GAMECENTER.COM - features - Blood

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> Q&A with Nick Newhard

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> `Nick Newhard is a successful game programmer and developer who has worked on several popular computer titles, including Dark Sun: Shattered Lands for SSI and Edmark Corporation's highly acclaimed edutainment title, Thinkin' Things. Newhard has spent 12 years in the software industry and is now senior game developer at Monolith Productions in Kirkland, Washington.`

> GAMECENTER: The lead character of Blood, is he a reformed servant of evil, or is he still evil and simply looking to vent some frustrations and kick some butt? Can you clarify it for us?

> Nick Newhard: Blood's character is not so much evil as he is amoral. He's in it for the power and will destroy anything in his way--including Tchernobog.

> GAMECENTER: Due to the nature of Blood's environment, do you expect any negative public backlash? Church groups and so on?

> N. N.: Let's hope so.

> GAMECENTER: How do you plan on handling it?

> N. N.: By selling more copies of Blood.

> GAMECENTER: What new weapons can we expect to see in Blood?

> N. N.: We just added the napalm cannon. It uses destructible gas cans for ammo and launches fiery missiles that leave smoke trails that do massive concussion and fire damage in a large area of effect. That was a mouthful.

> GAMECENTER: What exactly is the Hellstaff, and how does it work?

> N. N.: The Hellstaff has two attacks powered internally by ectoplasmic energies or externally by the player's own health. The primary attack rapidly fires ectoplasm blasts that drain health and can paralyze multiple targets within a small area of effect. This is similar to the Stone Gargoyle's attack and, coincidentally, Duke's freeze ray. The Hellstaff's secondary attack is close range. It can be used on anything, paralyzed or not, and sucks the soul out of whatever it hits. This attack also recharges the Hellstaff if it kills the intended victim. As the Hellstaff is fired, it is drained of ectoplasm. Once the weapon's energy reaches zero, the player's health is used to power the Hellstaff.

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