Hello, Ubergeneral Grunt, SonOfDon, and all the rest. I'm Paul Kwinn, the other co-lead programmer from Deadlock.
>1. How are the graphics in Spritelg.dat (Deadlock's Sprite Data File) stored?
One of the first things I did when I joined Accolade was come up with a compression format and utility (while working on an earlier game: Bubsy II). I'm pretty sure Deadlock used that scheme. I remember the basics of the format, but not the specifics of spritelg.dat . I can give you the technical bits of the format that I remember, if you want that.
>2. Did companies that localised Deadlock (i.e. Warner Interactive for the German and French versions), have access to Deadlock's source code?
We localized Deadlock in-house (at least some of the languages). As Gary mentioned, he pulled out the text, which got sent to the translators. Then a more junior programmer named Bobby and I worked them back into the game. It may be that other versions were created out of house.
>3. Deadlock's data files make reference to a Skirineen Raid in several places. What exactly happened to this event?
Sorry, this doesn't even sound familiar to me.
(I think the prototype that Russell remembers me making was the BASIC language, all-text combat calculator and book-keeping program that I came up with in my spare time so that we could run a multi-player table-top test of the game, with a paper map and counters. As I recall, it was a bit too buggy, and we ended that game long before anyone "won". It did reassure us that the basic mechanics would work, though.)
>4. The data files also make reference to several random events, that are missing from the game. Why were they cut?
In all likelihood, time (and other resource) constraints. I know there was plenty of discussion about mini-games, but none actually got very far.
>5. How likely is it that Deadlock, will be re-released for any platform? We are holding a poll for which platform(s) Deadlock should be re-released on here:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11
I'm with the rest of the team: Atari (or whatever other company, if Russell is right) is very likely completely unaware that they own this property.
>6. Accolade was primarily known for console games, was Deadlock ever considered for the Playstation or Sega Saturn?
Nope. As others have said: PC was considered to be the only workable platform for a large strategy game.
>7. Does the Source Code, 3d model files for buildings, etc. used for the game still exist?
I don't know. I don't have them.
>8. Is it possible that a Mac OS X (with Intel-Support or just Carbonised) patch for the Mac version of Deadlock, could be released with no input from Atari?
The saying "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission" may apply here.
>9. How many units of Deadlock and Deadlock II were sold?
I've always remembered the original Deadlock's sales as being around 100,000. I have no idea on Deadlock II. The Deadlock team did design work on DL2, but it was sent out of house after that.
>10. Was anything from Deadlock cut, because they could not be completed in time for Deadlock's release?
Very likely, but no particular bits come to mind.
>However, I am particularly interested in your AI. Was this a purely in-house implementation of team created algorithms, or brought in from outside?
The AI was created entirely by Russell and I, no outside libraries, contractors, or even reference, as far as I remember. We designed it together and I think I did most of the implementation.
Other general info/memories:
Oh yeah, we hated the name Deadlock. It literally means a situation where nothing can move forward, because none of the parties involved will let any of the others make progress. (Most commonly used in programming, with "parties" meaning "tasks" or "threads".) I remember Russell summing it up with a proposed sub-title for the game: "Deadlock: the Game Where Nothing Happens!" But marketing was very hot on the name (the word "dead", AND a hard k sound! Ooo!), and we couldn't find one they thought was stronger. So instead, Russell modified the backstory a bit to make the name fit a little better (that's where the Compact of Gallius IV came from: There was a "deadlock" in space over the planet, and this was the way they came up with to break it).
Still my favorite game I've worked on. One of the most fun things about working on this game was that the team was given complete carte blanche (that practically never happens in the game biz). We were told we could make any game we wanted, as long as it sold well. The project began with a 3-day off-site brainstorming meeting at Russell's house, which started out with about half the company there, where we narrowed it down from "every possible game that could be made" to the outline of our design.
A favorite personal story about this game: at those initial sessions, once we knew we were making an Explore-Expand-Exploit game, there was a faction among the brainstormers who wanted a way to win that didn't require you to wipe everyone else out. I remember Russell's wife Taunya and my wife Beckett as leading that faction. And they got what they wanted: the City Center win. We now zoom ahead to the release party. Beckett had left the company shortly after the game's development started, but came to the party and spent some time playing the game. She's not a big gamer, so it surprised (and pleased) me when she really enjoyed it, and that became her major spare-time activity for the next few days. I came home from work one day and found her playing. She had two City Centers, and completely had the AI players on the ropes. She would need several more turns (at least) to mop up, but obviously was going to win. I pointed out to her that she could simply build one more City Center and win that way, BY THE RULE THAT SHE HERSELF HAD ARGUED FOR. She looked at me and said "But I have to kill them now..." :{)} It was so funny, seeing her apparently come to understand how it begins to get personal once you've taken a beating from those damn Cyth (or whatever) one too many times.
I don't think we considered the possibility of making Deadlock an RTS (or not too seriously anyway). But we definitely wanted make it easily and smoothly playable over a network. We had some big Heroes of Might & Magic fans on the team, and wanted to eliminate the part where you had to wait for other players to take their turns. So from day 1, anything in the design had to work with simultaneous turn input and execution (which led, among other things, to the border fights that happen if you and another player send your armies into each other's territories on the same turn).
Amusing fact: at 100,000 copies distributed, Deadsong.wav is my best-selling song ever. :{)} It is also the basis for the only mention of my name on Wikipedia. It was also amusing to find out, through the discussion that the team's been having, that Deadsong is on YouTube, and that some people have been using catchphrases from it for over 10 years.
I'll add in my thanks here that you guys are still excited enough about the game to have this site and be looking into new versions of the game, all these years later.