David Braben is one of the true pioneers of British game development. After creating Elite (alongside Ian Bell) and Virus his name had already become synonymous with groundbreaking game designs capable of pushing technology in previously unforeseen directions. And while his company, Frontier Developments, has focussed on 'family' titles since the turn of the millennium he's back with his most ambitious game to date: The Outsider.
In the third in our Creative Minds series David explains why cut-scenes can't cut it any more, how Rockstar is ruining the industry and the possibility of Elite on PSP (though don't get too excited just yet).
Let's pretend for a moment that Elite never happened. Do you think you'd still be in the industry making creative games, or might your life have taken a different path?
David Braben: One of the things that fascinated me with computers in the early days was what you could do with 3D graphics. The very first thing I tried, written in BASIC, was a 3D star field. It was horribly slow, so there was no sense of motion as the scene updated. This was one of the driving forces for me to learn 'low level' programming to get the required speed.
I suppose the real answer to your question would depend on why Elite never happened. Looking back, there are so many things that might have gone differently, but I would like to think I would have come into the industry via a slightly different route. I might have written a different 3D game, perhaps working with someone other than Ian Bell or even working alone, and it might not have been so successful, so who knows?
If I hadn't gone anywhere in games, then I imagine I would have ended up as a research scientist instead, perhaps in astronomy, or perhaps I'd have ended up in computer graphics for the film industry.
You are Chairman of Frontier Developments; what does this role entail and can you still remain highly creative?
Braben: My job title is fantastically ill defined, but essentially I oversee all the games we produce at Frontier. This is the ideal role for me in the whole industry as far as I can see. I have perhaps the most freedom now that I have ever had in producing games - the systems themselves are way less restrictive than they were 25 years ago, and with the large teams of today we can create interesting things far more quickly.
Looking back at the games you've made which showed the most creative flair and why?
Braben: It's always tricky looking at creativity - especially in your own work - sometimes it is hard to see past what seemed like the biggest obstacles at the time. Nevertheless, I think the games I have been involved with were creative in their own unique ways. With Elite we had to be very creative with our use of the machine's memory. This was a very visible game, so I think we got more praise for it than for games where the creativity is less 'in your face'.
For example with the Wallace and Gromit games it was producing a beautiful, consistent world that fitted well with the characters; with Dog's Life it was looking at our world in a very different way. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 was creative in the way it embraced 3D, and Thrillville to finally bring the world of theme parks to a console in an enjoyable way. Overall, though, I'd probably say The Outsider shows the most creativity, even though it is not yet out.
Speaking of which, tell us about The Outsider and what fresh ideas or design features it will bring to gamers.
Braben: The Outsider brings together a number of new game elements I have been excited about for a long time. For me the biggest move forwards is the loss of the cut-scene, so that the story progresses entirely in-game. But not only that - it means that there can be many different outcomes from a particular encounter, without having to meet some arbitrary strictures of the cut-scene that would otherwise follow. This brings a great deal to the minute-to-minute freedom of the player, and a genuine feeling of being a part of the world.
Will this freedom be on an Elite scale or will it be more akin to a game like Fable or KOTOR?
Braben: It's not just a question of scale, but more one of the granularity of that freedom. The style is perhaps more akin to Elite in the sense of there being freedom at every level, rather than a sequence of specific choice of path. Clearly there are elements of specific choice in all these games, Elite included, but the ways you can play Outsider can be many and varied, including playing other characters in the game off against each other.
As an example you can work with terrorists, or perhaps you are simply pretending to work with them to achieve a goal, and you will come out of 'cover' once that goal is achieved, or at any other time. The point is the difference is purely one of the player's own motive, and the player can change their mind on that mid-way through.
We're relying heavily on character AI to give a rich experience, which gives this level of flexibility, but it has taken us a long time to get the technology needed for this into place, and at times characters can still make seemingly odd decisions.
Over the last seven or so years you've been very successful with properties aimed at the family. Why was this and, if at all, have those games helped with the design of your current mature titles?
Braben: Ironically, I had been 'labelled' as doing space games, after games like the Elite series, Virus, V2000 etc. before then. Dog's Life opened up the fantastic opportunity to work with Nick Park and Aardman on the Wallace and Gromit games. Around that time too we started working with Chris Sawyer on the RollerCoaster Tycoon series - so in a sense it wasn't planned like that, but we took the opportunities as they arose.
Certainly we've learned a great deal working with games for a wider audience - in many ways it's much harder, particularly when it comes to balancing difficulty and making sure a game is approachable, but I wouldn't assume those games were only played by a 'family' audience; the point is they are played by a very wide audience indeed, so the game has to cater for this in a scaleable way.
