I'm actually a 21 year old rookie Police officer, I've been out of the Police Academy for almost 2 months now (which is why I don't have as much time for editing anymore). I first got interested in Star Wars about the time the original trilogy were re-released as the special edition, I'd also just got Dark Forces, as a friend recommended it. After seeing the movies again and playing through DF I was hooked and ended up buying just about every SW game that was out at the time. I first got into editing with Duke Nukem 3d, the editor came with the game and I fiddled round with it and muddled my way through building a box with a door and a pigcop cop in it. Eventually I managed to make bigger and better boxes and found I really enjoyed building my own stuff, so when I found out about the dark forces editor, I progressed into making boxes with a star wars theme. The thing I like most about editing is that I can take something I imagine and make it 'real' so to speak, as a kid I was always using my imagination to pretend I was in a space ship or army base.....I guess this is just an extension of that, now I can imagine it, build it and share it with others.

When I first had DF and its editors I didn't have access to the 'net. I used to go to my dad’s work (which had internet) about once a month and spend a few hours there downloading stuff onto disk. I came across some great DF sites and downloaded all the levels I could. I guess I ended up staying because there was just so much out there for DF; I used to have heaps of DF levels stored on my HD, and at the time a lot of them were quite good, plus it was Star Wars.

I'd been editing MotS for quite a while before I started Rebel Agent. It took me a while to progress from boxy levels and fully master the use of JED. Then I mucked about with a few different ideas, never finishing anything and starting new projects whenever I got bored. My first major project before Rebel Agent was my version of the Death Star. I think that architecturally it was much better than Rebel Agent but it got canned as I couldn't recreate it the way I wanted with JK/MotS.

There were a couple of reasons, first I'd read the DF books and the expanded back story really interested me. Originally I thought about a two level series, with the first level based in the city outside the base, but scrapped that. I always liked the original DF levels; I still play DF occasionally now, and the first level was a particular favourite. It was supposed to be a secret research base, but it didn't quite fit with what I imagined (but considering the limitations of the DF engine it was damn good) so I thought I'd use the JK/MotS engine to enhance it and make it how I imagined.

I wanted to make the level different, but still recognizable as the secret base on Danuta, so to that extent I tried to keep it the same, just adding some new bits. I also put in a few bits that hint at what’s to come later during DF. So I guess the answer would be yes, I am paying homage to the original Secret base.

Usually I do a bit of both. I've always been told I have a very visual imagination; a lot of it I just think about and build it, but if I have trouble thinking how a certain part should fit together or appear, I usually sketch it out from different perspectives. Initially I had an idea of what I wanted to add: medical bays, science labs and so forth. Then I started to design specific rooms on paper.

Realism was really my number one goal. I wanted it to feel like a proper base, thus the inclusion of the extra stuff. And I wanted a level that was not boxy or boring in its design or architecture. I really wanted to add more, but the limitations of JK thwarted that. So although I was really pleased how it turned out, I was disappointed I couldn't add more. Overall I think I achieved what I set out to.

The easiest part was making the areas from DF as I had something to work off and basically copy; it was harder to add new areas keeping to the style of DF and making them interesting, and doing all that and preventing clipping in the open areas. The hardest bit I found was getting everything to work, particularly the mission goals, as when it came to cogging I was really out of my depth. And it was more by luck than skill and a lot of help from the JK community that I managed to do some cogging and get it to work.

Simple, Realism. I can build more architecturally complex levels and do a lot of stuff that I couldn't because of limitations with JK/Mots, added to that just the fact that the Q3 engine is so much superior in everything when compared to JK (In my opinion, anyway).

Sure. The player will take on the role of a stormtrooper during the boarding of the corvette in ANH, and there'll be a couple of troops that follow you around and help you out. The plot will involve the player 'capturing' the ship along and performing tasks such as getting to the comms center before the rebels can send a distress message and locating and downloading the computer system in the search for the stolen plans. The player may also have to escort Captain Antilles to Lord Vader; haven't decided about that bit yet.

Yes. I plan on building the Corvette in full, inside the hangar, complete with living quarters and everything. At the moment I'm going off the Tantive IV cut out in the incredible cross sections book, and also using the interior design of the Radiant V from TPM incredible cross sections. Other parts I'm making from scratch to fit in with existing stuff.

So far I have many new textures, thanks mainly to BSR, and I've been working on a couple of new rebel skins to add some variety to the characters in the level. I'd like to add some new scripted events but for the moment I haven't even looked at the scripting system. Once I've done the architecture that I'll 'try' to learn how to script. Adding the rebel DH-17 blaster would be good, but I really don't have the skills to make and implement it at the moment.

I want parts of the level to be fast paced action/combat like in the opening scenes of ANH, but other parts I'm aiming for a more subdued atmosphere. Certain parts of the ship will be better defended and some empty, so I want to keep the player on his/her toes throughout the level.....you never know where those sneaky rebels will be hiding. Overall I want the player to feel that there is a sense of urgency to completing the objectives, before the rebels can send a distress call or delete the computer system.......I wonder if its possible to add time limits to the objectives?

Yes, at some point I'd like to finish off my Death Star project for JO and perhaps mess around with a few other ideas.

Way to soon for that! Unfortunately with my job and the amount of time it takes up I have no idea if I'll even be able to finish this level. Fingers crossed that eventually it'll get done.

I prefer JO's engine, for the reasons I stated earlier. You can build more complex stuff with it. I think overall that JO is much better, but from what I've seen it’s much harder to create great SP levels. Whereas with JK, editors accomplished a lot through cogging, it seems that the JO scripting system is limited somewhat (I may be wrong there...), and I don't think the community will see as much variety in SP JO levels as with JK.

Not the JK versions, if I do it'll be for JO. Death Star I would really like to finish one day.

I really enjoy all of it. Some of it’s not what I expected (like the attitudes of other cops, racism and sexism are definitely still alive in the police service)...trust me it’s nothing like TV, a lot of it is paperwork. But I look forward to going to work every day. The hardest thing is getting used to carrying a gun, it just feels so alien (to me anyway) to carry a firearm. And it’s pretty scary when you realize you've got the power to end someone’s life or injure them, though fingers crossed it never has to leave its holster.

I guess one thing I'd like to comment on is the quality of JO levels, both released and in development. There’s some amazing stuff being built out there and a lot of very talented people making levels. It’s just a pity there’s not more SP stuff in development. (As a gamer I prefer the SP experience over MP).

Thanks, hopefully it will get finished and released, and not too far in the future!