The Last Warrior ( Total Conversion )

An assortment of screenshots from the first few maps of The Last Warrior TC. New sounds/art, weapons.
Click on a screenshot to view a larger image.
played on  SWP 4.3.2 + High Resolution Pack
[TEAM THE LAST WARRIOR -- CREDITS]

Game Design: 
    Inferno Interactive

Project Leader:
  Michael Clark

Map Designers:
    Janson Stone, Michael Clark, Richard Clark, Vedran Jelenic,
                  Alex Masieri, Johnathon Bartzsch, Brian Reyes, Krys Palys,
  James Bovett

Artists:         
Roger Tweedie, Oliver Michel, Ryan Wine

Sound Effects:
Michael Clark, Roger Tweedie

Beta Testers: 
   Bill Lovan, Sean Bugal, Jake Saunders, Dick Svendesen,
Rob  Brown

Install:
Michael Clark

JFSW modified:
    ProAsm

Installation:
    Unzip LastWarrior.Grp and LastWarrior.bat to SW folder
                  Doubleclick on LastWarrior.bat file.

[The Last Warrior Level Design Credits]

1. The Old Friend
   By Alex Masieri

2. Hidden Complex
   By Richard Clark

3. Temple In The Wood
   By Johnathon Bartzsch

4. Alliz Town
   By Vedran Jelenic

5. Choo Choo
   By Janson Stone

6. Terminal One
   By Alex Masieri

7. Dying High
   Started by Krys Palys
   Finished by Janson Stone

8. Ancient Templ
   By Brian Reyes

9. Dam-Nation
   By Michael Clark

10. Burial Grounds
    Started by Richard Clark
    Finished by James Bovett

11. Self Service
    By Richard Clark

12. It go Booom
    By Johnathon Bartzsch

13. Boat Show '98
    By Alex Masieri

14. Showdown
    By Janson Stone

15. Arena (DM Only)
    By Richard Clark

16. Sewer Plant (DM Only)
    By Janson Stone

17. Mini Maul (DM Only)
    Started by James Bovett
    Finished by Michael Clark

18. Flag Forest (CTF Only)
    By Alex Masieri
  The Last Warrior
 

Interview done by KENNY with Combat-Ant, the Co-Ordinator of The Last Warrior...
Yellow: KENNY
Red: Combat-Ant

 

Combat-Ant, do you enjoy being the coordinator for this TC?

Yeah, it is pretty good fun, but damn hard work :)
I am always running around trying to do some stuff here and there, compiling installs, telling people what to do and generally, coordinating the whole TC

Yeah... how much work did you have to put into the making of this TC?

Well, we actually started about 6 months ago, and it has been very hard work for about 4 of those months, the polishing off things for the other two. We are currently in beta testing, which involves me correcting all the bugs in all the levels, as I am also a level designer.

So, did you have a big team in this project?

It started off with only two people in the team, myself and the current head artists, then we managed to recruit a few talented people who applied for positions. Then we got the move to 3dportal, who are part of the planetquake network, then we got floods of people wanting to join us, but we ended up with around ten people working on the last warrior in the end. We have, since beta testing started, recruited some more, but that is for our next project. Revelation: The Forgotten, a TC for unreal

How did it feel to have an elite team at your fingertips? I mean... you must have been great if 3D Portal hosts you.

Well, I have known Brad and Chris (who basically run 3dportal) for a little while as I was a level designer in Mystique, who were a TC team that created Ages In Time for Duke Nukem 3D, then I said to them, hey have you seen our screenshots for the last warrior, they liked them, and we joined.
The team have been great, there were a few members that, well, weren't up to scrath, and we had to let them go, but the rest of the team has been great. They have put a lot of time into The Last Warrior and have created some amazing work which, I feel, can only be comparable to that of 3d Realms.

What exactly do you mean by 'weren't up to scrath?'

Well, i meant scratch, but i just spelt it wrong :) well, they weren't producing work at the desired speed. A deadline was set, and they would disappear for a few weeks then come back saying "oh, do you still want that level" this wasn't good enough, we need work done by the set time to a set standard, but they didn't. So we let them go.

I know what you mean. K Did you have any other problems in the actual team besides those few?

Hmm, not any major problems as such, our main problems have been of a communication kind. As we are a virtual company, it is hard to get in touch with people when you really need to speak to them. ICQ has helped that, but we could have done with a little more. But overall, we have all worked hard, and I think we have come up with something great, i just hope everyone else agrees.

Well... that leads me to ask, how did you create the idea for the story?

Well, i worked on the whole story. It is basically an addon to Shadow Warrior in that it still has lo wang and Zilla in it. But i basically, just sat down and wrote out what each level needed to contain in a progressive style. Then planned each level's path so it at least had some sort of continuation, though this is hard due to Shadow Warrior's lack of customisable options.

That is true... it is hard to customize SW. So how did you get around this problem?

Well, at first, we couldn't think of anyway of getting around the problem, and in some ways we still haven't. We have replaced just about everything, well, we have all new weapons, new sounds, new monsters, new animations, and of course, levels. But recently I ran into Ben Smit, he has created a Shadow Warrior program that allows you to change the level names, filenames, cheats, episode names and weapon names. This has been helpful to give a more professional look.

You talk about new weapons, sounds, monsters, animations, and levels. Can you give me a little preview about these things? Lets start with the weapons.

