[Originally written in 1998, very close to the street date of "Quake 2". Since then, the pretty damn successful game and game engine that is "Quake 3" has been launched, Paul Steed has left Id under controversial circumstances, but the core of the company, including Kevin Cloud, are still coming out with massively successful games built on great technology.]

On the launching of the phenomenon that is "Quake 2", videogamedesign.com thought it would be appropriate to secure a rare interview with Kevin Cloud. Not only one of the co-owners of id Software, he's also an integral graphics artist who's worked on each of the landmark titles that company has produced. We  chatted to him about the past, present, and future of id, and he revealed which experience in his career was most akin to realising he'd come to school without his pants on. Intrigued? Read on. :)

h0l: Let's start at the beginning. Or at least, the beginning of your id career. What attracted you to join the company?

KC: I worked at Softdisk for several years by the time the id guys left to start their own company. I was editorial director of project development and talked with id regularly regarding the programs they were submitting to Softdisk.

Not long after they left Softdisk, id sent an alpha version of Wolfenstein to us. I must have talked to my wife Lacey about it for weeks. I still cannot say enough great things about Wolfenstein. Wolfenstein was all about potential--the potential of id and the potential of the PC for entertainment.

I had always wanted to make games, and when the opportunity to work at id happened we didn't hesitate. The pay was less and Lacey had to leave school, but we packed up to go to Wisconsin the next weekend.

h0l: How did Wolfenstein manage to create so much suspense from what essentially was some scaled sprites?

KC: The use of sounds in Wolfenstein contributed greatly to the game's suspense. The sounds you made, the sound of doors opening and the sound of Nazi soldiers barking alert was all important to the game. No matter where you were in a level, the world always felt inhabited and hostile.

h0l: Does the setting of Wolfenstein ever bother you, or were you confident it was too tongue-in-cheek to ever offend?

KC: I guess I am a little thick-skinned about that kind of stuff. I really cannot see how Wolfenstein could offend anyone.

h0l: Who would you most like to meet, if you could talk to anyone from history or the present day?

KC: No-one. The most important opinions and ideas come from the people that I see or talk to nearly everyday.

h0l: Doom and Doom2 are, indisputably, 2 of the greatest computer games of all time. How does it feel to know that Doom is still selling (on the N64) right now?

KC: Of course seeing DOOM on the N64 is great. However, Quake II is indisputably the best game of all time.

h0l: The Doom movie - what happened?

KC: The DOOM movie is still breathing out there in Hollywood. I am not sure what motivates the Studios to make a particular movie, but I cannot imagine DOOM not eventually getting to the big screen. I think it is only a matter of time.

h0l: Obviously, id are among the pioneers of the shareware game-segment generating huge revenues for the full shop-release version. Don't you ever get worried you might release too much for free?

KC: No.

h0l: What are the models/textures you've been most proud of making whilst working at id?

KC: I like the Jesus in metal texture from Quake. It isn't grotesque or sacrilegious. It is just there.

My favorite model is probably the Fiend. Technically the model was poor, but the design of the monster and his ability to frighten the player was a winner. Clearly the Fiend would not have been as convincing a killer in a sprite based game.

Looking back on it, I should have made more monsters that were best created as polygons. I think the public was expecting the advances in technology to result in greater differences in the appearance of Quake over DOOM.

h0l: There seem to be a relatively small amount of graphics artists at id (there's only three, I believe). Why does this work so well?

KC: First, Adrian is the best artist in the business. So that doesn't hurt. Now that we've added Paul, who is the best animator I've seen, we have our art team. We all work together well and trust each other's skills. Everyone works hard and takes pride in doing a good job.

h0l: Quaketest - what was the reaction at id when you found someone had hacked your half-finished monsters out for the world to see?

KC: Did you ever have that nightmare where you forget to wear your pants to school? I think it felt something like that. The design of the game and the rules of how many animations and polygons could be used changed so often that I had a ton of half-finished monsters. I'm just glad you guys didn't see my work directory.

h0l: Engine-licensing is another very interesting part of ID's success. Are you concerned that this may add greatly to the number of games that are 'clones' of the ones you're trying to make?

KC: I'd rather use the word choices instead of clones. All of our licensees want to be top dog and separate themselves from the competition. There will be similarities between games because they share technology. However, technology is the just foundation for the game. There is plenty of opportunity to create a unique gaming experience using the Quake engine. Certainly with the talent our licensees have gathered, the users can expect some very cool and imaginative 3-D entertainment next year.

For id software, in the short run the increased competition may result in a few lost sales. However, in the long run it results in a larger and more satisfied audience...more people who will hopefully want to buy our next game. For the gamers, the increased competition means new ideas, better games, and more choices.

h0l: Would you want your kids going into the games industry, or would you be worried it might scar them for life?

KC: It would be cool if my daughter wanted to make computer games.

h0l: Where do you see ID going from here, in terms of expansion, game styles, and so on?

KC: There is no plan to expand the size of our company. We may hire a new person here or there, but we aren't planning on anything. It is satisfying to work with a small team--your contribution matters and is evident in the game.

Of course we want to continue making 3-D games, but I think we'll break from the traditional direction of today's 3-D shooters. We want to revisit and redefine some basic philosophies that govern the design of 3-D games. We have a ton of new ideas that will make a great game. Today everything is a possibility. As we come closer to finishing Trinity we'll see where it puts us.

It is safe to say that as long as you guys like what we make, we'll be here making it.

h0l: Thanks, Kevin, and congrats again on Quake 2 getting finished..