If you knew then what you know now...

[r00k]

I was thinking,

Knowing, now what you know about FPS, Quake, etc...

How much could you provide [to the past] if a time machine "bing-bong"'d your door today?

Would u be the billionaire or does that even matter.

[revelator]

probably welthy but one has to remember (depending on how far back) that it was the golden age of computing and i dunno if i would have been visionary enough to make something out of my knowladge.

[leileilol]

Versus 97 would be done in actual 97, since the goal of the mod is try to make what I dreamed of in 97, avoiding anachronism, and I remembered some of it. Now it's a reality. Problem, it's 14 years too late a reality.

[mh]

If I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have gotten involved in the thing!

I would have also been considerably less scornful towards D3D and more ready to raise hardware requirements.

Would I have been rich? Probably not. I don't do this for that kind of reason; this is something on the side for me and I prefer it that way.

[ajay]

I'd have gone with the 2nd year of a computer course I did in 1983, which would have gone heavily into programming, hopefully leading to riches.... However, as my current career path led me to my wife, I'm rather glad I didn't.

[CocoT]

However, as my current career path led me to my wife, I'm rather glad I didn't.

Same here

[CocoT]

Not that my career choices led to your wife, of course.

[mankrip]

Personal life problems would still have kept me from taking advantage of any extra knowledge, but I'd have solved some of them earlier.

Also, I'd have started doing engine coding earlier, instead of hacking around engine limitations through QC and content tricks.

[qbism]

However, as my current career path led me to my wife, I'm rather glad I didn't.

Same here

So, what, are wives watching your posts? Brownie points!

I've also got to say "ditto" with my choices in life leading to a land of fair ladies where I selected the most beautiful as my wife, but FPS just a hobby. Still it would be interesting to know how a parallel timeline of game development turns out. To answer the main question I probably don't know enough to radically change FPS history or make zillions.

Time travel is definitely possible in essence. I read about a team toiling on a complex C64 adventure game, and halo ported to Atari 2600. The mass market riches are gone but active hardcore audiences remain in retro projects. There must still be some "breakout" possibility to mainline audiences for a great or unique game.

[goldenboy]

I could imagine just making some nice levels for a relatively new game engine instead of a multi-year multi-member Quake modding excess.

Then again, knowing me, it would have ended up just the same.

It's fate.

[hogsy]

Two words...

World Domination

[Squirt]

I would tell CocoT that he will be releasing Incas vs Pharaos in 2011, which he then would instead release in 97. And that would create a slipgate on his website during QExpo 2011!

[Madfox]

I'm still as mad as then,
but I knew, I would say now.

I broke up with Qmap in 97 placing entities blindly into the DM maps.
I wanted to play them and there were no monsters, as I had no internet or manual.
Then I started mapping and it never stopped atracting my imagination.

I only knew if I stick to one stubborn game I want to understand,
maybe it is more then trying to learn them all.