which came first - Spectrum or PC?

(!) At home? Of course, the Spectrum! I have several classmates 
form     Affairs of the BK-0010, and has money saved up ... 
Once he saw the same 

    Spectrum, which was Savage. And this, as they say, decide
    Lo all ... And the first PC appeared only two years later.

(?) What did you feel when meeting a new car? And most 
importantly, 

    what makes you, having a Pentium, and knowing how it prog
    rammirovat, making hit games on the Spectrum?

(!) A little confusing the issue. New car for me was the rate
    Ray Spectrum, as to him about a year I worked for IBM-owls
    patibility (EC-1841). As always, the transition to another 
system, you     shows some fear (it does not matter what kind). 
Need 

    to have been a number of knowledgeable people ready to help.

(?) And I'm, asking you this question, and hoping you to Speccy

    had to deal with something sort ... So, all the same, which 
leads to     leklo you precisely ZX? Why is it you stopped


    your choice?

(!) To answer this question more difficult. Probably not the 
only possible     sequence to earn extra money, but also an 
opportunity for self-actualization. Not 

    I will say that I do not go thinking to switch to IBM. But I

    realistic about the situation - such a transition would 
deprive me first     first and is unlikely to give the second 
(if the question is about writing 

    games).

(?) And about those people who helped you learn a Spectrum

    You do not want to say something? Maybe I know them?

(!) If you think that I'll shake the pack of big names

    something wrong. Helped just good friends who

    before I came to the Spectrum (A cool would napridumy
    account that I have nurtured Nicolas Rodionov, or MOA, or

    personally, Comrade Zonov :-)

(?) Sorry ... I have so relied on it;) Okay, go directly to the

    case. So, your first game - DURAK, TANKODROM, and one of

    my favorite games - BURATINO ...

(!) In my opinion, were good toys. With the popularity of Fool 
me 

    is unlikely to match it. Juicy details: the DN
    cancer, and now I was playing, and Pinocchio was about 
forty times 

    (Cf., UFOs and UFO-1-2 I went through a couple times, and 
then 

    cheat-mode).

(?) And then it was a UFO ... By the way, is it true that you 
specifically 

    change the name of the UFO series of games, so, in which 
case, 

    Microprose was not able to present your claim? And do not 
fear 

    Do you think it is, nevertheless, can it happen?

(!) Nearly as much. In addition, it is silly to call a program 
in Russian 

    native language, not words. Well, I also wanted underlining
    whip, it is not just dull the conversion of foreign 
programs, and 

    almost all of his own. And be afraid - not afraid (not yet 
happened ;-). 

(?) What, besides the main story line and scanned "encyclopaedia
    stage "had you borrowed from Microprose? Sprites, car
    You, the characteristics of the heroes?

(!) Basically, if the borrowing and went, at the level of 
ideas. To     Of course, it is very similar and the appearance 
of characters, but to make sprites 

    I had to myself. As, however, and everything else. That

    are products of Microprose inside, I can

    only guess.

(?) What does the inscription UFO-2 128/256k (where supported by

    256K)?

(!) Nowhere. Means, rather, that despite the great differences

    between the 256-mi computers of different companies, the 
game will be on them id     TUE. For example, a UFO-1 did not 
go to KAY-256. 

(?) How do you feel about passion Petersburg, mostly prog
    rammistov doing games like "Guess the mystery - look ska
    screened image "? THE TURN, DOUBLE XINOX, OPEN IT! ...

(!) Is negative. Something which, while puzzle games on the 
Spectrum hwa     melts. And do not even help dilute them with 
plenty of 

    beautiful pictures. Look at IBM - in recent years there

    almost never produce anything like it. However, as an 
attempt to     rank groups to express themselves, release of 
such small games 

    is justified. At least we know what can be

    expect from them next time.

(?) Yes. What from them can still wait, but the next porn
    Tetris or seksarkanoida ... Although they do not overpower 
the breakout, 

    perhaps ...

