Questions for "Kael": PolyCast Episode 23

[DanQ]

The lead on the phenomenally popular "Fall from Heaven" MOD for Civilization IV is to be one of three guest co-hosts on the twenty-third episode of PolyCast, the official bi-weekly one-hour podcast of Apolyton Civilization Site (ACS). Part of the show is to be an interview segment with MOD lead Derek "Kael" Paxton, but questions for it are sought. Between now and 11:59PM EDT on August 17th, you can phone or post 1-2 questions of your own (English language only).

Where identities are verifiable and service available, those whose questions are selected for use in this episode will receive a three-month subscription to "PLUS!", ACS' optional subscription service. Recording of this episode is to occur on August 18th, and watch for its release scheduled for August 24th. With a version of "Heaven" most recently featured in the Beyond the Sword expansion pack, "Kael" and his team continue to work on a full-fledged sequel.

To leave a message, call (301) 637-7659 (North America), +44 20 7871 7659 (Europe) or VoIP for free via Skype. Questions may also be posted as text in response to this thread. You may also comment in your message or note but you are to ask at least one question for "Kael". Criticism is acceptable where constructive but avoid using profanity, libel and hate speech. Questions left by voicemail will be given priority.

[Dale]

Can't let this go without ANY questions for Kael.

Question:
Have you tried any of the other mods/scenarios in BtS, and if so what ideas from them do you like?

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Dale
Can't let this go without ANY questions for Kael.

QFT! Something less serious from me:


I'd like to ask the question burning on everyone's mind - the greatest mystery of all Fall from Heaven... How the HELL do you pronounce Luchuirp?!?*

Oh, while you're at it, could you please say Caswallawn (as in Dain the Caswallawn) ten times in a row really fast?



*perhaps let Locutus read this question and say Lu(u)chuirp the way it would be said in Dutch - that's the way I currently think of it.

[DanQ]

Thanks for the couple questions to get us going, gentlemen!

Originally posted by Maniac
perhaps let Locutus read this question and say Lu(u)chuirp the way it would be said in Dutch - that's the way I currently think of it.

Hmmm... we now know who your favourite co-host is...

[Maniac]

Btw, perhaps advertizing for PolyCast on the Fall from Heaven forum might result in some more questions?

[DanQ]

Originally posted by Maniac
Btw, perhaps advertizing for PolyCast on the Fall from Heaven forum might result in some more questions?

That seems reasonable -- that is, starting such a thread in the MOD's forum specifically -- particularly given when we're restricting questions to only be asked 'here'. Done.

[charleswatkins]

Ever think about going Pro?

[Ennet]

Collected these questions from DanQ's thread on CFC.

Originally posted by TheJopa
I suppose questions of type: 'Will you implement this or that, and what will corporations be and tell us about random events' aren't desirable

Originally posted by Nikis-Knight
here's some that might help make for an interesting interview:
1-As brief as possible, what is "Fall from Heaven 2"?
2-Who is the target audience for you mod?
3-Obviously FfH 2 has been well recieved. When you began modding Civ4, did you expect the level of enthusiasm you've found?
4-What are some of your favorite features you've added to it? What are you looking forward to most?
5-How has the Civ online community influenced the development of Fall from Heaven?
6-How do you handle using media from other sources?
7-FfH has a very detailed back story. Is there any theme or hidden meaning, or are you just trying to tell a good story?
8-There's quite a few people on the FfH 2 team. How did you recruit them? Any disadvantages with having so many people contributing?

Originally posted by calmon
There are 4 Development Phases. We are still in 'Fire' if i'm understand right. What are the main focuses of the current and upcoming phases ('shadow'/'ice') and what are the timelines.

[Maniac]

DarthCycle's question:

Considering the high quality of the mod, how much time do you typically spend on it on a weekly basis, and how does this affect the other aspect of your life (work, family, ...)

[DanQ]

Thanks Ennet, Maniac.

[marioflag]

Considered that Fall from Heaven has an historical background and a fantasy setting so much interesting and with a lot of potential to be fulfilled, are you guys considering to further develop the "world of Erebus" in other projects?
I'm particularly referring if Kael has ever thought to write in future a dark fantasy novel (book) about Fall from Heaven and if the FfH team has considered to use the FfH background for further projects which goes beyond civ4 modding.

[Will9]

From the place who's name shall not be spoken:

[q=Catharsis]Kael: if you and Rhye had a fight, who would win and why?[/q]
[q=drekmonger]Q: How much input, if any, did you and the FfH team have into BtS? Any features present because you suggested them?

Q: Will the new features in BtS make Shadow or Ice any easier to build? If yes, how so?

Q: Has the popularity of FfH opened up any opportunities/offers from the game industry for yourself or any members of the team? (aside from the obvious work on Age of Ice)

Q: Is there anything brewing beyond FfH Shadow and Ice...? Are there modding ideas you want to work on (and either plan to --or-- have decided against due to commitments to FfH)?

ooo, and:

Q: Did you get to talk to Sid?[/q]
[q=Catharsis]Serious question: How did you come up with the backstory for FfH II?[/q]
[q=seZereth]Here is my question:
If you could transfer your knowledge and experience of how things went, back to the day before you started FfH II or even FfH I, what would you handle differently?[/q]

My questions:

How and when did Firaxis contact you?

Did Firaxis work with you any during the developement process?

[Grakl]

When did you first get into modding?

As project manager, how have you coped with team losses, if any, and how do you keep members motivated?

When/if FFH2 is considered "completed" (no longer requiring primary focus), are there any plans for new mods, how about mods for different games?

Any plans on porting the spirit of FFH to new games, for instance, Medieval 2 Total War?

What are your thoughts on using well known franchises for Civ 4 mods (star wars, warhammer, etc..)? I know some members on the FFH2 team are also members of some franchise mods, I'm curious if they have expressed any thoughts or problems regarding them.

Does using a franchise for a mod automatically exempt you from any mention in any official Civ4 products (to your knowledge)?

Any worries of using copyrighted material in mods?

A little more personal (hey, we like to know a lot about the people we respect):
How has working on the mod affected your marriage, if at all?

Do you have children, and if so, how do you balance spending time with your children and yet dedicate time to such an overwhelming mod?

Thanks for everyone's time.

[DanQ]

Thanks to all for the questions so far! ~8 1/2 hours to go as of this writing.

[Kinjiru]

Since this mod (in all it's forms) has been going on for so long, you and your team have definitely learned a ton about modding in general and working with the Civ IV engine(s) specifically.

So, if you were to scrap all work done and start over, what would you do differently?

Is there anything particular to working with the Civ IV engine(s) that you wish were different or would like to see changed?