idsoftware posts

Despite developer id Software's upcoming Rage and Doom 4 titles both being built using id Tech 5, famed developer John Carmack believes that Doom 4's aesthetics will outshine those of Rage, according to an interview conducted with Maximum PC.

"[Doom 4 is] going to be a 30Hz game," said Carmack to Maximum PC. "It's going to look like a totally new game engine on there, even though it's going to be built on the four years of effort that we spent developing this generation of technology."

One of the main goals with id Tech 5, the technological successor Doom 3's id Tech 4 engine, was versatility. "We knew when we were starting this generation of technology that the consoles were taking over the preeminence for the types of games we'd been making-the AAA media-rich blockbusters were on the consoles," says Carmack. "We needed a solution that would be portable across 360, PS3, PC, and OS X, but we didn't want to abandon our PC roots."

Such logical and realistic planning has resulted in Rage -- and presumably Doom 4 -- being developed for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 simultaneously. Such a scenario is all too common in the modern gaming industry, but id Software has taken their commitment to servicing fans of most platforms one step further: for the first time, id Software has committed a single team of experts to the development of all versions of Rage.

"We didn't want to have to go out to any other companies to produce these games," explains Carmack. "We wanted to say OK, here's the build and run the same build on the PC, the 360, and the PS3. We still have to go through one extra step to build it on the Mac. But it really does work that way on the other [console] platforms. Right now, you check the stuff in, the next day you get the build reports, which says, 'here it is [ready to go] on these three platforms.' So that's one of the core technical aspects."

Visit MaximumPC.com to read the full interview.

More details from Activision, Raven, and id Software's Wolfenstein rebirth have been revealed via a press release distributed earlier today. Due out for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, the forthcoming shooter will emphasize "class-based team objective gameplay with a full arsenal of conventional and supernatural weapons for addictive online warfare," as well as "intense, story-driven combat."

Players familiar with the Wolfenstein universe should recognize the protagonist BJ Blacowicz, who will once again be under players' control as they battle "combat troops, otherworldly forces, and the dark science created by a supernatural Nazi force hell-bent on world domination."

Wolfenstein also promises "an assortment of interlinked missions that drive an intense, story-driven combat experience."

Allowing industry giant Electronic Arts to publish id Software's upcoming Rage is a decision id co-founder John Carmack wouldn't have made several years ago. In a recent interview with Gamespot, Carmack admitted that he shared the opinion that EA was "the Evil Empire, the company that crushes the small studios...I'd have been surprised, if you told me a year ago that we'd end up with EA as a publisher [for Rage]."

It was the opinion of other like-minded developers, such as Valve Software, that provoked a change of heart for Carmack. "When we went out and talked to people, especially EA Partners people like Valve, we got almost uniformly positive responses from them," he told Gamespot. Carmack seemed excited during EA's E3 2008 press conference yesterday, stating that the publishing deal provided id with "full access to the worldwide marketing muscle at EA."

id Software has issued concrete details regarding this year's QuakeCon festivities, promising prizes, parties, a plethora of unique (and geeky) custom rigs, and of course, lots of fragging.

"QuakeCon 2008 will be the grand slam of competitive gaming with the best games and an amazing prize list," said id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead. "We've partnered with our sponsors this year to bring the top competitive players what they want most: skill based games, top money prizes, the most enthusiastic fans and audience and the world's best Finals party!"

Check after the break for the full press release.

id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead recently discussed a number of topics with Kikizo, the foremost among them being his belief that the gaming industry is driven primarily by innovative technology.

"[Gaming is] a technology-driven industry," Hollenshead asserted, "and I think people who say it's not a technology-driven industry don't know what industry that they're in, and they probably won't be here for very long - we've seen those people come and go over the years, when they say we're at the apex of technology and something else is going to take over."

Admitting that creativity plays an important role in evolving the industry, Hollenshead maintained his stance that technology is a key, ever-advancing role. "I think that there's a long ways for technology to go to continue to drive innovation and change within the business, and I think that happens on the hardware side, and on the software side as well, and certainly that has been one of the core things that has been key to id's success."

Telltale Games has announced a weighty addition to Valve's Steam service in the form of the Telltale Everything Pack. For only $69.99, adventure gamers can overdose on the first two seasons of Sam & Max, as well as Bone Episode 1 and Episode 2. Rounding out the package is Telltale Texas Hold'em, an outlandish take on the popular card game that has you competing "against four characters of such lethal absurdity, you'll either die laughing or die trying."

If $69.99 seems a steep price, consider the $59.99 price tag of Sam & Max Complete, which contains the first two seasons of Telltale's adventure series. Ten bucks more net you three extra games, which is quite a deal indeed.

Telltale Everything Pack is a fitting addition to Steam, which is quickly becoming a hot spot for revered game compilations. The id Super Pack, containing all of id Software's Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein, and Commander Keen titles, is also available for $69.99. Eidos Everything, a diverse omnibus of Hitman, Thief, Deus Ex, Commandos, and Tomb Raider titles, sits at $99.99. The Complete PopCap Collection, featuring the casual gaming juggernaut's most popular hits, is also priced at $99.99.

Offering such a rich catalog of games bundled at affordable prices made us ponder collections we'd love to see available via Valve's virtual vault. A Sierra adventure pack containing all King's Quest, Gabriel Knight, Space Quest, and Police Quest titles would be fantastic.

What compilations would you like to see available on Steam, or any other digital distribution service?

Those who wish to hear more from one of the men behind some of the greatest computer games of our time are encouraged to download Gamers with Jobs' latest podcast, in which the GwJ crew talks at length with John Carmack.

The casual interview covers a number of topics, none of which, sadly, include Rage. However, according to GwJ, Carmack has some rage himself, which he "saves ... for patent trolls and the influx of lawyers into the videogame business. The rest of the time we talk about Metal Gear Solid 4, buying into games and your sweet, tender emails."

Listen in, hmmm. You might learning something, hmmm.