— SoF Frequently Asked Questions —
Copyright: The Soldier of Fortune FAQ is © 1999-2004 Soldier-of-Fortune.com.
Disclaimer: This FAQ was not made by Raven Software and/or Activision and they can not be held responsible for anything that is in this FAQ.
Any information in this FAQ can change at any time.
Table of contents
1. Introduction
1.1 About this FAQ
1.2 Where to get this FAQ?
2. About Soldier of Fortune
2.1 What is Soldier of Fortune?
2.2 Who is making Soldier of Fortune?
2.3 Who is Raven Software?
2.4 Who is publishing Soldier of Fortune?
2.5 When will Soldier of Fortune
be released?
2.6 Will there be a demo?
2.7 What are Soldier of Fortune's
features?
3. Soldier of Fortune Details
3.1 What is the storyline?
3.2 How smart are the enemies?
3.3 Are the levels based on actual places?
4. Soldier of Fortune System Requirements
4.1 What are the System Requirements
for Soldier of Fortune?
4.2 Will Soldier of Fortune make
use of my 3D video card?
5. Multiplayer
5.1 What kind of multiplayer will
there be in Soldier of Fortune?
5.2 Will it be freely playable on the Internet
like Quake?
5.3 What modes will multiplayer feature?
6. Editing Soldier of Fortune
6.1 How will one be able to edit
Soldier of Fortune?
6.2 Can I change Quake C like in Quake ?
7. Soldier of Fortune Team
7.1 Who are the Programmers working
on Soldier of Fortune?
7.2 Who are the Level/Game Designers?
7.3 Who are the Artists?
7.4 Who are the Animators?
7.5 Who's in charge of the Sound and Music?
7.6 Who are the other people working on the
game?
8. Where to find out more information on Soldier of Fortune
8.1 Where do I look on the WWW?
8.2 Who do I look in IRC for SoF info?
8.3 What public forums are there for SoF?
9. Credits
10. Revision History
1. Introduction
1.1 About this FAQ
This FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is about Raven Software's game Soldier
of Fortune. It offers you the most up-to-date info on the game, and hopefully
answers most of your questions. I will be updating the FAQ as more information
becomes available which will allow you a one stop place for all of your Soldier
of Fortune gaming information.
1.3 Where to get this FAQ?
All current updates to the FAQ can be found on Soldier-of-Fortune.com.
2. About Soldier of Fortune
2.1 What is Soldier of Fortune?
Soldier of Fortune is a 3-D Action shooter developed by Raven Software
utilizing id Software's Quake II engine technology.
Activision, Inc. has acquired the worldwide licensing rights for the Soldier
of Fortune Magazine name and logo. Under this long-term agreement, Activision
has gained the exclusive rights to develop and publish interactive games based
on the property across all platforms.
The first game will immerse players into a covert world of international intrigue
promising to deliver die-hard, killer-combat action.
As mercenaries for hire, players will embark on insurgent operations in political
hotspots around the world and suit up and be deployed for one of the most explosive
tours of duty in gaming history.
"Soldier of Fortune is set to deliver more action, espionage
and firepower than any other first person shooter on the market," states
Brian Raffel, vice president of Raven Software. "The game's authentic 3D
environments and scenarios will realistically reflect today's intense conflicts
as players dodge bullets and pummel, toast, shred and incinerate hordes of enemies."
2.2 Who is making Soldier of Fortune?
Soldier of Fortune is being created by a Wisconsin based developer,
Raven Software.
2.3 Who is Raven Software?
Raven Software was founded in 1988 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel. With a
team of five people, Raven produced a spectacular 3D dungeon game called Black
Crypt. Published in 1992 by Electronic Arts, the game was nominated for Game of
the Year in the Arcade Adventure category and won the Super Accolade Award from
Amiga Action magazine.
Raven went on to create Shadowcaster, published by Origin Systems, Inc. It was
also nominated for Game of the Year in its category.
In 1994, Strategic Simulation, Inc. (SSI) published Raven's sci-fi adventure,
CyClones. The same year Raven teamed up with id Software to create the hit fantasy
action game Heretic. Hexen, the acclaimed sequel to Heretic, came soon after as
well as Necrodome, Raven's 3D car combat game.
