Chris Jones Interview
Interview conducted by Sam Vicchrilli
Sam: Where did you get the idea for the character of Tex Murphy?
Chris: Well, what we used to do when we were in high school, I�ve got a lot of friends who work here who have been around with me for many years, and we used to just sit around and make movies all summer. So, it was kind of something that stayed with us, and after we�d get through with the games or whatever, the thing we�d like to do is relax and make movies. Things like that. So one of the things that I always loved were detective movies. So we decided that we�d like to do a detective movie. That was about 1988, I believe, so we started out making it and it basically turned into a disaster for us, we tried about three or four different formats, on film, on video, super 8 on 16mm, and we weren�t going anywhere. But we had written this script for this character called Tex Mutant, which was kind of this futuristic detective, and we decided we�re just wasting our time doing this, lets make a game out of this. So we decided to take the Tex Murphy character and make a game based on 1930 and 40�s detectives, and set him in the future so we could use futuristic gadgets on it, and things like that to sort of give it an edge. So that�s basically where the character came from, almost a mistake, but we had some fun putting it together anyway.
Sam: Starting with Under a Killing Moon, why a virtual world?
Chris: Well, about that time there was the basic change of technology between disk based games and c.d. based games, and we felt like we would like to throw this person into this world and make so they actually became this character and the best way to do that would be first person perspective and allow them to open the drawers and look around, and feel like they were truly in danger by stepping behind the mask basically, and feeling like they were the character themselves. No one had really done what we consider a virtual world as well as we felt we could do it, with more realistic textures and an environment that made you feel like you were really surrounded by the world, so we felt like taking that jump, technically in order to make that happen.
Sam: How tough is it to formulate the dialogue and the story and then to film all of that?
Chris: I�ve got another guy that works with me, Aaron Connors, and he, we sit down first of all and decide what we�d like the story to be. The we work backwards and say okay, now we�ve basically got a premise for the story, let�s build the characters around that, what kind of characters do we want inside the game. Once we have that, we go about writing dialogue. Aaron writes most of the dialogue. From there we can say what type of locations are we looking at, how can we make them exotic and interesting, and once we have the locations we say what can we do puzzle wise in each of these locations to make it interesting. So it�s really you start with a basic concept and it takes 4-5 months to get enough of a layout that you say okay, we can go ahead and start filming the story then we can also give to the geo builders who build the rooms a basic concept of what the room is about, what puzzles are going to be inside the rooms and they can go ahead and start designing the look of the rooms between the geo builders and the artists.
Sam: So you�re involved with the game all the way through.
Chris: Yeah, oh yeah.
Sam: Like the jump from c.d. to dvd, what is the next big technological step.
Chris: Well I think from our standpoint it�s really the storage medium of dvd that in my mind will be the next factor for probably the next 2-3 years. The reason that is is that you can store 6-7 times the information than a c.d. and a graphics quality that is at the quality level of film at 30 frames per second, rather than what we�re used to of 10 fps. And that makes a huge difference in the look and feel, when they move around it�s almost liquid now, rather than a little jerky and I think that makes a big difference. Technically I think the accelerator and math processors and faster video cards are going to make almost anything possible at least at this technological level where games like flight sims and games like ours once those things really catch on, which I would say is a year to two away, it�s going to be a huge jump just because everything looks so lifelike, and there won�t be a medium out there that can compete, because all these elements have been brought together so you feel like you�re virtually there.
Sam: In five years do you see it as a game, or evolving into something like say, A MOVIE? ( He didn�t quite catch on I was hinting at the possibility of a Tex movie)
Chris: I�ll think there will still be elements of a game because that is where the interactive part comes in, it will just get better and better. More and more you will feel more and more like you become that character. The backgrounds come so real, and the movement so smooth that you really do feel in that world, the virtual world will just get better and better until the elements of real life and a computer are going to intermesh together so clean that you may say hey, this is as good as anything as I can do. Sam: How do you do something like that, is it trial and error or is there a set board that you can just go in and tweak things.
Chris: In reference to....
Sam: Oh, the virtual world.
Chris: Oh yeah, there�s a lot of tweaking going on, somethings work better than other, marble and things like that translate better to the virtual world, look better, and you apply the textures to the elements inside the world until you say this is as good as I can do at this level.
Sam: Okay, to switch gears now, what should a person be doing now to get a job at Access?
Chris: I think obviously becoming very computer literate if your interest is in programming, staying up to date with everything that�s going on in the field, a real good understanding of mathematics is important, things that are going to happen in the future are going to use physics and math related in the creation of these worlds. There are also certain graphics tools that you would have to learn in order to get a job at Access, the artistic programs that are used her, some SGI�s but mostly Pentiums, and to understand the basic graphics programs.
Chris: In essence, up until this point, you�d better know your stuff, how to use the tools, we haven�t done many interning situations, get in and know the tools know what these guys are using, then jump in and get started.
Sam: Why is Hollywood becoming so interested in games like this.
Chris: Well, that�s an interesting question, the big buzz word 2-3 years ago was that Hollywood was going to come in here and have all the tools and capabilities to get into this market and push everybody out, but what they found when they (Chris gave a laugh here that made me just want to call him Tex, it was great) tried for 2 years was they didn�t understand the gaming side. They understood acting and production, but not how to incorporate the interactive side, how do I keep it interesting. They have a lot to contribute to this, by means of production and using actors, who have the capabilities and raise the standards of what we�re doing, but they don�t understand the whole picture. They don�t understand the program, the graphics side of it, the limitations which I think in a lot of cases is going to be eliminated by dvd, it is going to be up considerably in the want for more people getting involved in games like this, help them understand how the limitations of computers spell limitations for the games. Also how to get the player involved, that graphics and speed should be second to that.
Sam: And now the last question I have, what is your favorite book, t.v. show and movie?
Chris: Well, let�s see, tv show, I like Seinfeld, that�s the only one I watch (gives a chuckle), as far as a favorite movie, this one will go back a ways, Casablanca, I really enjoyed how the characters were developed and to me no matter if a movie was made 50 years ago, or today, the most important element is the characters, and are they real and how they relate to you, and there are times when a movie maker just hits magic, and all the elements come together.
Sam: Hence, we have Tex
Chris: Right, and that movie does the characters just about the best I�ve ever scene, and books, I the books behind you, like �The Big Sleep� or �The Maltese Falcon�, to me I really like the older detective novels on that shelf, (these are by the way, in original wrappings and have their own shelf) right by that picture of Greta Garbo. That, pictures from that period, like LA Confidential, the detective stories are what really speak to me.
Chris: Okay.