Games that have traditionally only been played by what are often called 'core gamers' i.e. gamers that are utterly familiar with games generally - tend not so much to have adult themes, but to have gameplay heavily reliant on 'twitch' response - whether it be pixel-perfect jumps or over-demanding control methods. Addressing these issues makes games much more enjoyable for everybody, not just the few.
Talking of mature games, what's your view on violence in games and do you think too many contain X-rated material to cynically appeal to a teenage audience?
Braben: I think at the root of this problem is that there's still an expectation among parents that ESRB/PEGI/BBFC ratings can be ignored - possibly based on their experience of games when they were younger. Also, there have been a few games that have strange ratings like Gears of War (18). That does not make sense to me. Why is it not a 15? Okay, there are some slightly gruesome bodies hanging up in the first section of the game, but this is no more than you'd expect in a 15 film like Alien Vs Predator or The Terminator films.
This means that when a more genuine 18 comes along, parents assume it is no worse than Gears of War, and is perhaps why Manhunt 2 was banned, as they felt they could not give it the same rating as Gears. Having said that, from what I've heard of Manhunt 2 (I haven't had the chance to play it), it is not the sort of game the industry should be making, as it is inevitably going to attract controversy.
While Manhunt 2 might have brought short term gain to Rockstar, it damages the reputation of the industry as a whole, long term. We do need a strong, consistent rating system, where 18 really means 18, and is enforced, and then it may be more acceptable to make such games, or to bring in an additional rating (as in the US) of Adults Only - which are only sold in very restricted places.
Looking at modern games, and the industry in general, what is the thing that annoys/irritates/upsets you the most?
Braben: That we are still a second-tier player in the Entertainment Industry - we are regarded by much of the world as an accessory to film, much like cuddly toys or action figures, and so command little respect.
The issues over ratings, over the 'Hot Coffee' incident, Manhunt 2, Bully, and the business over Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man - even though the criticism of Resistance was not deserved - have all helped keep that respectability away. We need to look at the games we are making in this light, and stop shooting ourselves in the foot.
Where do you think your creativity comes from and in practical terms how do you ensure Frontier games carry your stamp?
Braben: It is not just my stamp on the games here. We have a large team (over 150 people) and a great many people help make our games what they are. Internally, we have a great many fantastic game designs, but we only get to do a few of the possible game ideas we want to do. There is no shortage of creativity (just look at all the arcade games in Thrillville: Off the Rails), but I am still part of the design and production process on all our games from start to finish.
You've said the next incarnation of Elite is going to be a single-player game. Can you tell us a little more about what you envisage for this return and if you've begun work on it.
Braben: Elite 4 has always been conceived of as two separate projects, potentially sharing resources. What we want to do with this is very ambitious indeed. We did start the MMO game at the start of 2000, but shelved it when we realised how pitifully poor the telephone infrastructure was at the time.
Because of the scope of the ambition, we have been working separately on the many new technologies needed to deliver the game now for two years, so yes, we are working on it.
Do you worry though that games like Eve Online have now stolen Eilte's thunder?
Braben: Eve Online has perhaps taken some of what could have been the original Elite MMO's thunder - but that was 25 years ago. It hasn't taken the thunder from Elite 4 by any means.
A re-engineered Frontier: Elite 2 would be amazing on PSP. Any chance?
Braben: Perhaps, but it is unlikely, I'm afraid.
You can read more in our Creative Minds series here
Manual docking on the original elite now that was fun as my ship scraped into the stations dock stripping my shields to next to nothing. Thank god for the docking computer and the blue danube.
Always died in witchspace too
Shame no more info on the Outsider though or have i missed something
I remember when i used to sit and watch my brother play Frontier: Elite 2 and was just baffled by the whole thing (i was probably about 6-8 at the time), i even remember the honking great manual that came with it and the chart that mapped the galaxy. One of the best things i remember about that game though was what one reviewer said: "It took god 6 days to create the world and on the 7th he rested....it took god 2 weeks to beat Frontier, and he had to use a guide."
ive sed the a while ago, it would be realy cool to ply Elite on the new next gen machine's, this game was a land mark in gaming. And surely it is time for it to come in to the next genaration of gamers, ive plyed all the incarnation of the game from the early specrum, bbc & amiga A1200 to the pc. so plz MR Brandon can we have elite for the next gen?????????????
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pitty. But the team behind X are planning on doing one 
http://www.online-universe.net/44home.htm