Most recently, Raven developed two top down titles utilizing their own engine
technology: Mageslayer, a fantasy shooter, and Take No Prisoners, a hard-core
post-apocalyptic shoot 'em up. That same year, Raven greatly enhanced the Quake
engine to bring the 3D extravaganza Hexen II to life.
In 1997, Raven Software joined forces with Activision. Raven recently completed
work on the highly anticipated third person action game Heretic II and has released
ultra-realistic first person shooter Soldier of Fortune.
With the release of Soldier of Fortune, Raven set new standards
in first-person shooter realism. With their highly touted GHOUL rendering system
making it's debut, Soldier of Fortune was an instant hit. You, playing
the part of mercenary for hire, John Mullins, had to take on 10 missions that
spanned over 5 continents and 26 real-world locations.
Raven is soon to be releasing an addon-pack, SoF Gold. SoF Gold will contain 18
new maps, 2 new gameplay styles, and incorparate a dm bot that will provide a
challenging single player experience. SoF Gold will probably come out shortly
after their latest project, Elite Force
hits the shelves.
2.4 Who is publishing Soldier of Fortune?
Activision has gained
the exclusive rights to develop and publish interactive games based on the worldwide
licensing rights for the Soldier of Fortune Magazine name and logo.
2.5 When will Soldier of Fortune be released?
Soldier of Fortune was released March 27, 2000.
2.6 Will there be a demo?
The demo is already out and can be downloaded in our files section.
2.7 What are Soldier of Fortune's features?
Great story-driven plot with realistic weapons and tons of enemies and environments
- Covert Mercenary Missions: Enter the world of a soldier-for-hire, a deadly
killer who journeys across the globe's most dangerous, political hotspots-from
a speeding freight train in Africa to Iraqi oil refineries to Russian chemical
plants. Take on 30 deadly missions in a race against time that could determine
the fate of the world.
- Brutal Weapons and Violence: Tear your way past enemy lines utilizing the
world's most lethal weaponry, including a sniper rifle, white phosphorous
grenades, and prototype microwave pulse guns. Real bullets do real damage:
shoot someone in the leg and he falls, writhing and grasping his wound; shoot
someone in the head and he falls down dead.
- Living 3-D Environments: Infiltrate foreign locations as non-player characters
go about their daily lives as if you weren't there·until you blow your cover.
Beware, you may find yourself tracked by the very organization you were sent
to hunt down. Hollywood motion-capture animation by House of Moves adds realism
and intensifies the visual impact.
- Multiplayer Hunting: Infiltrate the ranks of the Internet via Deathmatch
or innovative multiplayer games, including Assassin, where you track and kill
a pre-determined player while someone else hunts you; and Arsenal, where you
race to be the first to kill an opponent using each of your available weapons.
- Revolutionary Shooter Technology: Reap the benefits of the 3-D accelerator-optimized
Quake II engine, upgraded with Raven's new GHOUL rendering system for unprecedented
enemy detail and violence, faster gameplay, and the most amazing 3-D graphics
to date.
- Reviewed and authenticated by Captain John Mullins
New AI, physics, scripting language, model system (GHOUL)... That and a ton of
other things, which will be posted as they are unveiled.
Military adventure sums the game up: heavy combat with immersive exploration and
atmosphere.
So what exactly is GHOUL? Here is the description of it straight from Raven Software:
GHOUL is a new model system being developed by Raven technology programmer Gil
Gribb. It allows for better model physics than Quake II previously supported and
also gives us a wealth of new lighting, movement, and destroyability options.
There are a lot of other features of GHOUL that we can't comment on, but we are
very pleased with the results of it so far. Suffice it to say that GHOUL will
greatly enhance the Soldier of Fortune game.
Here's a list of features in the GHOUL modeling system:
- Location Based Damage
- 26 "Gore Zones" on each enemy and player model
- Vertex Compression
- Movement Encoding
- Bolt-on models and attachments, such as gore, weapons and accessories
- Multiple skin support
- Character variety
- Over 100 mix/match enemy skin pages
- Accurate/improved lighting
- Animations greater than 10hz
- New networking model
- Per-poly physics/collision detection
- Lights inside GHOUL models
And this is only a brief summary of the dozens of features in the GHOUL modeling
system
Raven is striving to up the realism ante with Soldier, focusing first on the weapons.
