Author: Roger LaMarca / Published: 2002-08-26 / http://www.quakeunity.com/article=10

PlanetQuake3: Tell us your about position at id Software and what is the average day at work like?

Tim Willits: I am the lead designer and project manager of Doom 3. John Carmack is the game’s visionary and I make sure his vision is created. I spend a lot of time coordinating between the different groups of people here (artists, programmers, and designers) making sure that everyone has what they need and working in the right direction. I try to get to work around 9:30 and I leave around 10:00pm, but everyday is different so I try to stay flexible.

PlanetQuake3: Is Doom3 at the stage where everyone at id plays a deathmatch game over the LAN or is that stage a ways off?

Tim Willits: We are all focusing on making a great single player game and haven’t started on the multiplayer component of the game yet.

PlanetQuake3: How do you go about getting ideas for what your maps should look like?

Tim Willits: The inspirations for the levels and look of the game come from everyone here. When developing a map the designers talk to the artists about their vision and what they would also like to see. Everything we do here is a collaborative effort involving both designers and artists, that way everyone feels more connected to the project.

PlanetQuake3: Are people going to have to hold back a bit and not to crazy with the amount of lights they put into Doom3 levels? Seeing how shadows and lighting will be fully dynamic now, is there a limit to the amount of lights that can be placed in any given area?

Tim Willits: It is actually quite simple, lights create shadows, shadows create polygons, and too many polygons slow the game down. Therefore designers need to be careful with the amount of lights they place the levels.

PlanetQuake3: How is the progress on the Doom3 levels coming along?

Tim Willits: The core technology is basically complete, we are creating content for the game and making it fun.

PlanetQuake3: Will there be any maps included that resemble retro Doom maps, if not do you hope to community will make them?

Tim Willits: Doom 3 is a re-telling of the original game, not a rehash of it. We are focusing on making a great new game that is light-years ahead of the original title both in it’s design and technology.

PlanetQuake3: Is there going to be a big difference between the multiplayer maps and single player maps or will they be interchangeable like they are in Quake3?

Tim Willits: Again, our focus is on the single player game and we haven’t started developing the multiplayer component yet.

PlanetQuake3: For all Quake2 mappers it was a pretty easy transition over to making Quake3 maps. Should Quake3 mappers have a hard learning to map for Doom3?

Tim Willits: The editor that we use for Doom 3 is the next generation from the Quake 3 editor.

PlanetQuake3:  Out of all the maps you have designed over the years, what are some of your favorites?

Tim Willits: My favorite group of maps were the 6 extra deathmatch maps in Quake 1. When I came up with the idea to include extra maps into Quake 1, only for deathmatch, the guys here at first thought it would be a waste of time. I really pushed for getting them in and I’m glad I did. Those 6 maps were played more by our fans than the entire rest of the game.

PlanetQuake3: Do you draw out maps before you start designing them on the computer?

Tim Willits: Yes, I plan out almost everything I make before opening the editor. It helps me stay focused on the design and keeps the map in check with the larger goals of the game.

PlanetQuake3: Back in the days of the original Doom, did you ever imagine one day you would be working the trilogy of the game and that it would so advanced?

Tim Willits: Doom3 is definitely a huge leap over the original Doom. It is exciting to see the progress we have made in years since the first Doom. I can’t wait to see what is created 5-10 years from now -it is a great time to be in games!!

PlanetQuake3: When Carmack was coding the Doom3 engine did you suggest ideas to him about certain things in the game that would make your level designing process even better?

Tim Willits: John doesn’t create engines in a vacuum, he takes into consideration many aspects of the design when deciding what goes into the code. We have regular meetings during the early stages of the engine work, he is really open to what we would like to see in the game. The game design parallels the engine design which really gives us opportunity to create exactly the game we want to make.

PlanetQuake3: How will the player interact with the game objects & how will the gameplay relate to the previous versions of Doom. What implementations will be required for a level editor program to make use of the new features.

Tim Willits: As seen in the interactive presentation at QuakeCon, the player will be able to interact with physics objects in the world. We have the ability to make anything into a physics object that react to both the player’s actions and the environment (i.e. falling objects). This gives the game a greater sense of reality and it increases the flexibility if the game design. Working with physics objects in the editor is very simple, all we need to do is select just about anything and turn it into a physics object. The editor interface is very straight forward and seamless.

PlanetQuake3: How much is made with radiant and how much has been done in Maya/Max considering meshes are used extensively in the game. So will we need to learn 3dsMAX to get the maximum out of designing maps for D3 or any D3 engine game/mod.

Tim Willits: Because of the unified lighting engine all objects, regardless of where they are made (brushes and models), look identical in the game. This allows the designers to create pieces of the world in either the editor or in a 3D modeling program. At id, we create a lot of the world in the editor but most of the extra geometry (pillars, supports, frames, etc) is made in a either Max or Lightwave. Learning to use a 3D model package would be helpful in creating levels of any Doom 3 engine type games.

PlanetQuake3: Will it be possible to adjust the speed of the game for between single player and multiplayer play?

Tim Willits: Yes, most of the game logic is outside the main executable, this gives us great flexibility in changing basic game parameters between single and multiplayer.

PlanetQuake3: Does the fact that the editor is integrated into the engine mean that there won’t be an open source version that is continuously updated like GTKRadiant?

Tim Willits: Too early to say.

PlanetQuake3: How much does it help you to be able to edit the game in real time? Did you request that feature be added?

Tim Willits: It is great for aligning textures and working with the lighting. Yes, we requested that feature be added, it is an example of the designers working with the programmers to make the best possible editing environment for the game.