h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Has anyone heard what is happening to TDV? I haven't heard any news about it for quite a while now. It would be a shame if it just disappeared without a trace!

I think it will be the end of tdv as is. It would be sad because they were researching 3D engines for their new game hitch hiker's guide to the galaxy 2. I almost took up a job their as engine programmer 1 year ago but I decided to go elsewhere. I really liked the company on the inside the people were super nice, but the whole company was run for Douglas Adams and his creative genius. I hope they at least finish writing hich hiker's guide 2 at least as a tribute to the late Douglas Adams. The funding of the company was based solely through Douglas as well, so with him gone I don't know how they will get the funding to finish the next game. But when you get down to the nitty gritty their coder were all 2D coders with 1 3D artist so I don't think they will go anywhere unless people like myself 3D coders decide to join up with them. IE: sinking ship.

Sorry, but very little of this is true.

The forthcoming 3d Hitchhiker's game is still very much under development. It was always fully funded, through a publishing deal from Pan Interactive. Last year, the whole games team was spun off into a separate joint venture between Pan and h2g2 (formerly TDV). This company is now called Phase 3 Studios and they are beavering away producing the game. They have *plenty* of 3D artists, 3D programmers, level designers, concept artists and C++ programmers. They went to E3 last month to show the work in progress (which is looking *really* good, by the way).

The only bad thing about it is that it won't be out for quite a while.

That is good news! As for it not being out for quite a while, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.

Does that mean the TDV concept itself (which I understood to be: Let's do excitingly creative fun stuff with new technology - not just games) is still alive and kicking in h2g2 Ltd? It would be a shame for such a wonderful vehicle for technological creativity to be lost.

BTW Jim, thanks for replying - I've been to your personal space, and I understand your a busy bloke at the moment. Hope all goes well !

Speaking of which - any jobs going for a scientifically trained, computer grad who's been working as a Mac Op for a while and been taking Multimedia/3D nightschool classes?

Curious...

> I almost took up a job their as engine programmer
> 1 year ago but I decided to go elsewhere.

One year ago (i.e. June 2000) we weren't looking for 'engine' programmers. We already had them, and they'd been working for us for 6 months. As far as I recall, we weren't looking for programmers at all at that point (a bit late on, perhaps).

> The funding of the company was based solely through
> Douglas as well

Erm, also not true.

> But when you get down to the nitty gritty their coder
> were all 2D coders with 1 3D artist

Well, since we had already had 5 programmers with 3D experience working for us for 6 months (and some of them for years) before you claimed to have turned down the job as engine programmer, I find this odd too. At that time we also had 6 3D artists who had been working for us for 6 months.

Not much of your story seems to tally with the truth.

> so I don't think
> they will go anywhere unless people like myself 3D
> coders decide to join up with them. IE: sinking ship.

Well, if we can't get people like you to help us, I guess we'll just have to struggle on as best we can.

C'est la vie.

Tim