Conversation with Karie

by Wil Wallace a.k.a. 'haQ'

On August 18 I left a post on this website inviting anybody who knew me from the old days to get back in touch. One person did. They wouldn't tell me what their handle used to be, so I'm not sure I even know who they are. But if they're who I think they are then... well, idk. I don't know if I'll get to talk to them again, but they said I could post this here so I'm posting it.

WW: So in the email you said you worked at maniasoft back in the '90s! What was it like?

Karie: Often it amounted to being trapped at a workstation while three of the stupidest men you've ever met argue with each other about which one most deserves a new sports car.

WW: Kevin and the co-founders?

Karie: Haha, Ray and Steve were way out of the picture by the time "BLOOD GOD" rolled around (and that's the project they hired me for). So no, I meant more like... Kevin and two random other guys arguing. Didn't really matter who the guys were. One month it'd be some dude he poached from Epic, then it'd be some other guys he got from Rare. Kevin went through people fast.

WW: What was your role on the project?

Karie: I was a pretty good mapper, that's why they brought me on... but nobody really did much of that gamemaking stuff on "BLOOD GOD", y'know what I mean?

WW: Well, actually I have no idea what you mean!

Karie: Ah, you kids from the fansites were really sweet. It's like this: "BLOOD GOD" was more of a performance than it was a game production. Or a ritual, maybe? It was people like Kevin pretending they could do this huge thing. I think what he really wanted was to be seen, and to be loved somehow. I don't know.

WW: I chatted with ksul on IRC a couple times, back in the day. What was it like working with her?

Karie: Haha. Difficult, I'm afraid. That girl could be the worst kind of perfectionist sometimes.

WW: What ever happened to her, anyway? People in the community never really found out where she went after maniasoft. I remember wanting to email her but it seemed like nobody from the fandom even knew who I was talking about, it was weird.

Karie: All I really know about her is something like... she got lost for a while, and she changed a lot on her way back to the world, but she's slowly figuring things out. I hope that answers your question.

WW: Well, it'll have to do. Ok. It feels like with the marching of time, people have largely forgotten about BGOD. I myself was looking for old screenshots recently but I couldn't even find one online! Are there any memories about the game that stand out to you?

Karie: Hmmmmm.. to be honest, I've probably forgotten as much as you. I remember a 35,000 poly lamppost that crashed the renderer. I remember working 48 straight hours, and the ride to the hospital. I remember the look of the chainmail armor texture map in the editor, and the build review meeting where Kevin threw a computer monitor through the wall.

I remember a basement level, with an entrance but no exit, where your character could get stuck, and one day I think I fell in there. The environment was dark, with nothing to do except jump against the walls and try to clip through. I don't even know how long I spent doing that. But eventually it worked and I got out. haha, you should get out too haQ!

Thanks for being a fan but don't stay here too long. You deserve your own life. This whole thing here? This is no one's life.

WW: No one's life?

*Karie has left the chat*