(!) In the top ten. Just got the program from the Virtual 
Brothers 

    similar content.

(?) By the way, are not you first started to implement in the 
Spectrum 

    Games scanned graphics ...

(!) Not sure. Although the entire schedule for THE TURN and 
small 

    part for the OPEN IT (is that better:) converted me. In

    the new game, I decided to abandon the scanned graphics

    favor of a "live", drawn by hand is working at peak
    Terek artist Denis Barkov (7 th place on the schedule for 
the 

    Inlayt'96).

(?) And who are you to do the graphics in the previous games, 
as well as music 

    and anything else that you can not? Or did you do 
everything yourself? 

(!) Up to UFO-2 - all by himself. Even the music once he tried 
to     write (in Tankodrome) and Zaretsky district forever to 
do it. Therefore,     Therefore, it would be better - 
everything except music. In UFO-2, my brother you     complete 
block of three-dimensional battle with UFOs. 

(?) Manufacture of games for the Spectrum - a profitable 
occupation? 

(!) Look, to compare with.

(?) A call to the numbers?

(!) Please:


    From the Fool - 0 (to make 1,5 months. With m / background)

    From Tankodroma - 1000rub. from the firm, Peter (make 3 
months. with 

    m / background)

    From Pinocchio - 0 (do 3 months).

    By UFO-1 - more than $ 2500 per year and a half (more than 
1500 compl., 

    case 6 months).

    By UFO-2 - more than $ 3500 (about 1300 compl., Was made 8 
months. 

    by IBM)

(?) Not a bad leap - from Pinocchio to UFO) Yes, and the level 
(HEC     Look at all the appeal of the first) these games 
differ greatly     significantly.


(!), I once casually mentioned it (in ZXF # 1). Can more

    detail. The sad experience "Tankodroma" undermine hopes 
wages     were processed on the bread heavy programming work. 
Therefore, 

    "Pinocchio" was a purely freeware project. And though the 
silence 

    lasted two years, then it does not mean that the Spectrum 
was a     life. Conversely, six months, I had killed on his 
thesis project under the name     Niemi "Vector graphics editor 
for ZX-Spectrum" (more 

    as much, and he would have left). Grandiose should have been

    Gizmo - as AutoCad. For a while, broke away on the same

    purchased 386y, while lacking. Something else to detail. Tol
    chkom to continue playing the theme became a commercial 
success 

    "Dizzy X" (or maybe just struck a chord). I tried

    and rejected several versions of the plot and the engine. 
Until 

    saw a UFO ... So it's not a jerk, but rather a regular

    investigation.

(?) Rumor has it that Peter finished with a pirate deyatelnos
    Tew ... If this is true, how do you do it?

(!) It is unlikely to fully correspond to reality, one
    to close enough to that. To a greater extent this applies
    camping, rather only to the Petrograd projects (hopefully 
yet). 


    First of all this contributes to a very friendly on the
    Substitution of the market and good relations between the 
traders. " 

(?) Yes! A long time and many are asked to ask you now about

    What .... Remember, you called Moscow big village ...

(!) Was such a sin in the UFO-1. The answer is simple: I am 
very much Call     Whether at the previous games in different 
cities, from Moscow - 

    never. In this connection, I decided that it was with deep 
Spectrum     ho. Muscovites to bring his belated apology.


(?) What do you think of Moscow as a city where too Ms
    VUT vendors for Spectrum? Compare this quality

    Moscow with Peter, and other cities.

(!) In "comparison to Peter, and other cities" of software 
developers 

    for the Spectrum in Moscow lives much less. This is for
    nyatno a long time the capital has been a transit point for

    zabugornye software, and the main efforts of the Moscow 
sinkleris     Comrade was directed to his hacking, adaptation 
and revision. In 

    Recently, the situation changed and the examples do not 
need yes     Leko walk ("Star Heritage" from the steppes, their 
new projects - 

    ZN-2 "," Special Forces ").


