Did you know it was going to be CTF from the start? Did you know how you were going to do it?
Yes, I knew it had to be CTF.  The thing was, I actually began this as a paintball TC.  I had 10 new weapons all planned out.  But then I was thinking, and stay with me here, what's going to be the big draw to this project?  People weren't going to play it for the paintball aspects, they were going to play it for team play and CTF stuff.  So I dropped all paintball references.  But I stuck with the name DukeBall.  But, to tell you the truth, I had little to no idea how I was going to do it.

What is the gameplay going to be like?
Aaahh...the gameplay.   That's what everyone's dying to know about.  Well, to start out with there will be two teams, red and blue.  At the beginning of the game (and possibly throughout), you will be able to select which team you would like to be on.  How are we doing that?  Well I don't want to give away TOO much just yet, but selecting your teams will be as easy as picking up an item :).  The one problem we are going to have is talking to your teammates.  It is impossible to send a message to only certain players, so communication between teammates will unfortunately be limited.  Although I hear a new piece of software is being developed called "Battlefield Communicator" which allows voice communication over the net.  I don't know anything about it, but that would be neat :).  Also, all signs point to yes that there will be friendly fire.  So, don't stab your buddies in the back.  Flag retrieving and capturing is actually one of our simplest pieces of coding.  You can look forward to a scoring system similar to what you see in Quake CTF.  i.e.- 10 kills for a capture.  But at any rate, you can bet your arse it's going to be a helluva lot of fun.  Hmm...that was a long answer.

What about levels? how many levels are there going to be, and what kind are there? How do you feel about them?
CTF is all about the levels.  If you don't have good levels, it just isn't fun to play.  That's why we're being especially careful to select the best levels possible for inclusion in the initial release.  Frankly, I really don't know how many levels we are going to have, but certainly over ten.  Our team really strives for originality in our levels, so you won't see many similarities between the maps.  I guess we're the only TC team who boasts absolutely no continuity or theme in our levels :P.  I feel really good about the maps that we have done now.  We still have a lot of detailing to do, but in general they are looking great.  And another thing, we are determined to help the Duke community build levels for DukeBall.  The making of CTF levels will be no harder then making any other level (with a few exceptions), and we plan to not only include an in-depth manual of how to create a great level, but also we plan to showcase some of the best user-submitted maps on our site, as well as in future add-ons.  But, that's a little ways off :)
 

How much of the .CON files will you be editing? What kind of changes are there?
We actually aren't editing THAT much of the .CON files.  We aren't messing with the weapons or the monsters any, which make up a huge chunk of the files.  We are adding a few items, and modifying a few actors' code, but that's it.  What kind of changes?  Well, intriguing ones, I guess.  :)

What about the team, was it hard to find a team that works hard? Is the team what you wanted?
The team's great.   Everyone's really excited about the project.  We're churning out maps like crazy, which is really good because we'll have a large selection to choose the final cut from.  The art, the little that we are adding, is not going quite as quickly as it could, although we are getting it done.  And slowly but surely, the .CON files are coming together, but some extra programmers would help.  They sure are in short supply.  A note to my fellow .CON dudes out there: if you've got the talent, apply for some TC's.  Considering 95% of TC's are never completed, I think it's safe to say that .CON editors are greatly needed.

What about popularity? Do you think it will be big on gaming networks like Kali? Will you be playing this all the time? And what about CTF clans? Do you think clans will develop?
I think it's pretty safe to say that people will really enjoy this thing.  Kali will be a great place for DukeBall to spread, too.  There are several other internet alternatives out there as well, but without a fast connection, they aren't a great option.  We also realize that not everyone has access to a LAN, so we will be including several small, 2-player maps for modem games.  Clans? I think it's a safe bet to assume that wherever Duke turns up so will clans.

What about the regular levels? Will they have CTF capabilities? do you feel that is important?
In my opinion, converting old favorites into CTF maps could be a great addition.  Personally, I've played Quake Team Fortress with the original Quake levels and found it was more enjoyable then user created maps.  So we will definitely be adding DukeBall capabilities to many, if not all, of the original 3DRealms levels.  That can lead to a pretty big download, though, so we're still debating how to juggle the original levels with our brand new ones.  We're not afraid of creating a large download, but we don't prefer it that way.  But just keep in mind that we won't disappoint.

What about other TC's using the DukeBall code to have CTF. Is that a possibility?
Oooohhh...yes.   That's a definite possibility.  I get excited just thinking about playing a deadly version of DukeBall in the Die Hard universe, or kicking some arse as a flag-capturing Kenny in some South Park TC.  We're creating this TC for all the Dukers out there, and anything that would further their enjoyment of the project, like expanding it into other TCs, is just what we want.  So if any TC makers out there are interested in adding some CTF levels, we encourage them to let us know.

What is the estimate download size?
I would say anywhere from a meg to ten.  It all depends on the number of maps we include.

What about versions, will you be making add-ons or updates?
Our first release (v1.0) will be for 1.4/1.5 of Duke.  At this point, I'm not actually sure if a 1.3 version will be possible, but I'm looking into it.  If we can do it, you can bet that you will see one in the future.  And as a team, we are committed to the quality and longevity of the product that represents us.  Add-ons will be released.  New versions with new features are also a very realistic possibility.

I would like to thank Total Conversions.com for the interview.  I think you will all be pleased with what you see from us in the future.  And I hope you all have been at least a little bit enlightened by my words.  But not enlightened in a holy way, because then I would have to wonder...