Nik Lever runs Catalyst Pictures Ltd (www.catalystpics.co.uk), a Manchester, UK-based company that makes online games for clients including Kellogg's, BBC, and Cartoon Network. Originally trained as an animator, Nik now writes code more often than he scribbles and is the author of several Flash and Director books (www.niklever.net ). When he's allowed out into the light, he likes to go sailing across the Irish sea.
So here's the deal: you want to create a snowboarding game. You have three
weeks to do it, it can't exceed 1MB, and it must work online on at least 80%
of kids' PCs. So let's list the options open to us. That's going to be one
short list: boot up your copy of Director MX 2004 and get started! Before we
get our boots on and set off for a great half-pipe session on our favorite
board, we're going to need some assets. Here at Catalyst, we use Lightwave 3D
for 3D asset creation. For most games that you create using Shockwave 3D, you
will benefit by controlling at least some of the interactions using Havok.
This remarkable Xtra is a rigid body physics simulation. If that sounds like
a complicated thing and your eyes are beginning to cloud over, then wake up,
because this is one to try.
Trust me on this; you need to know this stuff. It's tricky at first, but the
results ... (more)
Nik Lever runs Catalyst Pictures Ltd (www.catalystpics.co.uk), a Manchester, UK-based company that makes online games for clients including Kellogg's, BBC, and Cartoon Network. Originally trained as an animator, Nik now writes code more 
Scott Sellers
Anthony Franco
Daniel Morris
Wayne Walls
Niki Acosta
Jereme Hancock
Oren Michels
Marvin Wheeler
Douglas Kim
Ken Guiberson