Raven is modeling real weapons of today, which will recoil in proportion to the
amount of lead they spew forth. Freed says at least 85 percent of the weapons
will be from real-world armories. Players will have to reload magazines and suffer
the time it takes to cock the bolt on a new mag. They'll also take real damage
that will impede movement and dexterity, depending on where and how many times
they're hit. "You just can't walk away," Freed says.
3. Soldier of Fortune Details
3.1 What is the storyline?
You are John Mullins. You are the best there is. The only thing colder than the
steel in your hands is the ice that runs through your veins. You had three tours
in Vietnam and got three Purple Hearts for your trouble. Army Special Forces trained
you as part of the controbersial PHOENIX group to assassinate high-ranking Vietcong
officers and, in the process, made you a lethal weapon. You've seen things that
would make the bravest of men wake up in the middle of the night screaming...
and you've lived to tell about it. Like I said--you're the best there is.
You will have to use any means necessary to find and secure four stolen nuclear
warheads. Track and stop the terrorist organization responsible for the theft
before they can carry out their threat to national security. Dispatch as many
terrorists, skinheads, and enemy soldiers as necessary to complete your mission.
Failure means more than just going home in a bag, it could mean global thermonuclear
holocaust. And worst of all, you won't get paid. Failure is not an option.
3.2 How smart are the enemies?
Raven has completely ripped out the Quake II AI code and has replaced it with
their very own custom-made system. The enemies will be able to duck for cover,
roll out of the way and even lean around corners to shoot you. They will be able
to set off alarms, use advanced tactics to try and outsmart you, run for help
if their friends are being gunned down and a plethora of other different advanced
AI features.
SoF Gold will ship with new AI that will make the enemies even quicker, smarter...
deadlier.
3.3 Are the levels based on actual places?
Yes, the levels in Soldier of Fortune are all based on real-world
locations. The missions are in places such as Iraq, Siberia, New York, Japan..to
name a few.
4. Soldier of Fortune System Requirements
4.1 What are the system requirements for Soldier of Fortune?
Soldier of Fortune uses a much advanced 3D engine based on Quake
II and as such requires a higher spec machine to run on. It will be HARDWARE ONLY,
no software support, so be sure to have a 3D Card. Here are the system requirements:
- 3-D Hardware Accelerated with full OpenGL support
- U.S. version Microsoft® Windows® 95/98 or NT 4.0-SP5 operating system
- Pentium 233 MHz processor (Pentium II recommended)
- 64 MB RAM Required (More recommended)
- Quad-Speed CD-ROM drive
- DirectX® 7.0 for Windows 95/98
- 700 MB of uncompressed hard disk space, plus an additional 100 MB for the
Windows swap file
- Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP and IPX) play supported
- Internet play requires a 100% Windows 95/98/NR-compatible 28.8 Kbps (or
faster) modem with Internet Service Provider
A genuine Intel Pentium MMX processor, fast video card, 64 MB RAM, an OpenGL compatible
card and DirectX 7.0 graphic and sound drivers will give you much better gameplay.
The requirements above (especially the processor speeds) are not really the bottom
line minimum. With the system above you will get good performance. Some system
combinations may provide good performance even if some components are slower the
ones described above. Please note though, that the requirements above are the
official ones and if Soldier of Fortune does not satisfy you with
slower systems then you really should upgrade. The 3D accelerator, for instance,
can let you play with good performance with slower Pentium processors.
As for other OSs...ports for Linux, Mac, and Amiga have already gone underway.
