fyi : to save you the trouble of reading every article, i’ve picked out a question from each. you may still read the full interviews by following the links in the list, or clicking on the titles before every question.

[ American McGee : Daily Radar ]
Why third person? Wouldn’t be easier to do a game like this from the first-person perspective?
Third person allows us to put more emotion on Alice and her adventure. It opens up the possibilities for new character animations, which then convey attitude and personal character attributes. This is important to us since our game has such a strong underlying story.

[ American McGee : Daily Radar UK ]
What’s next for you now that Alice is completed?
We’ve got plans for another Alice-style of adventure/story/game, and between now and then we’re going to do pre-production on that while working on a smaller title, to sort of bide our time while we’re ramping up for the next big thing.

[ American McGee : Game Girlz ]
Can you tell us a bit about Alice’s personality?
Well, the Alice in our game has changed quite a bit since we last saw her in “Through the Looking Glass.” She’s now several years older (18), and has been through a lot of mental trauma. She’s grown up, but not in a very healthy environment. Still, she is a strong character – smart, resourceful and has her wits about her. She’s also a little on the demented side… think Wednesday Addams grown up a bit. Give her a knife, and set her loose in Wonderland… that’s Alice.

[ American McGee : Game Loft UK ]
When making the game, obviously, you looked at the original novels a lot for inspiration; where else did you take inspiration from?
For the story, we only looked to the novels – we really ignored the movies and stayed away from anything other than the books themselves. But, you know, the music that inspired the game was very varied, and there was also literature – we draw from a lot of different sources, some of which date back a long way.

[ American McGee : Game Slice ]
All right, why is Alice not blonde? Is your Alice based on Alice Liddell, who was not blonde?
Our Alice is based on Alice Liddell. We’re making a point of staying as true to Carroll’s fiction as we possibly can with this game. We’ve told people this before… this is definitely not Disney’s Alice.

[ American McGee : Game Spot ]
What have you done for people that don’t normally play these games then?
We’ve opted for lots of optional assistance. For instance, we’ve got overlaid floating feet to show where Alice will land if you jump now, or you can even control the feet and Alice will go there. We’ve also used the Cheshire Cat for explaining elements of the game and providing goals. This isn’t a game just for people that play Quake or Duke Nukem. We really want to appeal to everyone.

[ American McGee : Game Spy ]
How would you describe the games title character, Alice? What makes her an interesting protagonist?
Simple answer: Alice is fucked in the head. Some of the most interesting people I know are also some of the craziest. Alice has all kinds of things going on at once, screwed up psyche, coming of age, dealing with emotional trauma, fighting for her life, and trying her best to just be ‘Alice’. All of this creates a complex character that I’m hoping will shine through.

[ American McGee : Gamez.de ]
It’s the weirdest artwork I’ve ever seen. Very psychedelic with lots of gothic elements. Why a dark world with an Alice Riddell and not the Disney-like blonde?
I actually think this is a truer version of Wonderland that has always been created before. I think that this image is closer to the original fiction than anything I’ve seen. The Disney-version is very far from that spot. The next time I gonna create a games it’s gonna be like that.

[ American McGee : Happy Puppy ]
Any plans to make Alice into a series of games?
I’m done with Alice, but there’s talk of someone else doing an Alice 2, or doing an online version of Alice that takes place in the years between when she suffers the loss of her family and when she goes to Wonderland again, so actually, Alice wouldn’t be in the story. It would be one of the characters fighting, and ultimately failing. An odd prequel of sorts.

[ American McGee : Loony Games ]
What sort of liberties are you taking with the source material?
Quite a lot actually. A person could create many different types of games using the characters and spaces in Wonderland. Anything from a children’s game to a full-on death and destruction fest. The real challenge is to stylize Alice in such a way that the existing 1st/3rd person market really gets into it. I’m trying to go for more of a ’Nightmare Before Christmas’ type feeling with my version of Alice and so far it’s working out really well.

[ American McGee : Quarter to Three ]
How is it working long-distance with developer Ritual? Any problems with the Quake 3 engine?
Rogue Entertainment (Dallas, TX) is actually the developer on Alice, not Ritual. I would probably say that working with Rogue on Alice is the best working relationship I’ve ever seen or been involved with. The Rogue guys have been doing such an amazing job that I’m often beside myself with a mixture of pride and astonishment. And no, the Quake 3 engine hasn’t given us any grief.

