Interview continued

FiringSquad: Why did Epic choose to partner with NVIDIA for this event, rather than another company?

Cliffy B: Nvidia has a great enthusiasm not only for our products but for the results of mod maker hard work. If a mod maker makes a break out hit mod for UT2003 then it encourages people to go to the store and pick up the game, which in turn makes folks want to have the latest and greatest Nvidia card to run the game on!

FiringSquad: Any recommendations on what judges will be looking for? Is originality and innovation a big concern, or is it more about a solid, polished end result?

Cliffy B: If you're going to do something that's been done before with your mod then make sure you're doing it three times better than your competition. Otherwise you should shoot for something entirely unique or original!


FiringSquad: Does the contest tie into Unreal University in any way?

Cliffy B: Some mod makers that are participating in the contest attended Unreal University. Many who attended acquired enough knowledge to get going with their own mods and will hopefully enter the next phases of the contest.


FiringSquad: How's work on UT2004 progressing?

Cliffy B: The last 5% of a game is the hardest and that rule is holding true for UT2004. The game is all there, it's intact, it's fun, but chasing down and squashing all of those annoying bugs is truly a difficult task. There's so much in this game; it really is an enormous toy chest of gaming fun. We want to make sure it is a solid, stable, balanced gaming delight.