Interview with ExtremeAI
Just before the full version of Orbz is about to come out, HHG had an interview with Bill Klein, president of gamedeveloper ExtremeAI.
HHG: Can you tell us something about ExtremeAI, i.e. how was it founded and how
many people are involved in your company?
BK: Extreme AI came into being very quickly. In early October 2003, I
happened across Tapwave's website and learned about the Zodiac. I thought
the device looked great and represented a good match between my personal
background in software development for PDAs and my long standing interest in
video games. I did some quick research on the product, the market,
Tapwave's management staff, and the developer program. Over the next 2
weeks I wrote a business plan, gathered investors and initial partners, and
formed the company. Since that time, we have expanded to include 6 staff
members dedicated to developing the best mobile games possible.
HHG: What were you doing before the Zodiac was here, is there anything we
might know you from?
BK: During the late 90s I helped to form a company called Rioscan, Inc.
Rioscan created (to my knowledge) the first line of commercial/industrial
software for Palm OS devices. I've also done stints building artificially
intelligent control systems for particle accelerators, but nothing that made
me famous.
HHG: Firefly, Orbz and Thinktanks were quite unknown games on the PC. They
work extremely well on a handheld device. How did you guys come up with
the idea to port these games?
BK: Each of the three titles you mentioned (Firefly, Orbz, and Think Tanks)
were selected for specific reasons, including our assessment of their
suitability to the Zodiac. We have been extremely lucky to have found
quality partners like 21-6, BraveTree, and Cornutopia that put a lot of
trust in us early on. We are currently looking for additional content to
port, both from larger publishers like Atari and Activision, and also from
the Indie community. As a side note, one of the best ways to ensure that a
game you love makes its way to the Zodiac is to start an email campaign
letting the publisher know that you want the game ported, and that you want
Extreme AI to do it.
HHG: The PC version of Orbz and Thinktanks allow custom created course
packs, skins etc. Will the Zodiac version of Orbz or Thinktanks have this
possibility?
BK: Unfortunately, no. We will certainly be open to it on future projects
though.
HHG: Fathammer recently announced a follow-up on their X-Forge engine,
X-Forge2. They list the Zodiac as a compatbile device. Is there any chance
X-Forge2 will be used for future titles and if so, what can we expect from
it?
BK: Short answer, not likely. Licensing issues aside, we don't see a
significant benefit to using X-Forge2 over the prior generation engine. The
heart of the 3D pipeline still exists in the X-Forge core, which hasn't
changed for X-Forge2. For the end user, you wouldn't notice a difference in
features or performance.
HHG: Will your titles come out on other platforms like N-Gage or Gizmondo?
BK: We will be targeting additional mobile platforms in the future. Although
we may end up developing for the platforms you mention, our current focus is
on the Zodiac and the next generation platforms from Sony and Nintendo.
HHG: Thinktanks was the last game in line anounced. Are there plans for
new games?
BK: I can't share all the details of our future plans just yet, but I think
they will be very interesting to the Zodiac community. We have some
great things in the works that should surprise a lot of people. I can say that our
future plans do involve further collaboration with the GarageGames
community.
HHG: Do you have any Thinktanks screenshots to share? ;)
BK: I don't want to promise anything, but early screenshots of Think Tanks
may be available from our website late next week.
HHG: Is there anything you would like to add?
BK: Everyone here at Extreme AI truly appreciates the support we have gotten
from the user community. Our standard policy is to not interact directly on
the forums, but we do keep an eye on them. We also try to respond to every
email we receive. Feel free to send us comments and suggestions.
Just before the full version of Orbz is about to come out, HHG had an interview with Bill Klein, president of gamedeveloper ExtremeAI.
HHG: Can you tell us something about ExtremeAI, i.e. how was it founded and how
many people are involved in your company?
BK: Extreme AI came into being very quickly. In early October 2003, I
happened across Tapwave's website and learned about the Zodiac. I thought
the device looked great and represented a good match between my personal
background in software development for PDAs and my long standing interest in
video games. I did some quick research on the product, the market,
Tapwave's management staff, and the developer program. Over the next 2
weeks I wrote a business plan, gathered investors and initial partners, and
formed the company. Since that time, we have expanded to include 6 staff
members dedicated to developing the best mobile games possible.
