When did the team have the first chance to meet each other?  What was that like?  I'm assuming it must have been interesting, since you obviously were in close contact with everyone over e-mail.

Herb: Our biggest get-together was at E3 this past spring.  Some of the mod community had been invited to show their projects in the Sierra area.  Even some of the foreign members of our team were able to attend.

When was the decision made to actually make this product a full-blown retail release?   Before reaching this decision, had you given any thought to how you would generate revenue?

Herb: We’d always planned on building the company and going on to do more and more games.  It’s hard to break in to this industry, and we were confident that at the very least, Gunman Chronicles would prove our worth to publishers and gamers.

With Valve getting involved with the project, how much guidance did it give the project?   Did someone like Marc Laidlaw help you flesh out the game's story or did Valve's level designers help tweak the game's levels?

Herb: We have been free to design the game’s content on our own.  Valve employees, such as Harry Teasley and Erik Johnson have participated in scheduling and quality control and provided technical info when we need it.

Speaking of Valve, what words of wisdom have they given the team?  Did the guys there teach you anything they learned from building Half-Life that you've applied to this game?

Herb: Valve is showing us what it takes to finish a commercial product.  Releasing a mod is one thing, but now that Gunman is a boxed game, I’m really glad to have their experience at this point.

Next, the game's customizable weapons feature >