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INTERVIEW WITH BALÁZS RÓzsa

by Kopaka cEp 14/11 to 15/11 - 2002

..:: Dragstrup Elasto Mania site ::..






..::Fisrt something about you, tell about your work and what you do when 
you are off::..

I am working as a programmer in a young company. I have about ten 
workmates. I spend most of my spare time with my family.

..::Have you made other computer games than elma/across ?::..

I made a few games for the Hungarian television some years ago. But they 
were not published apart from playing on TV.

..::Are you married ?::..

Yes, I have a wife and a six year old son.

..::Do you play Elasto Mania ?::..

Yes. But when I really play a lot is during development.

..::Someone have heard that you don't care about the Elasto Mania scene at 
all, is that right ?::..

That is simply not true.

..::Do you ever read moposite/mopolauta or other Elasto Mania sites ?::..

Yes, the meaning of these sites to me is that some people quite like the 
game and I'm happy.

..::When making the levels in elma, was you thinking of all the shurtcuts 
that have been made throw the time ?(Headbanger shortcut, Appel Harvest 
with one pass, LAb pro bounce ec.)::..

Most of the shortcuts I have never even dreamed of being possible.

..::Are you proud of elma ? Did the game turned ou the way you planned ? 
How do you feel some persons uses hours a day on the game, do you think 
they waste there time ?::..

I'm very proud of the game. I consider it the main creation in my life and 
I don't think that in the future I will be lucky enough to create something 
more fun. Of course it is a good feeling that some persons play the game so 
much. In my opinion if this is a waste of time, then for example watching a 
movie or playing football is a waste of time also.

..::How does it feel that there are hundreds of ppl that are crazy about 
this game ?::..

It is a great feeling and it is strange too. It seems to me somehow 
unprobable that so many people like it.

..::Why do you think some people love elma so much ?::..

When I designed the game I did not know which part people were going to 
like if any. It was luck that for some reason some people like the game 
quite much.

..::Are there any unknown secrets in elma ?::..

Maybe, but then they are secrets to me also.

..::Why apples and the flower ?::..

No particular reason. As I remember when I made the first graphics for the 
game I probably put them in the game thinking that I will later on change 
them into something better suited for the game, but then I just did not 
change them.

..::Did you think this many people would play the game, when you made it ?::..

I was hoping that many people will play it, but at that time it seemed to 
be not a very likely hope.

..::After a while when ppl started to send in their WRs (world records), 
did you become surprised about how good someone can be ?::..

Absolutly. And ever since I have not stopped being suprised about these 
times and rides.

..::Did/do you have any idea of the minimum the totaltime can be ?::..

No idea. Though considering that the same internal levels are out for a 
long time, I would not expect too dramatic an improvement in the future. 
But after seeing that how unprobable times are possible, I would not 
totally rule out some miraclous best times either.

..::How long time were you making the game across/elma ?::..

I've been doing it for several years with more or less intensity.

..::Did u copy "excite bike" on the NES ?::..

Until this day I have never heard of this game. Now I searched and found 
out about it.

..::Which is your favourite internal level ?::..

I have no clear favorite. Maybe level 15, Serpents Tale.

..::Have you earn alot of money from elma/across ?::..

I earned quite some money, especially if you consider Hungarian salaries. 
Even now it is a good addition to the income of my daytime job.

..::How did you got the idea to make the game(s) ?::..

Once I was specifically thinking about what game should I write. Then 
suddenly this idea came to my mind and I felt that this might be a good game.

..::What do you think af all the animations and such things concerning elma 
?::..

For me it is near to unbeleiveable to see that such things are created in 
connection about my game. It is a good feeling to see these things.

..::Do you have any elma freinds ?::..

Yes.

..::What do you think of Abula and PeXi ?::..

They are doing a superb site. I don't know how can they have the strenght 
to maintain such a high quality site for such a long time.

..::Who is the all time best Across/elma player in your opinion ?::..

I would not like to pick anyone.

..::Somebody wants to know if you know Blashyrkh ?::..

No.

..::How many apples do you eat a day, do you have your own recipes of 
cooking apples ?::..

To give a not so funny answer to a funny question, I don't eat more than 
two apples in a year unfortunately.

..::About 0.1% of Elma players are these kind of fanatics than us (here on 
Mopolauta for example), would you like to see more these full-day players 
or just spread the game to as many normal computer players as possible ?::..

I'm the happier the more people are playing the game. And the more they 
like the game. But at the same time I hope that not too many people get 
some health problems sitting in front of the monitor for too long.

..::Do you think any Asian (beside Israel) people could play the game ?::..

I have no idea why some nations play the game or not.

..::What's your best memory from across/elasto Mania time ?::..

When I received the first few emails from people telling me they liked the 
game.

..::Do you know any/all the words in this elma dictionary 
(www.moposite.com/stuff_dictionary.php) ?::..

Yes, of course (internal, external).

..::What do you think of www.dragstrup.tk ?::..

Cool site.

..::Will you EVER make a new version of Elasto Mania ? This is like the 
only thing we want's from your side::..

Even if it doesn't seem like that, making a new version means a lot of 
time. When I was developing the current and previous versions of the game, 
I had a daytime job that left me with quite much spare time. I was hired to 
make projects and when a project was finished and the next did not start 
really, I had plenty of time to work on the game. But for two years I have 
been working full time in an office. And usually I'm quite busy and cannot 
take the time to work with the computer when I get home.
But I'm seriously considering decreasing my working days in a week in the 
office and making a new version of the game. I see that there is still 
interest in the game among players and the last version is getting quite 
old. And it would be refreshing to work on a game instead of the usuall 
boring applications we are developing.

When I will start work on a possible next version I don't know. But I 
certainly considering it more and more strongly now. I don't know yet what 
changes I will make to the game if I start making the new version. I'm 
doing some planning all the time about the possible new features, but 
everything is very preliminary now and I would not like to tell about them.

Thanks for making the interview with me.

Balazs