[ American McGee : R | POV ]
You have said that with Alice you are trying to capture the type of feeling that can be seen in Tim Burton’s, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Does ‘type of feeling’ mean the look or does that include dark humor and characters breaking out into song?
What we’re going for is the same type of consistency with the look and feel of the settings and characters that was found in Nightmare, as well as the same creepy mood and dark humor. No song. *                               *                               *
[ Barrett Alexander : Stomped ]
Some might wonder why Alice will not include a multiplayer mode. Why was this decision made and are there any plans to add a multiplayer element to the game as a patch or update?
This is simply not a multiplayer game. With all the outstanding multiplayer titles out there, we just felt that there was no need to shoehorn multiplayer into Alice. The more we were able to add to the game content itself, the better chance we had of getting as close as possible to our visualization of the game. *                               *                               *
[ Bear : Stomped ]
Why is this game going to be so cool?
Because it’s unlike anything anyone has seen before, it will be a totally NEW experience. And there is no doubt that the QIII technology has never before been used to do the things you will see in American McGee’s Alice. *                               *                               *
[ Bobby Pavlock : Evil Avatar ]
American McGee has said that the dark Victorian look and feel of the game environments is more what wonderland was supposed to be than what was portrayed in, say, the Disney film. What are some devices or techniques that were used to create this dark atmosphere?
For the Victorian influences, we consulted a variety of the usual reference material such as books, movies, etc. that had content from that era. But, of course, we didn’t just copy/paste things from the Victorian era into the game. We would take the reference material we found, use it as a guideline, and then look at it and figure out how we could distort it into something different that would fit the twisted/darker theme of the game but still maintain the characteristics that would make it recognizable.

[ Bobby Pavlock : Game Design ]
What will set Alice apart from other Quake 3 engine games, as well as the other action titles coming out over the next year?
We are going to great lenths to exploit the whole "Wonderland" setting as much as possible to give Alice a look and feel that has never been seen before. The last thing we want is for Alice to look like just another shooter. >From a design aspect, we are approaching every level, and, in fact, every single brush we lay from an aspect of "what can I do to make this look different, or ’Wonderland-ish’", for lack of a better term. We want the player to constantly be walking around going "What the f--k were these guys on when they made this game?" :) There are, of course, plenty of other fun little things that we have planned, but I can’t go into any of that stuff yet.

[ Bobby Pavlock : Krawall ]
Can you say something about the enemies of the game? I have seen some very nice ones on the screenshots of the game. The ants were VERY cool! Are there parallels between the game and the movie Alice?
You will encounter many of the familiar characters from the story, both friendly and unfriendly, as well as several of our own nightmarish creations. Our version of Alice has no ties to the movie, we are taking content directly from the original Lewis Carol books and expanding from there. *                               *                               *
[ Brandon James : GA-Source ]
What is the design philosophy behind this game?
Rogue, as a whole, is crafting a complex world behind the scenes. Yet what the player will see is, hopefully, the most logical representation of mechanics and presentation of our collective thoughts from paper to the player’s screen. The game is and will remain accessible to everyone. *                               *                               *
[ Chris Greenhaw : the Oxygen Tank ]
Why do you think people will enjoy playing Alice?
Alice" is going to be a drastically different game than what people have seen up until now, which makes me want to play it! :) It also looks nothing like Quake3, which is a welcome change in my (and probably many others’) mind. The theme is not centered on well-built women, or bloodbaths like many similar titles out there. One of our major goals is to disorient the player as much as we can. For example, you will enter one door only to come out somewhere totally different, or walking upside down in a level. There are endless possibilities in ’Wonderland’… *                               *                               *
[ Chris Vrenna : Game Slice ]
What do you think of the actual game and its gameplay?
I think people are used to seeing Alice as a bright tale with the cute blonde hair Alice, [who is ] innocent, [and] falls down the hole –- and it’s always been a little light. This one is the exact opposite – it’s very dark and twisted. The gameplay is better than anything I’ve ever seen on a PC game. I think the combination of the gameplay and the actual look of what American has achieved is fantastic. *                               *                               *
[ Darin McNeil : Stomped ]
BTW Those Chess pieces look mighty nasty in that new movie clip. How the heck do ya beat those buggers?
Luckily, Alice has plenty of nasty surprises in store for the maniacal inhabitants of Wonderland. A nice whallop to the head with the croquet mallet, and a few well flung playing cards can make even the most frightening creatures turn tail and run away. *                               *                               *
[ Eiso Kawamoto : Dark Places ]
What’s your favorite thing about American McGee’s Alice?
That’s a hard question, since the game is so immersive. I’m really into it’s deep, deep levels, and all the beautiful dark tweaks that have been made to the “Wonderland” environment. Basically, everything’s my favorite. Being an “ex-goth” (in a past life), I love how Alice looks – although the Mr Hyde in me wants the “Hatter” to ultimately rule Wonderland. *                               *                               *
[ Jay Brushwood : Dark Places ]
What kind of research did you conduct in order to come up with the character designs for American McGee’s Alice?
Well, first off, I had to read both of Lewis Carroll’s novels – Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass, since most of the characters in American McGee’s Alice (AMA) are based on the characters in those books. I also looked at the original character designs illustrated by John Tenniel, which were printed with the books. Other works based on Alice in Wonderland also had an influence, but the surrealism involved in the look of Alice allows us to draw from a variety of sources. I’ve always been a big fan of surrealism and exaggeration in art, so I didn’t have to look far for inspiration. Actually, the influence of Tim Burton, Salvador Dali, and Spawn, played a part in the overall character design. *                               *                               *
[ Jim Molinets : Game Slice ]
What specific elements are you particularly proud of in Alice that you hope gamers notice and come away with?
Well, I would have to say the whole damn thing. I think we’ve touched on unique environments, characters, character design and animation… the list goes on. No, we haven’t created a whole new genre of gaming or opened the door for exploration of distant galaxies. We’re making Alice, with all her quirks, placing her into a version of Wonderland seen through eyes of the mature kind. Our hard work and attention to detail will hopefully make happy gamers of all who play.

