This time we have some stuff from one of our newest team members, swatman. He came on and started working his fingers to the bone. Here’s a little interview I did with him when he showed me the work he was doing…

IkusaGwai: Welcome swatman. For a while now, you have been the content manager/ webmaster for The Hostile Report. Very recently you have become a full member of the development team working in our Level Design department. You have been wrapping up a project, what’s it called?
swatman: It’s called hi_irene.
IkusaGwai: what is the background story for hi_irene?
swatman: Nato forces have been brought in to ensure safety of civilians during a coup coup d'état

IkusaGwai: give me some background on this new map you are working on? I understand it's a new form of gameplay, what can you tell me about it?
swatman: It’s a new gameplay that forces both teams to attack and defend. There is an initial wave of Natos who seize vital intelligence inside the target building and then are reinforced once and only once, to hold off an attack before final exertion.
IkusaGwai: I understand this new feature was a bit hard to implement...
swatman: The feature was a challenge to implement mainly because the HL1 engine didn't provide us with something surefire that works. I had to implement a bunch of fail safes and some checks to make sure it can run smoothly every time.

IkusaGwai: Widget started this map some time back and Squad, our Lead Level Designer, refined this map. How was it coming in as a new team member and picking up this map to help it toward completion?
swatman: It wasn't bad. Squad is an excellent level designer, and there wasn't anything wrong with the map. All that needed to be changed was to implement the new gameplay style, which are mostly entities.

IkusaGwai: what else have you been working on since joining the team?
swatman: I did simple fixes to Congo and added in a special new feature that really spices up Croatia. I also have been working on Khartoum, which I am glad to report, is a tango attacking map.

Stay tuned for more from our Level Designers and some special scooby snacks from the rest of the staff!