Raven Software will probably make a statement about this subject. Soldier
of Fortune will support the following resolutions:
- 320x240
- 400x300
- 512x384
- 640x480
- 800x600
- 960x720
- 1024x768
- 1152x864
- 1280x960
- 1600x1200
4.2 Will Soldier of Fortune make use of my 3D video card?
Soldier of Fortune will support any card that has a fully compliant
OpenGL driver. Soldier of Fortune is HARDWARE ONLY. This is Ravens
latest known chipset support list:
- Riva128
- RivaTNT
- RivaTNT2
- Geforce
- Geforce2
- *RagePro
- Rage128
- RageMAXX
- Radeon
- *VoodooRush
- *Voodoo1
- Voodoo2
- Voodoo3
- Banshee
- Voodoo5
- G200
- G400
- Savage3D
- Savage4
- Savage2000
- *I740
- I810
- +PVR2
- +Permedia3
*work "only just"
+not completely sure, but probably
Chipsets that won't work for sure:
- Permedia2
- Verite2200
- PVR1
- Sis530
- Sis620
IMPORTANT:(from Raven)
Just because we got a card to work doesn't mean it will on everybody's system
due to possible differences in driver versions and other configuration issues.
Also, as long as the card has full OpenGL support and decent 3D support, it should
be fine.
5. Multiplayer
5.1 What kind of multiplayer will there be in Soldier of Fortune?
Soldier of Fortune will be TCP/IP Internet and LAN support.
In addition to Quake II style deathmatch, Soldier of Fortune will have several
other multiplayer games, including Assassin and Arsenal. In Assassin, you will
need to take down a specifically assigned player and defend yourself against the
player or players that are assigned to take you down. Fire at players with red
and orange, but leave players with green alonge. In Arsenal, take down your enemies
with weapons randomly assigned to you by the computer. You need to score a kill
with each of your assigned weaons to get the big 15 point bonus score. In realistic
dm, weapons do realistic damage to the human body. Reloads are manual. Falling
damage is on. PADD is used as a fatigue meter. SoF also has Capture the Flag and
team deathmatch.
5.2 Will it be freely playable on the Internet like Quake?
Yes. Like Quake you will be able to set up your own server, or hop onto a number
of previously defined servers to blow the hell out of other soldiers.
5.3 What modes will multiplayer feature?
Multiplayer will feature a variety of different modes including deathmatch, arsenal,
assassin, and capture the flag. Here's is a bit about each (straight from Kenn
Hoekstra):
Deathmatch - Standard Quake II type DM.
Assassin - Kill other players with each one of your weapons to get points.
After you kill players with your full cycle of weapons (from combat knife through
your ultimate weapon) you get a point and the player who;s the most skilled with
all of the weapons in the game wins.
Arsenal - Hunt down and kill a specific player while other specific players
try to kill you. The higher your kill score, the more players will be assigned
to kill you.
Capture the Flag - Steal the other flag and return to base. This is like
the Quake II Capture the Flag mod.
SoF Gold Additions
Control - The object of Control is to touch the flags that are on the
map in order to turn them to your team's color. Each team gains points for any
flag under their control, and owning all of the flags on a map gives bonus points
to the controlling team. The opposing team can steal flags from your control by
touching them. You can watch the flag indicator on your screen while you play
to see which team is controlling the flags.
Conquer The Bunker - Conquer the Bunker is a "king of the hill" style
game that can be played in teams or as a free-for-all deathmatch extravaganza.
In Conquer the Bunker, there is one scoring zone on the map that gives you points
for as long as you stay in the scoring zone. The scoring zone is marked with a
special "Soldier of Fortune" texture for easy recognition.
6. Editing Soldier of Fortune
6.1 How will one be able to edit Soldier of Fortune?
Soldier of Fortune can be edited by downloading the SDK(Software
Developer's Kit). This includes the source code along with qeRadiant.
Nearly all modeling, animation, and skinning for Soldier of Fortune
can be done directly in 3DStudio Max. Raven will release plugins for outputting
the correctly formatted files.
6.2 Can I change Quake C like in Quake?
For those of you still stuck in the Quake Era, it is time to wake up and smell
the coffee. Editing will be different in Soldier of Fortune, as
Raven is using .DLL's instead of .QC files. Once adjusted, I am sure you will
be happy with the switch-over
If you do not have a huge programming background, this does not mean you are stuck.
You can change a LOT of stuff without having to program DLL's. Sounds, music,
game entities, cameras, and much more.
