Interview with Tony Van

Not exactly news, but a great interview I did a while back that you guys will most likely enjoy. Tony Van is a video game producer and designer, working on over 20 game titles from several companies.

Andrew: My second exclusive interview is here, and its with Tony Van. Know him? Well if you don’t, tell us who you are and what you have done in the world of Die Hard.

Tony Van: I’m a veteran computer and console game producer and designer. In the past 14 years, I’ve worked on over 20 games (PC, NES, Genesis, Sega CD, Game Gear and Internet) and helped create 2 game networks (HEAT.net and EA.com.) Die Hard NES was the first game I ever designed.

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Andrew: Tell us, is there anyway I even find a copy of the MS-DOS version, and what are your thoughts on that? What would you of done if you were hired for that version?

Tony Van: I get lots of requests for old games, and my response is always the same… E-BAY! They seem to have EVERYTHING there, you just have to be patient. I think you might have more luck finding the MS-DOS version of Die Hard then the NES version, since the NES version was a very limited production only for Toys ‘R Us! As to what I would have done on the MS-DOS version… the same game design as NES, just in first person view. I always joked that the NES version had an MS-DOS design (very strategic and deep) and the MS-DOS version really wanted to be on NES (due to its simplified design mechanics.)

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Andrew: Did you like the way Die Hard on NES turned out?

Tony Van: Yes, I am very proud of Die Hard NES. I load up my NES every once in a while to play it again, and am constantly challenged by it. The highest complement I got was when the lead tester told me (after playing it hundreds of hours for testing) that it STILL kept him on his toes, surprising him at the least expected moments. The basic design came to me one night… and I did the entire design doc in 2 weeks. Consider the stuff I packed into that 8-bit, 1 Megabit game: random enemy and powerup placement, line of sight, foot damage and broken glass, flash grenades, alternate endings, Hans moving his guys based on his timetable and your actions, secret areas, duct movement and evasion of bullets, multiple weapon types and effects, the infamous rooftop helicopter, and of course, digital images and quotes from the movie! Yep, that was one full design! Most games today don’t offer that kind of variety, let alone

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Andrew: What would you of done differently on Die Hard (NES) if given the chance to go back and fix a few things.

Tony Van: Well, the game is pretty darn HARD! I was adamant in giving the player only 1 life giving the player a measly pistol, and making the SMG bullets pretty darn lethal. “Fight or Flight” was a driving force for the game (as it was in the movie). But players were pretty turned off on dying and seeing GAME OVER the first time a guy with a SMG spots him. Of course, that’s also one of the coolest parts of the game when you really get into it, but it was a major turn-off for the casual player. My other regret is that the graphics look pretty lousy, and the sound is nothing special. Since I only designed the game (this is one of the few in my career I did not also produce), I had no say in it. But honestly, the guys in Japan that did the game did an AWESOME job with the gameplay, which is what I care most about.

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Andrew: How does it feel to of designed the first Die Hard video game ever?

Tony Van: Pretty darn cool. I really wanted to make a movie game that put you IN the movie, not some hack job like many other games have done. I think I succeeded. You can read more about the “genesis” of the creation of Die Hard NES at http://www.goodspear.com/Games/GameList/activison_and_infocom.htm. It contains a lot of info about the politics of the game industry, as well as the lucky breaks I got to get my first game idea published!

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Andrew: Have you gotten the chance to play any other Die Hard video games, if so which ones and what are your thoughts on those?

Tony Van: I’ve played the MS-DOS version, the arcade version, Die Hard Trilogy. The Nakatomi Plaza version is on my list, but I have not played it yet. Overall, I think they all suffer from the same problem: they are linear games that put you in a forced position to play the game the way they want you to play it, which was the exact opposite of my game, when I put the player in an environment where they called the shots. I’m hoping Nakatomi Plaza is more open ended like Die Hard NES.

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Andrew: How did you get into game designing? Do you still design games these days, or just back in the early 90’s?

Tony Van: I got into the industry as a Tech Support operator at Activision. From there, I impressed the VP of Entertainment enough to let me actually produce a game while I answered the phones! After getting promoted to Assistant Producer, I came up with the idea for Die Hard, and presented it to my boss. He liked it so much, that became the design. I’ve designed most of the games I’ve produced, which is kind of rare in this industry. I’ve been lucky to get some cool movie and TV licenses like Ghostbusters II, Star Wars: Rebel Assault, Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote, Home Alone (I and II) and even Power Rangers! (Again, you can read more about these games on my website.) The last thing I designed and produced was The HEAT Gaming Network for SegaSoft. My other game designs have not been published for one reason or another, but I still have plenty left in me!

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Andrew: What are your thoughts on the movies?

Tony Van: Die Hard: A CLASSIC! I still love watching that movie, it is so cool! The lines are great, the story is cool, Alan Rickman’s Hans is a awesome villain, and John is vulnerable yet heroic. And the whole thing with no shoes is just genius! Die Hard 2: Die Harder: This ones my least favorite, it just feels too long. Its story is interesting, but ultimately let’s me down. I love William Sadler (Col. Stewart) in just about anything he does, so he adds some coolness to the movie just by his presence. Die Hard: With a Vengeance: This one I like second best, due to the combination of Samuel L. Jackson’s over the top performance and Jeremy Irons’ villainy . The bank break-in sequence is also very clever.

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Andrew: What’s your favorite game you have ever designed?

Tony Van: Die Hard will always have a special place in my heart, being my first, and doing what I love to do, making an environment for the player to play the game the way he wants (within reason.) My other favorites are BattleTech: Crescent Hawks’ Revenge (PC), and Shadowrun (Genesis). Both of those games give the player a lot of options to do what they want within a tight story.

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Andrew: What’s the worst experience you’ve ever had designing a game?

Tony Van: Hmmm. That would have to be Rebel Assault, where I created the game concept, figured out the technology for the prototype, got it approved in numerous meetings, completed the design, began pre-production, and left LucasFilm Games due to the threat of lay-offs. The game shipped 2 years later, but my name is no where to be seen in the credits! The highest selling game of my career (over 2 million units) and no one knows. Sigh.

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Andrew: Thanks a lot for taking time to do this interview, good luck on all your future projects Tony Van. Also, visit his website at http://www.goodspear.com for more info on all his projects.