[ Jim Molinets : IGNPC ]
We know that you’re trying to combine action and adventure elements of the game together for this adventure, but is it still a shooter at heart?
Well, I hesitate to use the term shooter, but action game? All the way! There are all kinds of elements that are combined in the game to create intense action, and when it comes down to the part where Alice has to dish out a smack down, it will be fast and furious. That is our ‘heritage’ and we’re not shying away from that here. *                               *                               *
[ Joel Thomas : Stomped ]
When you first heard about the game and its concept, what was your first reaction?
Well, I was out on the net one day… looking for my next job and came across EA’s website for Alice. At first I was skeptical but after looking through the site I was impressed! The concept was dark and moody but nothing like what was out there at the time. I was intrigued. I sent in my work and 2 weeks later I was a Rogue employee. After working on this game for 6 months I am convinced that this title will stand out both on the shelves and in the minds of those who play it. It is an intense ride that starts off rolling and ends up screaming down your mind. *                               *                               *
[ John Turner : Stomped ]
What is your favorite weapon Alice uses in the game and why?
Right now I’m digging the alt fire on the jackbomb (the "firejack"). Jack pops out of his box and spins his head around while spewing fire. Setting stuff on fire is real fun. *                               *                               *
[ Jonathon Harris : Dark Places ]
Who is your favorite Alice In Wonderland character and why?
That’s easy – definitely the Mad Hatter. He’s extremely psychotic, so it’ll be interesting to see what weirdness the studio comes up with for him. Of the characters I’ve seen working in the game so far, I think the Card Guards are great. They have tons of personality, and are pretty menacing in an almost comic sort of way. It’ll be fun beating up on them when the game is done. *                               *                               *
[ Peter Mack : Dark Places ]
How do you feel you are "pushing the envelope" with Alice?
We’re pushing the envelope in the environment that will be created in concert with the designers. The public has extremely high expectations about the Alice project, and we are working hard to give gamers all that and more. The level of interaction with the world is probably the biggest feature that we’re focusing on. We want a totally immersive experience, with a strong story and a world that feels alive and fantastic – something that really captures the spirit of Wonderland.

[ Peter Mack : Stomped ]
Is music playing a large role in Alice?
We will be using music throughout the game, to establish and maintain the atmosphere of the game as well as to highlight certain dramatic moments in the story. The soundtrack will be top notch, and more details on the musical talent behind it will be released soon. *                               *                               *
[ Richard Grey : ParkLAN ]
What ingredients do you think makes a sellable/fun game today?
There are two basic ingredients for me: violence and humor. I always refer to Bugs Bunny. It had ridiculous violence (and violence that was always obviously fake) and cerebral humor. I don’t think there is any other thing that I enjoyed so much as a young child and still enjoy as much as a mature adult. What a great cartoon!

*                               *                               *
[ RJ Berg : Dark Places ]
What are some key features that will ensure Alice will have good replay value?
The game tells a single powerful story. And once you play through, you’ll know how it ends. You’ll know how to win. But you will not exhaust the game’s promise and possibilities in a single play-through. There’s so much to see and do and experience. I hope you’ll take the time in subsequent plays to savor the game…

[ R J Berg : IGNPC ]
Why should American McGee’s Alice be considered "the third chapter in her story" as the website says?
Metaphorically, if Carroll’s books, Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass are "chapters" 1 and 2 in the Alice saga, this story, which relates events in her later life, could be considered a third chapter. With this shorthand characterization, American did not intend to imply that this was a continuation of Carroll’s work, or that we were presenting a competing version of Alice. Our respect for Carroll’s creation is limitless…

*                               *                               *
[ Steve Hornback : Evil Avatar ]
Any comments you want to make regarding the development of Alice? Special problem you faced? Something that turned out particularly well? Bad ideas for the game that got left out?
The only special problem I felt we had in the development of Alice was the short amount of time we had to finish the game. When I was hired here, I knew it would take extraordinary people to accomplish this feat. I can’t say enough about the great team of individuals here. They made it happen. They worked very, very hard, from the top down. I feel very fortunate, indeed, to have been a part of it, and it’s been a great privelege to work with such talented individuals. Of the eight games I’ve worked on in my career, I am by far the happiest and most proud of Alice.

*                               *                               *
[ Sung Yi : Evil Avatar ]
Any comments you want to make regarding the development of Alice? Special problem you faced? Something that turned out particularly well? Bad ideas for the game that got left out?
The development process for Alice was extremely tough, but I know I’ll be smiling when I see Alice on the shelves of Best Buy very soon. The overall look of the game is amazing, and there is no such thing as a bad idea here at Rogue!