HHG: What were you doing before the Zodiac was here, is there anything we
might know you from?
BK: During the late 90s I helped to form a company called Rioscan, Inc.
Rioscan created (to my knowledge) the first line of commercial/industrial
software for Palm OS devices. I've also done stints building artificially
intelligent control systems for particle accelerators, but nothing that made
me famous.
HHG: Firefly, Orbz and Thinktanks were quite unknown games on the PC. They
work extremely well on a handheld device. How did you guys come up with
the idea to port these games?
BK: Each of the three titles you mentioned (Firefly, Orbz, and Think Tanks)
were selected for specific reasons, including our assessment of their
suitability to the Zodiac. We have been extremely lucky to have found
quality partners like 21-6, BraveTree, and Cornutopia that put a lot of
trust in us early on. We are currently looking for additional content to
port, both from larger publishers like Atari and Activision, and also from
the Indie community. As a side note, one of the best ways to ensure that a
game you love makes its way to the Zodiac is to start an email campaign
letting the publisher know that you want the game ported, and that you want
Extreme AI to do it.
HHG: The PC version of Orbz and Thinktanks allow custom created course
packs, skins etc. Will the Zodiac version of Orbz or Thinktanks have this
possibility?
BK: Unfortunately, no. We will certainly be open to it on future projects
though.
HHG: Fathammer recently announced a follow-up on their X-Forge engine,
X-Forge2. They list the Zodiac as a compatbile device. Is there any chance
X-Forge2 will be used for future titles and if so, what can we expect from
it?
BK: Short answer, not likely. Licensing issues aside, we don't see a
significant benefit to using X-Forge2 over the prior generation engine. The
heart of the 3D pipeline still exists in the X-Forge core, which hasn't
changed for X-Forge2. For the end user, you wouldn't notice a difference in
features or performance.
HHG: Will your titles come out on other platforms like N-Gage or Gizmondo?
BK: We will be targeting additional mobile platforms in the future. Although
we may end up developing for the platforms you mention, our current focus is
on the Zodiac and the next generation platforms from Sony and Nintendo.
HHG: Thinktanks was the last game in line anounced. Are there plans for
new games?
BK: I can't share all the details of our future plans just yet, but I think
they will be very interesting to the Zodiac community. We have some
great things in the works that should surprise a lot of people. I can say that our
future plans do involve further collaboration with the GarageGames
community.
HHG: Do you have any Thinktanks screenshots to share? ;)
BK: I don't want to promise anything, but early screenshots of Think Tanks
may be available from our website late next week.
HHG: Is there anything you would like to add?
BK: Everyone here at Extreme AI truly appreciates the support we have gotten
from the user community. Our standard policy is to not interact directly on
the forums, but we do keep an eye on them. We also try to respond to every
email we receive. Feel free to send us comments and suggestions.
Orbz Demo is available
In addition to the previous article, Orbz demo has just been released and can be downloaded here!
In addition to the previous article, Orbz demo has just been released and can be downloaded here!
Orbz coming REAL soon
I just received an email from Bill Klein from Extreme AI
"we will be releasing our demo of Orbz this week. It will be available from our website as early as today, depending on when we can get the app signed by Tapwave. The full version will be available from the online store as soon as it gets through certification testing, which could happen by the end of the week."
We expect a lot from this very fun game. Orbz is the 2nd game from ExtremeAI, after Firefly. ThinkTanks, releasedate unknown, will be the 3rd game in line.
See some new Orbz screens here
I just received an email from Bill Klein from Extreme AI
"we will be releasing our demo of Orbz this week. It will be available from our website as early as today, depending on when we can get the app signed by Tapwave. The full version will be available from the online store as soon as it gets through certification testing, which could happen by the end of the week."
We expect a lot from this very fun game. Orbz is the 2nd game from ExtremeAI, after Firefly. ThinkTanks, releasedate unknown, will be the 3rd game in line.
See some new Orbz screens here
