Quake Map Magazine - Yuri Davidov

| With the success of the popular Quake II "Space Odysses" series well established, Yuri Davidov reflects on the future of editing, gaming and his upcoming plans.

Real Life
I am 39 old. I live with my wife Marina and two sons (Maxim and Denis) in Kiev,Ukraine (where Chernobyl is)...a-a-a Europe...Earth......the third planet in the a Solar system if you fly from Stroggos =) I graduated from High Military Aviation Engineering College in Kiev and worked as the engineer with computers in Moscow. About ten years ago I decided to go back to Kiev and made up my mind to start a business (it deals with wholesale by building materials). After the release of Doom I was carried away by creating doom levels. But the reality of everyday life made me quit it. Now when there's Q2 and Q3 is upcoming I can not cut short this engagement.

Best Work

Most of all I like my latest works. This is why I reckon "Love Story of Prince of Stroggos" is the best I have done up till now. If I had to force myself with other maps, this one brought me enjoyment. Nevertheless every previous map contains pieces which I hold dear. I also hope that my best level is still ahead =)

Inspiration

Real life, games, films, especially books I read when I was a child. At first my imagination creates a picture which I want to transform into virtual reality.Then I put it down on paper. In general features a subject matter is born.Then I start working with the editor. Normally, other ideas appear as I go along.

Other Authors

Do you mean authors who are on the net? O.K. when I go through those levels, I am mostly interested in architecture and technical skills. But I can't stand it for a long time and very soon I click "noclip" flying along the level. It's not because the game is unsatisfactory - it's only my curiosity. To my mind, even if there had not been a single monster, I would still like the following authors: David Hyde (Structural mechanics); Cedar Kraus ( The powersphere quest); Brian Griffith (COS2:Stroggship...when I learned how old that guy was, I presumed it was not my kind of job ); Carson Utz ( The Widening Gyre); Christian 'guf Cummings (Dark Undergrowth); Yoo Shin Yang ( Fatal Opportunity), Greg 'Manx' Barr (Incarceration). Anyway there are a number of maps which I like very much in terms of gameplay and design. First of all it is "Homage to Mars" by Ben Glover and also "Soldier of Fortune: Mission2" by Neil Manke and "Ghost Town2" by Roger Staines. I'd like to note that I have not seen all the maps and I'm not familiar with all the authors.
Quake II
I like games of different kinds. I was most impressed by "Prince of Persia", "Flash back", "Doom", "Fullthrottle", "Command & conquer", "Warcraft 2", "Ecstatica 2", "Tomb Raider (1)", "Bioforge", "Duke Nukem 3D". These are the games I was sorry to part with. But the impression from Quake2 is a special one. Even now when I turn on the game and see demo1, it thrills me a lot. I am still admiring the design and the sound of the game. But apparently the most important thing is that the game gives a wonderful opportunity to create one's own three-dimension worlds and turn dreams into a reality (virtual as it is).

I presume that the release of Quake3 Arena will diminish the interest towards Quake2. But it will be still smoldering for the reason Q3A doesn't have single player.

Editors

At first I tried several different editors, but then I gave them up without going deep into them. Then I came across the information that id software selected QERadiant by Robert Duffy for Q3A, and I decided to try that editor. It seemed to be very convenient and understandable. The only thing that baffled me at first was how just one surface of the brush is chosen. It drove me crazy. And the term "brush" confused me a bit. My dictionary insists that it is not a rectangular structure, but a device to clean one's cloths =) However I like my choice.

Editing Other Games

It would be very interesting for me to experiment with Unreal. But what impedes me are its monsters - their appearance. Q2 is more suitable to my fantasies. I would gladly do a couple of levels for Requiem: Avenging Angel when the editor for it is available. I like this game very much. I enjoyed playing HalfLife, but when I got to the end of it, I lost interest to it. Probably it's because this game has an integral and accomplished subject matter, while Quake2 leaves more space for fantasy. I am looking forward to Q3A, Daikatana and Duke Nukem Forever.

Hobbies

How do I spend my free time? I hardly have it at my disposal. I am always busy. For example, I listen to music ( I still love hard rock and such groups as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Extreme and also Chris Rea, Paul McCartney, some russian classics and... Slade ). If I am not listening to music, I am strumming my guitar or composing music. If I am neither listening to music, nor strumming my guitar or composing music, I am dealing with computer graphics ( I have a some knowledge of 3D Studio MAX and Adobe Photoshop). If I am neither listening to music, nor strumming my guitar or composing music, or dealing with computer graphics, I am reading Dostoyevsky. If I am neither listening to music, nor strumming my guitar or composing music, or dealing with computer graphics, or reading Dostoyevsky, I am playing russian roulette with my friends =). If I am neither listening to music, nor strumming my guitar or composing music, or dealing with computer graphics, or reading Dostoyevsky, or playing russian roulette with my friends, it means I have got some free time to do my business =)

Surfing

Planet Quake (http://www.planetquake.com/ ), Rust - game editing and design (http://www.gamedesign.net/ ), Q3Arena.com (http://www.q3arena.com/ ), The Daily Telefrag (http://www.dailytelefrag.com/) popular russian site about games and computers, of late one can find a lot of interesting things on site QERadiant (http://www.qeradiant.com/).

Coming

I have some ideas for Q3A and Daikatana. But if I get tired of waiting for them, I'll probably do something for Q2. (That's what happened with "Love Story of prince of Stroggos" - I simply got tired of waiting).

Final Thoughts

A good level is like an iceberg - besides the visible part there is the bulk which is underwater. It is in the level being unseen, creates its specific atmosphere and expresses the attitude of the author to what is going on. If the author succeeds in it, and if the spectator feels it, the enjoyment fully compensates the efforts of the creator.

Thanks for the interest in my maps,

Good luck,
Yuri Davidov - June 11, 1999

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