    Without a doubt, in Moscow goes the greatest number of 
periodic     FIR publications Spectrum. Many good musicians 
(starting     Naya to KSA). After Inlayta'96 found that you also


    the best artists in the country (Magic Soft, Scorpion Club,

    about Usmanov, I really do not tell).


    What is lacking - good coders, capable of carrying large

    projects. Well, good demomeykerov (I judge by impressions

    from all of the same Inlayta).

(?) I hope your last words though someone forced to
    try to prove otherwise ...

(!) Hmm ...

(?) Thus here, huh? Well, then this question: Do you think,

    that playing in the UFO 2 is much duller than in the first 
game ... 

(!) Perhaps the UFO-1 was actually more "playable" than

    UFO-2. Blame It spectrophone that in six months mutil
    between 'readers' letters "with negative reviews on UFO-1 
and 

    wishes to remake it into a strategy. This, of course, a 
joke. 

(?) As always, all my fault spectrophone:) By the way, in the 
same 

    Spectrophone you said that players on the Spectrum is not 
ready     you in strategic games - maybe you were right?


(!) Now it's time to change the wording: users are already

    evolved strategy games, including as they susches
    exist a on the Spectrum. We must look forward and focus

    the best extent possible. The best strategic

    games today are those where all the action takes place in

    dynamics, where they play really takes only country
    strategically action. I mean, WarCraft,

    Command'Conquer, Z, Settlers, etc.

(?) As I understand it, we are waiting for the emergence of yet 
another dynamic 

    strategy on the Spectrum? Tell me about your next work.

    How will it look like the plot, there is a prototype for 
other 

    platforms? And finally, whether it's UFOs 3?

(!) Begin with the end. Will this be a UFO-3? According to the 
plot (which Pona     chalu was taken from WarCraft) play well, 
nothing to do with UFOs. 

    Although the prototype of the game is, as I said, WarCraft

    (Blizzard, 1994), it will be called "Black Crow", because

    in St. Petersburg were already working on porting 
WarCraft'a group 

    G-Soft. Unfortunately, according to recent data, G-Soft stop

    this activity (well here, have ruined the idea of ​​the 
name). Well, 

    I was late back up - in fact had to be changed

    subject, title, sprites heroes.


    The game is about 70-80% - displays a map itself igro
    force field with the heroes who can already fight developed

    new algorithm for calculating the route moves. Enough

    convenient, in my opinion, made management: icons

    duplicate hotkeys, selecting the group of soldiers with
    power of the frame (as in the Art Studio); avtoskroll for 
the mouse. There 

    the ability to save to disk at any time.


    Demo version (or rather, one of the intermediate versions) 
will     Camping in the second ZX-Format'e (along with a 
description of the search algorithm 

    the shortest route to the "UFO-2)


    Contrary to my expectations, the game turns out quite 
quickly. On 

    normal Sinclair (no turbo) its speed corresponds with
    dimensional velocity FAST analog. Well, if you 
"accidentally" did not 

    will be on the same screen 40-50 characters.

(?) And yet, why in the TV series UFO and the next your project

    you use someone else's stories? Could not we could come up 
with 

    something your own?

(!) As it turned out, the development of the plot is one of the 
most 

    difficult and time-consuming processes. In order to come up 
with a 

    alone, a balanced story, the appearance of characters and 
Ian     dshaftov, I would be required for several months. After 
the UFO-1 I 

    proposed several scenarios, but I could not choose

    anything necessary depth study. Rather, it was

    just an idea. And I have, and their ideas so much that it 
is unlikely 

    should be taken for someone else.


    So as long as. Hoping for the best.

(?) And if someone offered you a fully developed

    scenario, you would have agreed to cooperate with him?