Well, we have taken the original weapons, looked at them, and tried to see what we wanted from the game. The weapons we have made go for a much more realistic approach. This is mainly due to the fact that we use real weapons to create a better atomasphere. Even the new heart is real, our weapon artists bought it from the butchers :) All the weapons we have now are also much more powerful, well, the seem powerful. As we can't change the code they are not actually as powerful as the look and sound.
The sounds are basically just to enhance atomsphere, they are only there to add. The levels are the main addition, there aare 14 single player and 4 deathmatch. 3 for wangbang, and one ctf. All the levels continue on from each other and are superb quality using full shadows and all options associated with build. We have gone all out on these levels, they are great fun. Spreading from towns, to woods, involving plane crashes, destroyed ruins, rising dams and all mannor of effects.
The animations are probably the most amusing thing of The Last Warrior. They are very bloody :) Let me tell you about one:
The second animation is where Zilla's henchman gets out of his robot, after Lo Wang has partially destroyed it, he stands in the centre of the arena looking fiece. Then the camera pans up to a broken beam, then in slow motion the camera follows the beam as it takes the henchman's head clean off. Then we spare no details as a close up appears of blood gushing from the man's shoulders. All created in full 3D Studio glory :)

What about the monsters? Where did you get the idea and what kind of new monsters are there?

Well, the ideas for the monsters have come from all our imaginations. The main new monsters are the two new bosses. Then there is one new normal monster. The normal monsters is quite a, well, normal monster that you would expect to find in the likes of Shadow Warrior. He has one of those Chinese hats on. Can't remember the name of them.
The new bosses are robots, created by Zilla. The first, which, i am told, looks a bit like a mutant teddy bear :) The second is a robot scorpian with Zilla sitting in the cockpit.

Okay. So, are your new sounds there just to increase the atmosphere, or are they there for other things as well?

The new sounds are basically for everything we have replaced, they go in the animations, they are for the new monsters and the new weapons, but i feel, because they are different and they fit the new item, it enhances the overall playability of the game, and makes you feel as if you have got something new for your download time.

Are there any new items that we can expect to see in the release of The Last Warrior?

I take it by items you mean pickups such as health and such like. Well, unfortuantely no, Shadow Warrior doesn't allow for anything like this, though we have created new voxels for all the weapons and some of the ammo types.

Okay. Well, what kind of new arts are expected along with the release?

Apart from the new weapons, monsters and animations, we have loads of new textures. I think there are about 8meg of new textures. They range from new wall textures, floor textures and ceiling textures to new signs that, well, take the piss out of adverts and current companies. For instance, instead of Virgin Atlantic, we have Slag Atlantic. And instead if burger king, we have Bugger king. On those lines :)
There are quite a few textures in there that will not be used by us, but anybody that wants to create levels with last warrior textures is free to as long as credit is given where due.

Well, have you run across many bugs in the later stages of Beta-Testing?

Hmm, we have run accross quite a few bugs, but nothing major. There have been unaligned textures and bits that the beta testers feel should be different, but nothing major to be done. Which is all luckly really, that means that the release date will be put forward.

When is the expected release date?

In around a weeks time, probably the 6th of June, but that isn't definate, it is our aim for that, but the real release date is obviously "when it's done" :) but i guess you knew that.

Yeah, I just wanted a rough estimate... so SW fans can expect to see it on the web page sometime in the upcoming weeks, right?

yeah, definately. We will of course, keep you all posted.

That brings me to a question... I haven't noticed any links on Inferno's web page that leads to The Last Warrior. Am I overlooking it, or is it not there?

Well, that is kinda my fault, bad web design :) The Inferno Site, at present *is* the Last Warrior site at the same time. Our screenshots section is about the last warrior, our news section is on all our projects. This will change as I am redesigning at the moment, as we are moving to another place very shortly.

You say you are moving, where are we going to be able to find Inferno and all of their projects after the move?

Well, we are staying until The Last Warrior is released and uploaded. We are then moving to a certain Unreal site, though I am not at liberty to disclose this at the moment, expect an announcement on our main site in the coming weeks.

Okay. Well, how did link the title of the TC with the story?

Good question:) Basically it started when Zilla died in the normal Shadow Warrior, he said he would return. well, ok he didn't die, he flew off, but anyway. He then starts to build his empire up again, in the confinds of a under ground base, by the sea. This is to be his "Last Warrior" the ultimate killing machine, the machine that would kill Lo Wang, then his fight would be over. This is the basic jist of it anyway.

Okay... well, is there anything else you would like to tell us about The Last Warrior?

Other than it is the best addon for Shadow Warrior and I hope that many many people download it, and enjoy what our hard work has produced. Our beta testers and alike have been very pleased with the result as it stands. Lets just hope everyone will too.

Okay. Now, are there any hints or tips for future (or current) TC Teams and coordinators?

Hard work, and determination. So many TC teams announce a brilliant idea, but never finish it. If you try hard then you will get there in the end. It is hard work, but it is fun work, so enjoy it while it lasts, and maybe it can lead into something more financially rewarding in the future.

Have you been coordinator of any other TCs?

I haven't been a coordinator, no. I have done level design since the days of Doom, so I have had experience, but Mystique was the first TC team i was in. I was there 6 months until it all went wrong, and I thought. I could do this, i know what i am doing and it went from there. A few months along the line and I have an excellent TC on it's way.

Well... thank you for this excellent interview. It was nice talkin' to ya.

Thanks too, it was good talking to you. I hope I have given everyone food for thought.