Star Wars Trilogy Total Conversion
One of the largest and most anticipated SP projects, the SWTTC brings us up to date on the group happenings and progress of the levels. Hear about the number of levels and locations planned to be visited, allocation of team member talent, and more from the project leader Ajay.
What made you decide to convert the Star Wars Trilogy?
I decided to convert the Star Wars Trilogy after Sinclair cancelled the Empire Strikes Back TC he was
doing. Many people don't know that I was a part of the original team of ESB. I was disappointed at the cancellation of the project, because I was
very interested in seeing part of the movies as JK levels. So, I sort of "took" the project over and added the other two movies as well to create
the Star Wars Trilogy TC.
Do you have any new AIs, COGs, PUPs or MATs? If so, what are they?
Yes, we will be having all sorts of new 3dos, mats, ai, pups, and cogs. For instance, we will be having a
Jawa enemy and civilian, and that requires both new 3do and AI. We will also have a whole lot of new 3dos, like landspeeders and new creatures. The
new MATs, of course, will be the new characters. One cog item I would like to mention is the Hoth battle that takes place in the Echo Base level. I
won't say anymore about that though, to keep it a surprise...
What characters will be used in your episode? Who will we get to play as?
All of the characters will be featured in the TC, from Luke to Wedge Antillies.
Are you going to visit all of the classic movie areas, such as Cloud City and the Pit of Carkoon? Do you
plan to create difficult planets like Dagobah and Endor?
Each of the places you described will be in the TC, with the exception of Dagobah. I am seriously
considering canceling that part of the story since it would be very hard to realize with JK.
If you do make Endor, how do you plan to make a huge forest? If you use custom 3dos, won't it really slow
down the frame rate?
Endor is a big challenge, but we are going to try our best to include that important part of RotJ in the
TC. It wouldn't be complete with Endor, you know? I have had some ideas about creating the forest. One in particular is the addition of fog, which
would keep the player's viewpoint limited and perhaps bring up the framerate. It is my understanding that no one really likes fog, but when you edit
you find that it is very helpful in creating a realistic setting without the huge slowdown.
When do you anticipate the entire saga will be completed and ready to be released? How long has your
editing group been together, and how long have you been working on this project?
The project should be ready and completed by the target time May 21st 1999. I first started the project
some time last fall, and the team has been growing ever since.
Will we get to see our Rodian pal Greedo get fried in any of the levels? Or any of our other friends like
Doctor Evazan or Ponda Boba?
The part you are referring to will more than likely be played out in a cutscene, setting up the Mos
Eisley level. I imagine that those two will also make an appearance.
Are there going to be cutscenes for every level? Are you going to use a lot of colored lighting and other
special effects?
Yes, there will be cutscenes for every level, and you can also expect some special effects. One in
particular would be the interaction between the player and other characters.
How many levels do you have total? Are they all going to be full length, or will some be small Jedi combat
levels?
There will be a total of 18 levels in the SWTTC, ranging from immense surface levels to small Jedi
battles.
How did you organize the development of the project, deciding who does what level etc.? How many people
are on your staff, and how many of them actually edit levels?
I really often times let the author decide what they want to do, but here recently I have been assigning
work since a lot of it has been taken up. Most of the time I look at previous levels the person has done, what they are best at creating whether it
be spaceships or planets, and they put them where they would be the most likely to make something special happen. Right now, there are a total of 22
members with 6 working on levels. Other members range from analysts to beta testers.
Thanks a lot for your time.
I want to thank you for taking the time to interview me, and I want to say that I really enjoy The
Admiral's Command Chamber and congratulations on getting a sub-domain!