(!) (Long pause) If we mean by cooperation acquires
    wreath product of the script - it is quite possible. 
However, this raises 

    situation, which was best described in one of asking
    logodnih spectrophone. Assume a scenario I do not like

    and I refuse, but my ideas coincide with out it? I

    already got in such sensitive situations, it is true money 
with metal     AE nobody demanded :-)



    If a more serious note, apparently I now have for a long 
time     enced strategic games. As they do, what to


    They balance me already know about. Much interest
    her idea of ​​the plot, characters sketches, landscapes, 
new neo     Usually, weapons (spells), etc.



    If a more serious note, I'm not ready to seriously respond 
to the 

    this question.

(?) UFO 2 was almost entirely done by IBM, the next

    your game, as I understand it, too ... What programs do you

    used in this case? This is - to emphasize the coolness of 
games;) 

(!) For printing texts and preparing advertising - MS Word (I

    really like the ability to check spelling literacy -

    what is missing many of our sponsors). To draw

    sprite - a simple (if not - a primitive) solutions
    daktor iPhotoDeluxe. For more complex graphics work -

    Packages Adobe. Actively using the Borland C and Borland Paz
    calcium for various support programs and as an environment 
for re     daktirovaniya sinklerovskih source. In the Black


    Raven will be used 3D Studio Max.

(?) Is not using any software on the Spectrum?

(!) Only those who do not have a PC. First and foremost, 
kompilyato     algebra of Music and Art Studio for color 
graphics. 

(?) I know what you did Spectrum editor assembler

    PC, has a phenomenal potential. Spreads
    Xia whether he - where and how?

(!) Is not the editor, but just an assembler. Phenomenal 
opportunity     mi he does not possess (as for compatibility, I 
did it 

    GENS-like), but Coy something nice in it are:


    a) first of all, the ability to assemble once all 128k;


    b) high speed (on my Pentium assembling UFO-2

    together with the contents of all pages takes 1 second);


    c) the output can be generated not just a set of binary

    files, and so-called snapshot, which you can immediately

    look in the emulator.


    So far he has kept in strict confidence and was a commercial
    practically a secret. However, your question prompted me to 
think about 

    the dangers of greed, and I send it to FIDO. So who needs 
to know     looking at the BBS. It's called simple and 
unassuming, "Assem     Blair's 128 for the Z80 ".


(?) Can I do someday be reckoned ... And anything else in

    the kind you had designed?

(!) Nothing more is needed (yet). Emulator susches
    tvuet big number, but as an environment for editing 
convenience     but to use the editors, for example, compilers 
Borlan     yes - they can be connected and an assembler and 
simulator - the floor     chitsya multi-window integrated 
environment. With no less suc     Hom fit MultiEditor.



    I often must write to the IBM software support

    for the Spectrum - the various converters, compressors, 
editors     algebra maps. But these things do not have the 
flexibility and therefore 

    hardly deserves wide dissemination.

(?) Theme exciting lately all - Amiga against all.

    What's your opinion?

(!) Amiga - a good computer, much less I like it

    Amiga militant subculture.

(?) Is it worth it, in your opinion, by "working on the Spectrum

    immediately re-qualify for pushing Amigo?

(!) If the crash of ruin does not frighten them, it's worth.

(?) And finally, the traditional question: what do you think

    waiting for the Spectrum in the near future?

(!) If the "Copyright Law" gather momentum, the nearest
    follows, the time expected outflow of customers with IBM 
and their transition 

    at the Spectrum. Joke.


    I think this year there will be no radical

    changes either in better or for worse. Certainly,

    will make a big boom, "Kirandiya" of Nicodemus, and "Starry

    legacy-2 "from the group Step, if they manage to get out. 
Well, I Village     packaging does not disappoint.



    In the area of ​​iron on the leadership the company will 
Skor     pion, thanks largely to the controller and the HDD to 
its close 

    Relations Inforkomom.

(?) Hmm ...



Questions were asked - Dmitry Grigoryev (OLDMAN)
              FidoNet: 2:5020 / 689.31
                ZXNet: 095/100.1

Answered - Vyacheslav Mednonogov (COPPER FEET)
              FidoNet: 2:5030 / 461.12