Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer for Epic's Unreal series, recently sat down with us to discuss several gaming topics. 

>>How did you get into the gaming industry, what do you do for Epic, and
what you like to do for fun in your spare time?

I made a game and sent it to Tim Sweeney. That's how I got in the biz. At
Epic I'm Lead Designer - I also make time to build levels.

In my spare time I hang out with my wife, 5 cats, and 1 yellow lab.

>>In your opinion what were the highs and lows of the E3 show? What did you
think about the bad press (booth babes)?

Highs: Nintendo, Interplay's strong lineup, seeing old friends.
Lows: Being humbled by the amazing talent that works in this business every
year.

I've always had mixed feelings about Booth Babes. I enjoy looking at them
but I do feel they distract from the real reason we're there - the games.

>>Now that E3 is over, what game(s) do you think show(s) the most promise?

Devil May Cry is a must buy. The Gamecube Star Wars game looks amazing as
well.

>>In your opinion what more can the Unreal engine do? Do you feel it is
limited to the first person shooter genre?

A pinball game was recently made with the engine. Nearly anything's
possible.

>>Are you working on any new games, besides Unreal II?

Yes. :-)

>>What are the general steps of level creation that you go through before a
level is complete: environment, scenery, terrain, etc.?

Nearly everything I've run my mouth about regarding level design is mostly
irrelevent now, so forget everything I previously said. With the computing
power of today's hardware, all bets are off.

>>I keep hearing talk about a bling mod, do you think there is
enough of a crossover between hip-hop and gaming to make a mod like this work?

Well, angry young white men play a lot of video games. They also happen to
listen to a lot of hip hop. Do the math!


CliffyB