7. Soldier of Fortune Team
All Bios are provided by Raven Software
7.1 Programmers
- Rick Johnson - Lead Programmer, Network Administrator
Steve Sengele
Nathan Albury
Dan Kramer
Gil Gribb - Technology Programmer
-received a B.A. in math and computer science and an M.S. is computer science
at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. After 10 years of professional programming
involving everything from ecological data to lawnmower blades, Gil joined
Raven in 1996. Gil currently works from Minneapolis where he lives with his
lawyer girlfriend, dog and cat. As Technical Advisor, Gil optimizes existing
technology and develops cool new stuff for all of Raven's projects.
7.2 Level / Game Designers
Jim Hughes
Scott McNutt
- -is more than excited and proud to join the wonderful team at Raven Software.
He has been into video games since the old Pong and Tank days. While growing
up in Hawaii, visiting video arcade rooms was one of his favorite pastimes.
At one point, he even had a Pac Man arcade game in his house. Then came the
advent of home video games. He could be found wasting away in front of the
TV zapping away those pesky space invaders. Scott is also a Graphic Artist
by trade. The most notable project he was involved with was making multimedia
kiosks for major sports franchises. He was also an Associate Gung Fu Instructor
in San Francisco. The style he practices is Hung Ga. His current hobbies include
collecting anything from the classic Ultraman series, from videos of old episodes,
to Ultraman action figures. He even has a full sized Ultraman mask!
Greg Barr
Jeremy Statz
- -designed for Hexen II Mission Pack
Additional Level Designers
Bobby Duncanson
Tom Odell
Mike Renner
Matt Pinkston
7.3 Artists
Scott Rice - Lead Artist (former)
- -has been with Raven Software since 1992 when he was hired by his high school
art teacher, Raven President Brian Raffel. He has a background in drawing,
sculpture, and film. After graduating from the Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison
he produced a short film which screened at 7 international film festivals.
His favorite pastime is screenwriting. Scott has worked as an animator and
2D artist on various games. His credits include ShadowCaster, Heretic, Cyclones,
Necrodome, Hexen II, Mageslayer, Take No Prisoners, Hexen II Mission Pack,
and Heretic II. He is Lead Artist on the upcoming Soldier of Fortune.
Kevin Long
- -worked for two advertising studios in Detroit before accepting a job with
a small role-playing game company. For eight years he created the overall
"look" of the company's games with his interior and cover art. Kevin
then returned to advertising doing toy box covers and blister-pack art for
Tyco, Galoob, and Toy Biz before being hired as an artist by Raven Software.
Game credits include Hexen II Mission Pack and Heretic II. Current project:
Soldier of Fortune.
Bobby Duncanson
- -is a Computer Game Level Designer at Raven. He was born and raised in South
Florida. Everyone says, "What are you doing in Wisconsin?" He says:
"When you love what you do, you'll go anywhere to do it." He has
his AA from Broward Community College in Davie, Florida. He also has a BA
in Computer Graphics with a specialization in Animation from Marycrest International
University in Davenport, Iowa. Bobby was brought in to help work on Take No
Prisoners... his first game! He has since worked on the Hexen II Mission Pack
and Heretic II. Current project: Soldier of Fortune. "How
'bout them DOLPHINS!"
Jeff Lampo
- -came to Raven Software from Sculptured Software of Acclaim. His background
is in drawing, photography, video, and 3D graphics. He also has a degree in
Business, Economics, and a minor in mathematics. His game credits include
Hexen II, Take No Prisoners, and the canceled but fun, Rattle Snake Red. Jeff's
hobbies include fishing, windsurfing, martial arts, archery, skiing, horse
back riding, and yes, even ballroom dancing.
Joe Koberstein - Lead Artist (current)
- -worked in both outdoor and corporate advertising. He moved to Los Angeles
in 1995 where he pursued a career in publishing working for the magazine "DieHard
GameFan". He earned notability in the game industry and attracted work
from Ascii Entertainment and various studios in L.A. Joe's work went international
in 1997 when he did consulting and concepts for BodySonic in Tokyo, Japan.
Joe currently works for Raven Software as a 2-D Photoshop Artist. Game credits
include Hexen II Mission Pack and Heretic II. Current project: Soldier
of Fortune.
