Jonas Echterhoff Interview
By Jaremy K. Rich
Staff Writer
3/31/02
Jonas Echterhoff is the creator of "Burning Rubber" and "Reckless Drivin'", wich has already been downloaded over 140,000 times on CNET. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for us, so check it out already!
Q: Where did you get your start in computer programming?
I always wanted to be able to write my own games, since my father bought his first computer, a Mac SE, back in 1989. When I was 10 or 11, I got my hands on a copy of THINK Pascal and some books on Pascal programming and a book on Mac Toolbox programming. I experimented for a while, and managed to get my first small games running - none of them had ever been distributed to more than a handful of people - simple distribution means as provided by the Internet in our days didn't exist back then.
Q: From "Burning Rubber" to "Reckless Drivin'" there is a huge difference. What were some of the ideas that came to mind after Burning that you realized and changed for Reckless?
Well, first of all RD(Reckless Drivin') was written 4 years after BR(Burning Rubber) - the huge leap in cpu power allowed me to do many things which would not have been possible in 1996 - such as 4-way scrolling, zooming, 16-bit graphics with translucent and rotating sprites.
Also, when i finished the original BR I was just 14 and had of course never driven a real car, so I had no idea about realistic car handling.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself. What computer languages do you know, what programs do you use (compilers, etc)? Why do you prefer macs over pcs? What do you do in your spare time?
I am 20 and currently a student of computer science at the University of Bremen, Germany. In my spare time I hang out drinking beers with my buddies or visit rock festivals.
I write my programs in C (with some C++, though i am not a big fan of C++'s OOP approach) using CodeWarrior mostly. I also write programs in java for the university.
The most obvious reason for me to use Mac's is because i know them. I've been using Mac's for more than 13 years now, whereas my knowledge of windows is more or less limited to launching programs using the 'start' menu. But I do also believe that the mac (while overpriced) is the superior machine, especially since the introduction of MacOS X, which is IMO the best OS ever made for any platform.
Q: What are the current specs of your computer(s)?
My main development machine currently is a G4/466/620MB/90GB/Radeon. I also still have an iMac/350/192MB/10GB around (the machine i wrote most of Reckless Drivin' on) as a network testing computer.
Q: What are your plans for the future? To kick back and relax for a while? Are you going to be doing any new projects, or just update and fix any problems that arise with Reckless Drivin'?
I am currently working on an extremely cool new mac car game, but that is all i can tell you about this at the moment. I will also release Reckless Drivin' 1.4 within the next few weeks, which will add Force-Feedback support for the MacAlly iShock II game controller.
Q: Since you made Reckless, do you ever play it in your spare time? If so, what was your highest score, and what do you love about the game? Levels, etc.
I do sometimes play RD in my spare time, but i never play with the aim of staying alive or getting a high score. I rather like to drive around, trying to outsmart the cops with some quick handbrake turns and the like. my personal favorite levels are level 8 and the two bridge levels.
Q: What was hardest about creating Reckless Drivin'? What were some problems you encountered in making it?
The most challenging (and fun) aspects of writing RD were developing the graphics and physics engine (which were both made entirely from scratch). That did require a lot of thinking and researching.
What i liked least about making RD (and what has been the most time-consuming work) was designing all the levels and graphics - yep, I'm more the programmer-type than an artist. Designing levels and artwork can be fun as well, but it can quickly get boring as the work for one game can become very repetative.
Q: What other games do you play? Or are you just one of those programmer types that is all work and no play?
I enjoy playing networked 3d-shooters (Quake,UT) on local LAN meetings with friends. I don't like playing these games on the 'net as it's not the same as having your opponents sitting on the table next to you and laughing into their faces as you frag them. The only game i used to play on the internet a lot was the Mac shareware classic Bolo, back in the days when it had a big following. I'm also a fan of old arcade games, played on emulators such as MAME.
Q: According to CNET, nearly 140,000 people have downloaded your game. When you first started programming and testing Reckless Drivin', did you think it would be nearly this possible?
When you look at the CNET download numbers for Burning Rubber, you'll see that they are in the same league, so I knew i could expect 100k+ downloads.
Q: With all the downloads of your game, have enough people registered the game so that you were able to pay for all the man-hours you've spent in development of this game as well as paying for the programs you used?
RD has so far sold over 2k copies, which as been much more than I had first expected. As a comparison, Burning Rubber (which has been about equally popular according to fan mail I received) only sold around 50 copies - this shows that crippling shareware programs really is necessary. All-in-all, i can say that writing RD was probably the best-paying job I ever had.
Q: I know it only says your name on the game, but is there anyone else that helped you in creating this game?
I did have a few people to help me with the beta-testing, but aside from that, RD was a one-man project.
Thanks!
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