Interview with GlenC
Today we are talking to GlenC the mapper behind cs_Italy.
What inspired you to make cs_italy?
[Glen Cooper]: Some screen shots of Team Fortress 2. I loved the theme idea.
Who did the textures for the map?
[Glen Cooper]: DigiChaos.
Where did you get the Chicken Death noise?
[Glen Cooper]: DigiChaos built the Chickens as well. I don't remember where he got the sounds.
Do you regularly play on italy - and do you 0wn?
[Glen Cooper]: I play on Italy a fair amount. The whole HOTSHEEP clan does pretty good on that map. I never "own", but I do okay.
What experience did you have before creating Italy?
[Glen Cooper]: Not a whole lot. I've always enjoyed mapping for games (built some for Doom, Duke Nukem, and regular Half Life) but I've never had a map as popular as Italy has become.
Were you surprised by the huge popularity of the map?
[Glen Cooper]: I was surprised yes. There was a point in designing it though where I was pretty sure it would go official, but I never thought it would be as popular as it has become.
Did you intend people to be able to get on top of the roofs?
[Glen Cooper]: No. We actually have a version where you cannot get to the roofs, but Gooseman keeps forgetting to put it in the final release.
How did you become interested in level design?
[Glen Cooper]: I've always been more interested in making things for games rather than just playing them. Remember Excite Bike for Nintendo? I always liked to build my own race tracks :)
Are you working on any new maps?
[Glen Cooper]: Yes. Working on one right now. Can't really tell you about it though ;)
Have you mapped for any other HL Mods?
[Glen Cooper]: Nope.
When did you first become involved in creating Counter-Strike maps?
[Glen Cooper]: Probably around beta 5 or so. I started making a map that sucked. Then I dropped it to work on Italy.
What do you think of the popularity of cs?
[Glen Cooper]: I think it is a testament to the outstanding work that Gooseman has done. Not only is it a fantastic game to look at, but the game play is perfect. I believe it is the perfect team-play game which in my opinion is what multiplayer is all about.
What is your view on the cheats for cs?
[Glen Cooper]: I hate them. I wish Gooseman would hard-code the models into the game so there would not be things like Aim Bot and Voodoo models. I don't mind being beat by someone who is better than me, but I hate all the suspicion that goes on when you get your butt kicked. I am a good looser, but not when I think someone is cheating. It really casts a bad light over the whole game.
Do you work directly with Gooseman and cliffe on the maps?
[Glen Cooper]: Not really. Once we're ready to give them something to review they will give feedback, but that's about it.
How do you feel about CS being released as a standalone game?
[Glen Cooper]: I think it's awesome. For those people who don't want to buy half-life, but still want to play CS, now they can. I think it will only expand Counter Strike's popularity.
Have you been influenced by any other mappers?
[Glen Cooper]: I would say my biggest influence has been de_dust. I think that map has the perfect layout which blends sniping skills and rushing skills. No matter who you are you can have fun on de_dust.
What do you plan to do in the future?
[Glen Cooper]: make some more maps for Counter-Strike. It might be fun to make a fire arms map as well.
Do you have plans to make more cs maps? If so can we hear something about it?
[Glen Cooper]: Yes and not yet. ;)
Looking at CS version 1, do you share the view of many that the models aren't as good as before?
[Glen Cooper]: Absolutely not! I think they look fabulous. The animations are outstanding and overall I think they look very good. They are a little tougher on the CPU though.
Thanks to GlenC for the interview, I'm sure many of you will agree cs_italy is an excellent map, we look forward for any future releases from this talented mapper.
Comments
15:42 31/12/2001
18:18 14/5/2002
22:29 28/2/2003