Gina Garren
- -began at Raven Software in the month of October, 1997. She joined as a
direct descendent from Madison Area Technical College. Gina is currently having
loads of fun as a 2-D artist using programs such as PhotoShop and Animator
Pro. She has a background in drawing, painting and various types of sculpture.
She worked on the Hexen II Mission Pack.
7.4 Animators
Eric Turman
- -worked as an animator on the Hexen II Mission Pack and Heretic II. Current
Project: Soldier of Fortune.
Jarrod Showers
- -followed his dream to become an animator in the gaming industry. After
over a year of 3d game-making experience, he was accepted into Raven and currently
is working as an animator on Soldier of Fortune.
7.5 Sound and Music
Chia Chin Lee
- -lived in Taiwan, South Africa, France, and Chicago, before graduating as
a film major from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. During college, he
became interested in film sound theory after studying the works of sound designer
Walter Murch. He decided to pursue a career that would combine his skills
in audio post production and synthesis with his passion for computer games.
Currently working on sound and music at Raven Software, Chia Chin is excited
about the future of dynamic audio in computer games. Credits include Hexen
II, Mageslayer, Take No Prisoners, and Hexen II Mission Pack. He currently
is sound designer and composer for Soldier of Fortune.
7.6 Others
Kenn Hoekstra - Project Administrator
- -has been a level designer for Raven Software since February of 1997. He
graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater with
a BS in English Writing with a minor in History. Kenn's background in role
playing and creative writing helped to move him out of the glamorous world
of food service and into the realm of computer gaming. He's a big KISS fan,
a connoisseur of Shakespeare, and always enjoys a good James Bond film. Ever
since the early days of the Atari 2600, he has wanted to design video games.
Credits include Take No Prisoners, Hexen II Mission Pack, and Soldier
of Fortune. Kenn assumed the responsibilities of Project Administrator
with the departure of Dan Freed in November of 1999.
Eric Biessman - Project leader/lead designer
- -hasn't given himself any nicknames like "The Human Highlight Film",
but he has spent many hours in front of a blazing monitor cranking out incredible
games. Graduating from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a degree
in English, Eric began his gaming career in early 1994. Since that fateful
day, Eric is lucky enough to have worked on CyClones, Heretic - Shadows of
the Serpent Riders, Hexen, Hexen - Death Kings of the Dark Citadel, Hexen
II, and (finally!) the Hexen II Mission Pack. He considers himself one of
the luckiest people in the world to work with so many talented individuals.
He is Project Coordinator and Lead Designer on Soldier of Fortune.
8. Where to find out more information
8.1 WWW
You can check out the following websites:
Raven Software
Activision
Soldier-Of-Fortune.com
8.2 IRC
#sof on 3DNet. First you will need to get mIRC at http://www.mirc.com
and select a 3DNet server such as:
- chat.hexenworld.com
- planetquake.3dnet.net
- telefragged.3dnet.net
- ritual.3dnet.net
- chat.planetquake.com
Then type /join #sof and chat with other fans, and Raven employees.
8.3 Public Forums
SoF Forums at Soldier-of-Fortune.com.
9. Credits
A very large thanks to everyone at Raven Software for putting up with our constant
harassment for more and more information. Without them, this FAQ would not be
what it is today, nor would it even exist. Raven employees contributed to various
sections of the FAQ to help the community better understand the details behind
Soldier of Fortune. Some of the FAQ was also taken from the Official
Soldier of Fortune Game Manual.
10. Revision History
September 5, '00 - v1.05 Updated, fixed various info, added new info (thanks Keith
Fuller). (EvilGreg)
March 20, '00 - v1.04 Many updates, changes, additions, and fixes (thanks Kenn
Hoekstra). (SoulTaker)
Sept. 17, '99 - v1.03 Sys. req. and video card inaccuracies corrected (thanks
John 'Pagan' Scott). (Phoebus)
Sept. 16, '99 - v1.02 Minor updates, additions, fixes. (Phoebus)
Sept. 15, '99 - v1.01 posted; various updated info. (SoulTaker)
Feb. 11, '99 - Finished version 1.00 of the Official Soldier of Fortune
FAQ. (Lithium)
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